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Ahmed SH. The importance of choice and agency in animal models of addiction. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2024; 131:487-489. [PMID: 37906290 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-023-02712-8] [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: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this short commentary is twofold. First, it uncovers and outlines in broad strokes a historical, albeit oft-overlooked, trend toward a growing place for choice and agency in the design of animal models of addiction. Next, it tries to draw from this historical trend some perspectives and implications for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serge H Ahmed
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, 33000, Bordeaux, France.
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Solinas M, Lardeux V, Leblanc PM, Longueville JE, Thiriet N, Vandaele Y, Panlilio LV, Jaafari N. Delay of punishment highlights differential vulnerability to developing addiction-like behavior toward sweet food. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:155. [PMID: 38509086 PMCID: PMC10954751 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02863-6] [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: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Resistance to punishment is commonly used to measure the difficulty in refraining from rewarding activities when negative consequences ensue, which is a hallmark of addictive behavior. We recently developed a progressive shock strength (PSS) procedure in which individual rats can titrate the amount of punishment that they are willing to tolerate to obtain food rewards. Here, we investigated the effects of a range of delays (0-12 s) on resistance to punishment measured by PSS break points. As expected from delay discounting principles, we found that delayed shock was less effective as a punisher, as revealed by higher PSS breakpoints. However, this discounting effect was not equally distributed in the population of rats, and the introduction of a delay highlighted the existence of two populations: rats that were sensitive to immediate punishment were also sensitive to delayed shock, whereas rats that were resistant to immediate punishment showed strong temporal discounting of delayed punishment. Importantly, shock-sensitive rats suppressed responding even in subsequent non-punishment sessions, and they differed from shock-resistant rats in anxiety-like behavior, but not in sensitivity to pain. These results show that manipulation of temporal contingencies of punishment in the PSS procedure provides a valuable tool to identify individuals with a double vulnerability to addiction: low sensitivity to aversion and excessive discounting of negative future consequences. Conversely, the shock-sensitive population may provide a model of humans who are vulnerable to opportunity loss due to excessive anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcello Solinas
- Université de Poitiers, INSERM, U1084, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Expérimentales et Cliniques, Poitiers, France.
- Unité de Recherche Clinique Intersectorielle en Psychiatrie, Centre Hospitalier Henri-Laborit, Poitiers, France.
| | - Virginie Lardeux
- Université de Poitiers, INSERM, U1084, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Expérimentales et Cliniques, Poitiers, France
| | - Pierre-Marie Leblanc
- Unité de Recherche Clinique Intersectorielle en Psychiatrie, Centre Hospitalier Henri-Laborit, Poitiers, France
| | - Jean-Emmanuel Longueville
- Université de Poitiers, INSERM, U1084, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Expérimentales et Cliniques, Poitiers, France
| | - Nathalie Thiriet
- Université de Poitiers, INSERM, U1084, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Expérimentales et Cliniques, Poitiers, France
| | - Youna Vandaele
- Université de Poitiers, INSERM, U1084, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Expérimentales et Cliniques, Poitiers, France
| | - Leigh V Panlilio
- Real-world Assessment, Prediction, and Treatment Unit, Translational Addiction Medicine Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nematollah Jaafari
- Unité de Recherche Clinique Intersectorielle en Psychiatrie, Centre Hospitalier Henri-Laborit, Poitiers, France
- Université de Poitiers, CNRS, UMR 7295, Centre de Recherche sur la Cognition et l'apprentissage, Poitiers, France
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Murphy ZD, Mulugeta R, Tran A, Ferguson SM. DREADD activation of the lateral orbitofrontal increases cocaine-taking and cocaine-seeking in male and female rats during intermittent access self-administration under risky conditions. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 8:100122. [PMID: 37637005 PMCID: PMC10455039 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2023.100122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Addiction is a disorder that can be characterized in part as the constant pursuit of a particular substance despite negative consequences. Although the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is known to regulate risk-taking more generally and be critical to the development of addiction, its role in regulating drug use under risk-taking conditions is unknown. To address this, we examined drug-taking and drug-seeking in male and female rats under conditions where cocaine infusions were paired with foot shock punishment 50% of the time and combined this paradigm with cFos immunohistochemistry. We found that rats that showed higher levels of drug-taking and drug-seeking prior to punishment showed decreased responding during self-administration sessions under risky conditions and lower levels of c-Fos expression in the lateral but not medial OFC. However, despite these initial differences in responses to infusions paired with foot shocks, all rats showed decreased responding with additional punishment sessions. We then used chemogenetic viral approaches to examine how altering activity of the lateral OFC affects drug-taking and drug-seeking during punished drug use. Although there was no effect of Gi/o DREADD-mediated inhibition of the lateral OFC on these behaviors, Gq DREADD-mediated activation increased drug-taking and drug-seeking when drug use was associated with foot shock 50% of the time. Interestingly, this manipulation had no effect on non-risky self-administration behavior. These results suggest that the involvement of lateral OFC in cocaine use is context-sensitive and influences decision-making based on negative outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zackari D. Murphy
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101
| | - Ruth Mulugeta
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101
| | - Alex Tran
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101
| | - Susan M. Ferguson
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101
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Marcus MM, Banks ML. Effects of environmental and pharmacological manipulations on cocaine-vs-negative reinforcer choice in male and female rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:1677-1689. [PMID: 37340053 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06404-9] [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: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE The adverse consequences of human addictive drug use could be the result of either addictive drug consumption resulting in punishment (e.g., incarceration) or failure to engage in negative-reinforced behaviors that might compete with drug-maintained behaviors (e.g., contingency management strategies that reset payment amounts for drug free urines). OBJECTIVE The goal of the present study was to establish a discrete-trial cocaine-vs-negative reinforcer (SNR) choice procedure where rats were presented with a simplified model of this conflict: choose negative reinforcement (i.e., escape or avoid foot shock) or choose an intravenous (IV) cocaine infusion followed by an inescapable shock. METHODS Responding was maintained in male and female rats by IV cocaine infusions (0.32-1.8 mg/kg/inf) and a SNR (0.1-0.7 mA shock) under a discrete-trial concurrent "choice" schedule during daily sessions. Following parametric reinforcer magnitude and response requirement experiments, the effects of 12 h extended access cocaine self-administration and acute diazepam (0.32-10 mg/kg, IP) pretreatment were determined on cocaine-vs-SNR choice. RESULTS Negative reinforcement was chosen over all cocaine doses. Lowering shock magnitude or increasing SNR response requirement failed to promote behavioral reallocation towards cocaine. Extended access cocaine self-administration sessions resulted in high daily cocaine intakes but failed to significantly increase cocaine choice in all (19) but one rat. Acute diazepam pretreatment also did not alter choice behavior up to doses that produced behavioral depression. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that SNRs may be a source of reinforcement that effectively compete with and mitigate maladaptive addictive drug-maintained behaviors in the general population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison M Marcus
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Matthew L Banks
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA.
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McNally GP, Jean-Richard-Dit-Bressel P, Millan EZ, Lawrence AJ. Pathways to the persistence of drug use despite its adverse consequences. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:2228-2237. [PMID: 36997610 PMCID: PMC10611585 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02040-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023]
Abstract
The persistence of drug taking despite its adverse consequences plays a central role in the presentation, diagnosis, and impacts of addiction. Eventual recognition and appraisal of these adverse consequences is central to decisions to reduce or cease use. However, the most appropriate ways of conceptualizing persistence in the face of adverse consequences remain unclear. Here we review evidence that there are at least three pathways to persistent use despite the negative consequences of that use. A cognitive pathway for recognition of adverse consequences, a motivational pathway for valuation of these consequences, and a behavioral pathway for responding to these adverse consequences. These pathways are dynamic, not linear, with multiple possible trajectories between them, and each is sufficient to produce persistence. We describe these pathways, their characteristics, brain cellular and circuit substrates, and we highlight their relevance to different pathways to self- and treatment-guided behavior change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavan P McNally
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
| | | | - E Zayra Millan
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Andrew J Lawrence
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
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Marcus MM, Banks ML. A concurrently available negative reinforcer robustly decreases cocaine self-administration in male and female rats. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.29.534800. [PMID: 37034754 PMCID: PMC10081230 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.29.534800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Continued drug-taking despite adverse consequences is hypothesized to be an insidious behavioral hallmark of drug addiction. Although most preclinical research has focused on drug self-administration in the presence of positive punishment, another source of potential adverse consequences is behavioral allocation away from negative reinforcers (i.e., escape/avoid electric shock) and towards drug reinforcers. The goals of the present study were to establish a discrete-trial cocaine-vs-negative reinforcer choice procedure in male and female rats and determine sensitivity of choice behavior to environmental and pharmacological manipulations. Rats could make up to nine discrete choices between an intravenous cocaine infusion (0.32 - 1.8 mg/kg/inf) under a fixed-ratio (FR) 3 schedule and a negative reinforcer (escape or avoidance of electric shock, 0.1 - 0.7 mA) under an FR1 schedule. The negative reinforcer was consistently chosen over all cocaine doses. Lowering shock magnitude decreased negative reinforcer trials, increased omitted trials, and failed to promote behavioral reallocation towards cocaine. Increasing the negative reinforcement response requirement between sessions only increased omitted trials. Introduction of 12-hr extended access cocaine self-administration sessions across two weeks resulted in high daily cocaine intakes but failed to significantly increase cocaine choice. Acute diazepam pretreatment also did not impact choice behavior up to doses that produced behavioral depression. Overall, the lack of behavioral allocation between cocaine infusions and a negative reinforcer suggests these two reinforcers may be economic independents. Additionally, the failure of extended cocaine access to increase cocaine choice highlights the importance of alternative reinforcers and environmental context in preclinical models of drug addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison M. Marcus
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA 23298
| | - Matthew L. Banks
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA 23298
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Fontes RM, Shahan TA. Effects of repeated exposure to escalating versus constant punishment intensity on response allocation. J Exp Anal Behav 2022; 118:59-82. [PMID: 35553429 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.766] [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: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The present experiment investigated the effects of 1) repeated exposures to escalating punishment intensities and 2) repeated exposure to punishment after periods of vacation on response allocation between punished and unpunished responding in three groups of rats. The first group (intensity + vacation) experienced repeated exposures to escalating punishment intensities after a period of vacation (i.e., return to baseline) from punishment. The second group (intensity-only) experienced repeated exposures to escalating punishment intensities without vacation from punishment. The third group (vacation-only) experienced repeated exposures to a constant punishment intensity after a period of vacation from punishment. Results showed that superimposition of punishment on one of two concurrently available responses decreased allocation toward the punished response and increased allocation toward the unpunished response. Furthermore, greater changes in allocation were observed with the introduction of a moderate constant intensity than with the introduction of a low intensity that increased across sessions. Reexposure to punishment had different effects between the groups. Although there was evidence that high shock intensities can enhance the efficacy of lower intensities to shift allocation away from the punished response and toward the unpunished response, there was little evidence of changes in response allocation with reintroduction of punishment after a period of vacation.
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Punishment and compulsion: more than meets the eye. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:425-426. [PMID: 34645981 PMCID: PMC8674348 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01182-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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