1
|
Murphy SC, Godenzini L, Guzulaitis R, Lawrence AJ, Palmer LM. Cocaine regulates sensory filtering in cortical pyramidal neurons. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112122. [PMID: 36790932 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Exposure to cocaine leads to robust changes in the structure and function of neurons within the mesocorticolimbic pathway. However, little is known about how cocaine influences the processing of information within the sensory cortex. We address this by using patch-clamp and juxtacellular voltage recordings and two-photon Ca2+ imaging in vivo to investigate the influence of acute cocaine exposure on layer 2/3 (L2/3) pyramidal neurons within the primary somatosensory cortex (S1). Here, cocaine dampens membrane potential state transitions and decreases spontaneous somatic action potentials and Ca2+ transients. In contrast to the uniform decrease in background spontaneous activity, cocaine has a heterogeneous influence on sensory encoding, increasing tactile-evoked responses in dendrites that do not typically encode sensory information and decreasing responses in those dendrites that are more reliable sensory encoders. Combined, these findings suggest that cocaine acts as a filter that suppresses background noise to selectively modulate incoming sensory information.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sean C Murphy
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Luca Godenzini
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Robertas Guzulaitis
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, 10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Andrew J Lawrence
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Lucy M Palmer
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
The locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system and sensory signal processing: A historical review and current perspectives. Brain Res 2019; 1709:1-15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2018.08.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Revised: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
|
3
|
A new proposal for drug conditioning with implications for drug addiction: The Pavlovian two-step from delay to trace conditioning. Behav Brain Res 2014; 275:150-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.08.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2014] [Revised: 08/24/2014] [Accepted: 08/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
|
4
|
Corticotropin-releasing factor acting at the locus coeruleus disrupts thalamic and cortical sensory-evoked responses. Neuropsychopharmacology 2012; 37:2020-30. [PMID: 22510725 PMCID: PMC3398725 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2012.50] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Stress and stress-related psychiatric disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder, are associated with disruptions in sensory information processing. The neuropeptide, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), coordinates the physiological and behavioral responses to stress, in part, by activating the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) projection system. Although the LC-NE system is an important modulator of sensory information processing, to date, the consequences of CRF activation of this system on sensory signal processing are poorly understood. The current study examined the dose-dependent actions of CRF at the LC on spontaneous and sensory-evoked discharge of neurons within the thalamus and cortex of the vibrissa somatosensory system in the awake, freely moving rat. Peri-LC infusions of CRF resulted in a dose-dependent suppression of sensory-evoked discharge in ventral posterior medial thalamic and barrel field cortical neurons. A concurrent increase in spontaneous activity was observed. This latter action is generally not found with iontophoretic application of NE to target neurons or stimulation of the LC-NE pathway. Net decreases in signal-to-noise of sensory-evoked responses within both regions suggest that under conditions associated with CRF release at the LC, including stress, the transfer of afferent information within sensory systems is impaired. Acutely, a suppression of certain types of sensory information may represent an adaptive response to an immediate unexpected stressor. Persistence of such effects could contribute to abnormalities of information processing seen in sensorimotor gating associated with stress and stress-related psychopathology.
Collapse
|
5
|
The effects of cocaine on light-induced activity. Brain Res Bull 2011; 84:229-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2010.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2010] [Revised: 12/20/2010] [Accepted: 12/26/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
|
6
|
Devilbiss DM, Waterhouse BD. Phasic and tonic patterns of locus coeruleus output differentially modulate sensory network function in the awake rat. J Neurophysiol 2010; 105:69-87. [PMID: 20980542 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00445.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons of the nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) discharge with phasic bursts of activity superimposed on highly regular tonic discharge rates. Phasic bursts are elicited by bottom-up input mechanisms involving novel/salient sensory stimuli and top-down decision making processes; whereas tonic rates largely fluctuate according to arousal levels and behavioral states. Although it is generally believed that these two modes of activity differentially modulate information processing in LC targets, the unique role of phasic versus tonic LC output on signal processing in cells, circuits, and neural networks of waking animals is not well understood. In the current study, simultaneous recordings of individual neurons within ventral posterior medial thalamus and barrel field cortex of conscious rats provided evidence that each mode of LC output produces a unique modulatory impact on single neuron responsiveness to sensory-driven synaptic input and representations of sensory information across ensembles of simultaneously recorded cells. Each mode of LC activation specifically modulated the relationship between sensory-stimulus intensity and the subsequent responses of individual neurons and neural ensembles. Overall these results indicate that phasic versus tonic modes of LC discharge exert fundamentally different modulatory effects on target neuronal circuits within the rodent trigeminal somatosensory system. As such, each mode of LC output may differentially influence signal processing as a means of optimizing behaviorally relevant neural computations within this sensory network. Likely the ability of the LC system to differentially regulate neural responses and local circuit operations according to behavioral demands extends to other brain regions including those involved in higher cognitive functions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David M Devilbiss
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Pawlak AP, Tang CC, Pederson C, Wolske MB, West MO. Acute effects of cocaine on movement-related firing of dorsolateral striatal neurons depend on predrug firing rate and dose. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2009; 332:667-83. [PMID: 19906778 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.109.158253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
To investigate striatal mechanisms underlying the acute effects of stimulants on motor behavior, firing rates (FRs) of striatal neurons related specifically to vertical head movement were studied exclusively during vertical head movements. Precocaine FRs were recorded after intraperitoneal saline injection (time 1; T1), and rats performed conditioned vertical head movements (>10,000) similar to those induced by stimulants. After cocaine injection (0, 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg; T2), animals continued in the task. The proportion of long head movements was increased by low doses but decreased by the high dose, which induced stereotypic head movements. Comparing each neuron's FR during movements that were matched between T1 and T2 (e.g., regarding direction, distance), cocaine's effects depended on predrug FR and dose. Plots regressing T2FR on T1FR showed dose-dependent, "clockwise" rotations of regression lines in plots of all the neurons' average FRs and of individual neurons' FRs during different movements. All three doses elevated normally low FRs; the high dose also suppressed many higher FRs. Enhancement of a neuron's FR associated with weak and suppression of FR associated with strong corticostriatal inputs contradict several current theories of dopamine (DA) function. Induction of stereotypy by a single, high-dose injection suggests that this cocaine level exceeded that in other studies using cocaine self-administration, in which stereotypy develops only after several sessions. Suppressive effects observed only at the high dose and in numerous electrophysiological studies of DA agonist effects may be unrepresentative of uniform elevations in lateral striatal firing related to movement observed at lower cocaine levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anthony P Pawlak
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Urbano FJ, Bisagno V, Wikinski SI, Uchitel OD, Llinás RR. Cocaine acute "binge" administration results in altered thalamocortical interactions in mice. Biol Psychiatry 2009; 66:769-76. [PMID: 19520366 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2009] [Revised: 04/21/2009] [Accepted: 04/21/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Abnormalities in both thalamic and cortical areas have been reported in human cocaine addicts with noninvasive functional magnetic resonance imaging. Given the substantial involvement of the thalamocortical system in sensory processing and perception, we defined electrophysiology-based protocols to attempt a characterization of cocaine effects on thalamocortical circuits. METHODS Thalamocortical function was studied in vivo and in vitro in mice after cocaine "binge" administration. In vivo awake electroencephalography (EEG) was implemented in mice injected with saline, 1 hour or 24 hours after the last cocaine "binge" injection. In vitro current- and voltage-clamp whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were performed from slices including thalamic relay ventrobasal (VB) neurons. RESULTS In vivo EEG recordings after cocaine "binge" administration showed a significant increment, compared with saline, in low frequencies while observing no changes in high-frequency gamma activity. In vitro patch recordings from VB neurons after cocaine "binge" administration showed low threshold spikes activation at more negative membrane potentials and increments in both I(h) and low voltage activated T-type calcium currents. Also, a 10-mV negative shift on threshold activation level of T-type current and a remarkable increment in both frequency and amplitudes of gamma-aminobutyric acid-A-mediated minis were observed. CONCLUSIONS Our data indicate that thalamocortical dysfunctions observed in cocaine abusers might be due to two distinct but additive events: 1) increased low frequency oscillatory thalamocortical activity, and 2) overinhibition of VB neurons that can abnormally "lock" the whole thalamocortical system at low frequencies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francisco J Urbano
- Department of Physiology & Neuroscience, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Luo Z, Yu M, Smith SD, Kritzer M, Du C, Ma Y, Volkow ND, Glass PS, Benveniste H. The effect of intravenous lidocaine on brain activation during non-noxious and acute noxious stimulation of the forepaw: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in the rat. Anesth Analg 2009; 108:334-44. [PMID: 19095870 PMCID: PMC2681082 DOI: 10.1213/ane.0b013e31818e0d34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lidocaine can alleviate acute as well as chronic neuropathic pain at very low plasma concentrations in humans and laboratory animals. The mechanism(s) underlying lidocaine's analgesic effect when administered systemically is poorly understood but clearly not related to interruption of peripheral nerve conduction. Other targets for lidocaine's analgesic action(s) have been suggested, including sodium channels and other receptor sites in the central rather than peripheral nervous system. To our knowledge, the effect of lidocaine on the brain's functional response to pain has never been investigated. Here, we therefore characterized the effect of systemic lidocaine on the brain's response to innocuous and acute noxious stimulation in the rat using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). METHODS Alpha-chloralose anesthetized rats underwent fMRI to quantify brain activation patterns in response to innocuous and noxious forepaw stimulation before and after IV administration of lidocaine. RESULTS Innocuous forepaw stimulation elicited brain activation only in the contralateral primary somatosensory (S1) cortex. Acute noxious forepaw stimulation induced activation in additional brain areas associated with pain perception, including the secondary somatosensory cortex (S2), thalamus, insula and limbic regions. Lidocaine administered at IV doses of either 1 mg/kg, 4 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg did not abolish or diminish brain activation in response to innocuous or noxious stimulation. In fact, IV doses of 4 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg lidocaine enhanced S1 and S2 responses to acute nociceptive stimulation, increasing the activated cortical volume by 50%-60%. CONCLUSION The analgesic action of systemic lidocaine in acute pain is not reflected in a straightforward interruption of pain-induced fMRI brain activation as has been observed with opioids. The enhancement of cortical fMRI responses to acute pain by lidocaine observed here has also been reported for cocaine. We recently showed that both lidocaine and cocaine increased intracellular calcium concentrations in cortex, suggesting that this pharmacological effect could account for the enhanced sensitivity to somatosensory stimulation. As our model only measured physiological acute pain, it will be important to also test the response of these same pathways to lidocaine in a model of neuropathic pain to further investigate lidocaine's analgesic mechanism of action.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhongchi Luo
- Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Mei Yu
- Anesthesiology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York
| | - S. David Smith
- Department of Medicine, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York
| | - Mary Kritzer
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Congwu Du
- Anesthesiology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York
- Department of Medicine, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York
| | - Yu Ma
- Anesthesiology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Nora D. Volkow
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Peter S. Glass
- Anesthesiology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Helene Benveniste
- Anesthesiology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York
- Department of Medicine, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Keiflin R, Isingrini E, Cador M. Cocaine-induced reinstatement in rats: evidence for a critical role of cocaine stimulus properties. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2008; 197:649-60. [PMID: 18311560 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-008-1083-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2007] [Accepted: 01/18/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The exact behavioral nature of drug-induced reinstatement of drug seeking is still debated. As an incentive, the drug can have general facilitatory influences on appetitive behaviors. As an interoceptive stimulus, the drug can acquire discriminative properties and control behavior. OBJECTIVE This study assessed the relative contribution of the incentive versus discriminative properties of cocaine in food-seeking reinstatement. METHODS In Experiment 1, eight groups of rats were trained to press a lever for food pellets and experienced cocaine (0, 5, 10, or 15 mg/kg; i.p.), either during the operant conditioning sessions or 4 h after, in another environment without food access. In Experiment 2, to dissociate the role of the operant response per se from the consummatory response, two groups of rats experienced food consumption under cocaine (10 mg/kg; i.p.) either during operant conditioning sessions or during alternate sessions of free access to the food. Then, for both experiments, food pellets were withheld and cocaine injections ceased (extinction). The reinstating effects of noncontingent cocaine (10 mg/kg; i.p.) and food pellet delivery were assessed. Locomotor activity was recorded to probe expression of behavioral sensitization. RESULTS Cocaine reinstated lever pressing only in rats having previously performed the operant responses under cocaine. In contrast, food pellet delivery reinstated lever pressing independently of rats' history with cocaine. Locomotor sensitization was evidenced for all cocaine-pre-exposed rats, dissociating sensitization from reinstatement. CONCLUSIONS When present during operant conditioning, the stimulus "cocaine" acquires conditioned properties which can then promote reinstatement of the extinguished behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ronald Keiflin
- University of Bordeaux 2, CNRS, UMR 5227, Movement-Adaptation-Cognition, Team neuropsychopharmacology of addiction, 146 rue Leo Saignat, 33076 Bordeaux, France.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Tang C, Mittler T, Duke DC, Zhu Y, Pawlak AP, West MO. Dose- and rate-dependent effects of cocaine on striatal firing related to licking. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2008; 324:701-13. [PMID: 17991811 PMCID: PMC3160282 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.107.129734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
To examine the role of striatal mechanisms in cocaine-induced stereotyped licking, we investigated the acute effects of cocaine on striatal neurons in awake, freely moving rats before and after cocaine administration (0, 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg). Stereotyped licking was induced only by the high dose. Relative to control (saline), cocaine reduced lick duration and concurrently increased interlick interval, particularly at the high dose, but it did not affect licking rhythm. Firing rates of striatal neurons phasically related to licking movements were compared between matched licks before and after injection, minimizing any influence of sensorimotor variables on changes in firing. Both increases and decreases in average firing rate of striatal neurons were observed after cocaine injection, and these changes exhibited a dose-dependent pattern that strongly depended on predrug firing rate. At the middle and high doses relative to the saline group, the average firing rates of slow firing neurons were increased by cocaine, resulting from a general elevation of movement-related firing rates. In contrast, fast firing neurons showed decreased average firing rates only in the high-dose group, with reduced firing rates across the entire range for these neurons. Our findings suggest that at the high dose, increased phasic activity of slow firing striatal neurons and simultaneously reduced phasic activity of fast firing striatal neurons may contribute, respectively, to the continual initiation of stereotypic movements and the absence of longer movements.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chengke Tang
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, 152 Frelinghuysen Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08854, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Müller CP, De Souza Silva MA, Huston JP. Double dissociating effects of sensory stimulation and cocaine on serotonin activity in the occipital and temporal cortices. Neuropharmacology 2006; 52:854-62. [PMID: 17116310 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2006.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2006] [Revised: 09/26/2006] [Accepted: 10/09/2006] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Visual cues that become associated with the consumption of psychostimulant drugs energize craving and the intake of the drug by mechanisms of which little is known. In two experiments using in vivo microdialysis in freely moving rats we compared the effects of visual and auditory stimulation with that of cocaine (0, 5, 10, 20mg/kg; i.p.) on the extracellular serotonin (5-HT) activity in the occipital and temporal cortices in relation to behavior. Visual stimulation increased 5-HT in the occipital, but not temporal cortex, parallel to an increase in locomotion. Auditory stimulation decreased 5-HT in the auditory, but not occipital cortex, thus, showing a double dissociated 5-HT response. These data suggest that a locally restricted 5-HT response to sensory stimulation may gate behavioral activity sense-modality selectively. Cocaine affected 5-HT in the occipital cortex and behavioral activity in the same direction as visual stimulation, but in an amplified and prolonged way. In the temporal cortex cocaine also caused an increase in 5-HT. The findings demonstrate common effects of visual stimulation and cocaine on 5-HT activity in the occipital cortex in relation to locomotor activity. The results suggest that concepts of how neutral visual cues become powerful energizers of addiction-related behaviors should be expanded to incorporate not only an acute enhancement of reward processing mechanisms, but, in parallel, also an amplified processing of visual stimuli in the occipital cortex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christian P Müller
- Institute of Physiological Psychology I, Centre for Biological and Medical Research, University of Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|