Pharmacological analysis of the effects of benzodiazepines on punished schedule-induced polydipsia in rats

The development of compulsive coping behavior depends on dorsolateral striatum dopamine-dependent mechanisms

Humans greatly differ in how they cope with stress, a natural behavior learnt through negative reinforcement. Some individuals engage in displacement activities, others in exercise or comfort eating, and others still in alcohol use. Across species, adjunctive behaviors, such as polydipsic drinking, are used as a form of displacement activity that reduces stress. Some individuals, in particular those that use alcohol to self-medicate, tend to lose control over such coping behaviors, which become excessive and compulsive. However, the psychological and neural mechanisms underlying this individual vulnerability have not been elucidated. Here we tested the hypothesis that the development of compulsive adjunctive behaviors stems from the functional engagement of the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) dopamine-dependent habit system after a prolonged history of adjunctive responding. We measured in longitudinal studies in male Sprague Dawley rats the sensitivity of early established vs compulsive polydipsic water or alcohol drinking to a bilateral infusion into the anterior DLS (aDLS) of the dopamine receptor antagonist α-flupentixol. While most rats acquired a polydipsic drinking response with water, others only did so with alcohol. Whether drinking water or alcohol, the acquisition of this coping response was insensitive to aDLS dopamine receptor blockade. In contrast, after prolonged experience, adjunctive drinking became dependent on aDLS dopamine at a time when it was compulsive in vulnerable individuals. These data suggest that habits may develop out of negative reinforcement and that the engagement of their underlying striatal system is necessary for the manifestation of compulsive adjunctive behaviors.

Behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of punishment: implications for psychiatric disorders

Punishment involves learning about the relationship between behavior and its adverse consequences. Punishment is fundamental to reinforcement learning, decision-making and choice, and is disrupted in psychiatric disorders such as addiction, depression, and psychopathy. However, little is known about the brain mechanisms of punishment and much of what is known is derived from study of superficially similar, but fundamentally distinct, forms of aversive learning such as fear conditioning and avoidance learning. Here we outline the unique conditions that support punishment, the contents of its learning, and its behavioral consequences. We consider evidence implicating GABA and monoamine neurotransmitter systems, as well as corticostriatal, amygdala, and dopamine circuits in punishment. We show how maladaptive punishment processes are implicated in addictions, impulse control disorders, psychopathy, anxiety, and depression and argue that a better understanding of the cellular, circuit, and cognitive mechanisms of punishment will make important contributions to next generation therapeutic approaches.

A study on the reaction of 16-dehydropregnenolone acetate with 2-aminobenzimidazole

The condensation of 16-dehydropregnenolone acetate with 2-aminobenzimidazole was studied. The polycyclic aromatic product was formed as a single regioisomer in a cascade reaction comprising addition, cyclization, autoxidation, and aromatization, in addition to the rearranged D-homo product. The reaction mechanism based on DFT calculations is proposed.

Metal-free, efficient hydrazination of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine with diethyl azodicarboxylate in neutral media

The first example of metal-free regioselective hydrazination of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine with diethyl azodicarboxylate is accomplished. This procedure is chemically appealing due to the high degree of functional group tolerance and efficiency in expanding the molecular diversity.

Efficient access to 2,3-diarylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines via a one-pot, ligand-free, palladium-catalyzed three-component reaction under microwave irradiation

An expeditious one-pot, ligand-free, Pd(OAc)2-catalyzed, three-component reaction for the synthesis of 2,3-diarylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines was developed under microwave irradiation. With the high availability of commercial reagents and great efficiency in expanding molecule diversity, this methodology is superior to the existing procedures for the synthesis of 2,3-diarylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines analogues.

Atomoxetine decreases vulnerability to develop compulsivity in high impulsive rats

BACKGROUND

The factors contributing to the development and severity of obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette's syndrome, pathological gambling, and addictions remain poorly understood, limiting the development of therapeutic and preventive strategies. Recent evidence indicates that impulse-control deficits may contribute to the severity of compulsivity in several of these disorders. This suggests that impulsivity may be a transnosological endophenotype of vulnerability to compulsivity. However, the precise nature of the link between impulsivity and compulsivity in anxiety-related compulsive disorders remains unknown.

METHODS

We investigated the relationship between impulsivity and the development of a compulsive behavior in rats, which captures the hallmarks of compulsivity as defined in the DSM-IV--namely, that it is maladaptive, excessive, repetitive, and anxiolytic.

RESULTS

We demonstrate that a high-impulsivity trait, as measured in the five-choice serial reaction time task, predicts an increased propensity to develop compulsivity as measured in a schedule-induced polydipsia procedure. Trait impulsivity and compulsivity were nonlinearly related. This impulsivity-compulsivity relationship was lost after the development of compulsivity or under chronic treatment with atomoxetine, a noradrenergic reuptake inhibitor used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Atomoxetine treatment both decreased impulsivity and prevented the development of compulsivity in high-impulsive animals.

CONCLUSIONS

These observations provide insight into the reciprocal influence of impulsivity and compulsivity in compulsive disorders and suggest that atomoxetine may be a useful treatment for patients suffering from obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders with high impulsivity.

Behavioural and pharmacological specificity of the effects of drugs on punished schedule-induced polydipsia

Wistar rats were exposed to a multiple fixed-time 30-s food delivery schedule, with an on/off tone signalling the two components. Animals were matched in accordance with the levels of schedule-induced polydipsia. Drinking was then punished in one of the components: half of the rats received lick-dependent 10-s signalled delays and the other half lick-dependent electric shocks. The intensities of the shocks were adjusted to reduce behaviour by the same amount as the delays in food presentation. Unpunished components were used as yoked-control conditions, by presenting delays or shocks independently of the animals' behaviour. D-Amphetamine (0.3-2.0 mg/kg) and cocaine (1.0-10.0 mg/kg) dose-dependently increased (although only slightly) and then decreased schedule-induced polydipsia punished with lick-dependent delays in food presentation, a result not observed in control conditions or when the behaviour was suppressed by lick-dependent electric shocks. Diazepam (1.0-17.0 mg/kg) and pentobarbital (3.0-17.0 mg/kg) dose-dependently increased and then decreased only the schedule-induced drinking punished with lick-dependent shocks. Buspirone (0.1-1.0 mg/kg) and morphine (2.0-5.6 mg/kg) showed either no specific effects or further suppressed schedule-induced drinking. Results of these and previous experiments suggest that the antipunishment effects of drugs depend not only on the precise nature of the drug, but also on the manner in which the behaviour is maintained.