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Negishi K, Fredriksson I, Bossert JM, Zangen A, Shaham Y. Relapse after electric barrier-induced voluntary abstinence: A review. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2024; 86:102856. [PMID: 38508102 PMCID: PMC11162942 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Relapse to drug use during abstinence is a defining feature of addiction. To date, however, results from studies using rat relapse/reinstatement models have yet to result in FDA-approved medications for relapse prevention. To address this translational gap, we and others have developed rat models of relapse after voluntary abstinence from drug self-administration. One of these models is the electric barrier conflict model. Here, we introduce the model, and then review studies on behavioral and neuropharmacological mechanisms of cue-induced relapse and incubation of drug seeking (time-dependent increase in drug seeking during abstinence) after electric barrier-induced abstinence. We also briefly discuss future directions and potential clinical implications. One major conclusion of our review is that the brain mechanisms controlling drug relapse after electrical barrier-induced voluntary abstinence are likely distinct from those controlling relapse after homecage forced abstinence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ida Fredriksson
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | | | - Abraham Zangen
- Department of Life Science and the Zelman Neuroscience Center, Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheba, Israel
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, IRP/NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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2
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Zhu Y, Yang Q, Gu J, Chen Z, Jing N, Jin T, Lin J, Wang X, Hu J, Ji G, An Y. 'Environmental standard limit concentration' arsenic exposure is associated with anxiety, depression, and autism-like changes in early-life stage zebrafish. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 469:133953. [PMID: 38461670 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Arsenic is a worldwide environmental pollutant that can impair human health. Previous studies have identified mental disorders induced by arsenic, but the environmental exposure concentrations in the early life stages associated with these disorders are poorly understood. In the present study, early-life stage zebrafish were used to explore the effects on mental disorders under 'environmental standard limit concentrations' arsenic exposures of 5, 10, 50, 150, and 500 μg/L. The results showed that arsenic exposure at these concentrations changed the locomotor behavior in larval zebrafish and was further associated with anxiety, depression, and autism-like behavior in both larval and juvenile zebrafish. Changes were noted at benchmark dose limit (BMDL) concentrations as low as 0.81 μg/L. Transcriptomics showed that immediate early genes (IEGs) fosab, egr1, egr2a, ier2b, egr3, and jund were decreased after arsenic exposure in larval and juvenile zebrafish. Nervous system impairment and anxiety, depression, and autism-like behaviors in early-life stage zebrafish at 'environmental standard limit concentrations' may be attributed to the downregulation of IEGs. These findings in zebrafish provided new experimental support for an arsenic toxicity threshold for mental disorders, and they suggest that low levels of environmental chemicals may be causative developmental factors for mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanhui Zhu
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Qianlei Yang
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Jie Gu
- Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing 210042, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhicheng Chen
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Nan Jing
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Tingxu Jin
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China; School of Public Health, the Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Jiayuan Lin
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Jingwen Hu
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Guixiang Ji
- Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing 210042, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Yan An
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China.
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3
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Burghardt GM, Pellis SM, Schank JC, Smaldino PE, Vanderschuren LJMJ, Palagi E. Animal play and evolution: Seven timely research issues about enigmatic phenomena. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 160:105617. [PMID: 38458553 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
The nature of play in animals has been long debated, but progress is being made in characterizing play and its variants, documenting its distribution across vertebrate and invertebrate taxa, describing its mechanisms and development, and proposing testable theories about its origins, evolution, and adaptive functions. To achieve a deeper understanding of the functions and evolution of play, integrative and conceptual advances are needed in neuroscience, computer modeling, phylogenetics, experimental techniques, behavior development, and inter- and intra-specific variation. The special issue contains papers documenting many of these advances. Here, we describe seven timely areas where further research is needed to understand this still enigmatic class of phenomena more fully. Growing empirical and theoretical evidence reveals that play has been crucial in the evolution of behavior and psychology but has been underestimated, if not ignored, in both empirical and theoretical areas of evolutionary biology and neuroscience. Play research has important ramifications for understanding the evolution of cognition, emotion, and culture, and research on animals can be both informative and transformative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon M Burghardt
- Departments of Psychology and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.
| | - Sergio M Pellis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jeffrey C Schank
- Department of Psychology and Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Paul E Smaldino
- Department of Cognitive and Information Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA, USA, and Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - Louk J M J Vanderschuren
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Elisabetta Palagi
- Unit of Ethology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa and Natural History Museum, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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4
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Luft JG, Popik B, Gonçalves DA, Cruz FC, de Oliveira Alvares L. Distinct engrams control fear and extinction memory. Hippocampus 2024; 34:230-240. [PMID: 38396226 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Memories are stored in engram cells, which are necessary and sufficient for memory recall. Recalling a memory might undergo reconsolidation or extinction. It has been suggested that the original memory engram is reactivated during reconsolidation so that memory can be updated. Conversely, during extinction training, a new memory is formed that suppresses the original engram. Nonetheless, it is unknown whether extinction creates a new engram or modifies the original fear engram. In this study, we utilized the Daun02 procedure, which uses c-Fos-lacZ rats to induce apoptosis of strongly activated neurons and examine whether a new memory trace emerges as a result of a short or long reactivation, or if these processes rely on modifications within the original engram located in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and infralimbic (IL) cortex. By eliminating neurons activated during consolidation and reactivation, we observed significant impacts on fear memory, highlighting the importance of the BLA engram in these processes. Although we were unable to show any impact when removing the neurons activated after the test of a previously extinguished memory in the BLA, disrupting the IL extinction engram reactivated the aversive memory that was suppressed by the extinction memory. Thus, we demonstrated that the IL cortex plays a crucial role in the network involved in extinction, and disrupting this specific node alone is sufficient to impair extinction behavior. Additionally, our findings indicate that extinction memories rely on the formation of a new memory, supporting the theory that extinction memories rely on the formation of a new memory, whereas the reconsolidation process reactivates the same original memory trace.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordana Griebler Luft
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia da Memória, Departamento de Biofísica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Bruno Popik
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia da Memória, Departamento de Biofísica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Débora Aguirre Gonçalves
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia da Memória, Departamento de Biofísica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Fabio Cardoso Cruz
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lucas de Oliveira Alvares
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia da Memória, Departamento de Biofísica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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Liu S, Nawarawong N, Liu X, Liu QS, Olsen CM. Dissociable dorsal medial prefrontal cortex ensembles are necessary for cocaine seeking and fear conditioning in mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.17.585444. [PMID: 38562850 PMCID: PMC10983871 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.17.585444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The dmPFC plays a dual role in modulating drug seeking and fear-related behaviors. Learned associations between cues and drug seeking are encoded by a specific ensemble of neurons. This study explored the stability of a dmPFC cocaine seeking ensemble over two weeks and its influence on persistent cocaine seeking and fear memory retrieval. In the first series of experiments, we trained TetTag mice in cocaine self-administration and tagged strongly activated neurons with EGFP during the initial day 7 cocaine seeking session. Subsequently, a follow-up seeking test was conducted two weeks later to examine ensemble reactivation between two seeking sessions via c-Fos immunostaining. In the second series of experiments, we co-injected viruses expressing TRE-cre and a cre-dependent inhibitory PSAM-GlyR into the dmPFC of male and female c-fos -tTA mice to enable "tagging" of cocaine seeking ensemble or cued fear ensemble neurons with an inhibitory chemogenetic receptors. Then we investigated their contribution to subsequent cocaine seeking and fear recall during inhibition of the tagged ensemble by administering uPSEM792s (0.3 mg/kg), a selective ligand for PSAM-GlyR. In both sexes, there was a positive association between the persistence of cocaine seeking and the proportion of reactivated EGFP+ neurons within the dmPFC. More importantly, inhibition of the cocaine seeking ensemble suppressed cocaine seeking, but not recall of fear memory, while inhibition of the fear ensemble reduced conditioned freezing but not cocaine seeking. The results demonstrate that cocaine and fear recall ensembles in the dmPFC are stable, but largely exclusive from one another.
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Huai Z, Huang B, He G, Li H, Liu Y, Le Q, Wang F, Ma L, Liu X. Accumulation of NMDA receptors in accumbal neuronal ensembles mediates increased conditioned place preference for cocaine after prolonged withdrawal. Prog Neurobiol 2024; 234:102573. [PMID: 38401668 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2024.102573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Cue-induced cocaine craving gradually intensifies following abstinence, a phenomenon known as the incubation of drug craving. Neuronal ensembles activated by initial cocaine use, are critically involved in this process. However, the mechanisms by which neuronal changes occurring in the ensembles after withdrawal contribute to incubation remain largely unknown. Here we labeled neuronal ensembles in the shell of nucleus accumbens (NAcSh) activated by cocaine conditioned place preference (CPP) training. NAcSh ensembles showed an increasing activity induced by CPP test after 21-day withdrawal. Inhibiting synaptic transmission of NAcSh ensembles suppressed the preference for cocaine paired-side after 21-day withdrawal, demonstrating a critical role of NAcSh ensembles in increased preference for cocaine. The density of dendritic spines in dopamine D1 receptor expressing ensembles was increased after 21-day withdrawal. Moreover, the expression of Grin1, a subunit of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, specifically increased in the NAcSh ensembles after cocaine withdrawal in both CPP and self-administration (SA) mouse models. Targeted knockdown or dysfunction of Grin1 in NAcSh ensembles significantly suppressed craving for cocaine. Our results suggest that the accumulation of NMDA receptors in NAcSh ensembles mediates increased craving for cocaine after prolonged withdrawal, thereby providing potential molecular targets for treatment of drug addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziqing Huai
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Bing Huang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Guanhong He
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Haibo Li
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yonghui Liu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Qiumin Le
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Feifei Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Lan Ma
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai 200032, China.
| | - Xing Liu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai 200032, China.
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Andreyanov M, Heinrich R, Berlin S. Design of Ultrapotent Genetically Encoded Inhibitors of Kv4.2 for Gating Neural Plasticity. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e2295222023. [PMID: 38154956 PMCID: PMC10869153 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2295-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The Kv4.2 potassium channel plays established roles in neuronal excitability, while also being implicated in plasticity. Current means to study the roles of Kv4.2 are limited, motivating us to design a genetically encoded membrane tethered Heteropodatoxin-2 (MetaPoda). We find that MetaPoda is an ultrapotent and selective gating-modifier of Kv4.2. We narrow its site of contact with the channel to two adjacent residues within the voltage sensitive domain (VSD) and, with docking simulations, suggest that the toxin binds the VSD from within the membrane. We also show that MetaPoda does not require an external linker of the channel for its activity. In neurons (obtained from female and male rat neonates), MetaPoda specifically, and potently, inhibits all Kv4 currents, leaving all other A-type currents unaffected. Inhibition of Kv4 in hippocampal neurons does not promote excessive excitability, as is expected from a simple potassium channel blocker. We do find that MetaPoda's prolonged expression (1 week) increases expression levels of the immediate early gene cFos and prevents potentiation. These findings argue for a major role of Kv4.2 in facilitating plasticity of hippocampal neurons. Lastly, we show that our engineering strategy is suitable for the swift engineering of another potent Kv4.2-selective membrane-tethered toxin, Phrixotoxin-1, denoted MetaPhix. Together, we provide two uniquely potent genetic tools to study Kv4.2 in neuronal excitability and plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Andreyanov
- Department of Neuroscience, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3525433, Israel
| | - Ronit Heinrich
- Department of Neuroscience, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3525433, Israel
| | - Shai Berlin
- Department of Neuroscience, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3525433, Israel
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Koya E. Microglia: The new player orchestrating the cocaine-induced expression of calcium-permeable AMPA receptors. Brain Behav Immun 2024; 116:22-23. [PMID: 38008387 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.11.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Eisuke Koya
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer BN1 9QG, United Kingdom.
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Glaeser B, Panariello V, Banerjee A, Olsen CM. Environmental Enrichment during Abstinence Reduces Oxycodone Seeking and c-Fos Expression in a Subpopulation of Medial Prefrontal Cortex Neurons. Drug Alcohol Depend 2024; 255:111077. [PMID: 38228055 PMCID: PMC10869844 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.111077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several preclinical studies have demonstrated that environmental enrichment (EE) during abstinence reduces drug seeking for psychostimulant and opioid drugs. Drug seeking is dependent on activity within the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, and enrichment has been able to reduce drug seeking-associated increases in c-Fos in this region. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that EE during abstinence from oxycodone self-administration would reduce drug seeking and c-Fos immunoreactivity within the prefrontal cortex in a cell-type specific manner. METHODS Male rats self-administered oxycodone in two-hours sessions for three weeks, then underwent an initial drug seeking test under extinction conditions after one week of forced abstinence. Following this test, rats received either EE or remained individually housed in their home cage, then a second drug seeking test, with tissue collection immediately afterward. RESULTS Compared to rats in standard housing, environmentally enriched rats had lower oxycodone seeking. In the prelimbic and infralimbic prefrontal cortices, the number of c-Fos+ cells was reduced, and this reduction was predominantly in inhibitory cells neurons, as evidenced by a reduction in the proportion of c-Fos+ cells in GAD+, but not CamKII+ cells. There was also a robust positive relationship between the number of c-Fos+ cells and persistence of oxycodone seeking in both the PrL and IL. CONCLUSIONS These findings further support the effectiveness of enriched environments to reduce reactivity to drug-associated stimuli and contexts and provide a potential mechanism by which this occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Breanna Glaeser
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226; Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | - Valeria Panariello
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226; Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226; Current Address: Department of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 14 CH-Fribourg1700 Switzerland
| | - Anjishnu Banerjee
- Division of Biostatistics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | - Christopher M Olsen
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226; Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226; Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226.
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10
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Sardi NF, Pescador AC, Azevedo EM, Pochapski JA, Kukolj C, Spercoski KM, Andrade AJM, da Cunha C, Fischer L. Sleep and Pain: A Role for the Anterior Cingulate Cortex, Nucleus Accumbens, and Dopamine in the Increased Pain Sensitivity Following Sleep Restriction. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2024; 25:331-349. [PMID: 37673193 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2023.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Persistent pain conditions and sleep disorders are public health problems worldwide. It is widely accepted that sleep disruption increases pain sensitivity; however, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, we used a protocol of 6 hours a day of total sleep deprivation for 3 days in rats to advance the understanding of these mechanisms. We focused on gender differences and the dopaminergic mesocorticolimbic system. The findings demonstrated that sleep restriction (SR) increased pain sensitivity in a similar way in males and females, without inducing a significant stress response. This pronociceptive effect depends on a nucleus accumbens (NAc) neuronal ensemble recruited during SR and on the integrity of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Data on indirect dopaminergic parameters, dopamine transporter glycosylation, and dopamine and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-regulated phosphoprotein-32 phosphorylation, as well as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine levels, suggest that dopaminergic function decreases in the NAc and ACC after SR. Complementarily, pharmacological activation of dopamine D2, but not D1 receptors either in the ACC or in the NAc prevents SR from increasing pain sensitivity. The ACC and NAc are the main targets of dopaminergic mesocorticolimbic projections with a key role in pain modulation. This study showed their integrative role in the pronociceptive effect of SR, pointing to dopamine D2 receptors as a potential target for pain management in patients with sleep disorders. These findings narrow the focus of future studies on the mechanisms by which sleep impairment increases pain sensitivity. PERSPECTIVE: This study demonstrates that the pronociceptive effect of SR affects similarly males and females and depends on a NAc neuronal ensemble recruited during SR and on the integrity of the ACC. Findings on dopaminergic function support dopamine D2 receptors as targets for pain management in sleep disorders patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia F Sardi
- Department of Physiology, Division of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
| | - Ana C Pescador
- Department of Physiology, Division of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
| | - Evellyn M Azevedo
- Department of Physiology, Division of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
| | - José A Pochapski
- Department of Pharmacology, Division of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil; Department of Biochemistry, Division of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
| | - Caroline Kukolj
- Department of Biochemistry, Division of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
| | - Katherinne M Spercoski
- Department of Physiology, Division of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil; Division of Biosciences, Federal University of Parana, Palotina, Parana, Brazil
| | - Anderson J M Andrade
- Department of Physiology, Division of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
| | - Claudio da Cunha
- Department of Pharmacology, Division of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
| | - Luana Fischer
- Department of Physiology, Division of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
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11
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Davidson CJ, Mascarin AT, Yahya MA, Rubio FJ, Gheidi A. Approaches and considerations of studying neuronal ensembles: a brief review. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1310724. [PMID: 38155864 PMCID: PMC10752959 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1310724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
First theorized by Hebb, neuronal ensembles have provided a framework for understanding how the mammalian brain operates, especially regarding learning and memory. Neuronal ensembles are discrete, sparsely distributed groups of neurons that become activated in response to a specific stimulus and are thought to provide an internal representation of the world. Beyond the study of region-wide or projection-wide activation, the study of ensembles offers increased specificity and resolution to identify and target specific memories or associations. Neuroscientists interested in the neurobiology of learning, memory, and motivated behavior have used electrophysiological-, calcium-, and protein-based proxies of neuronal activity in preclinical models to better understand the neurobiology of learned and motivated behaviors. Although these three approaches may be used to pursue the same general goal of studying neuronal ensembles, technical differences lead to inconsistencies in the output and interpretation of data. This mini-review highlights some of the methodologies used in electrophysiological-, calcium-, and protein-based studies of neuronal ensembles and discusses their strengths and weaknesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron J. Davidson
- William Beaumont School of Medicine, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, United States
| | - Alixandria T. Mascarin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Majd A. Yahya
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - F. Javier Rubio
- Neuronal Ensembles in Addiction Section, Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program/National Institute on Drug Abuse/National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Ali Gheidi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Mercer University, Macon, GA, United States
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12
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Liu X, Wang F, Le Q, Ma L. Cellular and molecular basis of drug addiction: The role of neuronal ensembles in addiction. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 83:102813. [PMID: 37972536 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Addiction has been conceptualized as a disease of learning and memory. Learned associations between environmental cues and unconditioned rewards induced by drug administration, which play a critical role in addiction, have been shown to be encoded in sparsely distributed populations of neurons called neuronal ensembles. This review aims to highlight how synaptic remodeling and alterations in signaling pathways that occur specifically in neuronal ensembles contribute to the pathogenesis of addiction. Furthermore, a causal link between transcriptional and epigenetic modifications in neuronal ensembles and the development of the addictive state is proposed. Translational studies of molecular and cellular changes in neuronal ensembles that contribute to drug-seeking behavior, will allow the identification of molecular and circuit targets and interventions for substance use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Liu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, and Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai, China
| | - Feifei Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, and Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai, China.
| | - Qiumin Le
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, and Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai, China
| | - Lan Ma
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, and Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai, China
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13
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Barber KR, Vizcarra VS, Zilch A, Majuta L, Diezel CC, Culver OP, Hughes BW, Taniguchi M, Streicher JM, Vanderah TW, Riegel AC. The Role of Ryanodine Receptor 2 in Drug-Associated Learning. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.03.560743. [PMID: 37873212 PMCID: PMC10592901 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.03.560743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Type-2 ryanodine receptor (RyR2) ion channels facilitate the release of Ca 2+ from stores and serve an important function in neuroplasticity. The role for RyR2 in hippocampal-dependent learning and memory is well established and chronic hyperphosphorylation of RyR2 (RyR2P) is associated with pathological calcium leakage and cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. By comparison, little is known about the role of RyR2 in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) circuitry important for working memory, decision making, and reward seeking. Here, we evaluated the basal expression and localization of RyR2 and RyR2P in the vmPFC. Next, we employed an operant model of sucrose, cocaine, or morphine self-administration (SA) followed by a (reward-free) recall test, to reengage vmPFC neurons and reactivate reward-seeking and re-evaluated the expression and localization of RyR2 and RyR2P in vmPFC. Under basal conditions, RyR2 was expressed in pyramidal cells but not regularly detected in PV/SST interneurons. On the contrary, RyR2P was rarely observed in PFC somata and was restricted to a different subcompartment of the same neuron - the apical dendrites of layer-5 pyramidal cells. Chronic SA of drug (cocaine or morphine) and nondrug (sucrose) rewards produced comparable increases in RyR2 protein expression. However, recalling either drug reward impaired the usual localization of RyR2P in dendrites and markedly increased its expression in somata immunoreactive for Fos, a marker of highly activated neurons. These effects could not be explained by chronic stress or drug withdrawal and instead appeared to require a recall experience associated with prior drug SA. In addition to showing the differential distribution of RyR2/RyR2P and affirming the general role of vmPFC in reward learning, this study provides information on the propensity of addictive drugs to redistribute RyR2P ion channels in a neuronal population engaged in drug-seeking. Hence, focusing on the early impact of addictive drugs on RyR2 function may serve as a promising approach to finding a treatment for substance use disorders.
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14
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Matchynski JI, Cilley TS, Sadik N, Makki KM, Wu M, Manwar R, Woznicki AR, Kallakuri S, Arfken CL, Hope BT, Avanaki K, Conti AC, Perrine SA. Quantification of prefrontal cortical neuronal ensembles following conditioned fear learning in a Fos-LacZ transgenic rat with photoacoustic imaging in Vivo. PHOTOACOUSTICS 2023; 33:100551. [PMID: 38021296 PMCID: PMC10658601 DOI: 10.1016/j.pacs.2023.100551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the neurobiology of complex behaviors requires measurement of activity in the discrete population of active neurons, neuronal ensembles, which control the behavior. Conventional neuroimaging techniques ineffectively measure neuronal ensemble activity in the brain in vivo because they assess the average regional neuronal activity instead of the specific activity of the neuronal ensemble that mediates the behavior. Our functional molecular photoacoustic tomography (FM-PAT) system allows direct imaging of Fos-dependent neuronal ensemble activation in Fos-LacZ transgenic rats in vivo. We tested four experimental conditions and found increased FM-PAT signal in prefrontal cortical areas in rats undergoing conditioned fear or novel context exposure. A parallel immunofluorescence ex vivo study of Fos expression found similar findings. These findings demonstrate the ability of FM-PAT to measure Fos-expressing neuronal ensembles directly in vivo and support a mechanistic role for the prefrontal cortex in higher-order processing of response to specific stimuli or environmental cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- James I. Matchynski
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
- Wayne State MD/PhD Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Timothy S. Cilley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Nareen Sadik
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Kassem M. Makki
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Min Wu
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Rayyan Manwar
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Bioengineering, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Srinivasu Kallakuri
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Cynthia L. Arfken
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Bruce T. Hope
- The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kamran Avanaki
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Bioengineering, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Alana C. Conti
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Shane A. Perrine
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
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15
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Namba MD, Xie Q, Barker JM. Advancing the preclinical study of comorbid neuroHIV and substance use disorders: Current perspectives and future directions. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 113:453-475. [PMID: 37567486 PMCID: PMC10528352 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a persistent public health concern throughout the world. Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a common comorbidity that can worsen treatment outcomes for people living with HIV. The relationship between HIV infection and SUD outcomes is likely bidirectional, making clear interrogation of neurobehavioral outcomes challenging in clinical populations. Importantly, the mechanisms through which HIV and addictive drugs disrupt homeostatic immune and CNS function appear to be highly overlapping and synergistic within HIV-susceptible reward and motivation circuitry in the central nervous system. Decades of animal research have revealed invaluable insights into mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology SUDs and HIV, although translational studies examining comorbid SUDs and HIV are very limited due to the technical challenges of modeling HIV infection preclinically. In this review, we discuss preclinical animal models of HIV and highlight key pathophysiological characteristics of each model, with a particular emphasis on rodent models of HIV. We then review the implementation of these models in preclinical SUD research and identify key gaps in knowledge in the field. Finally, we discuss how cutting-edge behavioral neuroscience tools, which have revealed key insights into the neurobehavioral mechanisms of SUDs, can be applied to preclinical animal models of HIV to reveal potential, novel treatment avenues for comorbid HIV and SUDs. Here, we argue that future preclinical SUD research would benefit from incorporating comorbidities such as HIV into animal models and would facilitate the discovery of more refined, subpopulation-specific mechanisms and effective SUD prevention and treatment targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D Namba
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Qiaowei Xie
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jacqueline M Barker
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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16
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Xie X, Chen R, Wang X, Smith L, Wang J. Activity-dependent labeling and manipulation of fentanyl-recruited striatal ensembles using ArcTRAP approach. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102369. [PMID: 37354458 PMCID: PMC10320278 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the memory substrates underlying substance abuse requires the permanent tagging and manipulation of drug-recruited neural ensembles. Here, we present a protocol for activity-dependent labeling and chemogenetic manipulation of fentanyl-activated striatal ensembles using the ArcTRAP approach. We outline the necessary steps to breed ArcTRAP mice, prepare drugs and reagents, conduct behavioral training, and perform tagging and manipulation. This approach can be adapted to investigate drug-recruited ensembles in other brain regions, providing a versatile tool for exploring the neural mechanisms underlying addiction. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Wang et al.1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueyi Xie
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA.
| | - Ruifeng Chen
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Xuehua Wang
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Laura Smith
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA.
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17
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Yip KYT, Gräff J. Tissue clearing applications in memory engram research. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1181818. [PMID: 37700912 PMCID: PMC10493294 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1181818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
A memory engram is thought to be the physical substrate of the memory trace within the brain, which is generally depicted as a neuronal ensemble activated by learning to fire together during encoding and retrieval. It has been postulated that engram cell ensembles are functionally interconnected across multiple brain regions to store a single memory as an "engram complex", but visualizing this engram complex across the whole brain has for long been hindered by technical limitations. With the recent development of tissue clearing techniques, advanced light-sheet microscopy, and automated 3D image analysis, it has now become possible to generate a brain-wide map of engram cells and thereby to visualize the "engram complex". In this review, we first provide a comprehensive summary of brain-wide engram mapping studies to date. We then compile a guide on implementing the optimal tissue clearing technique for engram tagging approaches, paying particular attention to visualize engram reactivation as a critical mnemonic property, for which whole-brain multiplexed immunostaining becomes a challenging prerequisite. Finally, we highlight the potential of tissue clearing to simultaneously shed light on both the circuit connectivity and molecular underpinnings of engram cells in a single snapshot. In doing so, novel brain regions and circuits can be identified for subsequent functional manipulation, thus providing an opportunity to robustly examine the "engram complex" underlying memory storage.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Johannes Gräff
- Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
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18
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Garcia-Keller C, Hohmeister M, Seidling K, Beloate L, Chioma V, Spencer S, Kalivas P, Neuhofer D. Δ 9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol self-administration induces cell type-specific adaptations in the nucleus accumbens core. Addict Biol 2023; 28:e13286. [PMID: 37500492 PMCID: PMC10924663 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Drugs of abuse induce cell type-specific adaptations in D1- and D2-medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the nucleus accumbens core (NAcore) that can bias signalling towards D1-MSNs and enhance relapse vulnerability. Whether Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) use initiates similar neuroadaptations is unknown. D1- and D2-Cre transgenic rats were transfected with Cre-dependent reporters and trained to self-administer THC + cannabidiol (THC + CBD). After extinction training spine morphology, glutamate transmission, CB1R function and cFOS expression were quantified. We found that extinction from THC + CBD induced a loss of large spine heads in D1- but not D2-MSNs and commensurate reductions in glutamate synaptic transmission. Also, presynaptic CB1R function was impaired selectively at glutamatergic synapses on D1-MSNs, which augmented the capacity to potentiate glutamate transmission. Using cFOS expression as an activity marker, we found no change after extinction but increased cFOS expression in D1-MSNs after cue-induced drug seeking. Contrasting D1-MSNs, CB1R function and glutamate synaptic transmission on D2-MSN synapses were unaffected by THC + CBD use. However, cFOS expression was decreased in D2-MSNs of THC + CBD-extinguished rats and was restored after drug seeking. Thus, CB1R adaptations in D1-MSNs partially predicted neuronal activity changes, posing pathway specific modulation of eCB signalling in D1-MSNs as a potential treatment avenue for cannabis use disorder (CUD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Constanza Garcia-Keller
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 403-MSC 510, Charleston, SC 29425
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 W Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | - Madeline Hohmeister
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 403-MSC 510, Charleston, SC 29425
| | - Kailyn Seidling
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 403-MSC 510, Charleston, SC 29425
| | - Lauren Beloate
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 403-MSC 510, Charleston, SC 29425
| | - Vivian Chioma
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 403-MSC 510, Charleston, SC 29425
| | - Sade Spencer
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, MN 55455
| | - Peter Kalivas
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 403-MSC 510, Charleston, SC 29425
| | - Daniela Neuhofer
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 403-MSC 510, Charleston, SC 29425
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19
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Kastellakis G, Tasciotti S, Pandi I, Poirazi P. The dendritic engram. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1212139. [PMID: 37576932 PMCID: PMC10412934 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1212139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence from a wide range of studies, including behavioral, cellular, molecular and computational findings, support a key role of dendrites in the encoding and recall of new memories. Dendrites can integrate synaptic inputs in non-linear ways, provide the substrate for local protein synthesis and facilitate the orchestration of signaling pathways that regulate local synaptic plasticity. These capabilities allow them to act as a second layer of computation within the neuron and serve as the fundamental unit of plasticity. As such, dendrites are integral parts of the memory engram, namely the physical representation of memories in the brain and are increasingly studied during learning tasks. Here, we review experimental and computational studies that support a novel, dendritic view of the memory engram that is centered on non-linear dendritic branches as elementary memory units. We highlight the potential implications of dendritic engrams for the learning and memory field and discuss future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Kastellakis
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Simone Tasciotti
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Heraklion, Greece
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Ioanna Pandi
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Heraklion, Greece
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Panayiota Poirazi
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Heraklion, Greece
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20
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Claypool SM, Reiner DJ, Behdin S, Orihuel J, Batista A, Caldwell KE, Chow JJ, Bossert JM, Rubio FJ, Hope BT, Shaham Y. Role of Piriform Cortex and Its Afferent Projections in Relapse to Fentanyl Seeking after Food Choice-Induced Voluntary Abstinence. J Neurosci 2023; 43:2597-2614. [PMID: 36898838 PMCID: PMC10082459 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0034-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
We previously demonstrated a role of piriform cortex (Pir) in relapse to fentanyl seeking after food choice-induced voluntary abstinence. Here, we used this model to further study the role of Pir and its afferent projections in fentanyl relapse. We trained male and female rats to self-administer palatable food pellets for 6 d (6 h/day) and fentanyl (2.5 µg/kg/infusion, i.v.) for 12 d (6 h/day). We assessed relapse to fentanyl seeking after 12 voluntary abstinence sessions, achieved through a discrete choice procedure between fentanyl and palatable food (20 trials/session). We determined projection-specific activation of Pir afferents during fentanyl relapse with Fos plus the retrograde tracer cholera toxin B (injected into Pir). Fentanyl relapse was associated with increased Fos expression in anterior insular cortex (AI) and prelimbic cortex (PL) neurons projecting to Pir. We next used an anatomical disconnection procedure to determine the causal role of these two projections (AI→Pir and PL→Pir) in fentanyl relapse. Contralateral but not ipsilateral disconnection of AI→Pir projections decreased fentanyl relapse but not reacquisition of fentanyl self-administration. In contrast, contralateral but not ipsilateral disconnection of PL→Pir projections modestly decreased reacquisition but not relapse. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting and quantitative PCR data showed molecular changes within Pir Fos-expressing neurons associated with fentanyl relapse. Finally, we found minimal or no sex differences in fentanyl self-administration, fentanyl versus food choice, and fentanyl relapse. Our results indicate that AI→Pir and PL→Pir projections play dissociable roles in nonreinforced relapse to fentanyl seeking versus reacquisition of fentanyl self-administration after food choice-induced voluntary abstinence.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We previously showed a role of Pir in fentanyl relapse after food choice-induced voluntary abstinence in rats, a procedure mimicking human abstinence or a significant reduction in drug self-administration because of the availability of alternative nondrug rewards. Here, we aimed to further characterize the role of Pir in fentanyl relapse by investigating the role of Pir afferent projections and analyzing molecular changes in relapse-activated Pir neurons. We identified dissociable roles of two Pir afferent projections (AI→Pir and PL→Pir) in relapse to fentanyl seeking versus reacquisition of fentanyl self-administration after voluntary abstinence. We also characterized molecular changes within Pir Fos-expressing neurons associated with fentanyl relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Claypool
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - David J Reiner
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Sana Behdin
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Javier Orihuel
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Ashley Batista
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Kiera E Caldwell
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Jonathan J Chow
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Jennifer M Bossert
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - F Javier Rubio
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Bruce T Hope
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
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21
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Wang W, Xie X, Zhuang X, Huang Y, Tan T, Gangal H, Huang Z, Purvines W, Wang X, Stefanov A, Chen R, Rodriggs L, Chaiprasert A, Yu E, Vierkant V, Hook M, Huang Y, Darcq E, Wang J. Striatal μ-opioid receptor activation triggers direct-pathway GABAergic plasticity and induces negative affect. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112089. [PMID: 36796365 PMCID: PMC10404641 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Withdrawal from chronic opioid use often causes hypodopaminergic states and negative affect, which may drive relapse. Direct-pathway medium spiny neurons (dMSNs) in the striatal patch compartment contain μ-opioid receptors (MORs). It remains unclear how chronic opioid exposure and withdrawal impact these MOR-expressing dMSNs and their outputs. Here, we report that MOR activation acutely suppressed GABAergic striatopallidal transmission in habenula-projecting globus pallidus neurons. Notably, withdrawal from repeated morphine or fentanyl administration potentiated this GABAergic transmission. Furthermore, intravenous fentanyl self-administration enhanced GABAergic striatonigral transmission and reduced midbrain dopaminergic activity. Fentanyl-activated striatal neurons mediated contextual memory retrieval required for conditioned place preference tests. Importantly, chemogenetic inhibition of striatal MOR+ neurons rescued fentanyl withdrawal-induced physical symptoms and anxiety-like behaviors. These data suggest that chronic opioid use triggers GABAergic striatopallidal and striatonigral plasticity to induce a hypodopaminergic state, which may promote negative emotions and relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wang
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Xueyi Xie
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Xiaowen Zhuang
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Yufei Huang
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Tao Tan
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Himanshu Gangal
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Zhenbo Huang
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - William Purvines
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Xuehua Wang
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Alexander Stefanov
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Ruifeng Chen
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Lucas Rodriggs
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Anita Chaiprasert
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Emily Yu
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Valerie Vierkant
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Michelle Hook
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Yun Huang
- Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Department of Translational Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Emmanuel Darcq
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Strasbourg, INSERM U1114, 67084 Strasbourg Cedex, France
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Department of Translational Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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22
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Goltseker K, Garay P, Bonefas K, Iwase S, Barak S. Alcohol-specific transcriptional dynamics of memory reconsolidation and relapse. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:55. [PMID: 36792579 PMCID: PMC9932068 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02352-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Relapse, a critical issue in alcohol addiction, can be attenuated by disruption of alcohol-associated memories. Memories are thought to temporarily destabilize upon retrieval during the reconsolidation process. Here, we provide evidence for unique transcriptional dynamics underpinning alcohol memory reconsolidation. Using a mouse place-conditioning procedure, we show that alcohol-memory retrieval increases the mRNA expression of immediate-early genes in the dorsal hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex, and that alcohol seeking is abolished by post-retrieval non-specific inhibition of gene transcription, or by downregulating ARC expression using antisense-oligodeoxynucleotides. However, since retrieval of memories for a natural reward (sucrose) also increased the same immediate-early gene expression, we explored for alcohol-specific transcriptional changes using RNA-sequencing. We revealed a unique transcriptional fingerprint activated by alcohol memories, as the expression of this set of plasticity-related genes was not altered by sucrose-memory retrieval. Our results suggest that alcohol memories may activate two parallel transcription programs: one is involved in memory reconsolidation in general, and another is specifically activated during alcohol-memory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koral Goltseker
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Patricia Garay
- The University of Michigan Neuroscience Graduate Program, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Katherine Bonefas
- The University of Michigan Neuroscience Graduate Program, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Shigeki Iwase
- The University of Michigan Neuroscience Graduate Program, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Human Genetics Department, The University of Michigan Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, USA
| | - Segev Barak
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.
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23
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The Recruitment of a Neuronal Ensemble in the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala During the First Extinction Episode Has Persistent Effects on Extinction Expression. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 93:300-308. [PMID: 36336498 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adaptive behavior depends on the delicate and dynamic balance between acquisition and extinction memories. Disruption of this balance, particularly when the extinction of memory loses control over behavior, is the root of treatment failure of maladaptive behaviors such as substance abuse or anxiety disorders. Understanding this balance requires a better understanding of the underlying neurobiology and its contribution to behavioral regulation. METHODS We microinjected Daun02 in Fos-lacZ transgenic rats following a single extinction training episode to delete extinction-recruited neuronal ensembles in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and central nucleus of the amygdala (CN) and examined their contribution to behavior in an appetitive Pavlovian task. In addition, we used immunohistochemistry and neuronal staining methods to identify the molecular markers of activated neurons in the BLA and CN during extinction learning or retrieval. RESULTS CN neurons were preferentially engaged following extinction, and deletion of these extinction-activated ensembles in the CN but not the BLA impaired the retrieval of extinction despite additional extinction training and promoted greater levels of behavioral restoration in spontaneous recovery and reinstatement. Disrupting extinction processing in the CN in turn increased activity in the BLA. Our results also show a specific role for CN PKCδ+ neurons in behavioral inhibition but not during initial extinction learning. CONCLUSIONS We showed that the initial extinction-recruited CN ensemble is critical to the acquisition-extinction balance and that greater behavioral restoration does not mean weaker extinction contribution. These findings provide a novel avenue for thinking about the neural mechanisms of extinction and for developing treatments for cue-triggered appetitive behaviors.
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24
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Psychostimulant Drugs Activate Cell-type Specific and Topographic cFos Expression in the Lumbar Spinal Cord. Neuroscience 2023; 510:9-20. [PMID: 36502959 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Psychostimulant drugs, such as cocaine, d-amphetamine and methylphenidate, alter a wide range of behaviors including locomotor activity and somatosensory perception. These altered behaviors are accompanied by the activation of specific neuronal populations within reward-, emotion- and locomotion-related circuits. However, whether such regulation occurs at the level of the spinal cord, a key node for neural circuits integrating and coordinating sensory and motor functions has never been addressed. By evaluating the temporal and spatial expression pattern of the phosphorylated form of the immediate early gene cFos at Ser32 (pS32-cFos), used as a proxy of neuronal activation, we demonstrate that, in adult male mice, d-amphetamine increases pS32-cFos expression in both inhibitory and excitatory neurons in dorsal and ventral horns at the lumbar spinal cord level. Interestingly, a fraction of neurons activated by a first exposure to d-amphetamine can be re-activated following d-amphetamine re-exposure. Similar expression patterns were observed in response to cocaine and methylphenidate, but not following morphine and dozilcipine administration. Finally, the blockade of dopamine reuptake was sufficient to recapitulate the increase in pS32-cFos expression induced by psychostimulant drugs. Our work provides evidence that cFos expression can be activated in lumbar spinal cord in response to acute psychostimulants administration.
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25
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Fredriksson I, Tsai PJ, Shekara A, Duan Y, Applebey SV, Minier-Toribio A, Batista A, Chow JJ, Altidor L, Barbier E, Cifani C, Li X, Reiner DJ, Rubio FJ, Hope BT, Yang Y, Bossert JM, Shaham Y. Role of ventral subiculum neuronal ensembles in incubation of oxycodone craving after electric barrier-induced voluntary abstinence. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadd8687. [PMID: 36630511 PMCID: PMC9833671 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add8687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
High relapse rate is a key feature of opioid addiction. In humans, abstinence is often voluntary due to negative consequences of opioid seeking. To mimic this human condition, we recently introduced a rat model of incubation of oxycodone craving after electric barrier-induced voluntary abstinence. Incubation of drug craving refers to time-dependent increases in drug seeking after cessation of drug self-administration. Here, we used the activity marker Fos, muscimol-baclofen (GABAa + GABAb receptor agonists) global inactivation, Daun02-selective inactivation of putative relapse-associated neuronal ensembles, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting of Fos-positive cells and quantitative polymerase chain reaction to demonstrate a key role of vSub neuronal ensembles in incubation of oxycodone craving after voluntary abstinence, but not homecage forced abstinence. We also used a longitudinal functional magnetic resonance imaging method and showed that functional connectivity changes in vSub-related circuits predict opioid relapse after abstinence induced by adverse consequences of opioid seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida Fredriksson
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, IRP/NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Pei-Jung Tsai
- Neuroimaging Research Branch, IRP/NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Ying Duan
- Neuroimaging Research Branch, IRP/NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | | | - Ashley Batista
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, IRP/NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jonathan J. Chow
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, IRP/NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lindsay Altidor
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, IRP/NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Estelle Barbier
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Carlo Cifani
- School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | - Xuan Li
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland College Park, College Park, MD, USA
| | - David J. Reiner
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, IRP/NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - F. Javier Rubio
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, IRP/NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bruce T. Hope
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, IRP/NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Yihong Yang
- Neuroimaging Research Branch, IRP/NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, IRP/NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
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26
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Hilz EN, Lee HJ. Estradiol and progesterone in female reward-learning, addiction, and therapeutic interventions. Front Neuroendocrinol 2023; 68:101043. [PMID: 36356909 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2022.101043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Sex steroid hormones like estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) guide the sexual organization and activation of the developing brain and control female reproductive behavior throughout the lifecycle; importantly, these hormones modulate functional activity of not just the endocrine system, but most of the nervous system including the brain reward system. The effects of E2 and P4 can be seen in the processing of and memory for rewarding stimuli and in the development of compulsive reward-seeking behaviors like those seen in substance use disorders. Women are at increased risk of developing substance use disorders; however, the origins of this sex difference are not well understood and therapeutic interventions targeting ovarian hormones have produced conflicting results. This article reviews the contribution of the E2 and P4 in females to functional modulation of the brain reward system, their possible roles in origins of addiction vulnerability, and the development and treatment of compulsive reward-seeking behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily N Hilz
- The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Pharmacology, USA.
| | - Hongjoo J Lee
- The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology, USA; The University of Texas at Austin, Institute for Neuroscience, USA
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27
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The Protective Effect of Social Reward on Opioid and Psychostimulant Reward and Relapse: Behavior, Pharmacology, and Brain Regions. J Neurosci 2022; 42:9298-9314. [PMID: 36517252 PMCID: PMC9794371 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0931-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Until recently, most modern neuroscience research on addiction using animal models did not incorporate manipulations of social factors. Social factors play a critical role in human addiction: social isolation and exclusion can promote drug use and relapse, while social connections and inclusion tend to be protective. Here, we discuss the state of the literature on social factors in animal models of opioid and psychostimulant preference, self-administration, and relapse. We first summarize results from rodent studies on behavioral, pharmacological, and circuit mechanisms of the protective effect of traditional experimenter-controlled social interaction procedures on opioid and psychostimulant conditioned place preference, self-administration, and relapse. Next, we summarize behavioral and brain-mechanism results from studies using newer operant social-interaction procedures that inhibit opioid and psychostimulant self-administration and relapse. We conclude by discussing how the reviewed studies point to future directions for the addiction field and other neuroscience and psychiatric fields, and their implications for mechanistic understanding of addiction and development of new treatments.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In this review, we propose that incorporating social factors into modern neuroscience research on addiction could improve mechanistic accounts of addiction and help close gaps in translating discovery to treatment. We first summarize rodent studies on behavioral, pharmacological, and circuit mechanisms of the protective effect of both traditional experimenter-controlled and newer operant social-interaction procedures. We then discuss potential future directions and clinical implications.
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28
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Mottarlini F, Rizzi B, Targa G, Fumagalli F, Caffino L. Long-lasting BDNF signaling alterations in the amygdala of adolescent female rats exposed to the activity-based anorexia model. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:1087075. [PMID: 36570702 PMCID: PMC9772010 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1087075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric disorder characterized by a pathological fear of gaining weight, excessive physical exercise, and emotional instability. Since the amygdala is a key region for emotion processing and BDNF has been shown to play a critical role in this process, we hypothesized that alteration in the amygdalar BDNF system might underline vulnerability traits typical of AN patients. Methods: To this end, adolescent female rats have been exposed to the Activity-Based Anorexia (ABA) protocol, characterized by the combination of caloric restriction and intense physical exercise. Results: The induction of the anorexic phenotype caused hyperactivity and body weight loss in ABA animals. These changes were paralleled by amygdalar hyperactivation, as measured by the up-regulation of cfos mRNA levels. In the acute phase of the pathology, we observed reduced Bdnf exon IX, exon IV, and exon VI gene expression, while mBDNF protein levels were enhanced, an increase that was, instead, uncoupled from its downstream signaling as the phosphorylation of TrkB, Akt, and S6 in ABA rats were reduced. Despite the body weight recovery observed 7 days later, the BDNF-mediated signaling was still downregulated at this time point. Discussion: Our findings indicate that the BDNF system is downregulated in the amygdala of adolescent female rats under these experimental conditions, which mimic the anorexic phenotype in humans, pointing to such dysregulation as a potential contributor to the altered emotional processing observed in AN patients. In addition, since the modulation of BDNF levels is observed in other psychiatric conditions, the persistent AN-induced changes of the BDNF system in the amygdala might contribute to explaining the onset of comorbid psychiatric disorders that persist in patients even beyond recovery from AN.
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29
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Incubation of palatable food craving is associated with brain-wide neuronal activation in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2209382119. [PMID: 36603188 PMCID: PMC9659381 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2209382119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies using rodent models have shown that relapse to drug or food seeking increases progressively during abstinence, a behavioral phenomenon termed "incubation of craving." Mechanistic studies of incubation of craving have focused on specific neurobiological targets within preselected brain areas. Recent methodological advances in whole-brain immunohistochemistry, clearing, and imaging now allow unbiased brain-wide cellular resolution mapping of regions and circuits engaged during learned behaviors. However, these whole-brain imaging approaches were developed for mouse brains, while incubation of drug craving has primarily been studied in rats, and incubation of food craving has not been demonstrated in mice. Here, we established a mouse model of incubation of palatable food craving and examined food reward seeking after 1, 15, and 60 abstinence days. We then used the neuronal activity marker Fos with intact-brain mapping procedures to identify corresponding patterns of brain-wide activation. Relapse to food seeking was significantly higher after 60 abstinence days than after 1 or 15 days. Using unbiased ClearMap analysis, we identified increased activation of multiple brain regions, particularly corticostriatal structures, following 60 but not 1 or 15 abstinence days. We used orthogonal SMART2 analysis to confirm these findings within corticostriatal and thalamocortical subvolumes and applied expert-guided registration to investigate subdivision and layer-specific activation patterns. Overall, we 1) identified brain-wide activity patterns during incubation of food seeking using complementary analytical approaches and 2) provide a single-cell resolution whole-brain atlas that can be used to identify functional networks and global architecture underlying the incubation of food craving.
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30
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Keefer SE, Petrovich GD. Necessity and recruitment of cue-specific neuronal ensembles within the basolateral amygdala during appetitive reversal learning. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 194:107663. [PMID: 35870716 PMCID: PMC10326893 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Through Pavlovian appetitive conditioning, environmental cues can become predictors of food availability. Over time, however, the food, and thus the value of the associated cues, can change based on environmental variations. This change in outcome necessitates updating of the value of the cue to appropriately alter behavioral responses to these cues. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is critical in updating the outcomes of learned cues. However, it is unknown if the same BLA neuronal ensembles that are recruited in the initial associative memory are required when the new cue-outcome association is formed during reversal learning. The current study used the Daun02 inactivation method that enables selective targeting and disruption of activated neuronal ensembles in Fos-lacZ transgenic rats. Rats were implanted with bilateral cannulas that target the BLA and underwent appetitive discriminative conditioning in which rats had to discriminate between two auditory stimuli. One stimulus (CS+) co-terminated with food delivery, and the other stimulus was unrewarded (CS-; counterbalanced). Rats were then tested for CS+ or CS- memory retrieval and infused with either Daun02 or a vehicle solution into the BLA to inactivate either CS+ or CS- neuronal ensembles that were activated during that test. To assess if the same neuronal ensembles are necessary to update the value of the new association when the outcomes are changed, rats underwent reversal learning: the CS+ was no longer followed by food (reversal CS-, rCS-), and the CS- was now followed by food (reversal CS+; rCS+). The group that received Daun02 following CS+ session showed a decrease in conditioned responding and increased latency to the rCS- (previously CS+) during the first session of reversal learning, specifically during the first trial. This indicates that the neuronal ensemble that was activated during the recall of the CS+ memory was the same neuronal ensemble needed for learning the new outcome of the same CS, now rCS-. Additionally, the group that received Daun02 following CS- session was slower to respond to the rCS+ (previously CS-) during reversal learning. This indicates that the neuronal ensemble that was activated during the recall of the CS- memory was the same neuronal ensemble needed for learning the new outcome of the same CS. These results demonstrate that different neuronal ensembles within the BLA mediate memory recall of CS+ and CS- cues and reactivation of each cue-specific neuronal ensemble is necessary to update the value of that specific cue to respond appropriately during reversal learning. These results also indicate substantial plasticity within the BLA for behavioral flexibility as both groups eventually showed similar terminal levels of reversal learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara E Keefer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA.
| | - Gorica D Petrovich
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
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31
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Chao OY, Nikolaus S, Yang YM, Huston JP. Neuronal circuitry for recognition memory of object and place in rodent models. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 141:104855. [PMID: 36089106 PMCID: PMC10542956 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Rats and mice are used for studying neuronal circuits underlying recognition memory due to their ability to spontaneously remember the occurrence of an object, its place and an association of the object and place in a particular environment. A joint employment of lesions, pharmacological interventions, optogenetics and chemogenetics is constantly expanding our knowledge of the neural basis for recognition memory of object, place, and their association. In this review, we summarize current studies on recognition memory in rodents with a focus on the novel object preference, novel location preference and object-in-place paradigms. The evidence suggests that the medial prefrontal cortex- and hippocampus-connected circuits contribute to recognition memory for object and place. Under certain conditions, the striatum, medial septum, amygdala, locus coeruleus and cerebellum are also involved. We propose that the neuronal circuitry for recognition memory of object and place is hierarchically connected and constructed by different cortical (perirhinal, entorhinal and retrosplenial cortices), thalamic (nucleus reuniens, mediodorsal and anterior thalamic nuclei) and primeval (hypothalamus and interpeduncular nucleus) modules interacting with the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Owen Y Chao
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth, MN 55812, USA
| | - Susanne Nikolaus
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Yi-Mei Yang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth, MN 55812, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Joseph P Huston
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
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32
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Körber C, Sommer WH. From ensembles to meta-ensembles: Specific reward encoding by correlated network activity. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:977474. [PMID: 36177094 PMCID: PMC9513968 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.977474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal ensembles are local, sparsely distributed populations of neurons that are reliably re-activated by a specific stimulus, context or task. Such discrete cell populations can be defined either functionally, by electrophysiological recordings or in vivo calcium imaging, or anatomically, using the expression of markers such as the immediate early gene cFos. A typical example of tasks that involve the formation of neuronal ensembles is reward learning, such as the cue-reward pairing during operant conditioning. These ensembles are re-activated during cue-presentation and increasing evidence suggests that this re-activation is the neurophysiological basis for the execution of reward-seeking behavior. Whilst the pursuit of rewards is a common daily activity, it is also related to the consumption of drugs, such as alcohol, and may result in problematic behaviors including addiction. Recent research has identified neuronal ensembles in several reward-related brain regions that control distinct aspects of a conditioned response, e.g., contextual information about the availability of a specific reward or the actions needed to retrieve this reward under the given circumstances. Here, we review studies using the activity marker cFos to identify and characterize neuronal ensembles related to alcohol and non-drug rewards with a special emphasis on the discrimination between different rewards by meta-ensembles, i.e., by dynamic co-activation of multiple ensembles across different brain areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Körber
- Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang H Sommer
- Medical Faculty Mannheim, Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
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33
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Sortman BW, Gobin C, Rakela S, Cerci B, Warren BL. Prelimbic Ensembles Mediate Cocaine Seeking After Behavioral Acquisition and Once Rats Are Well-Trained. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:920667. [PMID: 36225390 PMCID: PMC9549214 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.920667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Substance use disorder (SUD) is a chronic relapsing condition characterized by continued use of drugs despite negative consequences. SUD is thought to involve disordered learning and memory wherein drug-paired cues gain increased salience, and ultimately drive craving and relapse. These types of associations are thought to be encoded within sparsely distributed sets of neurons, called neuronal ensembles, that drive encoded behaviors through synchronous activity of the participant neurons. We have previously found that Fos-expressing neuronal ensembles within the prefrontal cortex are required for well-trained cocaine seeking. However, less is known about how quickly cortical neuronal ensembles form during the initiation of cocaine seeking behavior. Here, we seek to further elucidate the role of Fos-expressing neuronal ensembles within the prelimbic cortex (PL) after the initial acquisition of cocaine self-administration (SA), or, after 10 days of additional SA training (well-trained). We trained Fos-LacZ transgenic rats to lever press for cocaine under an FR1 schedule of reinforcement. Once rats met acquisition criteria for cocaine self-administration, we ablated Fos-expressing neuronal ensembles in the PL using the Daun02 inactivation method, either 1 or 10 days after the rats met the acquisition criteria. Targeted ablation of Fos-expressing neuronal ensembles in the PL attenuated active lever pressing both 1 day and 10 days after rats acquired cocaine self-administration. Together, this suggests that Fos-expressing neuronal ensembles rapidly form in the PL and continue to mediate maintained cocaine seeking behavior.
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34
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Inactivation of the Lateral Hypothalamus Attenuates Methamphetamine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference through Regulation of Kcnq3 Expression. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23137305. [PMID: 35806315 PMCID: PMC9266452 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23137305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Repeated administration of methylamphetamine (MA) induces MA addiction, which is featured by awfully unpleasant physical and emotional experiences after drug use is terminated. Neurophysiological studies show that the lateral hypothalamus (LH) is involved in reward development and addictive behaviors. Here, we show that repeated administration of MA activates the expression of c-Fos in LH neurons responding to conditioned place preference (CPP). Chemogenetic inhibition of the LH can disrupt the addiction behavior, demonstrating that the LH plays an important role in MA-induced reward processing. Critically, MA remodels the neurons of LH synaptic plasticity, increases intracellular calcium level, and enhances spontaneous current and evoked potentials of neurons compared to the saline group. Furthermore, overexpression of the potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily Q member 3 (Kcnq3) expression can reverse the CPP score and alleviate the occurrence of addictive behaviors. Together, these results unravel a new neurobiological mechanism underlying the MA-induced addiction in the lateral hypothalamus, which could pave the way toward new and effective interventions for this addiction disease.
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35
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Ghareh H, Alonso-Lozares I, Schetters D, Herman RJ, Heistek TS, Van Mourik Y, Jean-Richard-Dit-Bressel P, Zernig G, Mansvelder HD, De Vries TJ, Marchant NJ. Role of anterior insula cortex in context-induced relapse of nicotine-seeking. eLife 2022; 11:75609. [PMID: 35536612 PMCID: PMC9119676 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, and relapse during abstinence remains the critical barrier to successful treatment of tobacco addiction. During abstinence, environmental contexts associated with nicotine use can induce craving and contribute to relapse. The insular cortex (IC) is thought to be a critical substrate of nicotine addiction and relapse. However, its specific role in context-induced relapse of nicotine-seeking is not fully known. In this study, we report a novel rodent model of context-induced relapse to nicotine-seeking after punishment-imposed abstinence, which models self-imposed abstinence through increasing negative consequences of excessive drug use. Using the neuronal activity marker Fos we find that the anterior (aIC), but not the middle or posterior IC, shows increased activity during context-induced relapse. Combining Fos with retrograde labeling of aIC inputs, we show projections to aIC from contralateral aIC and basolateral amygdala exhibit increased activity during context-induced relapse. Next, we used fiber photometry in aIC and observed phasic increases in aIC activity around nicotine-seeking responses during self-administration, punishment, and the context-induced relapse tests. Next, we used chemogenetic inhibition in both male and female rats to determine whether activity in aIC is necessary for context-induced relapse. We found that chemogenetic inhibition of aIC decreased context-induced nicotine-seeking after either punishment- or extinction-imposed abstinence. These findings highlight the critical role nicotine-associated contexts play in promoting relapse, and they show that aIC activity is critical for this context-induced relapse following both punishment and extinction-imposed abstinence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hussein Ghareh
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Isis Alonso-Lozares
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Dustin Schetters
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Rae J Herman
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Tim S Heistek
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Yvar Van Mourik
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Gerald Zernig
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Huibert D Mansvelder
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Taco J De Vries
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Nathan J Marchant
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Gobin C, Sortman B, Rakela S, Quintana-Feliciano R, Warren BL. Fos-expressing neuronal ensembles in rat infralimbic cortex encode initial and maintained oxycodone seeking in rats. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13148. [PMID: 35229934 PMCID: PMC10167745 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal ensembles within the infralimbic cortex (IL) and their projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) mediate opiate seeking in well-trained rats. However, it is unclear how early this circuitry is recruited during oxycodone self-administration. Here, we used retrograde labelling (CTb) and immunohistochemistry to identify NAc-projecting neurons in the IL that were activated during initial oxycodone seeking. Next, we sought to determine the role of IL neuronal ensembles in initial oxycodone self-administration. We used the Daun02 procedure in male and female Fos-LacZ rats to chemogenetically inactivate IL Fos-expressing neurons at different time points in oxycodone self-administration training: immediately after meeting criteria for acquisition of behaviour and following nine daily sessions with increasing schedules of reinforcement (FR1, FR2 and FR3) in which rats demonstrated stable oxycodone intake under increasing effort to self-administer. We found that Daun02 infusions attenuated oxycodone seeking at both the initial learning and well-trained time points. These results suggest that IL neuronal ensembles are formed during initial learning of oxycodone self-administration and required for the maintenance and expression of oxycodone seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Gobin
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Bo Sortman
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Samantha Rakela
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | | | - Brandon L Warren
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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Sommer WH, Canals S, Bifone A, Heilig M, Hyytiä P. From a systems view to spotting a hidden island: A narrative review implicating insula function in alcoholism. Neuropharmacology 2022; 209:108989. [PMID: 35217032 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.108989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Excessive use of alcohol promotes the development of alcohol addiction, but the understanding of how alcohol-induced brain alterations lead to addiction remains limited. To further this understanding, we adopted an unbiased discovery strategy based on the principles of systems medicine. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging data from patients and animal models of alcohol addiction-like behaviors, and developed mathematical models of the 'relapse-prone' network states to identify brain sites and functional networks that can be selectively targeted by therapeutic interventions. Our systems level, non-local, and largely unbiased analyses converged on a few well-defined brain regions, with the insula emerging as one of the most consistent finding across studies. In proof-of-concept experiments we were able to demonstrate that it is possible to guide network dynamics towards increased resilience in animals but an initial translation into a clinical trial targeting the insula failed. Here, in a narrative review, we summarize the key experiments, methodological developments and knowledge gained from this completed round of a discovery cycle moving from identification of 'relapse-prone' network states in humans and animals to target validation and intervention trial. Future concerted efforts are necessary to gain a deeper understanding of insula function a in a state-dependent, circuit-specific and cell population perspective, and to develop the means for insula-directed interventions, before therapeutic targeting of this structure may become possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang H Sommer
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Bethania Hospital for Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Greifswald, Germany.
| | - Santiago Canals
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03550, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Spain
| | - Angelo Bifone
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Sustainable Future Technologies, Torino, Italy
| | - Markus Heilig
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University and Dept. of Psychiatry, Linköping Univ. Hospital, S-581 85, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Petri Hyytiä
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
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Kaplan G, Xu H, Abreu K, Feng J. DNA Epigenetics in Addiction Susceptibility. Front Genet 2022; 13:806685. [PMID: 35145550 PMCID: PMC8821887 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.806685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Addiction is a chronically relapsing neuropsychiatric disease that occurs in some, but not all, individuals who use substances of abuse. Relatively little is known about the mechanisms which contribute to individual differences in susceptibility to addiction. Neural gene expression regulation underlies the pathogenesis of addiction, which is mediated by epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA modifications. A growing body of work has demonstrated distinct DNA epigenetic signatures in brain reward regions that may be associated with addiction susceptibility. Furthermore, factors that influence addiction susceptibility are also known to have a DNA epigenetic basis. In the present review, we discuss the notion that addiction susceptibility has an underlying DNA epigenetic basis. We focus on major phenotypes of addiction susceptibility and review evidence of cell type-specific, time dependent, and sex biased effects of drug use. We highlight the role of DNA epigenetics in these diverse processes and propose its contribution to addiction susceptibility differences. Given the prevalence and lack of effective treatments for addiction, elucidating the DNA epigenetic mechanism of addiction vulnerability may represent an expeditious approach to relieving the addiction disease burden.
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Zinsmaier AK, Dong Y, Huang YH. Cocaine-induced projection-specific and cell type-specific adaptations in the nucleus accumbens. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:669-686. [PMID: 33963288 PMCID: PMC8691189 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01112-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Cocaine craving, seeking, and relapse are mediated, in part, by cocaine-induced adaptive changes in the brain reward circuits. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) integrates and prioritizes different emotional and motivational inputs to the reward system by processing convergent glutamatergic projections from the medial prefrontal cortex, basolateral amygdala, ventral hippocampus, and other limbic and paralimbic brain regions. Medium spiny neurons (MSNs) are the principal projection neurons in the NAc, which can be divided into two major subpopulations, namely dopamine receptor D1- versus D2-expressing MSNs, with complementing roles in reward-associated behaviors. After cocaine experience, NAc MSNs exhibit complex and differential adaptations dependent on cocaine regimen, withdrawal time, cell type, location (NAc core versus shell), and related input and output projections, or any combination of these factors. Detailed characterization of these cellular adaptations has been greatly facilitated by the recent development of optogenetic/chemogenetic techniques combined with transgenic tools. In this review, we discuss such cell type- and projection-specific adaptations induced by cocaine experience. Specifically, (1) D1 and D2 NAc MSNs frequently exhibit differential adaptations in spinogenesis, glutamatergic receptor trafficking, and intrinsic membrane excitability, (2) cocaine experience differentially changes the synaptic transmission at different afferent projections onto NAc MSNs, (3) cocaine-induced NAc adaptations exhibit output specificity, e.g., being different at NAc-ventral pallidum versus NAc-ventral tegmental area synapses, and (4) the input, output, subregion, and D1/D2 cell type may together determine cocaine-induced circuit plasticity in the NAc. In light of the projection- and cell-type specificity, we also briefly discuss ensemble and circuit mechanisms contributing to cocaine craving and relapse after drug withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yan Dong
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219,Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
| | - Yanhua H. Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
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40
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Matchynski JI, Manwar R, Kratkiewicz KJ, Madangopal R, Lennon VA, Makki KM, Reppen AL, Woznicki AR, Hope BT, Perrine SA, Conti AC, Avanaki K. Direct measurement of neuronal ensemble activity using photoacoustic imaging in the stimulated Fos-LacZ transgenic rat brain: A proof-of-principle study. PHOTOACOUSTICS 2021; 24:100297. [PMID: 34522608 PMCID: PMC8426561 DOI: 10.1016/j.pacs.2021.100297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Measuring neuroactivity underlying complex behaviors facilitates understanding the microcircuitry that supports these behaviors. We have developed a functional and molecular photoacoustic tomography (F/M-PAT) system which allows direct imaging of Fos-expressing neuronal ensembles in Fos-LacZ transgenic rats with a large field-of-view and high spatial resolution. F/M-PAT measures the beta-galactosidase catalyzed enzymatic product of exogenous chromophore X-gal within ensemble neurons. We used an ex vivo imaging method in the Wistar Fos-LacZ transgenic rat, to detect neuronal ensembles in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) following cocaine administration or a shock-tone paired stimulus. Robust and selective F/M-PAT signal was detected in mPFC neurons after both conditions (compare to naive controls) demonstrating successful and direct detection of Fos-expressing neuronal ensembles using this approach. The results of this study indicate that F/M-PAT can be used in conjunction with Fos-LacZ rats to monitor neuronal ensembles that underlie a range of behavioral processes, such as fear learning or addiction.
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Key Words
- ANSI, American national standards institute
- AP, anterior-posterior
- Brain
- CNR, contrast-to-noise ratio
- Cocaine
- DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide
- DV, dorsal-ventral
- F/M-PAT, functional molecular photoacoustic tomography
- FOV, field-of-view
- Fear conditioning
- Fos
- GRIN, gradient-index
- IL, infralimbic cortex
- ML, medial-lateral
- Neuronal ensemble
- OCT, optical coherence tomography
- OPO, optical parametric oscillator
- PA, photoacoustic
- PBS, phosphate buffer saline
- PL, prelimbic cortex
- Photoacoustic imaging
- SNR, signal-to-noise ratio
- US, ultrasound
- X-gal
- X-gal, beta-D-galactosidase
- fMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging
- mPFC, medial prefrontal cortex
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Affiliation(s)
- James I. Matchynski
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Rayyan Manwar
- The Richard and Loan Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
| | - Karl J. Kratkiewicz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Rajtarun Madangopal
- The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Veronica A. Lennon
- The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kassem M. Makki
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Abbey L. Reppen
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
| | | | - Bruce T. Hope
- The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shane A. Perrine
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Alana C. Conti
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Kamran Avanaki
- The Richard and Loan Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
- Department of Dermatology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
- Corresponding author at: The Richard and Loan Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA.
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The Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Fear Memory: Dynamics, Connectivity, and Engrams. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212113. [PMID: 34830009 PMCID: PMC8619965 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
It is becoming increasingly apparent that long-term memory formation relies on a distributed network of brain areas. While the hippocampus has been at the center of attention for decades, it is now clear that other regions, in particular the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), are taking an active part as well. Recent evidence suggests that the mPFC-traditionally implicated in the long-term storage of memories-is already critical for the early phases of memory formation such as encoding. In this review, we summarize these findings, relate them to the functional importance of the mPFC connectivity, and discuss the role of the mPFC during memory consolidation with respect to the different theories of memory storage. Owing to its high functional connectivity to other brain areas subserving memory formation and storage, the mPFC emerges as a central hub across the lifetime of a memory, although much still remains to be discovered.
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Covey DP, Yocky AG. Endocannabinoid Modulation of Nucleus Accumbens Microcircuitry and Terminal Dopamine Release. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2021; 13:734975. [PMID: 34497503 PMCID: PMC8419321 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2021.734975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is located in the ventromedial portion of the striatum and is vital to valence-based predictions and motivated action. The neural architecture of the NAc allows for complex interactions between various cell types that filter incoming and outgoing information. Dopamine (DA) input serves a crucial role in modulating NAc function, but the mechanisms that control terminal DA release and its effect on NAc neurons continues to be elucidated. The endocannabinoid (eCB) system has emerged as an important filter of neural circuitry within the NAc that locally shapes terminal DA release through various cell type- and site-specific actions. Here, we will discuss how eCB signaling modulates terminal DA release by shaping the activity patterns of NAc neurons and their afferent inputs. We then discuss recent technological advancements that are capable of dissecting how distinct cell types, their afferent projections, and local neuromodulators influence valence-based actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan P Covey
- Department of Neuroscience, Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Alyssa G Yocky
- Department of Neuroscience, Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, United States
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43
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Addiction as a brain disease revised: why it still matters, and the need for consilience. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1715-1723. [PMID: 33619327 PMCID: PMC8357831 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00950-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The view that substance addiction is a brain disease, although widely accepted in the neuroscience community, has become subject to acerbic criticism in recent years. These criticisms state that the brain disease view is deterministic, fails to account for heterogeneity in remission and recovery, places too much emphasis on a compulsive dimension of addiction, and that a specific neural signature of addiction has not been identified. We acknowledge that some of these criticisms have merit, but assert that the foundational premise that addiction has a neurobiological basis is fundamentally sound. We also emphasize that denying that addiction is a brain disease is a harmful standpoint since it contributes to reducing access to healthcare and treatment, the consequences of which are catastrophic. Here, we therefore address these criticisms, and in doing so provide a contemporary update of the brain disease view of addiction. We provide arguments to support this view, discuss why apparently spontaneous remission does not negate it, and how seemingly compulsive behaviors can co-exist with the sensitivity to alternative reinforcement in addiction. Most importantly, we argue that the brain is the biological substrate from which both addiction and the capacity for behavior change arise, arguing for an intensified neuroscientific study of recovery. More broadly, we propose that these disagreements reveal the need for multidisciplinary research that integrates neuroscientific, behavioral, clinical, and sociocultural perspectives.
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Domi E, Xu L, Toivainen S, Nordeman A, Gobbo F, Venniro M, Shaham Y, Messing RO, Visser E, van den Oever MC, Holm L, Barbier E, Augier E, Heilig M. A neural substrate of compulsive alcohol use. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/34/eabg9045. [PMID: 34407947 PMCID: PMC8373126 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg9045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol intake remains controlled in a majority of users but becomes "compulsive," i.e., continues despite adverse consequences, in a minority who develop alcohol addiction. Here, using a footshock-punished alcohol self-administration procedure, we screened a large population of outbred rats to identify those showing compulsivity operationalized as punishment-resistant self-administration. Using unsupervised clustering, we found that this behavior emerged as a stable trait in a subpopulation of rats and was associated with activity of a brain network that included central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). Activity of PKCδ+ inhibitory neurons in the lateral subdivision of CeA (CeL) accounted for ~75% of variance in punishment-resistant alcohol taking. Activity-dependent tagging, followed by chemogenetic inhibition of neurons activated during punishment-resistant self-administration, suppressed alcohol taking, as did a virally mediated shRNA knockdown of PKCδ in CeA. These findings identify a previously unknown mechanism for a core element of alcohol addiction and point to a novel candidate therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esi Domi
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping 581 85, Sweden.
| | - Li Xu
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping 581 85, Sweden
- Psychosomatic Medicine Center, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Sanne Toivainen
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping 581 85, Sweden
| | - Anton Nordeman
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping 581 85, Sweden
| | - Francesco Gobbo
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 1 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK
| | - Marco Venniro
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Robert O Messing
- Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research and Departments of Neuroscience and Neurology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Esther Visser
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Michel C van den Oever
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Lovisa Holm
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping 581 85, Sweden
| | - Estelle Barbier
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping 581 85, Sweden
| | - Eric Augier
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping 581 85, Sweden
| | - Markus Heilig
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping 581 85, Sweden
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45
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Nall RW, Heinsbroek JA, Nentwig TB, Kalivas PW, Bobadilla AC. Circuit selectivity in drug versus natural reward seeking behaviors. J Neurochem 2021; 157:1450-1472. [PMID: 33420731 PMCID: PMC8178159 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Substance use disorder (SUD) is characterized, in part by behavior biased toward drug use and away from natural sources of reward (e.g., social interaction, food, sex). The neurobiological underpinnings of SUDs reveal distinct brain regions where neuronal activity is necessary for the manifestation of SUD-characteristic behaviors. Studies that specifically examine how these regions are involved in behaviors motivated by drug versus natural reward allow determinations of which regions are necessary for regulating seeking of both reward types, and appraisals of novel SUD therapies for off-target effects on behaviors motivated by natural reward. Here, we evaluate studies directly comparing regulatory roles for specific brain regions in drug versus natural reward. While it is clear that many regions drive behaviors motivated by all reward types, based on the literature reviewed we propose a set of interconnected regions that become necessary for behaviors motivated by drug, but not natural rewards. The circuitry is selectively necessary for drug seeking includes an Action/Reward subcircuit, comprising nucleus accumbens, ventral pallidum, and ventral tegmental area, a Prefrontal subcircuit comprising prelimbic, infralimbic, and insular cortices, a Stress subcircuit comprising the central nucleus of the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and a Diencephalon circuit including lateral hypothalamus. Evidence was mixed for nucleus accumbens shell, insular cortex, and ventral pallidum. Studies for all other brain nuclei reviewed supported a necessary role in regulating both drug and natural reward seeking. Finally, we discuss emerging strategies to further disambiguate the necessity of brain regions in drug- versus natural reward-associated behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rusty W. Nall
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Jasper A. Heinsbroek
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Todd B. Nentwig
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Peter W. Kalivas
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
- These authors share senior authorship
| | - Ana-Clara Bobadilla
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
- These authors share senior authorship
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46
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Kane L, Venniro M, Quintana‐Feliciano R, Madangopal R, Rubio FJ, Bossert JM, Caprioli D, Shaham Y, Hope BT, Warren BL. Fos-expressing neuronal ensemble in rat ventromedial prefrontal cortex encodes cocaine seeking but not food seeking in rats. Addict Biol 2021; 26:e12943. [PMID: 32683756 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal ensembles in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) play a role in both cocaine and palatable food seeking. However, it is unknown whether similar or different vmPFC neuronal ensembles mediate food and cocaine seeking. Here, we used the Daun02 inactivation procedure to assess whether the neuronal ensembles mediating food and cocaine seeking can be functionally distinguished. We trained male and female Fos-LacZ rats to self-administer palatable food pellets and cocaine on alternating days for 18 days. We then exposed the rats to a brief nonreinforced food- or cocaine-seeking test to induce Fos and β-gal in neuronal ensembles associated with food or cocaine seeking, respectively and infused Daun02 into vmPFC to ablate the β-gal-expressing ensembles. Two days later, we tested the rats for food or cocaine seeking under extinction conditions. Although inactivation of the food-seeking ensemble did not influence food or cocaine seeking, inactivation of the cocaine-seeking ensemble reduced cocaine seeking but not food seeking. Results indicate that the neuronal ensemble activated by cocaine seeking in vmPFC is functionally separate from the ensemble activated by food seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louisa Kane
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch IRP/NIDA/NIH/DHHS Baltimore Maryland USA
| | - Marco Venniro
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch IRP/NIDA/NIH/DHHS Baltimore Maryland USA
| | - Richard Quintana‐Feliciano
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch IRP/NIDA/NIH/DHHS Baltimore Maryland USA
- Department of Pharmacodynamics University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
| | | | - F. Javier Rubio
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch IRP/NIDA/NIH/DHHS Baltimore Maryland USA
| | | | - Daniele Caprioli
- Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia) Rome Italy
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology Sapienza University of Rome Rome Italy
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch IRP/NIDA/NIH/DHHS Baltimore Maryland USA
| | - Bruce T. Hope
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch IRP/NIDA/NIH/DHHS Baltimore Maryland USA
| | - Brandon L. Warren
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch IRP/NIDA/NIH/DHHS Baltimore Maryland USA
- Department of Pharmacodynamics University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
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Midroit M, Chalençon L, Renier N, Milton A, Thevenet M, Sacquet J, Breton M, Forest J, Noury N, Richard M, Raineteau O, Ferdenzi C, Fournel A, Wesson DW, Bensafi M, Didier A, Mandairon N. Neural processing of the reward value of pleasant odorants. Curr Biol 2021; 31:1592-1605.e9. [PMID: 33607032 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.01.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Pleasant odorants are represented in the posterior olfactory bulb (pOB) in mice. How does this hedonic information generate odor-motivated behaviors? Using optogenetics, we report here that stimulating the representation of pleasant odorants in a sensory structure, the pOB, can be rewarding, self-motivating, and is accompanied by ventral tegmental area activation. To explore the underlying neural circuitry downstream of the olfactory bulb (OB), we use 3D high-resolution imaging and optogenetics and determine that the pOB preferentially projects to the olfactory tubercle, whose increased activity is related to odorant attraction. We further show that attractive odorants act as reinforcers in dopamine-dependent place preference learning. Finally, we extend those findings to humans, who exhibit place preference learning and an increase BOLD signal in the olfactory tubercle in response to attractive odorants. Thus, strong and persistent attraction induced by some odorants is due to a direct gateway from the pOB to the reward system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maëllie Midroit
- CNRS, UMR 5292, INSERM, U1028, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Neuroplasticity and Neuropathology of Olfactory Perception Team, Lyon 69000, France; University Lyon, Lyon, 69000, France; University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69000, France
| | - Laura Chalençon
- CNRS, UMR 5292, INSERM, U1028, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Neuroplasticity and Neuropathology of Olfactory Perception Team, Lyon 69000, France; University Lyon, Lyon, 69000, France; University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69000, France
| | - Nicolas Renier
- Sorbonne Universités, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Adrianna Milton
- Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University, 2109 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Marc Thevenet
- CNRS, UMR 5292, INSERM, U1028, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Neuroplasticity and Neuropathology of Olfactory Perception Team, Lyon 69000, France; University Lyon, Lyon, 69000, France; University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69000, France
| | - Joëlle Sacquet
- CNRS, UMR 5292, INSERM, U1028, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Neuroplasticity and Neuropathology of Olfactory Perception Team, Lyon 69000, France; University Lyon, Lyon, 69000, France; University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69000, France
| | - Marine Breton
- CNRS, UMR 5292, INSERM, U1028, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Neuroplasticity and Neuropathology of Olfactory Perception Team, Lyon 69000, France; University Lyon, Lyon, 69000, France; University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69000, France
| | - Jérémy Forest
- CNRS, UMR 5292, INSERM, U1028, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Neuroplasticity and Neuropathology of Olfactory Perception Team, Lyon 69000, France; University Lyon, Lyon, 69000, France; University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69000, France
| | - Norbert Noury
- CNRS, UMR5270, Institute Nanotechnology Lyon, Biomedical Sensors Group, University of Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69621, France
| | - Marion Richard
- CNRS, UMR 5292, INSERM, U1028, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Neuroplasticity and Neuropathology of Olfactory Perception Team, Lyon 69000, France; University Lyon, Lyon, 69000, France; University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69000, France
| | - Olivier Raineteau
- University Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, 69500 Bron, France
| | - Camille Ferdenzi
- CNRS, UMR 5292, INSERM, U1028, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Neuroplasticity and Neuropathology of Olfactory Perception Team, Lyon 69000, France; University Lyon, Lyon, 69000, France; University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69000, France
| | - Arnaud Fournel
- CNRS, UMR 5292, INSERM, U1028, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Neuroplasticity and Neuropathology of Olfactory Perception Team, Lyon 69000, France; University Lyon, Lyon, 69000, France; University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69000, France
| | - Daniel W Wesson
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, University of Florida, 1200 Newell Drive, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Moustafa Bensafi
- CNRS, UMR 5292, INSERM, U1028, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Neuroplasticity and Neuropathology of Olfactory Perception Team, Lyon 69000, France; University Lyon, Lyon, 69000, France; University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69000, France
| | - Anne Didier
- CNRS, UMR 5292, INSERM, U1028, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Neuroplasticity and Neuropathology of Olfactory Perception Team, Lyon 69000, France; University Lyon, Lyon, 69000, France; University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69000, France
| | - Nathalie Mandairon
- CNRS, UMR 5292, INSERM, U1028, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Neuroplasticity and Neuropathology of Olfactory Perception Team, Lyon 69000, France; University Lyon, Lyon, 69000, France; University Lyon 1, Villeurbanne 69000, France.
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Food-Seeking Behavior Is Mediated by Fos-Expressing Neuronal Ensembles Formed at First Learning in Rats. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0373-20.2021. [PMID: 33472867 PMCID: PMC8174054 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0373-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal ensembles in the infralimbic cortex (IL) develop after prolonged food self-administration training. However, rats demonstrate evidence of learning the food self-administration response as early as day 1, with responding quickly increasing to asymptotic levels. Since the contribution of individual brain regions to task performance shifts over the course of training, it remains unclear whether IL ensembles are gradually formed and refined over the course of extensive operant training, or whether functionally-relevant ensembles might be recruited and formed as early as the initial acquisition of food self-administration behavior. Here, we aimed to determine the role of IL ensembles at the earliest possible point after demonstrable learning of a response-outcome association. We first allowed rats to lever press for palatable food pellets and stopped training rats once their behavior evidenced the response-outcome association (learners). We compared their food-seeking behavior and neuronal activation (Fos protein expression) to similarly trained rats that did not form this association (non-learners). Learners had greater food-seeking behavior and neuronal activation within the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), suggesting that mPFC subregions might encode initial food self-administration memories. To test the functional relevance of mPFC Fos-expressing ensembles to subsequent food seeking, we tested region-wide inactivation of the IL using muscimol+baclofen and neuronal ensemble-specific ablation using the Daun02 inactivation procedure. Both region-wide inactivation and ensemble-specific inactivation of the IL significantly decreased food seeking. These data suggest that IL neuronal ensembles form during initial learning of food self-administration behavior, and furthermore, that these ensembles play a functional role in food seeking.
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Bouton ME, Maren S, McNally GP. BEHAVIORAL AND NEUROBIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF PAVLOVIAN AND INSTRUMENTAL EXTINCTION LEARNING. Physiol Rev 2021; 101:611-681. [PMID: 32970967 PMCID: PMC8428921 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00016.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This article reviews the behavioral neuroscience of extinction, the phenomenon in which a behavior that has been acquired through Pavlovian or instrumental (operant) learning decreases in strength when the outcome that reinforced it is removed. Behavioral research indicates that neither Pavlovian nor operant extinction depends substantially on erasure of the original learning but instead depends on new inhibitory learning that is primarily expressed in the context in which it is learned, as exemplified by the renewal effect. Although the nature of the inhibition may differ in Pavlovian and operant extinction, in either case the decline in responding may depend on both generalization decrement and the correction of prediction error. At the neural level, Pavlovian extinction requires a tripartite neural circuit involving the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus. Synaptic plasticity in the amygdala is essential for extinction learning, and prefrontal cortical inhibition of amygdala neurons encoding fear memories is involved in extinction retrieval. Hippocampal-prefrontal circuits mediate fear relapse phenomena, including renewal. Instrumental extinction involves distinct ensembles in corticostriatal, striatopallidal, and striatohypothalamic circuits as well as their thalamic returns for inhibitory (extinction) and excitatory (renewal and other relapse phenomena) control over operant responding. The field has made significant progress in recent decades, although a fully integrated biobehavioral understanding still awaits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Bouton
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Gavan P McNally
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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50
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Margetts-Smith G, Macnaghten AI, Brebner LS, Ziminski JJ, Sieburg MC, Grimm JW, Crombag HS, Koya E. Acute, but not longer-term, exposure to environmental enrichment attenuates Pavlovian cue-evoked conditioned approach and Fos expression in the prefrontal cortex in mice. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 53:2580-2591. [PMID: 33565633 PMCID: PMC8085094 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to environmental enrichment can modify the impact of motivationally relevant stimuli. For instance, previous studies in rats have found that even a brief, acute (~1 day), but not chronic, exposure to environmentally enriched (EE) housing attenuates instrumental lever pressing for sucrose-associated cues in a conditioned reinforcement setup. Moreover, acute EE reduces corticoaccumbens activity, as measured by decreases in expression of the neuronal activity marker "Fos." Currently, it is not known whether acute EE also reduces sucrose seeking and corticoaccumbens activity elicited by non-contingent or "forced" exposure to sucrose cues, which more closely resembles cue exposure encountered in daily life. We therefore measured the effects of acute/intermittent (1 day or 6 day of EE prior to test day) versus chronic (EE throughout conditioning lasting until test day) EE on the ability of a Pavlovian sucrose cue to elicit sucrose seeking (conditioned approach) and Fos expression in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and nucleus accumbens (NAc) in mice. One day, but not 6 day or chronic EE , reduced sucrose seeking and Fos in the deep layers of the dorsal mPFC. By contrast, 1 day, 6 day, and chronic EE all reduced Fos in the shallow layers of the OFC. None of the EE manipulations modulated NAc Fos expression. We reveal how EE reduces behavioral reactivity to sucrose cues by reducing activity in select prefrontal cortical brain areas. Our work further demonstrates the robustness of EE in its ability to modulate various forms of reward-seeking across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella Margetts-Smith
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
- University of Exeter College of Medicine and Health, Hatherly Laboratories, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Leonie S. Brebner
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
- Department of Neurochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Joseph J. Ziminski
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Meike C. Sieburg
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
- Department of Biomedicine/DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jeffrey W. Grimm
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA
| | - Hans S. Crombag
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
| | - Eisuke Koya
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
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