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Sun L, Wang H. Acupuncture in the treatment of cocaine addiction: how does it work? Acupunct Med 2024:9645284241248473. [PMID: 38706189 DOI: 10.1177/09645284241248473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Cocaine is a frequently abused and highly addictive drug that damages brain health and imposes substantial social and economic costs. Acupuncture has been used in the treatment of cocaine addiction and has been shown to improve abnormal mental and motor states. This article mainly focuses on the neurobiological mechanisms involving the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) that underlie the effects of acupuncture in the treatment of cocaine addiction. The central dopamine system is a key player in acupuncture treatment of cocaine addiction; the ventral tegmental area (VTA)-nucleus accumbens (NAc) signaling pathway, which has a modulatory influence on behavior and psychology after chronic use of cocaine, is a significant target of acupuncture action. Moreover, acupuncture alleviates cocaine-induced seizures or acute psychomotor responses through the paraventricular thalamus and the lateral habenula (LHb)-rostromedial tegmental (RMTg) nucleus circuits. The data suggest that acupuncture can impact various cocaine-induced issues via stimulation of diverse brain areas; nevertheless, the interconnection of these brain regions and the PNS mechanisms involved remain unknown. In this review, we also discuss the effects of specific acupuncture protocols on cocaine addiction and note that variations in needling modalities, current intensities and traditional acupuncture point locations have led to different experimental results. Therefore, standardized acupuncture protocols (with respect to stimulation methods, point locations and number of sessions) may become particularly important in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luqiang Sun
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Haichuan Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
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2
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Jordan CJ, Xi ZX. Identification of the Risk Genes Associated With Vulnerability to Addiction: Major Findings From Transgenic Animals. Front Neurosci 2022; 15:811192. [PMID: 35095405 PMCID: PMC8789752 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.811192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding risk factors for substance use disorders (SUD) can facilitate medication development for SUD treatment. While a rich literature exists discussing environmental factors that influence SUD, fewer articles have focused on genetic factors that convey vulnerability to drug use. Methods to identify SUD risk genes include Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) and transgenic approaches. GWAS have identified hundreds of gene variants or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). However, few genes identified by GWAS have been verified by clinical or preclinical studies. In contrast, significant progress has been made in transgenic approaches to identify risk genes for SUD. In this article, we review recent progress in identifying candidate genes contributing to drug use and addiction using transgenic approaches. A central hypothesis is if a particular gene variant (e.g., resulting in reduction or deletion of a protein) is associated with increases in drug self-administration or relapse to drug seeking, this gene variant may be considered a risk factor for drug use and addiction. Accordingly, we identified several candidate genes such as those that encode dopamine D2 and D3 receptors, mGluR2, M4 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, and α5 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, which appear to meet the risk-gene criteria when their expression is decreased. Here, we describe the role of these receptors in drug reward and addiction, and then summarize major findings from the gene-knockout mice or rats in animal models of addiction. Lastly, we briefly discuss future research directions in identifying addiction-related risk genes and in risk gene-based medication development for the treatment of addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe J. Jordan
- Division of Alcohol, Drugs and Addiction, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States
- *Correspondence: Chloe J. Jordan,
| | - Zheng-Xiong Xi
- Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Zheng-Xiong Xi,
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3
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Nadal-Gratacós N, Alberto-Silva AS, Rodríguez-Soler M, Urquizu E, Espinosa-Velasco M, Jäntsch K, Holy M, Batllori X, Berzosa X, Pubill D, Camarasa J, Sitte HH, Escubedo E, López-Arnau R. Structure-Activity Relationship of Novel Second-Generation Synthetic Cathinones: Mechanism of Action, Locomotion, Reward, and Immediate-Early Genes. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:749429. [PMID: 34764870 PMCID: PMC8576102 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.749429] [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: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Several new synthetic cathinones, which mimic the effect of classical psychostimulants such as cocaine or MDMA, have appeared in the global illicit drug market in the last decades. In fact, the illicit drug market is continually evolving by constantly adding small modifications to the common chemical structure of synthetic cathinones. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro and in vivo structure–activity relationship (SAR) of six novel synthetic cathinones currently popular as recreational drugs, pentedrone, pentylone, N-ethyl-pentedrone (NEPD), N-ethyl-pentylone (NEP), 4-methyl-pentedrone (4-MPD), and 4-methyl-ethylaminopentedrone (4-MeAP), which structurally differ in the absence or presence of different aromatic substituents and in their amino terminal group. Human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells expressing the human isoforms of SERT and DAT were used for the uptake inhibition and release assays. Moreover, Swiss CD-1 mice were used to investigate the psychostimulant effect, rewarding properties (3, 10, and 30 mg/kg, i.p.), and the induction of immediate-early genes (IEGs), such as Arc and c-fos in the dorsal striatum (DS) and ventral striatum (VS) as well as bdnf in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), of the test compounds. Our results demonstrated that all tested synthetic cathinones are potent dopamine (DA) uptake inhibitors, especially the N-ethyl analogs, while the ring-substituted cathinones tested showed higher potency as SERT inhibitors than their no ring-substituted analogs. Moreover, unlike NEP, the remaining test compounds showed clear “hybrid” properties, acting as DAT blockers but SERT substrates. Regarding the locomotion, NEP and NEPD were more efficacious (10 mg/kg) than their N-methyl analogs, which correlates with their higher potency inhibiting the DAT and an overexpression of Arc levels in the DS and VS. Furthermore, all compounds tested induced an increase in c-fos expression in the DS, except for 4-MPD, the least effective compound in inducing hyperlocomotion. Moreover, NEP induced an up-regulation of bdnf in the mPFC that correlates with its 5-HTergic properties. Finally, the present study demonstrated for the first time that NEP, 4-MPD, and 4-MeAP induce reward in mice. Altogether, this study provides valuable information about the mechanism of action and psychostimulant and rewarding properties as well as changes in the expression of IEGs related to addiction induced by novel second-generation synthetic cathinones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuria Nadal-Gratacós
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacology Section and Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Pharmaceutical Chemistry Group (GQF), IQS School of Engineering, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ana Sofia Alberto-Silva
- Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Míriam Rodríguez-Soler
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacology Section and Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Pharmaceutical Chemistry Group (GQF), IQS School of Engineering, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Edurne Urquizu
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacology Section and Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Espinosa-Velasco
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacology Section and Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Kathrin Jäntsch
- Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marion Holy
- Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Xavier Batllori
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Group (GQF), IQS School of Engineering, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Xavier Berzosa
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Group (GQF), IQS School of Engineering, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David Pubill
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacology Section and Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jordi Camarasa
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacology Section and Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Harald H Sitte
- Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Center for Addiction Research and Science, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elena Escubedo
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacology Section and Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raúl López-Arnau
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacology Section and Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Dopaminergic Control of Striatal Cholinergic Interneurons Underlies Cocaine-Induced Psychostimulation. Cell Rep 2021; 31:107527. [PMID: 32320647 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cocaine drastically elevates dopamine (DA) levels in the striatum, a brain region that is critical to the psychomotor and rewarding properties of the drug. DA signaling regulates intrastriatal circuits connecting medium spiny neurons (MSNs) with afferent fibers and interneurons. While the cocaine-mediated increase in DA signaling on MSNs is well documented, that on cholinergic interneurons (ChIs) has been more difficult to assess. Using combined pharmacological, chemogenetic, and cell-specific ablation approaches, we reveal that the D2R-dependent inhibition of acetylcholine (ACh) signaling is fundamental to cocaine-induced changes in behavior and the striatal genomic response. We show that the D2R-dependent control of striatal ChIs enables the motor, sensitized, and reinforcing properties of cocaine. This study highlights the importance of the DA- and D2R-mediated inhibitory control of ChIs activity in the normal functioning of striatal networks.
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Yu-Taeger L, Ott T, Bonsi P, Tomczak C, Wassouf Z, Martella G, Sciamanna G, Imbriani P, Ponterio G, Tassone A, Schulze-Hentrich JM, Goodchild R, Riess O, Pisani A, Grundmann-Hauser K, Nguyen HP. Impaired dopamine- and adenosine-mediated signaling and plasticity in a novel rodent model for DYT25 dystonia. Neurobiol Dis 2019; 134:104634. [PMID: 31678405 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2019.104634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder characterized by sustained or intermittent involuntary muscle contractions. Loss-of-function mutations in the GNAL gene have been identified to be the cause of "isolated" dystonia DYT25. The GNAL gene encodes for the guanine nucleotide-binding protein G(olf) subunit alpha (Gαolf), which is mainly expressed in the olfactory bulb and the striatum and functions as a modulator during neurotransmission coupling with D1R and A2AR. Previously, heterozygous Gαolf -deficient mice (Gnal+/-) have been generated and showed a mild phenotype at basal condition. In contrast, homozygous deletion of Gnal in mice (Gnal-/-) resulted in a significantly reduced survival rate. In this study, using the CRISPR-Cas9 system we generated and characterized heterozygous Gnal knockout rats (Gnal+/-) with a 13 base pair deletion in the first exon of the rat Gnal splicing variant 2, a major isoform in both human and rat striatum. Gnal+/- rats showed early-onset phenotypes associated with impaired dopamine transmission, including reduction in locomotor activity, deficits in rotarod performance and an abnormal motor skill learning ability. At cellular and molecular level, we found down-regulated Arc expression, increased cell surface distribution of AMPA receptors, and the loss of D2R-dependent corticostriatal long-term depression (LTD) in Gnal+/- rats. Based on the evidence that D2R activity is normally inhibited by adenosine A2ARs, co-localized on the same population of striatal neurons, we show that blockade of A2ARs restores physiological LTD. This animal model may be a valuable tool for investigating Gαolf function and finding a suitable treatment for dystonia associated with deficient dopamine transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Libo Yu-Taeger
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; Centre for Rare Diseases (ZSE), University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Ott
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; Core Facility Transgenic Animals, University Clinics Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Paola Bonsi
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Plasticity, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Celina Tomczak
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; Centre for Rare Diseases (ZSE), University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Zinah Wassouf
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; Centre for Rare Diseases (ZSE), University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Giuseppina Martella
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Plasticity, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata,Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Sciamanna
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Plasticity, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata,Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Imbriani
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Plasticity, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata,Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Ponterio
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Plasticity, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata,Rome, Italy
| | - Annalisa Tassone
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Plasticity, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata,Rome, Italy
| | - Julia M Schulze-Hentrich
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; Centre for Rare Diseases (ZSE), University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Rose Goodchild
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Dept. Neurosciences, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Olaf Riess
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; Centre for Rare Diseases (ZSE), University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Antonio Pisani
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Plasticity, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata,Rome, Italy
| | - Kathrin Grundmann-Hauser
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; Centre for Rare Diseases (ZSE), University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Huu Phuc Nguyen
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
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6
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H3.3 Barcoding of Nucleus Accumbens Transcriptional Activity Identifies Novel Molecular Cascades Associated with Cocaine Self-administration in Mice. J Neurosci 2019; 39:5247-5254. [PMID: 31043484 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0015-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Although numerous epigenetic modifications have been associated with addiction, little work has explored the turnover of histone variants. Uniquely, the H3.3 variant incorporates stably and preferentially into chromatin independently of DNA replication at active sites of transcription and transcription factor binding. Thus, genomic regions associated with H3.3-containing nucleosomes are particularly likely to be involved in plasticity, such as following repeated cocaine exposure. A recently developed mouse line expressing a neuron-specific hemagglutinin (HA)-tagged H3.3 protein was used to track transcriptionally active sites cumulatively across 19 d of cocaine self-administration. RNA-seq and H3.3-HA ChIP-seq analyses were performed on NAcc tissue collected following cocaine or food self-administration in male mice. RNA sequencing revealed five genes upregulated in cocaine relative to food self-administering mice: Fosb, Npas4, Vgf, Nptx2, and Pmepa1, which reflect known and novel cocaine plasticity-associated genes. Subsequent ChIP-seq analysis confirmed increased H3.3 aggregation at four of these five loci, thus validating H3.3 insertion as a marker of enhanced cocaine-induced transcription. Further motif recognition analysis of the ChIP-seq data showed that cocaine-associated differential H3.3 accumulation correlated with the presence of several transcription factor binding motifs, including RBPJ1, EGR1, and SOX4, suggesting that these are potentially important regulators of molecular cascades associated with cocaine-induced neuronal plasticity. Additional ontological analysis revealed differential H3.3 accumulation mainly near genes involved in neuronal differentiation and dendrite formation. These results establish the H3.3-HA transgenic mouse line as a compelling molecular barcoding tool to identify the cumulative effects of long-term environmental perturbations, such as exposure to drugs of abuse.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Histone H3.3 is a core histone variant that is stably incorporated at active sites of transcription. We used a tagged version of H3.3 expressed exclusively in neurons to delineate active transcription sites following extended cocaine self-administration in mice. This approach revealed the cumulative list of genes expressed in response to cocaine taking over the course of several weeks. We combined this technique with RNA sequencing of tissue collected from the same animals 24 h after the last cocaine exposure. Comparing these datasets provided a full picture of genes that respond to chronic cocaine exposure in NAcc neurons. These studies revealed novel transcription factors that are likely involved in cocaine-induced plasticity and addiction-like behaviors.
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7,8-Dihydroxyflavone blocks the development of behavioral sensitization to MDPV, but not to cocaine: Differential role of the BDNF-TrkB pathway. Biochem Pharmacol 2019; 163:84-93. [PMID: 30738029 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2019.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) acts as a dopamine transporter blocker and exerts powerful psychostimulant effects. In this study we aimed to investigate the bidirectional cross-sensitization between MDPV and cocaine, as well as to evaluate the role of the BDNF-TrkB signaling pathway in the development of locomotor sensitization to both drugs. Mice were treated with MDPV (1.5 mg/kg) or cocaine (10 or 15 mg/kg) once daily for 5 days. After withdrawal (10 days), animals were challenged with cocaine (8 mg/kg) or MDPV (1 mg/kg). For biochemical determinations, MDPV (1.5 mg/kg) or cocaine (15 mg/kg) were administered acutely or repeatedly, and BDNF, D3R and G9a transcription levels as well as pro- and mature BDNF protein levels were determined. Our results demonstrate that repeated administration of MDPV or cocaine sensitizes to cocaine and MDPV locomotor effects. After an acute or a repeated exposure to MDPV, cortical mRNA BDNF levels were increased, while a decrease in mBDNF protein levels in the nucleus accumbens 2 h after repeated exposure was evidenced. Interestingly, such decline was involved in the development of locomotor sensitization, thus the pretreatment with 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (10 mg/kg), a TrkB agonist, blocked the development of sensitization to MDPV but not to cocaine, for which no changes in the BDNF-TrkB signaling pathway were observed at early withdrawal. In conclusion, a bidirectional cross-sensitization between MDPV and cocaine was evidenced. Our findings suggest that decreased BDNF-TrkB signaling has an important role in the behavioral sensitization to MDPV, pointing TrkB modulation as a target to prevent MDPV sensitization.
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Influence of pharmacological and epigenetic factors to suppress neurotrophic factors and enhance neural plasticity in stress and mood disorders. Cogn Neurodyn 2019; 13:219-237. [PMID: 31168328 DOI: 10.1007/s11571-019-09522-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Revised: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress-induced major depression and mood disorders are characterized by behavioural abnormalities and psychiatric illness, leading to disability and immature mortality worldwide. Neurobiological mechanisms of stress and mood disorders are discussed considering recent findings, and challenges to enhance pharmacological effects of antidepressant, and mood stabilizers. Pharmacological enhancement of ketamine and scopolamine regulates depression at the molecular level, increasing synaptic plasticity in prefrontal regions. Blood-derived neurotrophic factors facilitate mood-deficit symptoms. Epigenetic factors maintain stress-resilience in hippocampal region. Regulation of neurotrophic factors blockades stress, and enhances neuronal survival though it paralyzes limbic regions. Molecular agents and neurotrophic factors also control behavioral and synaptic plasticity in addiction and stress disorders. Future research on neuronal dynamics and cellular actions can be directed to obtain the etiology of synaptic dysregulation in mood disorder and stress. For the first time, the current review contributes to the literature of synaptic plasticity representing the role of epigenetic mechanisms and glucocorticoid receptors to predict depression and anxiety in clinical conditions.
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Mukhara D, Banks ML, Neigh GN. Stress as a Risk Factor for Substance Use Disorders: A Mini-Review of Molecular Mediators. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:309. [PMID: 30622460 PMCID: PMC6308626 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The extant literature supports the role of stress in enhancing the susceptibility of drug abuse progressing to a substance use disorder diagnosis. However, the molecular mediators by which stress enhances the progression from cocaine abuse to cocaine use disorder via the mesolimbic pathway remain elusive. In this mini-review article, we highlight three mechanisms by which glucocorticoids (GCs) and the dopaminergic system interact. First, GCs upregulate tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme in dopamine (DA) synthesis. Second, GCs downregulate monoamine-oxidase (MAO), an enzyme responsible for DA removal. Lastly, GCs are hypothesized to decrease DA reuptake, subsequently increasing synaptic DA. Based on these interactions, we review preclinical literature highlighting how stress modulates the mesolimbic pathway, including the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens (NAcs), to alter cocaine abuse-related effects. Taken together, stress enhances cocaine's abuse-related effects at multiple points along the VTA mesolimbic projection, and uniquely in the NAcs through a positive feedback type mechanism. Furthermore, we highlight future directions to elucidate the interaction between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and key intermediaries including ΔFosB, cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) and cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) to highlight possible mechanisms that underlie stress-induced acceleration of the progression to a cocaine use disorder diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepika Mukhara
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Matthew L. Banks
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Gretchen N. Neigh
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
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Bisagno V, Cadet JL. Expression of immediate early genes in brain reward circuitries: Differential regulation by psychostimulant and opioid drugs. Neurochem Int 2018; 124:10-18. [PMID: 30557593 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2018.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Revised: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Although some of the clinical manifestations of substance use disorders might be superficially similar, it is highly likely that different classes of abused drugs including opioids (heroin, morphine, and oxycodone, other opioids) and psychostimulants (cocaine and amphetamines) cause different neuroadaptations in various brain regions dependent in the distribution and concentration of their biochemical sites of actions. In fact, different molecular networks are indeed impacted by acute and chronic administration of addictive substances. Some of the genes whose expression is influenced by the administration of these substances are immediate-early genes (IEGs). IEGs include classes of low expression genes that can become very highly induced within seconds or minutes of activation by endogenous or exogenous stimuli. These IEGs might play important roles in activating target genes that regulate adaptations implicated in the behavioral manifestations diagnosed as addiction. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to provide an overview of recent data on the effects of psychostimulants and opioids on IEG expression in the brain. The review documents some contrasting effects of these classes of drugs on gene expression and indicates that further studies are necessary to identify the specific effects of each drug class when trying to predict clinical responses to therapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Bisagno
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (ININFA-UBA-CONICET), Junín 956, piso 5, C1113, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jean Lud Cadet
- NIDA Intramural Program, Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA.
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Parrilla-Carrero J, Buchta WC, Goswamee P, Culver O, McKendrick G, Harlan B, Moutal A, Penrod R, Lauer A, Ramakrishnan V, Khanna R, Kalivas P, Riegel AC. Restoration of Kv7 Channel-Mediated Inhibition Reduces Cued-Reinstatement of Cocaine Seeking. J Neurosci 2018; 38:4212-4229. [PMID: 29636392 PMCID: PMC5963852 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2767-17.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2017] [Revised: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cocaine addicts display increased sensitivity to drug-associated cues, due in part to changes in the prelimbic prefrontal cortex (PL-PFC). The cellular mechanisms underlying cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking remain unknown. Reinforcement learning for addictive drugs may produce persistent maladaptations in intrinsic excitability within sparse subsets of PFC pyramidal neurons. Using a model of relapse in male rats, we sampled >600 neurons to examine spike frequency adaptation (SFA) and afterhyperpolarizations (AHPs), two systems that attenuate low-frequency inputs to regulate neuronal synchronization. We observed that training to self-administer cocaine or nondrug (sucrose) reinforcers decreased SFA and AHPs in a subpopulation of PL-PFC neurons. Only with cocaine did the resulting hyperexcitability persist through extinction training and increase during reinstatement. In neurons with intact SFA, dopamine enhanced excitability by inhibiting Kv7 potassium channels that mediate SFA. However, dopamine effects were occluded in neurons from cocaine-experienced rats, where SFA and AHPs were reduced. Pharmacological stabilization of Kv7 channels with retigabine restored SFA and Kv7 channel function in neuroadapted cells. When microinjected bilaterally into the PL-PFC 10 min before reinstatement testing, retigabine reduced cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking. Last, using cFos-GFP transgenic rats, we found that the loss of SFA correlated with the expression of cFos-GFP following both extinction and re-exposure to drug-associated cues. Together, these data suggest that cocaine self-administration desensitizes inhibitory Kv7 channels in a subpopulation of PL-PFC neurons. This subpopulation of neurons may represent a persistent neural ensemble responsible for driving drug seeking in response to cues.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Long after the cessation of drug use, cues associated with cocaine still elicit drug-seeking behavior, in part by activation of the prelimbic prefrontal cortex (PL-PFC). The underlying cellular mechanisms governing these activated neurons remain unclear. Using a rat model of relapse to cocaine seeking, we identified a population of PL-PFC neurons that become hyperexcitable following chronic cocaine self-administration. These neurons show persistent loss of spike frequency adaptation, reduced afterhyperpolarizations, decreased sensitivity to dopamine, and reduced Kv7 channel-mediated inhibition. Stabilization of Kv7 channel function with retigabine normalized neuronal excitability, restored Kv7 channel currents, and reduced drug-seeking behavior when administered into the PL-PFC before reinstatement. These data highlight a persistent adaptation in a subset of PL-PFC neurons that may contribute to relapse vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Parrilla-Carrero
- Department of Neuroscience
- Neurobiology of Addiction Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - William C Buchta
- Department of Neuroscience
- Neurobiology of Addiction Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Priyodarshan Goswamee
- Department of Neuroscience
- Neurobiology of Addiction Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Oliver Culver
- Department of Neuroscience
- Neurobiology of Addiction Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Greer McKendrick
- Department of Neuroscience
- Neurobiology of Addiction Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Benjamin Harlan
- Department of Neuroscience
- Neurobiology of Addiction Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Aubin Moutal
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85724, and
| | - Rachel Penrod
- Department of Neuroscience
- Neurobiology of Addiction Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Abigail Lauer
- Department of Public Health Sciences., Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425
| | - Viswanathan Ramakrishnan
- Department of Public Health Sciences., Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425
| | - Rajesh Khanna
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85724, and
| | - Peter Kalivas
- Department of Neuroscience
- Neurobiology of Addiction Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Arthur C Riegel
- Department of Neuroscience,
- Neurobiology of Addiction Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
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Melas PA, Qvist JS, Deidda M, Upreti C, Wei YB, Sanna F, Fratta W, Scherma M, Fadda P, Kandel DB, Kandel ER. Cannabinoid Modulation of Eukaryotic Initiation Factors (eIF2α and eIF2B1) and Behavioral Cross-Sensitization to Cocaine in Adolescent Rats. Cell Rep 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.02.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
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13
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Beloate LN, Coolen LM. Effects of Sexual Experience on Psychostimulant- and Opiate-Induced Behavior and Neural Plasticity in the Mesocorticolimbic Pathway. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2018; 140:249-270. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2018.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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14
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Beloate LN, Coolen LM. Influences of social reward experience on behavioral responses to drugs of abuse: Review of shared and divergent neural plasticity mechanisms for sexual reward and drugs of abuse. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 83:356-372. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Revised: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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15
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Riley E, Maymi V, Pawlyszyn S, Yu L, Zhdanova IV. Prenatal cocaine exposure disrupts the dopaminergic system and its postnatal responses to cocaine. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2017; 17:e12436. [PMID: 29105298 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Revised: 10/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Impaired attention is the hallmark consequence of prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE), affecting brain development, learning, memory and social adaptation starting at an early age. To date, little is known about the brain structures and neurochemical processes involved in this effect. Through focusing on the visual system and employing zebrafish as a model, we show that PCE reduces expression of dopamine receptor Drd1, with levels reduced in the optic tectum and other brain regions, but not the telencephalon. Organism-wide, PCE results in a 1.7-fold reduction in the expression of the dopamine transporter (dat), at baseline. Acute cocaine administration leads to a 2-fold reduction in dat in drug-naive larvae but not PCE fish. PCE sensitizes animals to an anxiogenic-like behavioral effect of acute cocaine, bottom-dwelling, while loss of DAT due to genetic knockout (DATKO) leads to bottom-dwelling behavior at baseline. Neuronal calcium responses to visual stimuli in both PCE and DATKO fish show tolerance to acute cocaine in the principal regions of visual attention, the telencephalon and optic tectum. The zebrafish model can provide a sensitive assay by which to elucidate the molecular mechanisms and brain region-specific consequences of PCE, and facilitate the search for effective therapeutic solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Riley
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - V Maymi
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.,BioChron LLC, Worcester, Massachusetts
| | - S Pawlyszyn
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - L Yu
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.,BioChron LLC, Worcester, Massachusetts
| | - I V Zhdanova
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.,BioChron LLC, Worcester, Massachusetts
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16
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Haghparast A, Fatahi Z, Arezoomandan R, Karimi S, Taslimi Z, Zarrabian S. Functional roles of orexin/hypocretin receptors in reward circuit. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2017; 235:139-154. [PMID: 29054286 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2017.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Since its first discovery in 1998, it has become clear that the orexinergic system plays an important role in regulating a number of functions including food, sex, social connections, and most prominently reward-related behaviors. Orexinergic neurons in the lateral hypothalamus project extensively to other brain areas, two most important of which are the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens that are involved in reward processing. In this review, we have presented the work in our laboratory along with the work of others and have discussed the possible functions we can infer from the research. We discuss the anatomy of the orexinergic system and its components followed by a presentation of other connected brain areas. The second part of this review discusses observed results from the morphine conditioned place preference test that sheds light on the possible role of the involved areas in reward processing. The complex circuits involved in reward processing are only beginning to be understood and we need to deepen our understanding regarding the nature of the interactions between all brain areas involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbas Haghparast
- Neuroscience Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Zahra Fatahi
- Neuroscience Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Arezoomandan
- School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health (Tehran Institute of Psychiatry), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sara Karimi
- Physiology Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Zahra Taslimi
- Neurophysiology Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Shahram Zarrabian
- Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Center (CNRC), Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
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Nucleus accumbens NMDA receptor activation regulates amphetamine cross-sensitization and deltaFosB expression following sexual experience in male rats. Neuropharmacology 2016; 101:154-64. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Revised: 09/14/2015] [Accepted: 09/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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18
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Obici S, Magrisso IJ, Ghazarian AS, Shirazian A, Miller JR, Loyd CM, Begg DP, Krawczewski Carhuatanta KA, Haas MK, Davis JF, Woods SC, Sandoval DA, Seeley RJ, Goodyear LJ, Pothos EN, Mul JD. Moderate voluntary exercise attenuates the metabolic syndrome in melanocortin-4 receptor-deficient rats showing central dopaminergic dysregulation. Mol Metab 2015; 4:692-705. [PMID: 26500841 PMCID: PMC4588435 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2015.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2015] [Revised: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective Melanocortin-4 receptors (MC4Rs) are highly expressed by dopamine-secreting neurons of the mesolimbic tract, but their functional role has not been fully resolved. Voluntary wheel running (VWR) induces adaptations in the mesolimbic dopamine system and has a myriad of long-term beneficial effects on health. In the present experiments we asked whether MC4R function regulates the effects of VWR, and whether VWR ameliorates MC4R-associated symptoms of the metabolic syndrome. Methods Electrically evoked dopamine release was measured in slice preparations from sedentary wild-type and MC4R-deficient Mc4rK314X (HOM) rats. VWR was assessed in wild-type and HOM rats, and in MC4R-deficient loxTBMc4r mice, wild-type mice body weight-matched to loxTBMc4r mice, and wild-type mice with intracerebroventricular administration of the MC4R antagonist SHU9119. Mesolimbic dopamine system function (gene/protein expression) and metabolic parameters were examined in wheel-running and sedentary wild-type and HOM rats. Results Sedentary obese HOM rats had increased electrically evoked dopamine release in several ventral tegmental area (VTA) projection sites compared to wild-type controls. MC4R loss-of-function decreased VWR, and this was partially independent of body weight. HOM wheel-runners had attenuated markers of intracellular D1-type dopamine receptor signaling despite increased dopamine flux in the VTA. VWR increased and decreased ΔFosB levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of wild-type and HOM runners, respectively. VWR improved metabolic parameters in wild-type wheel-runners. Finally, moderate voluntary exercise corrected many aspects of the metabolic syndrome in HOM runners. Conclusions Central dopamine dysregulation during VWR reinforces the link between MC4R function and molecular and behavioral responding to rewards. The data also suggest that exercise can be a successful lifestyle intervention in MC4R-haploinsufficient individuals despite reduced positive reinforcement during exercise training. MC4R-deficiency causes metabolic syndrome. Loss of MC4R signaling decreases voluntary wheel running (VWR). Despite moderate amounts of VWR, MC4R-associated metabolic syndrome is severely attenuated. MC4R-deficiency is associated with mesolimbic dopamine dysregulation during VWR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana Obici
- Metabolic Diseases Institute, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - I Jack Magrisso
- Metabolic Diseases Institute, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Armen S Ghazarian
- Programs in Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Neuroscience, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences and Department of Integrative Physiology and Pathobiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alireza Shirazian
- Programs in Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Neuroscience, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences and Department of Integrative Physiology and Pathobiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jonas R Miller
- Programs in Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Neuroscience, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences and Department of Integrative Physiology and Pathobiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christine M Loyd
- Metabolic Diseases Institute, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Denovan P Begg
- Metabolic Diseases Institute, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA ; School of Psychology, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Michael K Haas
- Metabolic Diseases Institute, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Jon F Davis
- Metabolic Diseases Institute, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Stephen C Woods
- Metabolic Diseases Institute, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Darleen A Sandoval
- North Campus Research Complex, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Randy J Seeley
- North Campus Research Complex, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Emmanuel N Pothos
- Programs in Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Neuroscience, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences and Department of Integrative Physiology and Pathobiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joram D Mul
- Metabolic Diseases Institute, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA ; Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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19
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Lazenka MF, Tomarchio AJ, Lichtman AH, Greengard P, Flajolet M, Selley DE, Sim-Selley LJ. Role of Dopamine Type 1 Receptors and Dopamine- and cAMP-Regulated Phosphoprotein Mr 32 kDa in Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-Mediated Induction of ΔFosB in the Mouse Forebrain. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2015; 354:316-27. [PMID: 26099530 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.115.224428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 06/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Δ(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of marijuana, produces motor and motivational effects via interactions with the dopaminergic system in the caudate-putamen and nucleus accumbens. However, the molecular events that underlie these interactions after THC treatment are not well understood. Our study shows that pretreatment with dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) antagonists before repeated administration of THC attenuated induction of Δ FBJ murine osteosarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (ΔFosB) in the nucleus accumbens, caudate-putamen, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex. Anatomical studies showed that repeated THC administration induced ΔFosB in D1R-containing striatal neurons. Dopamine signaling in the striatum involves phosphorylation-specific effects of the dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein Mr 32 kDa (DARPP-32), which regulates protein kinase A signaling. Genetic deletion of DARPP-32 attenuated ΔFosB expression measured after acute, but not repeated, THC administration in both the caudate-putamen and nucleus accumbens. THC was then acutely or repeatedly administered to wild-type (WT) and DARPP-32 knockout (KO) mice, and in vivo responses were measured. DARPP-32 KO mice exhibited enhanced acute THC-mediated hypolocomotion and developed greater tolerance to this response relative to the WT mice. Agonist-stimulated guanosine 5'-O-(3-[(35)S]thio)triphosphate ([(35)S]GTPγS) binding showed that cannabinoid-stimulated G-protein activity did not differ between DARPP-32 KO and WT mice treated with vehicle or repeated THC. These results indicate that D1Rs play a major role in THC-mediated ΔFosB induction in the forebrain, whereas the role of DARPP-32 in THC-mediated ΔFosB induction and modulation of motor activity appears to be more complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew F Lazenka
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (M.F.L., A.J.T., A.H.L., D.E.S., L.J.S.-S.); and Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Rockefeller University, New York, New York (P.G., M.F.)
| | - Aaron J Tomarchio
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (M.F.L., A.J.T., A.H.L., D.E.S., L.J.S.-S.); and Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Rockefeller University, New York, New York (P.G., M.F.)
| | - Aron H Lichtman
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (M.F.L., A.J.T., A.H.L., D.E.S., L.J.S.-S.); and Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Rockefeller University, New York, New York (P.G., M.F.)
| | - Paul Greengard
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (M.F.L., A.J.T., A.H.L., D.E.S., L.J.S.-S.); and Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Rockefeller University, New York, New York (P.G., M.F.)
| | - Marc Flajolet
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (M.F.L., A.J.T., A.H.L., D.E.S., L.J.S.-S.); and Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Rockefeller University, New York, New York (P.G., M.F.)
| | - Dana E Selley
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (M.F.L., A.J.T., A.H.L., D.E.S., L.J.S.-S.); and Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Rockefeller University, New York, New York (P.G., M.F.)
| | - Laura J Sim-Selley
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (M.F.L., A.J.T., A.H.L., D.E.S., L.J.S.-S.); and Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Rockefeller University, New York, New York (P.G., M.F.)
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Ruiz-DeDiego I, Naranjo J, Hervé D, Moratalla R. Dopaminergic regulation of olfactory type G-protein α subunit expression in the striatum. Mov Disord 2015; 30:1039-49. [DOI: 10.1002/mds.26197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2014] [Revised: 01/14/2015] [Accepted: 01/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- I. Ruiz-DeDiego
- Cajal Institute, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), CIBERNED; Madrid Spain
- CIBERNED, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, CIBERNED; Madrid Spain
| | - J.R. Naranjo
- CIBERNED, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, CIBERNED; Madrid Spain
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología; CSIC Madrid Spain
| | - D. Hervé
- Inserm UMR S-839, CIBERNED; Madrid Spain
- Institut du Fer à Moulin, CIBERNED; Madrid Spain
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie; Paris France
| | - R. Moratalla
- Cajal Institute, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), CIBERNED; Madrid Spain
- CIBERNED, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, CIBERNED; Madrid Spain
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21
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Li X, Wolf ME. Multiple faces of BDNF in cocaine addiction. Behav Brain Res 2014; 279:240-54. [PMID: 25449839 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2014] [Revised: 11/04/2014] [Accepted: 11/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been found to play roles in many types of plasticity including drug addiction. Here, we focus on rodent studies over the past two decades that have demonstrated diverse roles of BDNF in models of cocaine addiction. First, we will provide an overview of studies showing that cocaine exposure alters (and generally increases) BDNF levels in reward-related regions including the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala. Then we will review evidence that BDNF contributes to behavioral changes in animal models of cocaine addiction, focusing on conditioned place preference, behavioral sensitization, maintenance and reinstatement of self-administration, and incubation of cocaine craving. Last, we will review the role of BDNF in synaptic plasticity, particularly as it relates to plasticity of AMPA receptor transmission after cocaine exposure. We conclude that BDNF regulates cocaine-induced behaviors in a highly complex manner that varies depending on the brain region (and even among different cell types within the same brain region), the nature of cocaine exposure, and the "addiction phase" examined (e.g., acquisition vs maintenance; early vs late withdrawal). These complexities make BDNF a daunting therapeutic target for treating cocaine addiction. However, recent clinical evidence suggests that the serum BDNF level may serve as a biomarker in cocaine addicts to predict future relapse, providing an alternative direction for exploring BDNF's potential relevance to treating cocaine addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Li
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA/NIH/DHHS, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Marina E Wolf
- Department of Neuroscience, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA
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22
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Yan Y, Newman AH, Xu M. Dopamine D1 and D3 receptors mediate reconsolidation of cocaine memories in mouse models of drug self-administration. Neuroscience 2014; 278:154-64. [PMID: 25149631 PMCID: PMC4172503 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2014] [Revised: 07/15/2014] [Accepted: 08/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Memories of drug experience and drug-associated environmental cues can elicit drug-seeking and taking behaviors in humans. Disruption of reconsolidation of drug memories dampens previous memories and therefore may provide a useful way to treat drug abuse. We and others previously demonstrated that dopamine D1 and D3 receptors play differential roles in acquiring cocaine-induced behaviors. Moreover, D3 receptors contribute to the reconsolidation of cocaine-induced conditioned place preference. In the present study, we examined effects of manipulating D1 or D3 receptors on reconsolidation of cocaine memories in mouse models of drug self-administration. We found that pharmacological blockade of D1 receptors or a genetic mutation of the D3 receptor gene attenuated reconsolidation that lasted for at least 1week after the memory retrieval. In contrast, with no memory retrieval, pharmacological antagonism of D1 receptors or the D3 receptor gene mutation did not significantly affect reconsolidation of cocaine memories. Pharmacological blockade of D3 receptors also attenuated reconsolidation in wild-type mice that lasted for at least 1week after the memory retrieval. These results suggest that D1 and D3 receptors and related signaling mechanisms play key roles in reconsolidation of cocaine memories in mice, and that these receptors may serve as novel targets for the treatment of cocaine abuse in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Yan
- Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - A H Newman
- Medicinal Chemistry Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse-Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - M Xu
- Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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23
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Sasaki A, Constantinof A, Pan P, Kupferschmidt DA, McGowan PO, Erb S. Cocaine exposure prior to pregnancy alters the psychomotor response to cocaine and transcriptional regulation of the dopamine D1 receptor in adult male offspring. Behav Brain Res 2014; 265:163-70. [PMID: 24583058 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2013] [Revised: 01/23/2014] [Accepted: 02/13/2014] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
There is evidence that maternal experience prior to pregnancy can play an important role in behavioral, physiological, and genetic programming of offspring. Likewise, exposure to cocaine in utero can result in marked changes in central nervous system function of offspring. In this study, we examined whether exposure of rat dams to cocaine prior to pregnancy subsequently alters indices of behavior, physiology, and gene expression in offspring. Multiple outcome measures were examined in adult male offspring: (1) behavioral expression of cocaine-induced psychomotor activation; (2) levels of corticosterone in response to immobilization stress; and (3) expression of multiple genes, including dopamine receptor D1 (DRD1) and D2 (DRD2), glucocorticoid receptor (GR), and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), in functionally relevant brain regions. Adult Sprague-Dawley females were exposed to cocaine (15-30 mg/kg, i.p.) or saline for 10 days, and were then mated to drug naïve males of the same strain. Separate groups of adult male offspring were tested for their acute psychomotor response to cocaine (0, 15, 30 mg/kg, i.p.), corticosterone responsivity to 20 min of immobilization stress, and expression of multiple genes using quantitative PCR. Offspring of dams exposed to cocaine prior to conception exhibited increased psychomotor sensitivity to cocaine, and upregulated gene expression of DRD1 in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Neither stress-induced corticosterone levels nor gene expression of GR or CRF genes were altered. These data suggest that cocaine exposure before pregnancy can serve to enhance psychomotor sensitivity to cocaine in offspring, possibly via alterations in dopamine function that include upregulation of the DRD1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aya Sasaki
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada; Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Andrea Constantinof
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Pauline Pan
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Dave A Kupferschmidt
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Patrick O McGowan
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada; Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Suzanne Erb
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada; Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada.
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Natural and drug rewards act on common neural plasticity mechanisms with ΔFosB as a key mediator. J Neurosci 2013; 33:3434-42. [PMID: 23426671 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4881-12.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Drugs of abuse induce neuroplasticity in the natural reward pathway, specifically the nucleus accumbens (NAc), thereby causing development and expression of addictive behavior. Recent evidence suggests that natural rewards may cause similar changes in the NAc, suggesting that drugs may activate mechanisms of plasticity shared with natural rewards, and allowing for unique interplay between natural and drug rewards. In this study, we demonstrate that sexual experience in male rats when followed by short or prolonged periods of loss of sex reward causes enhanced amphetamine reward, indicated by sensitized conditioned place preference for low-dose (0.5 mg/kg) amphetamine. Moreover, the onset, but not the longer-term expression, of enhanced amphetamine reward was correlated with a transient increase in dendritic spines in the NAc. Next, a critical role for the transcription factor ΔFosB in sex experience-induced enhanced amphetamine reward and associated increases in dendritic spines on NAc neurons was established using viral vector gene transfer of the dominant-negative binding partner ΔJunD. Moreover, it was demonstrated that sexual experience-induced enhanced drug reward, ΔFosB, and spinogenesis are dependent on mating-induced dopamine D1 receptor activation in the NAc. Pharmacological blockade of D1 receptor, but not D2 receptor, in the NAc during sexual behavior attenuated ΔFosB induction and prevented increased spinogenesis and sensitized amphetamine reward. Together, these findings demonstrate that drugs of abuse and natural reward behaviors act on common molecular and cellular mechanisms of plasticity that control vulnerability to drug addiction, and that this increased vulnerability is mediated by ΔFosB and its downstream transcriptional targets.
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25
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Electroacupuncture reduces cocaine-induced seizures and mortality in mice. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2013; 2013:134610. [PMID: 23690833 PMCID: PMC3652148 DOI: 10.1155/2013/134610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2013] [Accepted: 02/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The aims of this study were to characterize the protective profile of electroacupuncture (EA) on cocaine-induced seizures and mortality in mice. Mice were treated with EA (2 Hz, 50 Hz, and 100 Hz), or they underwent needle insertion without anesthesia at the Dazhui (GV14) and Baihui (GV20) acupoints before cocaine administration. EA at 50 Hz applied to GV14 and GV20 significantly reduced the seizure severity induced by a single dose of cocaine (75 mg/kg; i.p.). Furthermore, needle insertion into GV14 and GV20 and EA at 2 Hz and 50 Hz at both acupoints significantly reduced the mortality rate induced by a single lethal dose of cocaine (125 mg/kg; i.p.). In the sham control group, EA at 50 Hz applied to bilateral Tianzong (SI11) acupoints had no protective effects against cocaine. In addition, EA at 50 Hz applied to GV14 and GV20 failed to reduce the incidence of seizures and mortality induced by the local anesthetic procaine. In an immunohistochemistry study, EA (50 Hz) pretreatment at GV14 and GV20 decreased cocaine (75 mg/kg; i.p.)-induced c-Fos expression in the paraventricular thalamus. While the dopamine D3 receptor antagonist, SB-277011-A (30 mg/kg; s.c), did not by itself affect cocaine-induced seizure severity, it prevented the effects of EA on cocaine-induced seizures. These results suggest that EA alleviates cocaine-induced seizures and mortality and that the dopamine D3 receptor is involved, at least in part, in the anticonvulsant effects of EA in mice.
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Leão RM, Cruz FC, Carneiro-de-Oliveira PE, Rossetto DB, Valentini SR, Zanelli CF, Planeta CS. Enhanced nicotine-seeking behavior following pre-exposure to repeated cocaine is accompanied by changes in BDNF in the nucleus accumbens of rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2013; 104:169-76. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2013.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2012] [Revised: 12/26/2012] [Accepted: 01/10/2013] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Boulle F, Kenis G, Cazorla M, Hamon M, Steinbusch HWM, Lanfumey L, van den Hove DLA. TrkB inhibition as a therapeutic target for CNS-related disorders. Prog Neurobiol 2012; 98:197-206. [PMID: 22705453 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2012.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2011] [Revised: 05/30/2012] [Accepted: 06/06/2012] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The interaction of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) with its tropomyosin-related kinase receptor B (TrkB) is involved in fundamental cellular processes including neuronal proliferation, differentiation and survival as well as neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity. TrkB signaling has been widely associated with beneficial, trophic effects and many commonly used psychotropic drugs aim to increase BDNF levels in the brain. However, it is likely that a prolonged increased TrkB activation is observed in many pathological conditions, which may underlie the development and course of clinical symptoms. Interestingly, genetic and pharmacological studies aiming at decreasing TrkB activation in rodent models mimicking human pathology have demonstrated a promising therapeutic landscape for TrkB inhibitors in the treatment of various diseases, e.g. central nervous system (CNS) disorders and several types of cancer. Up to date, only a few selective and potent TrkB inhibitors have been developed. As such, the use of crystallography and in silico approaches to model BDNF-TrkB interaction and to generate relevant pharmacophores represent powerful tools to develop novel compounds targeting the TrkB receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Boulle
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, European Graduate School for Neuroscience (EURON), Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Alsiö J, Olszewski PK, Levine AS, Schiöth HB. Feed-forward mechanisms: addiction-like behavioral and molecular adaptations in overeating. Front Neuroendocrinol 2012; 33:127-39. [PMID: 22305720 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2012.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2011] [Revised: 11/24/2011] [Accepted: 01/13/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Food reward, not hunger, is the main driving force behind eating in the modern obesogenic environment. Palatable foods, generally calorie-dense and rich in sugar/fat, are thus readily overconsumed despite the resulting health consequences. Important advances have been made to explain mechanisms underlying excessive consumption as an immediate response to presentation of rewarding tastants. However, our understanding of long-term neural adaptations to food reward that oftentimes persist during even a prolonged absence of palatable food and contribute to the reinstatement of compulsive overeating of high-fat high-sugar diets, is much more limited. Here we discuss the evidence from animal and human studies for neural and molecular adaptations in both homeostatic and non-homeostatic appetite regulation that may underlie the formation of a "feed-forward" system, sensitive to palatable food and propelling the individual from a basic preference for palatable diets to food craving and compulsive, addiction-like eating behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Alsiö
- Department of Neuroscience, Functional Pharmacology, Uppsala University, Biomedical Center, Box 593, SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden.
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Dayas CV, Smith DW, Dunkley PR. An emerging role for the Mammalian target of rapamycin in "pathological" protein translation: relevance to cocaine addiction. Front Pharmacol 2012; 3:13. [PMID: 22347189 PMCID: PMC3272624 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2012.00013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2011] [Accepted: 01/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex neuroadaptations within key nodes of the brain's "reward circuitry" are thought to underpin long-term vulnerability to relapse. A more comprehensive understanding of the molecular and cellular signaling events that subserve relapse vulnerability may lead to pharmacological treatments that could improve treatment outcomes for psychostimulant-addicted individuals. Recent advances in this regard include findings that drug-induced perturbations to neurotrophin, metabotropic glutamate receptor, and dopamine receptor signaling pathways perpetuate plasticity impairments at excitatory glutamatergic synapses on ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens neurons. In the context of addiction, much previous work, in terms of downstream effectors to these receptor systems, has centered on the extracellular-regulated MAP kinase signaling pathway. The purpose of the present review is to highlight the evidence of an emerging role for another downstream effector of these addiction-relevant receptor systems - the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). mTORC1 functions to regulate synaptic protein translation and is a potential critical link in our understanding of the neurobiological processes that drive addiction and relapse behavior. The precise cellular and molecular changes that are regulated by mTORC1 and contribute to relapse vulnerability are only just coming to light. Therefore, we aim to highlight evidence that mTORC1 signaling may be dysregulated by drug exposure and that these changes may contribute to aberrant translation of synaptic proteins that appear critical to increased relapse vulnerability, including AMPARs. The importance of understanding the role of this signaling pathway in the development of addiction vulnerability is underscored by the fact that the mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin reduces drug-seeking in pre-clinical models and preliminary evidence indicating that rapamycin suppresses drug craving in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher V Dayas
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health Research, Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle Callaghan, NSW, Australia
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Adult neuron addition to the zebra finch song motor pathway correlates with the rate and extent of recovery from botox-induced paralysis of the vocal muscles. J Neurosci 2012; 31:16958-68. [PMID: 22114266 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2971-11.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In adult songbirds, neurons are continually incorporated into the telencephalic nucleus HVC (used as a proper name), a premotor region necessary for the production of learned vocalizations. Previous studies have demonstrated that neuron addition to HVC is highest when song is most variable: in juveniles during song learning, in seasonally singing adults during peaks in plasticity that precede the production of new song components, or during seasonal reestablishment of a previously learned song. These findings suggest that neuron addition provides motor flexibility for the transition from a variable song to a target song. Here we test the association between the quality of song structure and HVC neuron addition by experimentally manipulating syringeal muscle control with Botox, which produces a transient partial paralysis. We show that the quality of song structure covaries with new neuron addition to HVC. Both the magnitude of song distortion and the rate of song recovery after syringeal Botox injections were correlated with the number of new neurons incorporated into HVC. We suggest that the quality of song structure is either a cause or consequence of the number of new neurons added to HVC. Birds with naturally high rates of neuron addition may have had the greatest success in recovering song. Alternatively, or in addition, new neuron survival in the song motor pathway may be regulated by the quality of song-generated feedback as song regains its original stereotyped structure. Present results are the first to show a relationship between peripheral muscle control and adult neuron addition to cortical premotor circuits.
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Schmidt HD, Sangrey GR, Darnell SB, Schassburger RL, Cha JHJ, Pierce RC, Sadri-Vakili G. Increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in the ventral tegmental area during cocaine abstinence is associated with increased histone acetylation at BDNF exon I-containing promoters. J Neurochem 2012; 120:202-9. [PMID: 22043863 PMCID: PMC3243782 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2011.07571.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that the persistence of cocaine seeking during periods of protracted drug abstinence following chronic cocaine exposure is mediated, in part, by neuroadaptations in the mesolimbic dopamine system. Specifically, incubation of cocaine-seeking behavior coincides with increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein expression in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate time-dependent changes in VTA BDNF protein expression during cocaine abstinence are unclear. The goal of these experiments was to determine whether VTA BDNF transcript levels are altered following cocaine abstinence and identify the molecular mechanisms regulating cocaine-induced changes in VTA BDNF transcription. Rats were allowed to self-administer cocaine (0.25 mg/infusion, i.v.) for 14 days on a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement followed by 7 days of forced drug abstinence. BDNF protein and exon I-containing transcripts were significantly increased in the VTA of cocaine-experienced rats following 7 days of forced drug abstinence compared to yoked saline controls. Cocaine-induced changes in BDNF mRNA were associated with increased acetylation of histone 3 and binding of CREB-binding protein to exon I-containing promoters in the VTA. Taken together, these results suggest that drug abstinence following cocaine self-administration remodels chromatin in the VTA resulting in increased expression of BDNF, which may contribute to neuroadaptations underlying cocaine craving and relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heath D Schmidt
- Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Tropea TF, Kabir ZD, Kaur G, Rajadhyaksha AM, Kosofsky BE. Enhanced dopamine D1 and BDNF signaling in the adult dorsal striatum but not nucleus accumbens of prenatal cocaine treated mice. Front Psychiatry 2011; 2:67. [PMID: 22162970 PMCID: PMC3232639 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2011.00067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2011] [Accepted: 11/12/2011] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous work from our group and others utilizing animal models have demonstrated long-lasting structural and functional alterations in the meso-cortico-striatal dopamine pathway following prenatal cocaine (PCOC) treatment. We have shown that PCOC treatment results in augmented D1-induced cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cocaine-induced immediate-early gene expression in the striatum of adult mice. In this study we further examined basal as well as cocaine or D1-induced activation of a set of molecules known to be mediators of neuronal plasticity following psychostimulant treatment, with emphasis in the dorsal striatum (Str) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) of adult mice exposed to cocaine in utero. Basally, in the Str of PCOC treated mice there were significantly higher levels of (1) CREB and Ser133 P-CREB (2) Thr34 P-DARPP-32 and (3) GluA1 and Ser 845 P-GluA1 when compared to prenatal saline (PSAL) treated mice. In the NAc there were significantly higher basal levels of (1) CREB and Ser133 P-CREB, (2) Thr202/Tyr204 P-ERK2, and (3) Ser845 P-GluA1. Following acute administration of cocaine (15 mg/kg, i.p.) or D1 agonist (SKF 82958; 1 mg/kg, i.p.) there were significantly higher levels of Ser133 P-CREB, Thr34 P-DARPP-32, and Thr202/Tyr204 P-ERK2 in the Str that were evident in all animals tested. However, these cocaine-induced increases in phosphorylation were significantly augmented in PCOC mice compared to PSAL mice. In sharp contrast to the observations in the Str, in the NAc, acute administration of cocaine or D1 agonist significantly increased P-CREB and P-ERK2 in PSAL mice, a response that was not evident in PCOC mice. Examination of Ser 845 P-GluA1 revealed that cocaine or D1 agonist significantly increased levels in PSAL mice, but significantly decreased levels in the PCOC mice in both the Str and NAc. We also examined changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Our studies revealed significantly higher levels of the BDNF precursor, pro-BDNF, and one of its receptors, TrkB in the Str of PCOC mice compared to PSAL mice. These results suggest a persistent up-regulation of molecules critical to D1 and BDNF signaling in the Str of adult mice exposed to cocaine in utero. These molecular adaptations may underlie components of the behavioral deficits evident in exposed animals and a subset of exposed humans, and may represent a therapeutic target for ameliorating aspects of the PCOC-induced phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas F. Tropea
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical CollegeNew York, NY, USA
- College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of New EnglandBiddeford, ME, USA
| | - Zeeba D. Kabir
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical CollegeNew York, NY, USA
- Graduate Program in Neurosciences, Weill Cornell Medical CollegeNew York, NY, USA
| | - Gagandeep Kaur
- School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyNew Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Anjali M. Rajadhyaksha
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical CollegeNew York, NY, USA
- Graduate Program in Neurosciences, Weill Cornell Medical CollegeNew York, NY, USA
| | - Barry E. Kosofsky
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical CollegeNew York, NY, USA
- Graduate Program in Neurosciences, Weill Cornell Medical CollegeNew York, NY, USA
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Sharma A, Hu XT, Napier TC, Al-Harthi L. Methamphetamine and HIV-1 Tat down regulate β-catenin signaling: implications for methampetamine abuse and HIV-1 co-morbidity. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 2011; 6:597-607. [PMID: 21744004 PMCID: PMC3714216 DOI: 10.1007/s11481-011-9295-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2011] [Accepted: 06/30/2011] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Methamphetamine (Meth) abuse exacerbates HIV-1-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). The underlying mechanism for this effect is not entirely clear but likely involves cooperation between Meth and HIV-1 virotoxins, such as the transactivator of transcription, Tat. HIV-1 Tat mediates damage in the CNS by inducing inflammatory processes including astrogliosis. Wnt/β-catenin signaling regulates survival processes for both neurons and astrocytes. Here, we evaluated the impact of Meth on the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in astrocytes transfected with Tat. Meth and Tat downregulated Wnt/β-catenin signaling by >50%, as measured by TOPflash reporter activity in both an astrocytoma cell line and primary human fetal astrocytes. Meth and Tat also downregulated LEF-1 transcript by >30%. LEF-1 is a key partner of β-catenin to regulate cognate gene expression. Interestingly, estrogen, which induces β-catenin signaling in a cell-type specific manner, at physiological concentrations of 1.5 and 3 nM normalized individual Meth and Tat effects on β-catenin signaling but not their combined effects. These findings suggest that Meth and Tat likely exert different mechanisms to mediate down regulation of β-catenin signaling. The consequences of which may contribute to the pathophysiologic effects of HIV-1 and Meth co-morbidity in the CNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Sharma
- Department of Immunology/Microbiology, Rush University Medical Center, 1735 W. Harrison Street, 614 Cohn, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
- Center for Compulsive Behavior and Addiction, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Xiu-Ti Hu
- Department of Pharmacology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Chicago Center for AIDS Research, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Center for Compulsive Behavior and Addiction, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - T. Celeste Napier
- Department of Pharmacology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Chicago Center for AIDS Research, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Center for Compulsive Behavior and Addiction, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lena Al-Harthi
- Department of Immunology/Microbiology, Rush University Medical Center, 1735 W. Harrison Street, 614 Cohn, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
- Chicago Center for AIDS Research, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Center for Compulsive Behavior and Addiction, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
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Xue B, Guo ML, Jin DZ, Mao LM, Wang JQ. Cocaine facilitates PKC maturation by upregulating its phosphorylation at the activation loop in rat striatal neurons in vivo. Brain Res 2011; 1435:146-53. [PMID: 22208647 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.11.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2011] [Revised: 11/01/2011] [Accepted: 11/08/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Newly synthesized protein kinase C (PKC) undergoes a series of phosphorylation to render a mature form of the enzyme. It is this mature PKC that possesses the catalytic competence to respond to second messengers for activation and downstream signaling. The first and rate-limiting phosphorylation occurs at a threonine residue in the activation loop (AL), which triggers the rest maturation processing of PKC and regulates PKC activity in response to cellular stimulation. Given the fact that PKC is enriched in striatal neurons, we investigated the regulation of PKC phosphorylation at the AL site in the rat striatum by the psychostimulant cocaine in vivo. We found that PKC was phosphorylated at the AL site at a moderate level in the normal rat brain. Acute systemic injection of cocaine increased the PKC-AL phosphorylation in the two striatal structures (caudate putamen and nucleus accumbens). Cocaine also elevated the PKC-AL phosphorylation in the medial prefrontal cortex. The cocaine-stimulated PKC phosphorylation in the striatum is rapid and transient. A reliable increase in PKC phosphorylation was seen 7 min after drug injection, which declined to the normal level by 1h. This kinetics corresponds to that seen for another striatum-enriched protein kinase, mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase, in response to cocaine. This study suggests a new model for exploring the impact of cocaine on protein kinases in striatal neurons. By modifying PKC phosphorylation at the AL site, cocaine is believed to possess the ability to alter the maturation processing of the kinase in striatal neurons in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Xue
- Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA
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Kong H, Xu M. Exploring mechanisms underlying extinction of cue-elicited cocaine seeking. Curr Neuropharmacol 2011; 9:8-11. [PMID: 21886552 PMCID: PMC3137207 DOI: 10.2174/157015911795017173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2009] [Revised: 04/17/2010] [Accepted: 05/26/2010] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
A prominent feature of drug addiction is that drug-associated cues can elicit drug-seeking behaviors and contribute significantly to the high propensity to relapse. We have been investigating the notion that the dopamine D1 receptor and the immediate early gene product c-Fos expressed in D1 receptor-bearing neurons mediate the development of persistent neuroadaptation in the brain dopamine system by regulating cell signaling and gene expression. We generated and analyzed genetically engineered mouse models and found that the D1 receptor and c-Fos expressed in D1 receptor-bearing neurons mediate the locomotor sensitization and reinforcing effects of cocaine. Moreover, these molecules regulate cocaine-induced dendritic remodeling, electrophysiological responses, and changes in cell signaling and gene expression in the brain. Notably, a lack of Fos expression in D1 receptor-bearing neurons in mice results in no change in the induction but a significantly delayed extinction of cocaine-induced conditioned place preference. These findings suggest that D1 receptor-mediated and c-Fos-regulated changes in cell signaling and gene expression may play key roles in the extinction process, and they provide a foundation for further exploring mechanisms underlying extinction of cue-elicited cocaine seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Kong
- Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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36
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Zhang L, Li J, Liu N, Wang B, Gu J, Zhang M, Zhou Z, Jiang Y, Zhang L, Zhang L. Signaling via Dopamine D1 and D3 Receptors Oppositely Regulates Cocaine-Induced Structural Remodeling of Dendrites and Spines. Neurosignals 2011; 20:15-34. [DOI: 10.1159/000330743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2011] [Accepted: 06/30/2011] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
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Shin EJ, Nguyen XKT, Nguyen TTL, Pham DT, Kim HC. Exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields induces fos-related antigen-immunoreactivity via activation of dopaminergic d1 receptor. Exp Neurobiol 2011; 20:130-6. [PMID: 22110371 PMCID: PMC3214769 DOI: 10.5607/en.2011.20.3.130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2011] [Accepted: 05/06/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously demonstrated that repeated exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) increases locomotor activity via stimulation of dopaminergic D1 receptor (J. Pharmacol. Sci., 2007;105:367-371). Since it has been demonstrated that activator protein-1 (AP-1) transcription factors, especially 35-kDa fos-related antigen (FRA), play a key role in the neuronal and behavioral adaptation in response to various stimuli, we examined whether repeated ELF-MF exposure induces FRA-immunoreactivity (FRA-IR) in the striatum and nucleus accumbens (striatal complex) of the mice. Repeated exposure to ELF-MF (0.3 or 2.4 mT, 1 h/day, for consecutive fourteen days) significantly induced hyperlocomotor activity and FRA-IR in the striatal complex in a field intensity-dependent manner. ELF-MF-induced FRA-IR lasted for at least 1 year, while locomotor activity returned near control level 3 months after the final exposure to ELF-MF. Pretreatment with SCH23390, a dopaminergic D1 receptor antagonist, but not with sulpiride, a dopaminergic D2 receptor antagonist, significantly attenuated hyperlocomotor activity and FRA-IR induced by ELF-MF. Our results suggest that repeated exposure to ELF-MF leads to prolonged locomotor stimulation and long-term expression of FRA in the striatal complex of the mice via stimulation of dopaminergic D1 receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun-Joo Shin
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Toxicology Program, College of Pharmacy, Kangwon National University, Chunchon 200-701, Korea
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Wan L, Xie Y, Su L, Liu Y, Wang Y, Wang Z. RACK1 affects morphine reward via BDNF. Brain Res 2011; 1416:26-34. [PMID: 21885037 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.07.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2011] [Revised: 07/21/2011] [Accepted: 07/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Chronic morphine addiction may trigger functional changes in the mesolimbic dopamine system, which is believed to be the neurobiological substrate of opiate addiction. Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been implicated in addiction-related pathology in animal studies. Our previous studies have shown that RACK1 is involved in morphine reward in mice. The recent research indicates nuclear RACK1 by localizing at the promoter IV region of the BDNF gene and the subsequent chromatin modifications leads to the activation of the promoter and transcription of BDNF. The present study was designed to investigate if shRACK1 (a short hairpin RNA of RACK1) could reverse the mice's behavioral responses to morphine and BDNF expression in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. No significant changes were observed in vehicle-infused mice which received no morphine treatment (CONC) and shRACK1-infused mice which received no morphine treatment (CONR), whereas vehicle-infused mice preceded the morphine injection (MIC) showed increased BDNF expression in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, as compared to vehicle-infused mice which received no morphine treatment (CONC). Intracerebroventricular shRACK1 treatment reversed these, and in fact, ShRACK1-infused mice preceded the morphine injection (MIR) showed reduced BDNF expression in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, as compared to MIC. In the conditioned place preference (CPP) test, inactivating RACK1 markedly reduces morphine-induced conditioned place preference. Non-specific changes in CPP could not account for these effects since general CPP of shRACK1- and vehicle-infused animals was not different. Combined behavioral and molecular approaches have support the possibility that the RACK1-BDNF system plays an important role in the response to morphine-induced reward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihong Wan
- Key Laboratory of Chronobiology, Ministry of Health (Sichuan University), Sichuan University, Chengdu, PR China.
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Quantitative mapping of cocaine-induced ΔFosB expression in the striatum of male and female rats. PLoS One 2011; 6:e21783. [PMID: 21747956 PMCID: PMC3128607 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0021783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2011] [Accepted: 06/09/2011] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
ΔFosB plays a critical role in drug-induced long-term changes in the brain. In the current study, we evaluated locomotor activity in male and female rats treated with saline or cocaine for 2 weeks and quantitatively mapped ΔFosB expression in the dorsal striatum and nucleus accumbens of each animal by using an anti-FosB antibody that recognizes ΔFosB isoforms preferentially. Behavioral analysis showed that while there was little difference between males and females that sensitized to cocaine, nonsensitizing rats showed a large sex difference. Nonsensitizing males showed low behavioral activation in response to cocaine on the first day of treatment, and their activity remained low. In contrast, nonsensitizing females showed high activation on the first day of treatment and their activity remained high. Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses indicated that basal levels of ΔFosB were higher in the nucleus accumbens than the dorsal striatum, but that the effect of cocaine on ΔFosB was greater in the dorsal striatum. Immunostaining showed that the effect of cocaine in both the dorsal striatum and nucleus accumbens was primarily to increase the intensity of ΔFosB immunoreactivity in individual neurons, rather than to increase the number of cells that express ΔFosB. Detailed mapping of ΔFosB-labeled nuclei showed that basal ΔFosB levels were highest in the medial portion of the dorsal striatum and dorsomedial accumbens, particularly adjacent to the lateral ventricle, whereas the cocaine-induced increase in ΔFosB was most pronounced in the lateral dorsal striatum, where basal ΔFosB expression was lowest. Sex differences in ΔFosB expression were small and independent of cocaine treatment. We discuss implications of the sex difference in locomotor activation and regionally-specific ΔFosB induction by cocaine.
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Li X, Wolf ME. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor rapidly increases AMPA receptor surface expression in rat nucleus accumbens. Eur J Neurosci 2011; 34:190-8. [PMID: 21692887 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2011.07754.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In the rodent nucleus accumbens (NAc), cocaine elevates levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Conversely, BDNF can augment cocaine-related behavioral responses. The latter could reflect enhancement of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) transmission, because AMPARs in the NAc mediate some cocaine-induced behaviors. Furthermore, in vitro studies in other cell types show that BDNF can promote AMPAR synaptic delivery. In this study, we investigated whether BDNF similarly promotes AMPAR trafficking in the adult rat NAc. After unilateral intracranial injection of BDNF into NAc core or shell, rats were killed at post-injection times ranging from 30 min to 3 days. NAc core or shell tissue from both injected and non-injected hemispheres was analysed by Western blotting. A protein cross-linking assay was used to measure AMPAR surface expression. Assessment of tropomyosin receptor kinase B signaling demonstrated that injected BDNF was biologically active. BDNF injection into NAc core, but not NAc shell, led to a protein synthesis- and extracellular signal-regulated kinase-dependent increase in cell surface GluA1 and a trend towards increased total GluA1. This was detected 30 min post-injection but not at longer time-points. GluA2 and GluA3 were unaffected, suggesting an effect of BDNF on homomeric GluA1 Ca(2+) -permeable AMPARs. These results demonstrate that exogenous BDNF rapidly increases AMPAR surface expression in the rat NAc core, raising the possibility of a relationship between increases in endogenous BDNF levels and alterations in AMPAR transmission observed in the NAc of cocaine-experienced rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Li
- Department of Neuroscience, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064-3095, USA
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Mao LM, Horton E, Guo ML, Xue B, Jin DZ, Fibuch EE, Wang JQ. Cocaine increases phosphorylation of MeCP2 in the rat striatum in vivo: a differential role of NMDA receptors. Neurochem Int 2011; 59:610-7. [PMID: 21704097 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2011.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2011] [Accepted: 04/27/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Methyl CpG-binding protein-2 (MeCP2) is a transcriptional regulator that binds to methylated DNA at CpG sites and functions to silence DNA transcription. MeCP2 is subject to the phosphorylation modification at serine 421 (S421), which releases MeCP2 from DNA and thus facilitates gene expression. As a transcriptional repressor densely expressed in limbic reward circuits of adult mammalian brains, MeCP2 is recently emerging as a critical epigenetic factor in experience-dependent neural plasticity and psychostimulant addiction. In this study, we investigated the regulation of MeCP2 phosphorylation in the rat striatum by the psychostimulant cocaine in vivo. We found that acute systemic injection of cocaine increased MeCP2 phosphorylation at S421 in the rat striatum, including both the caudate putamen and the nucleus accumbens, while cocaine did not affect MeCP2 phosphorylation in the medial prefrontal cortex. The cocaine-stimulated MeCP2 phosphorylation in the nucleus accumbens was a rapid and transient event, as it was evident at 20 min and returned to normal levels 3h after drug injection. The cocaine effect in the caudate putamen was however relatively delayed. Reliable induction of MeCP2 phosphorylation in this region was detected at 60 min. Pretreatment with an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor antagonist significantly reduced the cocaine-stimulated MeCP2 phosphorylation in the caudate putamen, although not in the nucleus accumbens. Our data support that MeCP2 is a sensitive target of psychostimulants. Its phosphorylation status is regulated by psychostimulant exposure. NMDA receptors play a region-specific role in linking cocaine to MeCP2 phosphorylation in striatal neurons in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Min Mao
- Department of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA
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Seger D. Cocaine, metamfetamine, and MDMA abuse: the role and clinical importance of neuroadaptation. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2010; 48:695-708. [DOI: 10.3109/15563650.2010.516263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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Xing B, Kong H, Meng X, Wei S, Xu M, Li S. Dopamine D1 but not D3 receptor is critical for spatial learning and related signaling in the hippocampus. Neuroscience 2010; 169:1511-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2010.06.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2010] [Revised: 06/14/2010] [Accepted: 06/16/2010] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Sadri-Vakili G, Kumaresan V, Schmidt HD, Famous KR, Chawla P, Vassoler FM, Overland RP, Xia E, Bass CE, Terwilliger EF, Pierce RC, Cha JHJ. Cocaine-induced chromatin remodeling increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor transcription in the rat medial prefrontal cortex, which alters the reinforcing efficacy of cocaine. J Neurosci 2010; 30:11735-44. [PMID: 20810894 PMCID: PMC2943400 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2328-10.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2010] [Revised: 06/28/2010] [Accepted: 07/11/2010] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cocaine self-administration alters patterns of gene expression in the brain that may underlie cocaine-induced neuronal plasticity. In the present study, male Sprague Dawley rats were allowed to self-administer cocaine (0.25 mg/infusion) 2 h/d for 14 d, followed by 7 d of forced abstinence. Compared with yoked saline control rats, cocaine self-administration resulted in increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein levels in the rat medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). To examine the functional relevance of this finding, cocaine self-administration maintained under a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement was assessed after short hairpin RNA-induced suppression of BDNF expression in the mPFC. Decreased BDNF expression in the mPFC increased the cocaine self-administration breakpoint. Next, the effect of cocaine self-administration on specific BDNF exons was assessed; results revealed selectively increased BDNF exon IV-containing transcripts in the mPFC. Moreover, there were significant cocaine-induced increases in acetylated histone H3 (AcH3) and phospho-cAMP response element binding protein (pCREB) association with BDNF promoter IV. In contrast, there was decreased methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) association with BDNF promoter IV in the mPFC of rats that previously self-administered cocaine. Together, these results indicate that cocaine-induced increases in BDNF promoter IV transcript in the mPFC are driven by increased binding of AcH3 and pCREB as well as decreased MeCP2 binding at this BDNF promoter. Collectively, these results indicate that cocaine self-administration remodels chromatin in the mPFC, resulting in increased expression of BDNF, which appears to represent a compensatory neuroadaptation that reduces the reinforcing efficacy of cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghazaleh Sadri-Vakili
- MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02129-4404, USA.
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Deng JV, Rodriguiz RM, Hutchinson AN, Kim IH, Wetsel WC, West AE. MeCP2 in the nucleus accumbens contributes to neural and behavioral responses to psychostimulants. Nat Neurosci 2010; 13:1128-36. [PMID: 20711186 PMCID: PMC2928851 DOI: 10.1038/nn.2614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2010] [Accepted: 07/15/2010] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
MeCP2 is a methyl DNA-binding transcriptional regulator that contributes to the development and function of CNS synapses; however, the requirement for MeCP2 in stimulus-regulated behavioral plasticity is not fully understood. Here we show that acute viral manipulation of MeCP2 expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) bidirectionally modulates amphetamine (AMPH)-induced conditioned place preference. Mecp2 hypomorphic mutant mice have more NAc GABAergic synapses and show deficient AMPH-induced structural plasticity of NAc dendritic spines. Furthermore, these mice show deficient plasticity of striatal immediate early gene inducibility after repeated AMPH administration. Notably, psychostimulants induce phosphorylation of MeCP2 at Ser421, a site that regulates MeCP2's function as a repressor. Phosphorylation is selectively induced in GABAergic interneurons of the NAc, and its extent strongly predicts the degree of behavioral sensitization. These data reveal new roles for MeCP2 both in mesolimbocortical circuit development and in the regulation of psychostimulant-induced behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie V Deng
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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Dopamine D1 and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors and extracellular signal-regulated kinase mediate neuronal morphological changes induced by repeated cocaine administration. Neuroscience 2010; 168:48-60. [PMID: 20346392 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2010.03.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2010] [Revised: 03/15/2010] [Accepted: 03/16/2010] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The development of drug addiction involves persistent cellular and molecular changes in the CNS. The brain dopamine and glutamate systems play key roles in mediating drug-induced neuroadaptation. Changes in dendritic morphology in medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and caudate putamen (CPu) accompany drug-induced enduring behavioral and molecular changes. We have investigated the potential involvement of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors, the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, and the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in dendritic morphological changes induced by repeated cocaine administration. We show that either a genetic mutation or pharmacological blockade of dopamine D1 receptors attenuated cocaine-induced changes in both dendritic branching and spine density of MSNs in the shell of the NAc and CPu. In contrast, antagonism of dopamine D2 receptors had no obvious effect on changes in dendritic branching but had a partial effect on changes in spine density of MSNs in these brain regions following repeated cocaine injections. Pharmacological inhibition of either NMDA receptors or ERK attenuated cocaine-induced changes in both dendritic branching and spine density of MSNs in the shell of the NAc and CPu. These results suggest that dopamine D1 and NMDA receptors and ERK contribute significantly to neuronal morphological changes induced by repeated exposure to cocaine.
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Crooks KR, Kleven DT, Rodriguiz RM, Wetsel WC, McNamara JO. TrkB signaling is required for behavioral sensitization and conditioned place preference induced by a single injection of cocaine. Neuropharmacology 2010; 58:1067-77. [PMID: 20176040 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2010.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2008] [Revised: 01/05/2010] [Accepted: 01/26/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Exogenous brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) can regulate behavioral sensitization and conditioned place preference (CPP) when animals are exposed to repeated cocaine administration. However, it is unclear whether BDNF signaling through the TrkB receptor can mediate these behavioral responses when animals are given a single cocaine exposure. Because TrkB knockout mice die as neonates, we engineered a transgenic mouse that expressed a dominant negative form of TrkB (dnTrkB) in a conditional and reversible manner. We assessed also activation of endogenous TrkB by quantifying levels of phosphorylated TrkB (p-TrkB) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). We found that a single exposure to cocaine was sufficient to increase p-TrkB within the NAc 9-12h after administration. Expression of the dnTrkB transgene not only prevented the acute cocaine-induced increase in p-TrkB, but it also prevented behavioral sensitization and CPP following a single cocaine injection. These findings demonstrate that TrkB activation is required both for behavioral sensitization and CPP to a single cocaine exposure. The fact that enhanced TrkB activation is induced within 9h of a single injection of cocaine suggests that inhibition of TrkB signaling commencing hours after cocaine exposure may prevent at least the initial antecedents to the sensitizing and reinforcing effects of this psychostimulant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristy R Crooks
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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Rodríguez-Borrero E, Rivera-Escalera F, Candelas F, Montalvo J, Muñoz-Miranda W, Walker J, Maldonado-Vlaar C. Arginine vasopressin gene expression changes within the nucleus accumbens during environment elicited cocaine-conditioned response in rats. Neuropharmacology 2010; 58:88-101. [PMID: 19596360 PMCID: PMC2783825 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2009.06.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2009] [Revised: 06/26/2009] [Accepted: 06/30/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
It is known that changes in gene expression within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) occur during cocaine dependence development. However, identification of specific genes involved in cocaine conditioning awaits further investigation. We conducted a high throughput gene expression profile analysis of the NAc, during different stages of the environment-elicited cocaine conditioning. Rats were assigned to two different environmental conditions. Cocaine conditioned group received a cocaine injection (10mg/kg, i.p.) prior to being placed in the activity chambers. Control rats received saline injections before being exposed to their environment. Both groups received a saline injection in their home cage. Conditioning training lasted for 10 days. Animals were then re-exposed to their previously paired environments only on day 12 (test session). We found that the gene for arginine vasopressin (AVP) was differentially expressed on experimental subjects during all stages of environment-elicited cocaine conditioning. To further validate our molecular results, biochemical and immunolocalization experiments were conducted. We found the presence of AVP within accumbal fibers and changes in AVP protein levels following cocaine conditioning. Moreover, we tested the effects of accumbal microinfusions of either AVP receptor V(1A) agonist [pGlu(4), Cyt6, Arg(8)] AVP 4-9 1.0 ng/0.5 microl, or V(1A) antagonist (CH2) 5[Tyr (Me) 2] AVP, 1.0 ng/0.5 microl or vehicle solution (0.9% saline solution) during different stages of the cocaine conditioning. Blockade of V(1A) receptors within the NAc during acquisition interrupted the expression of the conditioned response, while activation leads to an increase in this response. Our findings propose a new role for AVP in cocaine addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Rodríguez-Borrero
- University of Puerto Rico, Department of Biology, P.O. Box 23360, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00931
| | - F. Rivera-Escalera
- University of Puerto Rico, Department of Biology, P.O. Box 23360, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00931
| | - F. Candelas
- University of Puerto Rico, Department of Biology, P.O. Box 23360, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00931
| | - J. Montalvo
- University of Puerto Rico, Department of Biology, P.O. Box 23360, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00931
| | - W.J. Muñoz-Miranda
- University of Puerto Rico, Department of Biology, P.O. Box 23360, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00931
| | - J.R. Walker
- Novartis Genome Institute, San Diego California
| | - C.S. Maldonado-Vlaar
- Corresponding Author: University of Puerto Rico, Department of Biology, P.O. Box 23360, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00931; phone: 787-764-0000, FAX 787-764- 3875;
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Williams SN, Undieh AS. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling modulates cocaine induction of reward-associated ultrasonic vocalization in rats. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2009; 332:463-8. [PMID: 19843976 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.109.158535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cocaine exhibits high liability for inducing addictive behaviors, but the mechanisms of neuroplasticity underlying the behavioral effects remain unclear. As a crucial mediator of neuroplasticity in diverse functional models, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) could contribute to the mechanisms of addiction-related neuroplasticity. Here, we addressed the hypothesis that cocaine increases synaptic dopamine, which induces BDNF protein expression to initiate addiction-related behavior in the rat. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure BDNF protein expression in rat striatal tissues. For behavioral readout, we used a noninvasive measurement system to measure the emission of 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalization (USV), a response that correlates with electrical brain stimulation and conditioned place preference behavior in rodents. A single injection of cocaine significantly increased BDNF protein expression, but this effect was not further augmented by repeated cocaine administration. A single administration of cocaine elicited significant and dose-related USV responses, and the magnitude of the behavior increased with repeated drug administration. R-(+)-7-Chloro-8-hydroxy-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine (SCH23390), but not raclopride, significantly attenuated cocaine-induced BDNF protein expression, whereas either the D(1)-like or D(2)-like receptor antagonist blocked cocaine-induced USV behavior. Furthermore, significant USV behavior was elicited by the nonselective dopamine agonist, apomorphine, but not by agonists that are selective for D(1)-like or D(2)-like receptors. Intracerebroventricular injection of the neurotrophin TrkB receptor inhibitor, K252a, blocked cocaine-induced USV behavior but not locomotor activity. These results suggest that neurotrophin signaling downstream of dopamine receptor function probably constitutes a crucial link in cocaine induction of USV behavior and may contribute to the mechanisms underlying the development of addiction-related behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey N Williams
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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50
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Long-lasting FosB/ΔFosB immunoreactivity in the rat brain after repeated cat odor exposure. Neurosci Lett 2009; 462:157-61. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2009.06.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2009] [Revised: 06/11/2009] [Accepted: 06/22/2009] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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