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Li Z, Li J, Wei Y, Zou W, Vidjro OE, Wang J, Zhou L, Zhu Y, Ma T. Anterior and Posterior Basolateral Amygdala Projections of Cell Type-Specific D1-Expressing Neurons From the Medial Prefrontal Cortex Differentially Control Alcohol-Seeking Behavior. Biol Psychiatry 2024; 95:963-973. [PMID: 37952812 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol use disorder is characterized by compulsive alcohol-seeking behavior, which is associated with dysregulation of afferent projections from the medial prefrontal cortex to the basolateral amygdala (BLA). However, the contribution of the cell type-specific mechanism in this neuronal circuit to alcohol-seeking behavior remains unclear. METHODS Mice were trained with 2-bottle choice and operant alcohol self-administration procedures. Anterograde and retrograde viral methods traced the connection between dopamine type 1 receptor (D1R) neurons and BLA neurons. Electrophysiology and in vivo optogenetic techniques were used to test the function of neural circuits in alcohol-seeking behavior. RESULTS Chronic alcohol consumption preferentially changed the activity of posterior BLA (pBLA) neurons but not anterior BLA (aBLA) neurons and overexcited D1R neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex. Interestingly, we found that 2 populations of D1R neurons, anterior and posterior (pD1R) neurons, separately targeted the aBLA and pBLA, respectively, and only a few D1R neurons innervated both aBLA and pBLA neurons. Furthermore, pD1R neurons exhibited more excitability than anterior D1R neurons in alcohol-drinking mice. Moreover, we observed enhanced glutamatergic transmission and an increased NMDA/AMPA receptor ratio in the medial prefrontal cortex inputs from pD1R neurons to the pBLA. Optogenetic long-term depression induction of the pD1R-pBLA circuit reduced alcohol-seeking behavior, while optogenetic long-term depression or long-term potentiation induction of the anterior D1R-aBLA circuit produced no change in alcohol intake. CONCLUSIONS The pD1R-pBLA circuit mediates chronic alcohol consumption, which may suggest a cell type-specific neuronal mechanism underlying reward-seeking behavior in alcohol use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyi Li
- Institute for Stem Cell and Neural Regeneration and Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jiaxin Li
- Institute for Stem Cell and Neural Regeneration and Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yanxia Wei
- Institute for Stem Cell and Neural Regeneration and Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wanying Zou
- Institute for Stem Cell and Neural Regeneration and Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Olivia Ewi Vidjro
- Institute for Stem Cell and Neural Regeneration and Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Toxicology, the Key laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Li Zhou
- Department of Anesthesiology, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yongsheng Zhu
- College of Forensic Science, Key Laboratory of National Health Commission for Forensic Science, National Biosafety Evidence Foundation, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Tengfei Ma
- Institute for Stem Cell and Neural Regeneration and Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Department of Toxicology, the Key laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
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2
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Laine MA, Greiner EM, Shansky RM. Sex differences in the rodent medial prefrontal cortex - What Do and Don't we know? Neuropharmacology 2024; 248:109867. [PMID: 38387553 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.109867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex, particularly its medial subregions (mPFC), mediates critical functions such as executive control, behavioral inhibition, and memory formation, with relevance for everyday functioning and psychopathology. Despite broad characterization of the mPFC in multiple model organisms, the extent to which mPFC structure and function vary according to an individual's sex is unclear - a knowledge gap that can be attributed to a historical bias for male subjects in neuroscience research. Recent efforts to consider sex as a biological variable in basic science highlight the great need to close this gap. Here we review the knowns and unknowns about how rodents categorized as male or female compare in mPFC neuroanatomy, pharmacology, as well as in aversive, appetitive, and goal- or habit-directed behaviors that recruit the mPFC. We propose that long-standing dogmatic concepts of mPFC structure and function may not remain supported when we move beyond male-only studies, and that empirical challenges to these dogmas are warranted. Additionally, we note some common pitfalls in this work. Most preclinical studies operationalize sex as a binary categorization, and while this approach has furthered the inclusion of non-male rodents it is not as such generalizable to what we know of sex as a multidimensional, dynamic variable. Exploration of sex variability may uncover both sex differences and sex similarities, but care must be taken in their interpretation. Including females in preclinical research needs to go beyond the investigation of sex differences, improving our knowledge of how this brain region and its subregions mediate behavior and health. This article is part of the Special Issue on "PFC circuit function in psychiatric disease and relevant models".
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Laine
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - E M Greiner
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - R M Shansky
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
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3
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Adeyelu T, Vaughn T, Ogundele OM. VTA excitatory neurons impact reward-driven behavior by modulating infralimbic cortical firing. Neuroscience 2024:S0306-4522(24)00125-8. [PMID: 38513762 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
The functional dichotomy of anatomical regions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been tested with greater certainty in punishment-driven tasks, and less so in reward-oriented paradigms. In the infralimbic cortex (IL), known for behavioral suppression (STOP), tasks linked with reward or punishment are encoded through firing rate decrease or increase, respectively. Although the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is the brain region governing reward/aversion learning, the link between its excitatory neuron population and IL encoding of reward-linked behavioral expression is unclear. Here, we present evidence that IL ensembles use a population-based mechanism involving broad inhibition of principal cells at intervals when reward is presented or expected. The IL encoding mechanism was consistent across multiple sessions with randomized rewarded target sites. Most IL neurons exhibit FR suppression for reward acquisition intervals (T1), and subsequent exploration of a target without the reward (T2). Furthermore, FR suppression in putative IL ensembles persisted for intervals that followed reward-linked target events. Pairing VTA glutamate inhibition with reward acquisition events reduced the weight of reward-target association expressed as a lower affinity for previously rewarded targets. For these intervals, fewer IL neurons per mouse trial showed FR decrease and were accompanied by an increase in the percentage of units with no change in FR or elevated FR. Together, we conclude that VTA glutamate neurons are likely involved in establishing IL inhibition states that encode reward acquisition, and subsequent reward-target association when a reward is omitted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tolulope Adeyelu
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. Baton Rouge, LA70803, Louisiana
| | - Tashonda Vaughn
- Department of Environmental Toxicology, College of Agriculture, Southern University A&M College, Baton Rouge, LA70813, Louisiana
| | - Olalekan M Ogundele
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. Baton Rouge, LA70803, Louisiana.
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4
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Timme NM, Ardinger CE, Weir SDC, Zelaya-Escobar R, Kruger R, Lapish CC. Non-consummatory behavior signals predict aversion-resistant alcohol drinking in head-fixed mice. Neuropharmacology 2024; 242:109762. [PMID: 37871677 PMCID: PMC10872650 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
A key facet of alcohol use disorder is continuing to drink alcohol despite negative consequences (so called "aversion-resistant drinking"). In this study, we sought to assess the degree to which head-fixed mice exhibit aversion-resistant drinking and to leverage behavioral analysis techniques available in head-fixture to relate non-consummatory behaviors to aversion-resistant drinking. We assessed aversion-resistant drinking in head-fixed female and male C57BL/6 J mice. We adulterated 20% (v/v) alcohol with varying concentrations of the bitter tastant quinine to measure the degree to which mice would continue to drink despite this aversive stimulus. We recorded high-resolution video of the mice during head-fixed drinking, tracked body parts with machine vision tools, and analyzed body movements in relation to consumption. Female and male head-fixed mice exhibited heterogenous levels of aversion-resistant drinking. Additionally, non-consummatory behaviors, such as paw movement and snout movement, were related to the intensity of aversion-resistant drinking. These studies demonstrate that head-fixed mice exhibit aversion-resistant drinking and that non-consummatory behaviors can be used to assess perceived aversiveness in this paradigm. Furthermore, these studies lay the groundwork for future experiments that will utilize advanced electrophysiological techniques to record from large populations of neurons during aversion-resistant drinking to understand the neurocomputational processes that drive this clinically relevant behavior. This article is part of the Special Issue on "PFC circuit function in psychiatric disease and relevant models".
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas M Timme
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford St, LD 124, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
| | - Cherish E Ardinger
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford St, LD 124, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Seth D C Weir
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford St, LD 124, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Rachel Zelaya-Escobar
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford St, LD 124, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Rachel Kruger
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford St, LD 124, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Christopher C Lapish
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Drive, MSB 5035, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA; Stark Neuroscience Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, 320 W. 15th St, NB 414, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
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5
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Hernández-Ortiz E, Luis-Islas J, Tecuapetla F, Gutierrez R, Bermúdez-Rattoni F. Top-down circuitry from the anterior insular cortex to VTA dopamine neurons modulates reward-related memory. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113365. [PMID: 37924513 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The insular cortex (IC) has been linked to the processing of interoceptive and exteroceptive signals associated with addictive behavior. However, whether the IC modulates the acquisition of drug-related affective states by direct top-down connectivity with ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons is unknown. We found that photostimulation of VTA terminals of the anterior insular cortex (aIC) induces rewarding contextual memory, modulates VTA activity, and triggers dopamine release within the VTA. Employing neuronal recordings and neurochemical and transsynaptic tagging techniques, we disclose the functional top-down organization tagging the aIC pre-synaptic neuronal bodies and identifying VTA recipient neurons. Furthermore, systemic administration of amphetamine altered the VTA excitability of neurons modulated by the aIC projection, where photoactivation enhances, whereas photoinhibition impairs, a contextual rewarding behavior. Our study reveals a key circuit involved in developing and retaining drug reward-related contextual memory, providing insight into the neurobiological basis of addictive behavior and helping develop therapeutic addiction strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Hernández-Ortiz
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, División de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City 04510, México
| | - Jorge Luis-Islas
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Appetitive, Department of Pharmacology, Center of Aging Research (CIE), Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Fatuel Tecuapetla
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, División de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City 04510, México
| | - Ranier Gutierrez
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Appetitive, Department of Pharmacology, Center of Aging Research (CIE), Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Federico Bermúdez-Rattoni
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, División de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City 04510, México.
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Fructuoso M, Fernández-Blanco Á, Gallego-Román A, Sierra C, de Lagrán MM, Lorenzon N, De Toma I, Langohr K, Martín-García E, Maldonado R, Dairou J, Janel N, Dierssen M. Exploring the link between hedonic overeating and prefrontal cortex dysfunction in the Ts65Dn trisomic mouse model. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:370. [PMID: 37989807 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-05009-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have a higher prevalence of obesity compared to the general population. Conventionally, this has been attributed to endocrine issues and lack of exercise. However, deficits in neural reward responses and dopaminergic disturbances in DS may be contributing factors. To investigate this, we focused on a mouse model (Ts65Dn) bearing some triplicated genes homologous to trisomy 21. Through detailed meal pattern analysis in male Ts65Dn mice, we observed an increased preference for energy-dense food, pointing towards a potential "hedonic" overeating behavior. Moreover, trisomic mice exhibited higher scores in compulsivity and inflexibility tests when limited access to energy-dense food and quinine hydrochloride adulteration were introduced, compared to euploid controls. Interestingly, when we activated prelimbic-to-nucleus accumbens projections in Ts65Dn male mice using a chemogenetic approach, impulsive and compulsive behaviors significantly decreased, shedding light on a promising intervention avenue. Our findings uncover a novel mechanism behind the vulnerability to overeating and offer potential new pathways for tackling obesity through innovative interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Fructuoso
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Álvaro Fernández-Blanco
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ana Gallego-Román
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology-Neurophar, Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cèsar Sierra
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - María Martínez de Lagrán
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nicola Lorenzon
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ilario De Toma
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Klaus Langohr
- Human Pharmacology and Clinical Neurosciences Research Group, Neurosciences Research Program, Hospital Del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya/ BARCELONATECH, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elena Martín-García
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology-Neurophar, Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- Human Pharmacology and Clinical Neurosciences Research Group, Neurosciences Research Program, Hospital Del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Psicobiologia i Metodologia de Les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologique, UMR 8601, CNRS, Université de Paris, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Rafael Maldonado
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology-Neurophar, Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- Human Pharmacology and Clinical Neurosciences Research Group, Neurosciences Research Program, Hospital Del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julien Dairou
- Departament de Psicobiologia i Metodologia de Les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologique, UMR 8601, CNRS, Université de Paris, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Nathalie Janel
- BFA, UMR 8251, CNRS, Université de Paris, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Mara Dierssen
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology-Neurophar, Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.
- Human Pharmacology and Clinical Neurosciences Research Group, Neurosciences Research Program, Hospital Del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), 08003, Barcelona, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain.
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Barber KR, Vizcarra VS, Zilch A, Majuta L, Diezel CC, Culver OP, Hughes BW, Taniguchi M, Streicher JM, Vanderah TW, Riegel AC. The Role of Ryanodine Receptor 2 in Drug-Associated Learning. bioRxiv 2023:2023.10.03.560743. [PMID: 37873212 PMCID: PMC10592901 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.03.560743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Type-2 ryanodine receptor (RyR2) ion channels facilitate the release of Ca 2+ from stores and serve an important function in neuroplasticity. The role for RyR2 in hippocampal-dependent learning and memory is well established and chronic hyperphosphorylation of RyR2 (RyR2P) is associated with pathological calcium leakage and cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. By comparison, little is known about the role of RyR2 in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) circuitry important for working memory, decision making, and reward seeking. Here, we evaluated the basal expression and localization of RyR2 and RyR2P in the vmPFC. Next, we employed an operant model of sucrose, cocaine, or morphine self-administration (SA) followed by a (reward-free) recall test, to reengage vmPFC neurons and reactivate reward-seeking and re-evaluated the expression and localization of RyR2 and RyR2P in vmPFC. Under basal conditions, RyR2 was expressed in pyramidal cells but not regularly detected in PV/SST interneurons. On the contrary, RyR2P was rarely observed in PFC somata and was restricted to a different subcompartment of the same neuron - the apical dendrites of layer-5 pyramidal cells. Chronic SA of drug (cocaine or morphine) and nondrug (sucrose) rewards produced comparable increases in RyR2 protein expression. However, recalling either drug reward impaired the usual localization of RyR2P in dendrites and markedly increased its expression in somata immunoreactive for Fos, a marker of highly activated neurons. These effects could not be explained by chronic stress or drug withdrawal and instead appeared to require a recall experience associated with prior drug SA. In addition to showing the differential distribution of RyR2/RyR2P and affirming the general role of vmPFC in reward learning, this study provides information on the propensity of addictive drugs to redistribute RyR2P ion channels in a neuronal population engaged in drug-seeking. Hence, focusing on the early impact of addictive drugs on RyR2 function may serve as a promising approach to finding a treatment for substance use disorders.
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Timme NM, Ardinger CE, Weir SDC, Zelaya-Escobar R, Kruger R, Lapish CC. Non-Consummatory Behavior Signals Predict Aversion-Resistant Alcohol Drinking in Head-Fixed Mice. bioRxiv 2023:2023.06.20.545767. [PMID: 37873153 PMCID: PMC10592797 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.20.545767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
A key facet of alcohol use disorder is continuing to drink alcohol despite negative consequences (so called "aversion-resistant drinking"). In this study, we sought to assess the degree to which head-fixed mice exhibit aversion-resistant drinking and to leverage behavioral analysis techniques available in head-fixture to relate non-consummatory behaviors to aversion-resistant drinking. We assessed aversion-resistant drinking in head-fixed female and male C57BL/6J mice. We adulterated 20% (v/v) alcohol with varying concentrations of the bitter tastant quinine to measure the degree to which mice would continue to drink despite this aversive stimulus. We recorded high-resolution video of the mice during head-fixed drinking, tracked body parts with machine vision tools, and analyzed body movements in relation to consumption. Female and male head-fixed mice exhibited heterogenous levels of aversion-resistant drinking. Additionally, non-consummatory behaviors, such as paw movement and snout movement, were related to the intensity of aversion-resistant drinking. These studies demonstrate that head-fixed mice exhibit aversion-resistant drinking and that non-consummatory behaviors can be used to assess perceived aversiveness in this paradigm. Furthermore, these studies lay the groundwork for future experiments that will utilize advanced electrophysiological techniques to record from large populations of neurons during aversion-resistant drinking to understand the neurocomputational processes that drive this clinically relevant behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas M. Timme
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford St, LD 124, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Cherish E. Ardinger
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford St, LD 124, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Seth D. C. Weir
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford St, LD 124, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Rachel Zelaya-Escobar
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford St, LD 124, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Rachel Kruger
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N. Blackford St, LD 124, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Christopher C. Lapish
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Drive, MSB 5035, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
- Stark Neuroscience Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, 320 W. 15 St, NB 414, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
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9
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Cheng YJ, Deng YZ, Deng D, Wu MQ, Chai JR, Wang YJ, Liu JG, Zhao M. Prelimbic cortex dynorphin/κ opioid receptor system modulates methamphetamine-induced cognitive impairment. Addict Biol 2023; 28:e13323. [PMID: 37644896 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Chronic exposure to methamphetamine (METH) causes severe and persistent cognitive impairment. The present study aimed to investigate the role of dynorphin/κ opioid receptor (KOR) system in the development of METH-induced cognitive impairment. We found that mice showed significant cognitive impairment in the novel object recognition test (NOR) following daily injections of METH (10 mg/kg) for seven consecutive days. Systemic blockade of KOR prevented METH-induced cognitive impairment by pretreatment of the selective KOR antagonist norBNI (10 mg/kg, i.p.) or KOR deletion. Then, significant increased dynorphin and KOR mRNA were observed exclusively in prelimbic cortex (PL) other than infralimbic cortex. Finally, microinjection with norBNI into PL also improved cognitive memory in METH-treated mice using NOR and spontaneous alternation behaviour test. Our results demonstrated that dynorphin/KOR system activation in PL may be a possible mechanism for METH-induced cognitive impairment and shed light on KOR antagonists as a potential neuroprotective agent against the cognitive deficits induced by drug abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Jie Cheng
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying-Zhi Deng
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Di Deng
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Man-Qing Wu
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing-Rui Chai
- Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu-Jun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing-Gen Liu
- Key Laboratory of Receptor Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Min Zhao
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (CEBSIT), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
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10
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Engeli EJE, Russo AG, Ponticorvo S, Zoelch N, Hock A, Hulka LM, Kirschner M, Preller KH, Seifritz E, Quednow BB, Esposito F, Herdener M. Accumbal-thalamic connectivity and associated glutamate alterations in human cocaine craving: A state-dependent rs-fMRI and 1H-MRS study. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 39:103490. [PMID: 37639901 PMCID: PMC10474092 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Craving is a core symptom of cocaine use disorder and a major factor for relapse risk. To date, there is no pharmacological therapy to treat this disease or at least to alleviate cocaine craving as a core symptom. In animal models, impaired prefrontal-striatal signalling leading to altered glutamate release in the nucleus accumbens appear to be the prerequisite for cocaine-seeking. Thus, those network and metabolic changes may constitute the underlying mechanisms for cocaine craving and provide a potential treatment target. In humans, there is recent evidence for corresponding glutamatergic alterations in the nucleus accumbens, however, the underlying network disturbances that lead to this glutamate imbalance remain unknown. In this state-dependent randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, cross-over multimodal study, resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging in combination with small-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (voxel size: 9.4 × 18.8 × 8.4 mm3) was applied to assess network-level and associated neurometabolic changes during a non-craving and a craving state, induced by a custom-made cocaine-cue film, in 18 individuals with cocaine use disorder and 23 healthy individuals. Additionally, we assessed the potential impact of a short-term challenge of N-acetylcysteine, known to normalize disturbed glutamate homeostasis and to thereby reduce cocaine-seeking in animal models of addiction, compared to a placebo. We found increased functional connectivity between the nucleus accumbens and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during the cue-induced craving state. However, those changes were not linked to alterations in accumbal glutamate levels. Whereas we additionally found increased functional connectivity between the nucleus accumbens and a midline part of the thalamus during the cue-induced craving state. Furthermore, obsessive thinking about cocaine and the actual intensity of cocaine use were predictive of cue-induced functional connectivity changes between the nucleus accumbens and the thalamus. Finally, the increase in accumbal-thalamic connectivity was also coupled with craving-related glutamate rise in the nucleus accumbens. Yet, N-acetylcysteine had no impact on craving-related changes in functional connectivity. Together, these results suggest that connectivity changes within the fronto-accumbal-thalamic loop, in conjunction with impaired glutamatergic transmission, underlie cocaine craving and related clinical symptoms, pinpointing the thalamus as a crucial hub for cocaine craving in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Etna J E Engeli
- Centre for Addictive Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Andrea G Russo
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Sara Ponticorvo
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minnesota, United States
| | - Niklaus Zoelch
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Institute of Forensic Medicine, Department of Forensic Medicine and Imaging, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Hock
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lea M Hulka
- Centre for Addictive Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Kirschner
- Transdiagnostic and Multimodal Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Pharmaco-Neuroimaging and Cognitive-Emotional Processing, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Boris B Quednow
- Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Fabrizio Esposito
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Marcus Herdener
- Centre for Addictive Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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11
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Roberts BL, Karatsoreos IN. Circadian desynchronization disrupts physiological rhythms of prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons in mice. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9181. [PMID: 37280307 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35898-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Disruption of circadian rhythms, such as shift work and jet lag, are associated with negative physiological and behavioral outcomes, including changes in affective state, learning and memory, and cognitive function. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is heavily involved in all of these processes. Many PFC-associated behaviors are time-of-day dependent, and disruption of daily rhythms negatively impacts these behavioral outputs. Yet how disruption of daily rhythms impacts the fundamental function of PFC neurons, and the mechanism(s) by which this occurs, remains unknown. Using a mouse model, we demonstrate that the activity and action potential dynamics of prelimbic PFC neurons are regulated by time-of-day in a sex specific manner. Further, we show that postsynaptic K+ channels play a central role in physiological rhythms, suggesting an intrinsic gating mechanism mediating physiological activity. Finally, we demonstrate that environmental circadian desynchronization alters the intrinsic functioning of these neurons independent of time-of-day. These key discoveries demonstrate that daily rhythms contribute to the mechanisms underlying the essential physiology of PFC circuits and provide potential mechanisms by which circadian disruption may impact the fundamental properties of neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon L Roberts
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Tobin Hall, 135 Hicks Way, Amherst, MA, 01003S, USA
| | - Ilia N Karatsoreos
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Tobin Hall, 135 Hicks Way, Amherst, MA, 01003S, USA.
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12
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Hatter JA, Scott MM. Selective ablation of VIP interneurons in the rodent prefrontal cortex results in increased impulsivity. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286209. [PMID: 37267385 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been well-established that novelty-seeking and impulsivity are significant risk factors for the development of psychological disorders, including substance use disorder and behavioral addictions. While dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex is at the crux of these disorders, little is known at the cellular level about how alterations in neuron activity can drive changes in impulsivity and novelty seeking. We harnessed a cre-dependent caspase-3 ablation in both male and female mice to selectively ablate vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-expressing interneurons in the prefrontal cortex to better explore how this microcircuit functions during specific behavioral tasks. Caspase-ablated animals had no changes in anxiety-like behaviors or hedonic food intake but had a specific increase in impulsive responding during longer trials in the three-choice serial reaction time test. Together, these data suggest a circuit-level mechanism in which VIP interneurons function as a gate to selectively respond during periods of high expectation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Hatter
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Michael M Scott
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Toxicology, Charles River Laboratories, Edinburgh, Scotland
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13
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Flores-Ramirez FJ, Varodayan FP, Patel RR, Illenberger JM, Di Ottavio F, Roberto M, Martin-Fardon R. Blockade of orexin receptors in the infralimbic cortex prevents stress-induced reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behaviour in alcohol-dependent rats. Br J Pharmacol 2023; 180:1500-1515. [PMID: 36537731 PMCID: PMC10577928 DOI: 10.1111/bph.16015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE A major problem managing alcohol use disorder is the high vulnerability to relapse, even after long periods of abstinence. Chronic alcohol use dysregulates stress responsivity, rendering this system hyporesponsive and making individuals vulnerable to relapse. Orexin (hypocretin) plays a role in diverse physiological processes, including stress. Orexin neurons in the hypothalamus, project to the infralimbic cortex. This study asked does infralimbic cortex orexin transmission play a significant role in stress-induced reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behaviour in alcohol-dependent rats. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Male and female rats were trained to self-administer 10% alcohol (3 weeks) and then made dependent via chronic intermittent alcohol vapour exposure. Following extinction (5 days·week-1 at 8 h abstinence for 10 sessions), rats received an intra- infralimbic cortex microinfusion of the OX1/2 antagonist TCS 1102 (15 μg/0.5 μl per side) and then tested for footshock stress-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking. In a separate cohort, orexin regulation of infralimbic cortex neuronal activity at the time of reinstatement was investigated using ex vivo electrophysiology. KEY RESULTS TCS 1102 prevented reinstatement in dependent animals only. Moreover, Hcrtr mRNA expression in the hypothalamus and Hcrtr1/2 in the infralimbic cortex increased in alcohol-dependent animals at the time of testing. Dependence dampened basal orexin/OX receptor influence over infralimbic cortex GABAergic synapses (using TCS 1102) allow for greater stimulated orexin effects. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Infralimbic cortex transmission is implicate in stress-induced reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behaviour in subjects with a history of alcohol dependence and show maladaptive recruitment of infralimbic cortex transmission by alcohol dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Florence P. Varodayan
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center and Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Reesha R. Patel
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Systems Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Francesca Di Ottavio
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Marisa Roberto
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Rémi Martin-Fardon
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
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14
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Athanason A, Nadav T, Cates-Gatto C, Roberts A, Roberto M, Varodayan F. Chronic ethanol alters adrenergic receptor gene expression and produces cognitive deficits in male mice. Neurobiol Stress 2023; 24:100542. [PMID: 37197395 PMCID: PMC10184141 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Hyperkateifia and stress-induced alcohol cravings drive relapse in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). The brain stress signal norepinephrine (also known as noradrenaline) tightly controls cognitive and affective behavior and was thought to be broadly dysregulated with AUD. The locus coeruleus (LC) is a major source of forebrain norepinephrine, and it was recently discovered that the LC sends distinct projections to addiction-associated regions suggesting that alcohol-induced noradrenergic changes may be more brain region-specific than originally thought. Here we investigated whether ethanol dependence alters adrenergic receptor gene expression in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and central amgydala (CeA), as these regions mediate the cognitive impairment and negative affective state of ethanol withdrawal. We exposed male C57BL/6J mice to the chronic intermittent ethanol vapor-2 bottle choice paradigm (CIE-2BC) to induce ethanol dependence, and assessed reference memory, anxiety-like behavior and adrenergic receptor transcript levels during 3-6 days of withdrawal. Dependence bidirectionally altered mouse brain α1 and β receptor mRNA levels, potentially leading to reduced mPFC adrenergic signaling and enhanced noradrenergic influence over the CeA. These brain region-specific gene expression changes were accompanied by long-term retention deficits and a shift in search strategy in a modified Barnes maze task, as well as greater spontaneous digging behavior and hyponeophagia. Current clinical studies are evaluating adrenergic compounds as a treatment for AUD-associated hyperkatefia, and our findings can contribute to the refinement of these therapies by increasing understanding of the specific neural systems and symptoms that may be targeted.
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Affiliation(s)
- A.C. Athanason
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center and Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, 4400 Vestal Parkway East, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA
| | - T. Nadav
- Animal Models Core Facility, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - C. Cates-Gatto
- Animal Models Core Facility, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - A.J. Roberts
- Animal Models Core Facility, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - M. Roberto
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - F.P. Varodayan
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center and Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, 4400 Vestal Parkway East, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
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15
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Abarkan M, Fois GR, Vouillac-Mendoza C, Ahmed SH, Guillem K. Altered neuronal activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex drives nicotine intake escalation. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:887-896. [PMID: 36042320 PMCID: PMC10156690 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01428-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Nicotine addiction develops after prolonged drug use and escalation of drug intake. However, because of difficulties in demonstrating escalation of nicotine use in rats, its underlying neuroadaptations still remain poorly understood. Here we report that access to unusually high doses of nicotine (i.e., from 30 µg to 240 µg/kg/injection) for self-administration precipitated a rapid and robust escalation of nicotine intake and increased the motivation for the drug in rats. This nicotine intake escalation also induced long-lasting changes in vmPFC neuronal activity both before and during nicotine self-administration. Specifically, after escalation of nicotine intake, basal vmPFC neuronal activity increased above pre-escalation and control activity levels, while ongoing nicotine self-administration restored these neuronal changes. Finally, simulation of the restoring effects of nicotine with in vivo optogenetic inhibition of vmPFC neurons caused a selective de-escalation of nicotine self-administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam Abarkan
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Chimie et Biologie des Membranes et Nano-objets, UMR, 5248, Pessac, France
| | - Giulia R Fois
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | | | - Serge H Ahmed
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Karine Guillem
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.
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16
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Varodayan FP, Pahng AR, Davis TD, Gandhi P, Bajo M, Steinman MQ, Kiosses WB, Blednov YA, Burkart MD, Edwards S, Roberts AJ, Roberto M. Chronic ethanol induces a pro-inflammatory switch in interleukin-1β regulation of GABAergic signaling in the medial prefrontal cortex of male mice. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 110:125-139. [PMID: 36863493 PMCID: PMC10106421 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroimmune pathways regulate brain function to influence complex behavior and play a role in several neuropsychiatric diseases, including alcohol use disorder (AUD). In particular, the interleukin-1 (IL-1) system has emerged as a key regulator of the brain's response to ethanol (alcohol). Here we investigated the mechanisms underlying ethanol-induced neuroadaptation of IL-1β signaling at GABAergic synapses in the prelimbic region of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), an area responsible for integrating contextual information to mediate conflicting motivational drives. We exposed C57BL/6J male mice to the chronic intermittent ethanol vapor-2 bottle choice paradigm (CIE-2BC) to induce ethanol dependence, and conducted ex vivo electrophysiology and molecular analyses. We found that the IL-1 system regulates basal mPFC function through its actions at inhibitory synapses on prelimbic layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons. IL-1β can selectively recruit either neuroprotective (PI3K/Akt) or pro-inflammatory (MyD88/p38 MAPK) mechanisms to produce opposing synaptic effects. In ethanol naïve conditions, there was a strong PI3K/Akt bias leading to a disinhibition of pyramidal neurons. Ethanol dependence produced opposite IL-1 effects - enhanced local inhibition via a switch in IL-1β signaling to the canonical pro-inflammatory MyD88 pathway. Ethanol dependence also increased cellular IL-1β in the mPFC, while decreasing expression of downstream effectors (Akt, p38 MAPK). Thus, IL-1β may represent a key neural substrate in ethanol-induced cortical dysfunction. As the IL-1 receptor antagonist (kineret) is already FDA-approved for other diseases, this work underscores the high therapeutic potential of IL-1 signaling/neuroimmune-based treatments for AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- F P Varodayan
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA; Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center and Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - A R Pahng
- Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, USA; Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - T D Davis
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - P Gandhi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - M Bajo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - M Q Steinman
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - W B Kiosses
- Microscopy Core Imaging Facility, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Y A Blednov
- Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - M D Burkart
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - S Edwards
- Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - A J Roberts
- Animal Models Core Facility, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - M Roberto
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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17
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Wang X, Gan S, Zhang Z, Zhu P, Li CH, Luo F. HCN-Channel-Dependent Hyperexcitability of the Layer V Pyramidal Neurons in IL-mPFC Contributes to Fentanyl-Induced Hyperalgesia in Male Rats. Mol Neurobiol 2023; 60:2553-2571. [PMID: 36689134 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03218-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Opioids are often first-line analgesics in pain therapy. However, prolonged use of opioids causes paradoxical pain, termed "opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH)." The infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex (IL-mPFC) has been suggested to be critical in inflammatory and neuropathic pain processing through its dynamic output from layer V pyramidal neurons. Whether OIH condition induces excitability changes of these output neurons and what mechanisms underlie these changes remains elusive. Here, with combination of patch-clamp recording, immunohistochemistry, as well as optogenetics, we revealed that IL-mPFC layer V pyramidal neurons exhibited hyperexcitability together with higher input resistance. In line with this, optogenetic and chemogenetic activation of these neurons aggravates behavioral hyperalgesia in male OIH rats. Inhibition of these neurons alleviates hyperalgesia in male OIH rats but exerts an opposite effect in male control rats. Electrophysiological analysis of hyperpolarization-activated cation current (Ih) demonstrated that decreased Ih is a prerequisite for the hyperexcitability of IL-mPFC output neurons. This decreased Ih was accompanied by a decrease in HCN1, but not HCN2, immunolabeling, in these neurons. In contrast, the application of HCN channel blocker increased the hyperalgesia threshold of male OIH rats. Consequently, we identified an HCN-channel-dependent hyperexcitability of IL-mPFC output neurons, which governs the development and maintenance of OIH in male rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xixi Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Sifei Gan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zeru Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Pengfei Zhu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Chen Hong Li
- The Laboratory of Membrane Ion Channels and Medicine, Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science, State Ethnic Affairs Commission, College of Biomedical Engineering, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Fang Luo
- Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
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18
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Sequeira MK, Swanson AM, Kietzman HW, Gourley SL. Cocaine and habit training cause dendritic spine rearrangement in the prelimbic cortex. iScience 2023; 26:106240. [PMID: 37153443 PMCID: PMC10156587 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Successfully navigating dynamic environments requires organisms to learn the consequences of their actions. The prelimbic prefrontal cortex (PL) formulates action-consequence memories and is modulated by addictive drugs like cocaine. We trained mice to obtain food rewards and then unexpectedly withheld reinforcement, triggering new action-consequence memory. New memory was disrupted by cocaine when delivered immediately following non-reinforcement, but not when delayed, suggesting that cocaine disrupted memory consolidation. Cocaine also rapidly inactivated cofilin, a primary regulator of the neuronal actin cytoskeleton. This observation led to the discovery that cocaine also within the time of memory consolidation elevated dendritic spine elimination and blunted spine formation rates on excitatory PL neurons, culminating in thin-type spine attrition. Training drug-naive mice to utilize inflexible response strategies also eliminated thin-type dendritic spines. Thus, cocaine may disrupt action-consequence memory, at least in part, by recapitulating neurobiological sequalae occurring in the formation of inflexible habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle K. Sequeira
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Andrew M. Swanson
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Henry W. Kietzman
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Shannon L. Gourley
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
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19
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Moorman DE, Aston-Jones G. Prelimbic and infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex neuron activity signals cocaine seeking variables across multiple timescales. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:575-594. [PMID: 36464693 PMCID: PMC10406502 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06287-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES The prefrontal cortex is critical for execution and inhibition of reward seeking. Neural manipulation of rodent medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) subregions differentially impacts execution and inhibition of cocaine seeking. Dorsal, or prelimbic (PL), and ventral, or infralimbic (IL) mPFC are implicated in cocaine seeking or extinction of cocaine seeking, respectively. This differentiation is not seen across all studies, indicating that further research is needed to understand specific mPFC contributions to drug seeking. METHODS We recorded neuronal activity in mPFC subregions during cocaine self-administration, extinction, and cue- and cocaine-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking. RESULTS Both PL and IL neurons were phasically responsive around lever presses during cocaine self-administration, and activity in both areas was reduced during extinction. During both cue- and, to a greater extent, cocaine-induced reinstatement, PL neurons exhibited significantly elevated responses, in line with previous studies demonstrating a role for the region in relapse. The enhanced PL signaling in cocaine-induced reinstatement was driven by strong excitation and inhibition in different groups of neurons. Both of these response types were stronger in PL vs. IL neurons. Finally, we observed tonic changes in activity in all tasks phases, reflecting both session-long contextual modulation as well as minute-to-minute activity changes that were highly correlated with brain cocaine levels and motivation associated with cocaine seeking. CONCLUSIONS Although some differences were observed between PL and IL neuron activity across sessions, we found no evidence of a go/stop dichotomy in PL/IL function. Instead, our results demonstrate temporally heterogeneous prefrontal signaling during cocaine seeking and extinction in both PL and IL, revealing novel and complex functions for both regions during these behaviors. This combination of findings argues that mPFC neurons, in both PL and IL, provide multifaceted contributions to the regulation of drug seeking and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- David E Moorman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences & Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA.
| | - Gary Aston-Jones
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
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20
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Kulkarni KR, Schafer M, Berner LA, Fiore VG, Heflin M, Hutchison K, Calhoun V, Filbey F, Pandey G, Schiller D, Gu X. An Interpretable and Predictive Connectivity-Based Neural Signature for Chronic Cannabis Use. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging 2023; 8:320-330. [PMID: 35659965 PMCID: PMC9708942 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cannabis is one of the most widely used substances in the world, with usage trending upward in recent years. However, although the psychiatric burden associated with maladaptive cannabis use has been well established, reliable and interpretable biomarkers associated with chronic use remain elusive. In this study, we combine large-scale functional magnetic resonance imaging with machine learning and network analysis and develop an interpretable decoding model that offers both accurate prediction and novel insights into chronic cannabis use. METHODS Chronic cannabis users (n = 166) and nonusing healthy control subjects (n = 124) completed a cue-elicited craving task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Linear machine learning methods were used to classify individuals into chronic users and nonusers based on whole-brain functional connectivity. Network analysis was used to identify the most predictive regions and communities. RESULTS We obtained high (∼80% out-of-sample) accuracy across 4 different classification models, demonstrating that task-evoked connectivity can successfully differentiate chronic cannabis users from nonusers. We also identified key predictive regions implicating motor, sensory, attention, and craving-related areas, as well as a core set of brain networks that contributed to successful classification. The most predictive networks also strongly correlated with cannabis craving within the chronic user group. CONCLUSIONS This novel approach produced a neural signature of chronic cannabis use that is both accurate in terms of out-of-sample prediction and interpretable in terms of predictive networks and their relation to cannabis craving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaustubh R Kulkarni
- Center for Computational Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Matthew Schafer
- Center for Computational Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Laura A Berner
- Center for Computational Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Vincenzo G Fiore
- Center for Computational Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Matt Heflin
- Center for Computational Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Kent Hutchison
- Institute for Cognitive Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Vince Calhoun
- Tri-institutional Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Francesca Filbey
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas
| | - Gaurav Pandey
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Daniela Schiller
- Center for Computational Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Xiaosi Gu
- Center for Computational Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
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21
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Brown A, Villaruel FR, Chaudhri N. Neural correlates of recall and extinction in a rat model of appetitive Pavlovian conditioning. Behav Brain Res 2023; 440:114248. [PMID: 36496079 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Extinction is a fundamental form of inhibitory learning that is important for adapting to changing environmental contingencies. While numerous studies have investigated the neural correlates of extinction using Pavlovian fear conditioning and appetitive operant reward-seeking procedures, less is known about the neural circuitry mediating the extinction of appetitive Pavlovian responding. Here, we aimed to generate an extensive brain activation map of extinction learning in a rat model of appetitive Pavlovian conditioning. Male Long-Evans rats were trained to associate a conditioned stimulus (CS; 20 s white noise) with the delivery of a 10% sucrose unconditioned stimulus (US; 0.3 ml/CS) to a fluid port. Control groups also received CS presentations, but sucrose was delivered either during the inter-trial interval or in the home-cage. After conditioning, 1 or 6 extinction sessions were conducted in which the CS was presented but sucrose was withheld. We performed Fos immunohistochemistry and network connectivity analyses on a set of cortical, striatal, thalamic, and amygdalar brain regions. Neural activity in the prelimbic cortex, ventral orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens core, and paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus was greater during recall relative to extinction. Conversely, prolonged extinction following 6 sessions induced increased neural activity in the infralimbic cortex, medial orbitofrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens shell compared to home-cage controls. All these structures were similarly recruited during recall on the first extinction session. These findings provide novel evidence for the contribution of brain areas and neural networks that are differentially involved in the recall versus extinction of appetitive Pavlovian conditioned responding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexa Brown
- Center for Studies in Behavioural Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
| | - Franz R Villaruel
- Center for Studies in Behavioural Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Nadia Chaudhri
- Center for Studies in Behavioural Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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22
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Kaasinen V, Honkanen EA, Lindholm K, Jaakkola E, Majuri J, Parkkola R, Noponen T, Vahlberg T, Voon V, Clark L, Joutsa J, Seppänen M. Serotonergic and dopaminergic control of impulsivity in gambling disorder. Addict Biol 2023; 28:e13264. [PMID: 36692875 PMCID: PMC10078603 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Gambling disorder (GD) is major public health issue. The disorder is often characterized by elevated impulsivity with evidence from analogous substance use disorders underlining prominent roles of brain monoamines in addiction susceptibility and outcome. Critically, GD allows the study of addiction mechanisms without the confounder of the effects of chronic substances. Here, we assessed the roles of striatal dopamine transporter binding and extrastriatal serotonin transporter binding in GD as a function of impulsivity using [123 I]FP-CIT SPECT imaging in 20 older adults with GD (DSM-5 criteria; mean age 64 years) and 40 non-GD age- and sex-matched controls. We focused on GD in older individuals because there are prominent age-related changes in neurotransmitter function and because there are no reported neuroimaging studies of GD in older adults. Volume-of-interest-based and voxelwise analyses were performed. GD patients scored clearly higher on impulsivity and had higher tracer binding in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex than controls (p < 0.001), likely reflecting serotonin transporter activity. The binding in the medial prefrontal cortex positively correlated with impulsivity over the whole sample (r = 0.62, p < 0.001) as well as separately in GD patients (r = 0.46, p = 0.04) and controls (r = 0.52, p < 0.001). Striatal tracer binding, reflecting dopamine transporter activity was also positively correlated with impulsivity but showed no group differences. These findings highlight the role of prefrontal serotonergic function in GD and impulsivity. They identify cerebral coordinates of a potential target for neuromodulation for both GD and high impulsivity, a core phenotypic dimensional cognitive marker in addictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valtteri Kaasinen
- Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Neurocenter, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Emma A Honkanen
- Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Neurocenter, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.,Turku PET Centre, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Kari Lindholm
- Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Neurocenter, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Elina Jaakkola
- Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Joonas Majuri
- Department of Neurology, North Kymi Hospital, Kouvola, Finland
| | - Riitta Parkkola
- Department of Radiology, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Tommi Noponen
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.,Department of Medical Physics, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Tero Vahlberg
- Biostatistics, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Valerie Voon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Luke Clark
- Department of Psychology and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Juho Joutsa
- Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Neurocenter, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.,Turku PET Centre, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.,Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Marko Seppänen
- Turku PET Centre, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.,Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
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23
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Mesa JR, Wesson DW, Schwendt M, Knackstedt LA. The roles of rat medial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices in relapse to cocaine-seeking: A comparison across methods for identifying neurocircuits. Addict Neurosci 2022; 4:100031. [PMID: 36277334 PMCID: PMC9583858 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2022.100031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
A large body of research supports the notion that regions of the rodent frontal cortex regulate reinstatement of cocaine seeking after cessation of intravenous cocaine self-administration. However, earlier studies identifying the roles of medial (mPFC) and orbital prefrontal cortices (OFC) in reinstatement relied on pharmacological inactivation methods, which indiscriminately inhibited cells within a target region. Here, we first review the anatomical borders and pathways of the rat mPFC and OFC. Next, we compare and contrast findings from more recent cocaine seeking and reinstatement studies that used chemogenetics, optogenetics, or advanced tracing to manipulate specific local cell types or input/output projections of the mPFC and OFC subregions. We found that these studies largely corroborated the roles for mPFC subregions as ascribed by pharmacological inactivation studies. Namely, the prelimbic cortex generally drives cocaine seeking behaviors while the infralimbic cortex is recruited to inhibit cocaine seeking by extinction training but may contribute to seeking after prolonged abstinence. While the OFC remains understudied, we suggest it should not be overlooked, and, as with prelimbic and infralimbic cortices, we identify specific pathways of interest for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier R. Mesa
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, 114 Psychology, 945 Center Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611, USA,Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA,Corresponding author at: Department of Psychology, University of Florida, 114 Psychology, 945 Center Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. (J.R. Mesa)
| | - Daniel W. Wesson
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA,Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Marek Schwendt
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, 114 Psychology, 945 Center Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611, USA,Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Lori A. Knackstedt
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, 114 Psychology, 945 Center Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611, USA,Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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24
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Halbout B, Hutson C, Wassum KM, Ostlund SB. Dorsomedial prefrontal cortex activation disrupts Pavlovian incentive motivation. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:999320. [PMID: 36311857 PMCID: PMC9608868 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.999320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) is known to make important contributions to flexible, reward-motivated behavior. However, it remains unclear if the dmPFC is involved in regulating the expression of Pavlovian incentive motivation, the process through which reward-paired cues promote instrumental reward-seeking behavior, which is modeled in rats using the Pavlovian-instrumental transfer (PIT) task. The current study examined this question using a bidirectional chemogenetic strategy in which inhibitory (hM4Di) or excitatory (hM3Dq) designer G-protein coupled receptors were virally expressed in dmPFC neurons, allowing us to later stimulate or inhibit this region by administering CNO prior to PIT testing. We found that dmPFC inhibition did not alter the tendency for a reward-paired cue to instigate instrumental reward-seeking behavior, whereas dmPFC stimulation disrupted the expression of this motivational influence. Neither treatment altered cue-elicited anticipatory activity at the reward-delivery port, indicating that dmPFC stimulation did not lead to more widespread motor suppression. A reporter-only control experiment indicated that our CNO treatment did not have non-specific behavioral effects. Thus, the dmPFC does not mediate the expression of Pavlovian incentive motivation but instead has the capacity to exert pronounced inhibitory control over this process, suggesting that it is involved in adaptively regulating cue-motivated behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briac Halbout
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Collin Hutson
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Kate M. Wassum
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Sean B. Ostlund
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
- UC Irvine Center for Addiction Neuroscience, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
- Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
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25
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López-Muciño LA, García-García F, Cueto-Escobedo J, Acosta-Hernández M, Venebra-Muñoz A, Rodríguez-Alba JC. Sleep loss and addiction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 141:104832. [PMID: 35988803 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Reducing sleep hours is a risk factor for developing cardiovascular, metabolic, and psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, previous studies have shown that reduction in sleep time is a factor that favors relapse in addicted patients. Additionally, animal models have demonstrated that both sleep restriction and sleep deprivation increase the preference for alcohol, methylphenidate, and the self-administration of cocaine. Therefore, the present review discusses current knowledge about the influence of sleep hours reduction on addictivebehaviors; likewise, we discuss the neuronal basis underlying the sleep reduction-addiction relationship, like the role of the orexin and dopaminergic system and neuronal plasticity (i.e., delta FosB expression). Potentially, chronic sleep restriction could increase brain vulnerability and promote addictive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Angel López-Muciño
- Health Sciences Ph.D. Program, Health Sciences Institute, Veracruzana University, Xalapa, VER 91190, Mexico.
| | - Fabio García-García
- Department of Biomedicine, Health Sciences Institute, Veracruzana University, Xalapa, VER 91190, Mexico.
| | - Jonathan Cueto-Escobedo
- Department of Clinical and Translational Research, Health Sciences Institute, Veracruzana University, Xalapa, VER 91190, Mexico.
| | - Mario Acosta-Hernández
- Department of Biomedicine, Health Sciences Institute, Veracruzana University, Xalapa, VER 91190, Mexico.
| | - Arturo Venebra-Muñoz
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Addiction and Brain Plasticity, Faculty of Science, Autonomous University of Mexico State, Edomex 50295, Mexico.
| | - Juan Carlos Rodríguez-Alba
- Department of Biomedicine, Health Sciences Institute, Veracruzana University, Xalapa, VER 91190, Mexico.
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26
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Timme NM, Ma B, Linsenbardt D, Cornwell E, Galbari T, Lapish CC. Compulsive alcohol drinking in rodents is associated with altered representations of behavioral control and seeking in dorsal medial prefrontal cortex. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3990. [PMID: 35810193 PMCID: PMC9271071 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31731-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A key feature of compulsive alcohol drinking is continuing to drink despite negative consequences. To examine the changes in neural activity that underlie this behavior, compulsive alcohol drinking was assessed in a validated rodent model of heritable risk for excessive drinking (alcohol preferring (P) rats). Neural activity was measured in dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC—a brain region involved in maladaptive decision-making) and assessed via change point analyses and novel principal component analyses. Neural population representations of specific decision-making variables were measured to determine how they were altered in animals that drink alcohol compulsively. Compulsive animals showed weakened representations of behavioral control signals, but strengthened representations of alcohol seeking-related signals. Finally, chemogenetic-based excitation of dmPFC prevented escalation of compulsive alcohol drinking. Collectively, these data indicate that compulsive alcohol drinking in rats is associated with alterations in dmPFC neural activity that underlie diminished behavioral control and enhanced seeking. Compulsive alcohol drinking is a core feature of alcohol use disorder. Here the authors find that in rodents, neural signals in a key decision-making brain region (dmPFC) shift from behavioral control to alcohol seeking during compulsive alcohol drinking behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas M Timme
- Psychology Department, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46237, USA.
| | - Baofeng Ma
- Psychology Department, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46237, USA
| | - David Linsenbardt
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
| | - Ethan Cornwell
- Psychology Department, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46237, USA
| | - Taylor Galbari
- Psychology Department, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46237, USA
| | - Christopher C Lapish
- Psychology Department, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46237, USA.,Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46237, USA
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27
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Mair RG, Francoeur MJ, Krell EM, Gibson BM. Where Actions Meet Outcomes: Medial Prefrontal Cortex, Central Thalamus, and the Basal Ganglia. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:928610. [PMID: 35864847 PMCID: PMC9294389 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.928610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) interacts with distributed networks that give rise to goal-directed behavior through afferent and efferent connections with multiple thalamic nuclei and recurrent basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuits. Recent studies have revealed individual roles for different thalamic nuclei: mediodorsal (MD) regulation of signaling properties in mPFC neurons, intralaminar control of cortico-basal ganglia networks, ventral medial facilitation of integrative motor function, and hippocampal functions supported by ventral midline and anterior nuclei. Large scale mapping studies have identified functionally distinct cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical subnetworks that provide a structural basis for understanding information processing and functional heterogeneity within the basal ganglia. Behavioral analyses comparing functional deficits produced by lesions or inactivation of specific thalamic nuclei or subregions of mPFC or the basal ganglia have elucidated the interdependent roles of these areas in adaptive goal-directed behavior. Electrophysiological recordings of mPFC neurons in rats performing delayed non-matching-to position (DNMTP) and other complex decision making tasks have revealed populations of neurons with activity related to actions and outcomes that underlie these behaviors. These include responses related to motor preparation, instrumental actions, movement, anticipation and delivery of action outcomes, memory delay, and spatial context. Comparison of results for mPFC, MD, and ventral pallidum (VP) suggest critical roles for mPFC in prospective processes that precede actions, MD for reinforcing task-relevant responses in mPFC, and VP for providing feedback about action outcomes. Synthesis of electrophysiological and behavioral results indicates that different networks connecting mPFC with thalamus and the basal ganglia are organized to support distinct functions that allow organisms to act efficiently to obtain intended outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert G. Mair
- Department of Psychology, The University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
| | - Miranda J. Francoeur
- Neural Engineering and Translation Labs, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Erin M. Krell
- Department of Psychology, The University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
| | - Brett M. Gibson
- Department of Psychology, The University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
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28
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Visser E, Matos MR, Mitrić MM, Kramvis I, van der Loo RJ, Mansvelder HD, Smit AB, van den Oever MC. Extinction of Cocaine Memory Depends on a Feed-Forward Inhibition Circuit Within the Medial Prefrontal Cortex. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:1029-1038. [PMID: 34715992 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cocaine-associated environments (i.e., contexts) evoke persistent memories of cocaine reward and thereby contribute to the maintenance of addictive behavior in cocaine users. From a therapeutic perspective, enhancing inhibitory control over cocaine-conditioned responses is of pivotal importance but requires a more detailed understanding of the neural circuitry that can suppress context-evoked cocaine memories, e.g., through extinction learning. The ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) are thought to bidirectionally regulate responding to cocaine cues through their projections to other brain regions. However, whether these mPFC subregions interact to enable adaptive responding to cocaine-associated contextual stimuli has remained elusive. METHODS We used antero- and retrograde tracing combined with chemogenetic intervention to examine the role of vmPFC-to-dmPFC projections in extinction of cocaine-induced place preference in mice. In addition, electrophysiological recordings and optogenetics were used to determine whether parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory interneurons and pyramidal neurons in the dmPFC are innervated by vmPFC projections. RESULTS We found that vmPFC-to-dmPFC projecting neurons are activated during unreinforced re-exposure to a cocaine-associated context, and selective suppression of these cells impairs extinction learning. Parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory interneurons in the dmPFC receive stronger monosynaptic excitatory input from vmPFC projections than local dmPFC pyramidal neurons, consequently resulting in disynaptic inhibition of pyramidal neurons. In line with this, we show that chemogenetic suppression of dmPFC parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory interneurons impairs extinction learning. CONCLUSIONS Our data reveal that vmPFC projections mediate extinction of a cocaine-associated contextual memory through recruitment of feed-forward inhibition in the dmPFC, thereby providing a novel neuronal substrate that promotes extinction-induced inhibitory control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Visser
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Mariana R Matos
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Miodrag M Mitrić
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ioannis Kramvis
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Rolinka J van der Loo
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Huibert D Mansvelder
- Department of Integrated Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - August B Smit
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Michel C van den Oever
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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29
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Plocinski JA, Ball KT. Prelimbic medial prefrontal cortex has bidirectional control over the expression of behavioral sensitization to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) depending on the context of drug administration. Neurosci Lett 2022; 783:136710. [PMID: 35671916 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2022.136710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral sensitization to MDMA is observed in the vast majority of rats if tested in the same environment in which previous MDMA exposure occurred, but not if tested in a novel, unpaired context. Previous studies have revealed a critical role for the prelimbic region of medial prefrontal cortex (PL) in the expression of sensitization to MDMA, but these studies assessed sensitization only in MDMA-paired environments. Given that PL activity can both facilitate and suppress behavior depending on context, we tested the hypothesis that PL has bidirectional control over the expression of locomotor sensitization to MDMA depending on the context of drug administration. Rats were treated with either saline or MDMA (5.0 mg/kg) twice daily for 5 days, in either their home cages (unpaired groups) or the activity monitors that were used for tests of sensitization on challenge days (paired groups). Prior to MDMA challenge injections (2.5 mg/kg; at ∼2 weeks of withdrawal), rats received bilateral PL microinjections of either lidocaine (100 μg/0.5 μl/side) or physiological saline (0.5 μl/side). Locomotor activity in response to MDMA challenge was unaffected by PL inactivation in saline pretreated rats. However, PL inactivation caused a decrease in locomotion to the challenge injection in MDMA/paired rats and an increase in locomotion in MDMA/unpaired rats. These results establish a novel role for PL in suppressing the expression of behavioral sensitization when subjects are challenged in a drug-unpaired context, adding to the literature implicating PL activity in both the expression and inhibition of other drug-related behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A Plocinski
- Department of Psychology, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 400 E. 2(nd) St., Bloomsburg, PA, 17815, USA
| | - Kevin T Ball
- Department of Psychology, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 400 E. 2(nd) St., Bloomsburg, PA, 17815, USA.
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Flores-Ramirez FJ, Matzeu A, Sánchez-Marín L, Martin-Fardon R. Blockade of corticotropin-releasing factor-1 receptors in the infralimbic cortex prevents stress-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking in male Wistar rats: Evidence of interaction between CRF 1 and orexin receptor signaling. Neuropharmacology 2022; 210:109046. [PMID: 35341789 PMCID: PMC9176217 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol use dysregulates responsivity to stress, which is mediated by corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). With repeated cycles of alcohol use, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis becomes hyporesponsive, rendering individuals vulnerable to the reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behavior during stressful episodes. Orexin (Orx; also called hypocretin) plays a well-established role in regulating diverse physiological processes, including stress, and interacts with CRF. The infralimbic cortex (IL) is a CRF-rich region. Anatomical evidence suggests that CRF and Orx interact in this area. To test the behavioral implication of CRF and Orx transmission in the IL during the stress-induced reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behavior, male Wistar rats were trained to self-administer 10% alcohol for 3 weeks. The rats then underwent two weeks of extinction training (identical to the alcohol self-administration sessions, but alcohol was withheld). The day after the last extinction session, the rats received a bilateral intra-IL injection of the CRF1 receptor antagonist CP154,526 (0.6 μg/0.5 μl/side), the dual Orx receptor antagonist TCS1102 (15 μg/0.5 μl/side), or their combination and then were tested for the footshock stress-induced reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behavior. CP154,526 significantly prevented reinstatement, but TCS1102 did not produce such an effect. Interestingly, the co-administration of TCS1102 and CP154,526 reversed the effect of CP154,526 alone, and footshock stress induced a significant increase in Crhr1 and Hcrtr2 mRNA expression in the IL. These results demonstrate a functional interaction between Orx receptor and CRF1 receptor signaling and suggest that CRF1 receptor antagonism may ameliorate stress-induced alcohol-seeking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alessandra Matzeu
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Laura Sánchez-Marín
- Unidad Gestión Clínica de Salud Mental, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga/Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Rémi Martin-Fardon
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
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Yang C, Hu Y, Talishinsky AD, Potter CT, Calva CB, Ramsey LA, Kesner AJ, Don RF, Junn S, Tan A, Pierce AF, Nicolas C, Arima Y, Lee SC, Su C, Coudriet JM, Mejia-Aponte CA, Wang DV, Lu H, Yang Y, Ikemoto S. Medial prefrontal cortex and anteromedial thalamus interaction regulates goal-directed behavior and dopaminergic neuron activity. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1386. [PMID: 35296648 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28892-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex is involved in goal-directed behavior. Here, we investigate circuits of the PFC regulating motivation, reinforcement, and its relationship to dopamine neuron activity. Stimulation of medial PFC (mPFC) neurons in mice activated many downstream regions, as shown by fMRI. Axonal terminal stimulation of mPFC neurons in downstream regions, including the anteromedial thalamic nucleus (AM), reinforced behavior and activated midbrain dopaminergic neurons. The stimulation of AM neurons projecting to the mPFC also reinforced behavior and activated dopamine neurons, and mPFC and AM showed a positive-feedback loop organization. We also found using fMRI in human participants watching reinforcing video clips that there is reciprocal excitatory functional connectivity, as well as co-activation of the two regions. Our results suggest that this cortico-thalamic loop regulates motivation, reinforcement, and dopaminergic neuron activity. The prefrontal cortex is involved in goal-directed behaviour. Here the authors show that medial prefrontal cortex activates goal-directed motivation and dopamine neurons via a feedback loop with the anteromedial thalamus.
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Peltz G, Tan Y. What Have We Learned (or Expect to) From Analysis of Murine Genetic Models Related to Substance Use Disorders? Front Psychiatry 2022; 12:793961. [PMID: 35095607 PMCID: PMC8790171 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.793961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The tremendous public health problem created by substance use disorders (SUDs) presents a major opportunity for mouse genetics. Inbred mouse strains exhibit substantial and heritable differences in their responses to drugs of abuse (DOA) and in many of the behaviors associated with susceptibility to SUD. Therefore, genetic discoveries emerging from analysis of murine genetic models can provide critically needed insight into the neurobiological effects of DOA, and they can reveal how genetic factors affect susceptibility drug addiction. There are already indications, emerging from our prior analyses of murine genetic models of responses related to SUDs that mouse genetic models of SUD can provide actionable information, which can lead to new approaches for alleviating SUDs. Lastly, we consider the features of murine genetic models that enable causative genetic factors to be successfully identified; and the methodologies that facilitate genetic discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary Peltz
- Department of Anesthesia, Pain and Perioperative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
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Robinson KJ, Everett NA, Baracz SJ, Cornish JL. The effect of self-administered methamphetamine on GABAergic interneuron populations and functional connectivity of the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:2903-19. [PMID: 35920922 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06175-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Methamphetamine (METH, "ice") is a potent and addictive psychostimulant. Abuse of METH perturbs neurotransmitter systems and induces neurotoxicity; however, the neurobiological mechanisms which underlie addiction to METH are not fully understood, limiting the efficacy of available treatments. Here we investigate METH-induced changes to neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), parvalbumin and calretinin-expressing GABAergic interneuron populations within the nucleus accumbens (NAc), prefrontal cortex (PFC) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). We hypothesise that dysfunction or loss of these GABAergic interneuron populations may disrupt the excitatory/inhibitory balance within the brain. METHODS Male Long Evans rats (N = 32) were trained to lever press for intravenous METH or received yoked saline infusions. Following 14 days of behavioural extinction, animals were given a non-contingent injection of saline or METH (1 mg/kg, IP) to examine drug-primed reinstatement to METH-seeking behaviours. Ninety minutes post-IP injection, animals were culled and brain sections were analysed for Fos, nNOS, parvalbumin and calretinin immunoreactivity in eight distinct subregions of the NAc, PFC and OFC. RESULTS METH exposure differentially affected GABAergic populations, with METH self-administration increasing nNOS immunoreactivity at distinct locations in the prelimbic cortex and decreasing parvalbumin immunoreactivity in the NAc. METH self-administration triggered reduced calretinin immunoreactivity, whilst acute METH administration produced a significant increase in calretinin immunoreactivity. As expected, non-contingent METH-priming treatment increased Fos immunoreactivity in subregions of the NAc and PFC. CONCLUSION Here we report that METH exposure in this model may alter the function of GABAergic interneurons in more subtle ways, such as alterations in neuronal firing or synaptic connectivity.
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Anderson MC, Floresco SB. Prefrontal-hippocampal interactions supporting the extinction of emotional memories: the retrieval stopping model. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:180-195. [PMID: 34446831 PMCID: PMC8616908 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01131-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Neuroimaging has revealed robust interactions between the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus when people stop memory retrieval. Efforts to stop retrieval can arise when people encounter reminders to unpleasant thoughts they prefer not to think about. Retrieval stopping suppresses hippocampal and amygdala activity, especially when cues elicit aversive memory intrusions, via a broad inhibitory control capacity enabling prepotent response suppression. Repeated retrieval stopping reduces intrusions of unpleasant memories and diminishes their affective tone, outcomes resembling those achieved by the extinction of conditioned emotional responses. Despite this resemblance, the role of inhibitory fronto-hippocampal interactions and retrieval stopping broadly in extinction has received little attention. Here we integrate human and animal research on extinction and retrieval stopping. We argue that reconceptualising extinction to integrate mnemonic inhibitory control with learning would yield a greater understanding of extinction's relevance to mental health. We hypothesize that fear extinction spontaneously engages retrieval stopping across species, and that controlled suppression of hippocampal and amygdala activity by the prefrontal cortex reduces fearful thoughts. Moreover, we argue that retrieval stopping recruits extinction circuitry to achieve affect regulation, linking extinction to how humans cope with intrusive thoughts. We discuss novel hypotheses derived from this theoretical synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Anderson
- MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Stan B Floresco
- Department of Psychology, and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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Brown RM, Dayas C, James M, Smith RJ. New directions in modelling dysregulated reward seeking for food and drugs. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 132:1037-1048. [PMID: 34736883 PMCID: PMC8816817 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral models are central to behavioral neuroscience. To study the neural mechanisms of maladaptive behaviors (including binge eating and drug addiction), it is essential to develop and utilize appropriate animal models that specifically focus on dysregulated reward seeking. Both food and cocaine are typically consumed in a regulated manner by rodents, motivated by reward and homeostatic mechanisms. However, both food and cocaine seeking can become dysregulated, resulting in binge-like consumption and compulsive patterns of intake. The speakers in this symposium for the 2021 International Behavioral Neuroscience Meeting utilize behavioral models of dysregulated reward-seeking to investigate the neural mechanisms of binge-like consumption, enhanced cue-driven reward seeking, excessive motivation, and continued use despite negative consequences. In this review, we outline examples of maladaptive patterns of intake and explore recent animal models that drive behavior to become dysregulated, including stress exposure and intermittent access to rewards. Lastly, we explore select behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying dysregulated reward-seeking for both food and drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn M Brown
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic, 3052, Australia.,Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic, 3052, Australia.,Correspondence: Morgan James, Department of Psychiatry, 683 Hoes Ln West, Office 164, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854 USA, Ph: +1 732 235 4767, , Robyn M Brown, Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Medical Building (B181), Level 8, The University of Melbourne, Parkville VIC 3010 Australia, Ph: +61401007008,
| | - Christopher Dayas
- School of Biomedical Sciences & Pharmacy, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia,Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Morgan James
- Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA,Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA,Correspondence: Morgan James, Department of Psychiatry, 683 Hoes Ln West, Office 164, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854 USA, Ph: +1 732 235 4767, , Robyn M Brown, Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Medical Building (B181), Level 8, The University of Melbourne, Parkville VIC 3010 Australia, Ph: +61401007008,
| | - Rachel J Smith
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
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Huerta Sanchez LL, Sankaran M, Li TL, Doan H, Chiu A, Shulman E, Shab G, Kippin TE, Szumlinski KK. Profiling prefrontal cortex protein expression in rats exhibiting an incubation of cocaine craving following short-access self-administration procedures. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:1031585. [PMID: 36684008 PMCID: PMC9846226 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1031585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Incubation of drug-craving refers to a time-dependent increase in drug cue-elicited craving that occurs during protracted withdrawal. Historically, rat models of incubated cocaine craving employed extended-access (typically 6 h/day) intravenous drug self-administration (IV-SA) procedures, although incubated cocaine craving is reported to occur following shorter-access IV-SA paradigms. The notoriously low-throughput of extended-access IV-SA prompted us to determine whether two different short-access IV-SA procedures akin to those in the literature result in qualitatively similar changes in glutamate receptor expression and the activation of downstream signaling molecules within prefrontal cortex (PFC) subregions as those reported previously by our group under 6h-access conditions. METHODS For this, adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to intravenously self-administer cocaine for 2 h/day for 10 consecutive days (2-h model) or for 6 h on day 1 and 2 h/day for the remaining 9 days of training (Mixed model). A sham control group was also included that did not self-administer cocaine. RESULTS On withdrawal day 3 or 30, rats were subjected to a 2-h test of cue-reinforced responding in the absence of cocaine and a time-dependent increase in drug-seeking was observed under both IV-SA procedures. Immunoblotting of brain tissue collected immediately following the cue test session indicated elevated phospho-Akt1, phospho-CaMKII and Homer2a/b expression within the prelimbic subregion of the PFC of cocaine-incubated rats. However, we failed to detect incubation-related changes in Group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptor or ionotropic glutamate receptor subunit expression in either subregion. DISCUSSION These results highlight further a role for Akt1-related signaling within the prelimbic cortex in driving incubated cocaine craving, and provide novel evidence supporting a potential role also for CaMKII-dependent signaling through glutamate receptors in this behavioral phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura L Huerta Sanchez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Mathangi Sankaran
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Taylor L Li
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Hoa Doan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Alvin Chiu
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Eleanora Shulman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Gabriella Shab
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Tod E Kippin
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States.,Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States.,Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Karen K Szumlinski
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States.,Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States.,Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
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K Namboodiri VM, Stuber GD. The learning of prospective and retrospective cognitive maps within neural circuits. Neuron 2021; 109:3552-3575. [PMID: 34678148 PMCID: PMC8809184 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.09.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Brain circuits are thought to form a "cognitive map" to process and store statistical relationships in the environment. A cognitive map is commonly defined as a mental representation that describes environmental states (i.e., variables or events) and the relationship between these states. This process is commonly conceptualized as a prospective process, as it is based on the relationships between states in chronological order (e.g., does reward follow a given state?). In this perspective, we expand this concept on the basis of recent findings to postulate that in addition to a prospective map, the brain forms and uses a retrospective cognitive map (e.g., does a given state precede reward?). In doing so, we demonstrate that many neural signals and behaviors (e.g., habits) that seem inflexible and non-cognitive can result from retrospective cognitive maps. Together, we present a significant conceptual reframing of the neurobiological study of associative learning, memory, and decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijay Mohan K Namboodiri
- Department of Neurology, Center for Integrative Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Garret D Stuber
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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Chiu AS, Kang MC, Huerta Sanchez LL, Fabella AM, Holder KN, Barger BD, Elias KN, Shin CB, Jimenez Chavez CL, Kippin TE, Szumlinski KK. Preclinical evidence to support repurposing everolimus for craving reduction during protracted drug withdrawal. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:2090-2100. [PMID: 34188183 PMCID: PMC8505628 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01064-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cue-elicited drug-craving is a cardinal feature of addiction that intensifies (incubates) during protracted withdrawal. In a rat model, these addiction-related behavioral pathologies are mediated, respectively, by time-dependent increases in PI3K/Akt1 signaling and reduced Group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGlu) expression, within the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Herein, we examined the capacity of single oral dosing with everolimus, an FDA-approved inhibitor of the PI3K/Akt effector mTOR, to reduce incubated cocaine-craving and reverse incubation-associated changes in vmPFC kinase activity and mGlu expression. Rats were trained to lever-press for intravenous infusions of cocaine or delivery of sucrose pellets and then subjected to tests for cue-reinforced responding during early (3 days) or late (30-46 days) withdrawal. Rats were gavage-infused with everolimus (0-1.0 mg/kg), either prior to testing to examine for effects upon reinforcer-seeking behavior, or immediately following testing to probe effects upon the consolidation of extinction learning. Single oral dosing with everolimus dose-dependently blocked cocaine-seeking during late withdrawal and the effect lasted at least 24 h. No everolimus effects were observed for cue-elicited sucrose-seeking or cocaine-seeking in early withdrawal. In addition, everolimus treatment, following initial cue-testing, reduced subsequent cue hyper-responsivity exhibited observed during late withdrawal, arguing a facilitation of extinction memory consolidation. everolimus' "anti-incubation" effect was associated with a reversal of withdrawal-induced changes in indices of PI3K/Akt1/mTOR activity, as well as Homer protein and mGlu1/5 expression, within the prelimbic (PL) subregion of the prefrontal cortex. Our results indicate mTOR inhibition as a viable strategy for interrupting heightened cocaine-craving and facilitating addiction recovery during protracted withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvin S Chiu
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Matthew C Kang
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Laura L Huerta Sanchez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Anne M Fabella
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Kalysta N Holder
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Brooke D Barger
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Kristina N Elias
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Christina B Shin
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - C Leonardo Jimenez Chavez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Tod E Kippin
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Department of Molecular, Developmental and Cell Biology and the Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Karen K Szumlinski
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
- Department of Molecular, Developmental and Cell Biology and the Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
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Smiley CE, McGonigal JT, Nimchuk KE, Gass JT. Optogenetic manipulation of the prelimbic cortex during fear memory reconsolidation alters fear extinction in a preclinical model of comorbid PTSD/AUD. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:3193-3206. [PMID: 34347171 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05935-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVE Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are disorders of learning and memory that often occur comorbidly. Exposure to trauma-related cues can increase alcohol intake in PTSD patients that are using alcohol to self-medicate. The recurrence of anxiety symptoms with subsequent alcohol use may initiate a destructive cycle where stress and alcohol exposure impair the function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). While the incidence of these disorders has steadily increased, current therapies and treatments often lack efficacy. Thus, investigation into the underlying neurocircuitry responsible for the establishment and maintenance of these disorders is necessary to develop novel treatment targets. METHODS The present study examined the effects of ethanol exposure on the ability to create new learned associations around previously conditioned fear cues in a rat model. Animals were exposed to fear conditioning followed by chronic intermittent ethanol to translationally model trauma exposure followed by alcohol abuse. Optogenetics was used to inhibit the prelimbic (PrL) or infralimbic (IfL) cortex during fear memory reconsolidation, and fear behaviors were measured during subsequent extinction and spontaneous recovery tests. Results and conclusion Chronic ethanol exposure led to deficits in fear extinction learning and increased freezing during spontaneous recovery, both of which were prevented following inhibition of the PrL, but not the IfL, during memory reconsolidation. These results support the involvement of the PrL in fear learning and memory, and strongly suggest that the PrL could serve as a potential target for the treatment of the learning and memory deficits that occur following exposure to stress and alcohol.
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Affiliation(s)
- C E Smiley
- Department of Neuroscience, Basic Science Building, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, Room 403, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
| | - J T McGonigal
- Department of Neuroscience, Basic Science Building, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, Room 403, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - K E Nimchuk
- Department of Neuroscience, Basic Science Building, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, Room 403, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - J T Gass
- Department of Neuroscience, Basic Science Building, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, Room 403, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, James H. Quillen College of Medicine & VA Medical Center, PO Box 70582, Johnson City, TN, 37614, USA
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Morningstar MD, Barnett WH, Goodlett CR, Kuznetsov A, Lapish CC. Understanding ethanol's acute effects on medial prefrontal cortex neural activity using state-space approaches. Neuropharmacology 2021; 198:108780. [PMID: 34480911 PMCID: PMC8488975 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Acute ethanol (EtOH) intoxication results in several maladaptive behaviors that may be attributable, in part, to the effects of EtOH on neural activity in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The acute effects of EtOH on mPFC function have been largely described as inhibitory. However, translating these observations on function into a mechanism capable of delineating acute EtOH's effects on behavior has proven difficult. This review highlights the role of acute EtOH on electrophysiological measurements of mPFC function and proposes that interpreting these changes through the lens of dynamical systems theory is critical to understand the mechanisms that mediate the effects of EtOH intoxication on behavior. Specifically, the present review posits that the effects of EtOH on mPFC N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are critical for the expression of impaired behavior following EtOH consumption. This hypothesis is based on the observation that recurrent activity in cortical networks is supported by NMDA receptors, and, when disrupted, may lead to impairments in cognitive function. To evaluate this hypothesis, we discuss the representation of mPFC neural activity in low-dimensional, dynamic state spaces. This approach has proven useful for identifying the underlying computations necessary for the production of behavior. Ultimately, we hypothesize that EtOH-related alterations to NMDA receptor function produces alterations that can be effectively conceptualized as impairments in attractor dynamics and provides insight into how acute EtOH disrupts forms of cognition that rely on mPFC function. This article is part of the special Issue on 'Neurocircuitry Modulating Drug and Alcohol Abuse'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - William H Barnett
- Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Department of Psychology, USA
| | - Charles R Goodlett
- Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Department of Psychology, USA; Indiana University School of Medicine, Stark Neurosciences, USA
| | - Alexey Kuznetsov
- Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Department of Mathematics, USA; Indiana University School of Medicine, Stark Neurosciences, USA
| | - Christopher C Lapish
- Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Department of Psychology, USA; Indiana University School of Medicine, Stark Neurosciences, USA
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Cabana-Domínguez J, Martín-García E, Gallego-Roman A, Maldonado R, Fernàndez-Castillo N, Cormand B. Reduced cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior in Plcb1 +/- mice. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:521. [PMID: 34635637 PMCID: PMC8505421 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01396-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Cocaine addiction causes serious health problems, and no effective treatment is available yet. We previously identified a genetic risk variant for cocaine addiction in the PLCB1 gene and found this gene upregulated in postmortem brains of cocaine abusers and in human dopaminergic neuron-like cells after an acute cocaine exposure. Here, we functionally tested the contribution of the PLCB1 gene to cocaine addictive properties using Plcb1+/- mice. First, we performed a general phenotypic characterization and found that Plcb1+/- mice showed normal behavior, although they had increased anxiety and impaired short-term memory. Subsequently, mice were trained for operant conditioning, self-administered cocaine for 10 days, and were tested for cocaine motivation. After extinction, we found a reduction in the cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior in Plcb1+/- mice. After reinstatement, we identified transcriptomic alterations in the medial prefrontal cortex of Plcb1+/- mice, mostly related to pathways relevant to addiction like the dopaminergic synapse and long-term potentiation. To conclude, we found that heterozygous deletion of the Plcb1 gene decreases cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking, pointing at PLCB1 as a possible therapeutic target for preventing relapse and treating cocaine addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit Cabana-Domínguez
- grid.5841.80000 0004 1937 0247Department de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia Spain ,grid.452372.50000 0004 1791 1185Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain ,grid.5841.80000 0004 1937 0247Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalonia Spain ,grid.411160.30000 0001 0663 8628Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Barcelona, Catalonia Spain
| | - Elena Martín-García
- grid.5612.00000 0001 2172 2676Laboratory of Neuropharmacology-Neurophar, Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Catalonia Spain ,grid.20522.370000 0004 1767 9005Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Catalonia Spain
| | - Ana Gallego-Roman
- grid.5612.00000 0001 2172 2676Laboratory of Neuropharmacology-Neurophar, Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Catalonia Spain
| | - Rafael Maldonado
- grid.5612.00000 0001 2172 2676Laboratory of Neuropharmacology-Neurophar, Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Catalonia Spain ,grid.20522.370000 0004 1767 9005Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Catalonia Spain
| | - Noèlia Fernàndez-Castillo
- Department de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. .,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain. .,Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. .,Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Bru Cormand
- Department de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. .,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain. .,Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. .,Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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Madangopal R, Ramsey LA, Weber SJ, Brenner MB, Lennon VA, Drake OR, Komer LE, Tunstall BJ, Bossert JM, Shaham Y, Hope BT. Inactivation of the infralimbic cortex decreases discriminative stimulus-controlled relapse to cocaine seeking in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1969-80. [PMID: 34162997 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01067-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Persistent susceptibility to cue-induced relapse is a cardinal feature of addiction. Discriminative stimuli (DSs) are one type of drug-associated cue that signal drug availability (DS+) or unavailability (DS-) and control drug seeking prior to relapse. We previously established a trial-based procedure in rats to isolate DSs from context, conditioned stimuli, and other drug-associated cues during cocaine self-administration and demonstrated DS-controlled cocaine seeking up to 300 abstinence days. The behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying trial-based DS-control of drug seeking have rarely been investigated. Here we show that following discrimination training in our trial-based procedure, the DS+ and DS- independently control the expression and suppression of cocaine seeking during abstinence. Using microinjections of GABAA + GABAB receptor agonists (muscimol + baclofen) in medial prefrontal cortex, we report that infralimbic, but not prelimbic, subregion of medial prefrontal cortex is critical to persistent DS-controlled relapse to cocaine seeking after prolonged abstinence, but not DS-guided discriminated cocaine seeking or DS-controlled cocaine self-admininstration. Finally, using ex vivo whole-cell recordings from pyramidal neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex, we demonstrate that the disruption of DS-controlled cocaine seeking following infralimbic cortex microinjections of muscimol+baclofen is likely a result of suppression of synaptic transmission in the region via a presynaptic mechanism of action.
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43
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Figueroa C, Yang H, DiSpirito J, Bourgeois JR, Kalyanasundaram G, Doshi I, Bilbo SD, Kopec AM. Morphine exposure alters Fos expression in a sex-, age-, and brain region-specific manner during adolescence. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:e22186. [PMID: 34423851 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Data in both humans and preclinical animal models clearly indicate drug exposure during adolescence, when the "reward" circuitry of the brain develops, increases the risk of substance use and other mental health disorders later in life. Human data indicate that different neural and behavioral sequelae can be observed in early versus late adolescence. However, most studies with rodent models examine a single adolescent age compared to a mature adult age, and often only in males. Herein, we sought to determine whether the acute response to the opioid morphine would also differ across adolescence, and by sex. By quantifying Fos positive cells, a proxy for neural activity, at different stages during adolescence (pre-, early, mid-, and late adolescence) and in multiple reward regions (prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, caudate/putamen), we determined that the neural response to acute morphine is highly dependent on adolescent age, sex, and brain region. These data suggest that heterogeneity in the consequences of adolescent opioid exposure may be due to age- and sex-specific developmental profiles in individual reward processing regions. In future studies, it will be important to add age within adolescence as an independent variable for a holistic view of healthy or abnormal reward-related neural development.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Figueroa
- Deptartment of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA
| | - H Yang
- Deptartment of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA.,Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J DiSpirito
- Deptartment of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA.,Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - J R Bourgeois
- Deptartment of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA
| | - G Kalyanasundaram
- Deptartment of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA
| | - I Doshi
- Deptartment of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA
| | - S D Bilbo
- Deptartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.,Deptartment of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Lurie Center for Autism, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - A M Kopec
- Deptartment of Neuroscience & Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA.,Deptartment of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Lurie Center for Autism, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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44
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Heinsbroek JA, Giannotti G, Mandel MR, Josey M, Aston-Jones G, James MH, Peters J. A common limiter circuit for opioid choice and relapse identified in a rodent addiction model. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4788. [PMID: 34373454 PMCID: PMC8352904 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25080-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Activity in numerous brain regions drives heroin seeking, but no circuits that limit heroin seeking have been identified. Furthermore, the neural circuits controlling opioid choice are unknown. In this study, we examined the role of the infralimbic cortex (IL) to nucleus accumbens shell (NAshell) pathway during heroin choice and relapse. This model yielded subpopulations of heroin versus food preferring rats during choice, and choice was unrelated to subsequent relapse rates to heroin versus food cues, suggesting that choice and relapse are distinct behavioral constructs. Supporting this, inactivation of the IL with muscimol produced differential effects on opioid choice versus relapse. A pathway-specific chemogenetic approach revealed, however, that the IL-NAshell pathway acts as a common limiter of opioid choice and relapse. Furthermore, dendritic spines in IL-NAshell neurons encode distinct aspects of heroin versus food reinforcement. Thus, opioid choice and relapse share a common addiction-limiting circuit in the IL-NAshell pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasper A Heinsbroek
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Giuseppe Giannotti
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Mitchel R Mandel
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Megan Josey
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Gary Aston-Jones
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Morgan H James
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Piscataway, NJ, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Jamie Peters
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA. .,Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
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Yu Y, He AB, Liou M, Ou C, Kozłowska A, Chen P, Huang AC. The Paradoxical Effect Hypothesis of Abused Drugs in a Rat Model of Chronic Morphine Administration. J Clin Med 2021; 10:3197. [PMID: 34361981 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10153197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing body of studies has recently shown that abused drugs could simultaneously induce the paradoxical effect in reward and aversion to influence drug addiction. However, whether morphine induces reward and aversion, and which neural substrates are involved in morphine’s reward and aversion remains unclear. The present study first examined which doses of morphine can simultaneously produce reward in conditioned place preference (CPP) and aversion in conditioned taste aversion (CTA) in rats. Furthermore, the aversive dose of morphine was determined. Moreover, using the aversive dose of 10 mg/kg morphine tested plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels and examined which neural substrates were involved in the aversive morphine-induced CTA on conditioning, extinction, and reinstatement. Further, we analyzed c-Fos and p-ERK expression to demonstrate the paradoxical effect—reward and aversion and nonhomeostasis or disturbance by morphine-induced CTA. The results showed that a dose of more than 20 mg/kg morphine simultaneously induced reward in CPP and aversion in CTA. A dose of 10 mg/kg morphine only induced the aversive CTA, and it produced higher plasma CORT levels in conditioning and reacquisition but not extinction. High plasma CORT secretions by 10 mg/kg morphine-induced CTA most likely resulted from stress-related aversion but were not a rewarding property of morphine. For assessments of c-Fos and p-ERK expression, the cingulate cortex 1 (Cg1), prelimbic cortex (PrL), infralimbic cortex (IL), basolateral amygdala (BLA), nucleus accumbens (NAc), and dentate gyrus (DG) were involved in the morphine-induced CTA, and resulted from the aversive effect of morphine on conditioning and reinstatement. The c-Fos data showed fewer neural substrates (e.g., PrL, IL, and LH) on extinction to be hyperactive. In the context of previous drug addiction data, the evidence suggests that morphine injections may induce hyperactivity in many neural substrates, which mediate reward and/or aversion due to disturbance and nonhomeostasis in the brain. The results support the paradoxical effect hypothesis of abused drugs. Insight from the findings could be used in the clinical treatment of drug addiction.
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46
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Cruz AM, Spencer HF, Kim TH, Jhou TC, Smith RJ. Prelimbic cortical projections to rostromedial tegmental nucleus play a suppressive role in cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1399-406. [PMID: 33230269 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00909-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The prelimbic (PL) region of prefrontal cortex has been implicated in both driving and suppressing cocaine seeking in animal models of addiction. We hypothesized that these opposing roles for PL may be supported by distinct efferent projections. While PL projections to nucleus accumbens core have been shown to be involved in driving reinstatement of cocaine seeking, PL projections to the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) may instead suppress reinstatement of cocaine seeking, due to the role of RMTg in behavioral inhibition. Here, we used a functional disconnection approach to temporarily disrupt the PL-RMTg pathway during cue- or cocaine-induced reinstatement. Male Sprague Dawley rats self-administered cocaine during daily 2-h sessions for ≥10 days and then underwent extinction training. Reinstatement of extinguished cocaine seeking was elicited by cocaine-associated cues or cocaine prime. Prior to reinstatement, rats received microinjections of the GABA agonists baclofen/muscimol (1/0.1 mM) into unilateral PL and the AMPA receptor antagonist NBQX (1 mM) into contralateral or ipsilateral RMTg. Functional disconnection of PL-RMTg via contralateral inactivation markedly increased cue-induced reinstatement, but did not increase cocaine-induced reinstatement or drive reinstatement of extinguished cocaine seeking in the absence of cues or cocaine. Enhanced cue-induced reinstatement was also observed with ipsilateral inactivation of PL and RMTg, but not with unilateral inactivation of PL or RMTg alone, indicating that both ipsilateral and contralateral projections from PL to RMTg have an inhibitory influence on behavior. These data further support a suppressive role for PL in cocaine seeking by implicating PL efferent projections to RMTg in inhibiting cue-induced reinstatement.
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Bittar TP, Labonté B. Functional Contribution of the Medial Prefrontal Circuitry in Major Depressive Disorder and Stress-Induced Depressive-Like Behaviors. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:699592. [PMID: 34234655 PMCID: PMC8257081 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.699592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite decades of research on the neurobiology of major depressive disorder (MDD), the mechanisms underlying its expression remain unknown. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a hub region involved in emotional processing and stress response elaboration, is highly impacted in MDD patients and animal models of chronic stress. Recent advances showed alterations in the morphology and activity of mPFC neurons along with profound changes in their transcriptional programs. Studies at the circuitry level highlighted the relevance of deciphering the contributions of the distinct prefrontal circuits in the elaboration of adapted and maladapted behavioral responses in the context of chronic stress. Interestingly, MDD presents a sexual dimorphism, a feature recognized in the molecular field but understudied on the circuit level. This review examines the recent literature and summarizes the contribution of the mPFC circuitry in the expression of MDD in males and females along with the morphological and functional alterations that change the activity of these neuronal circuits in human MDD and animal models of depressive-like behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibault P. Bittar
- CERVO Brain Research Centre, Québec, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Benoit Labonté
- CERVO Brain Research Centre, Québec, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
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Nall RW, Heinsbroek JA, Nentwig TB, Kalivas PW, Bobadilla AC. Circuit selectivity in drug versus natural reward seeking behaviors. J Neurochem 2021; 157:1450-1472. [PMID: 33420731 PMCID: PMC8178159 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Substance use disorder (SUD) is characterized, in part by behavior biased toward drug use and away from natural sources of reward (e.g., social interaction, food, sex). The neurobiological underpinnings of SUDs reveal distinct brain regions where neuronal activity is necessary for the manifestation of SUD-characteristic behaviors. Studies that specifically examine how these regions are involved in behaviors motivated by drug versus natural reward allow determinations of which regions are necessary for regulating seeking of both reward types, and appraisals of novel SUD therapies for off-target effects on behaviors motivated by natural reward. Here, we evaluate studies directly comparing regulatory roles for specific brain regions in drug versus natural reward. While it is clear that many regions drive behaviors motivated by all reward types, based on the literature reviewed we propose a set of interconnected regions that become necessary for behaviors motivated by drug, but not natural rewards. The circuitry is selectively necessary for drug seeking includes an Action/Reward subcircuit, comprising nucleus accumbens, ventral pallidum, and ventral tegmental area, a Prefrontal subcircuit comprising prelimbic, infralimbic, and insular cortices, a Stress subcircuit comprising the central nucleus of the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and a Diencephalon circuit including lateral hypothalamus. Evidence was mixed for nucleus accumbens shell, insular cortex, and ventral pallidum. Studies for all other brain nuclei reviewed supported a necessary role in regulating both drug and natural reward seeking. Finally, we discuss emerging strategies to further disambiguate the necessity of brain regions in drug- versus natural reward-associated behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rusty W. Nall
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Jasper A. Heinsbroek
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Todd B. Nentwig
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Peter W. Kalivas
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
- These authors share senior authorship
| | - Ana-Clara Bobadilla
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
- These authors share senior authorship
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49
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García-García F, Priego-Fernández S, López-Muciño LA, Acosta-Hernández ME, Peña-Escudero C. Increased alcohol consumption in sleep-restricted rats is mediated by delta FosB induction. Alcohol 2021; 93:63-70. [PMID: 33662520 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2021.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The reduction of sleep hours is a public health problem in contemporary society. It is estimated that humans sleep between 1.5 and 2 h less, per night, than 100 years ago. The reduction of sleep hours is a risk factor for developing cardiovascular, metabolic, and psychiatric problems. Previous studies have shown that low sleep quality is a factor that favors relapse in addicted patients. In rodents, sleep deprivation increases the preference for methylphenidate and the self-administration of cocaine. However, it is unknown whether chronic sleep restriction induces voluntary alcohol consumption in rats and whether alcohol intake is associated with delta FosB expression in the brain reward circuit. Potentially, chronic sleep restriction could make the brain vulnerable and consequently promote addictive behavior. Therefore, the present study's objective was to evaluate alcohol consumption in a chronic sleep restriction model and determine the expression of delta FosB in brains of adult rats. For this purpose, male Wistar rats (300-350 g body weight) were divided into four experimental groups (n = 6 each group): control (without manipulation), sleep restriction (SR) for 7 days, SR and ethanol exposure (Ethanol + SR), and a group with just ethanol exposure (Ethanol). At the end of the management, rats were sacrificed, and the brains were dissected and processed for immunohistochemical detection of delta FosB. The results showed that SR stimulates alcohol consumption compared to unrestricted-sleep rats and induces a significant increase in the number of delta FosB-positive cells in brain nuclei within the motivation/brain reward circuit. These results suggest that chronic reduction of sleep hours is a risk factor for developing a preference for alcohol consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio García-García
- Biomedicine Department, Health Sciences Institute, Veracruzana University, Xalapa, VER, Mexico.
| | - Sergio Priego-Fernández
- Health Sciences Program, Health Sciences Institute, Veracruzana University, Xalapa, VER, Mexico
| | - Luis Angel López-Muciño
- Health Sciences Program, Health Sciences Institute, Veracruzana University, Xalapa, VER, Mexico
| | | | - Carolina Peña-Escudero
- Health Sciences Program, Health Sciences Institute, Veracruzana University, Xalapa, VER, Mexico
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50
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Shapiro LP, Pitts EG, Li DC, Barbee BR, Hinton EA, Bassell GJ, Gross C, Gourley SL. The PI3-Kinase p110β Isoform Controls Severity of Cocaine-Induced Sequelae and Alters the Striatal Transcriptome. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:959-969. [PMID: 33773752 PMCID: PMC8202243 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The PI3-kinase (PI3K) complex is a well-validated target for mitigating cocaine-elicited sequelae, but pan-PI3K inhibitors are not viable long-term treatment options. The PI3K complex is composed of p110 catalytic and regulatory subunits, which can be individually manipulated for therapeutic purposes. However, this possibility has largely not been explored in behavioral contexts. METHODS Here, we inhibited PI3K p110β in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of cocaine-exposed mice. Behavioral models for studying relapse, sensitization, and decision-making biases were paired with protein quantification, RNA sequencing, and cell type-specific chemogenetic manipulation and RNA quantification to determine whether and how inhibiting PI3K p110β confers resilience to cocaine. RESULTS Viral-mediated PI3K p110β silencing reduced cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking by half, blocked locomotor sensitization, and restored mPFC synaptic marker content after exposure to cocaine. Cocaine blocked the ability of mice to select actions based on their consequences, and p110β inhibition restored this ability. Silencing dopamine D2 receptor-expressing excitatory mPFC neurons mimicked cocaine, impairing goal-seeking behavior, and again, p110β inhibition restored goal-oriented action. We verified the presence of p110β in mPFC neurons projecting to the dorsal striatum and orbitofrontal cortex and found that inhibiting p110β in the mPFC altered the expression of functionally defined gene clusters within the dorsal striatum and not orbitofrontal cortex. CONCLUSIONS Subunit-selective PI3K silencing potently mitigates drug seeking, sensitization, and decision-making biases after exposure to cocaine. We suggest that inhibiting PI3K p110β provides neuroprotection against cocaine by triggering coordinated corticostriatal adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren P. Shapiro
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology, Emory University,Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine; Yerkes National Primate Research Center
| | - Elizabeth G. Pitts
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine; Yerkes National Primate Research Center,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University
| | - Dan C. Li
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine; Yerkes National Primate Research Center,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University
| | - Britton R. Barbee
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology, Emory University,Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine; Yerkes National Primate Research Center
| | - Elizabeth A. Hinton
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine; Yerkes National Primate Research Center,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University
| | - Gary J. Bassell
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University,Department of Cell Biology, Emory University
| | - Christina Gross
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
| | - Shannon L. Gourley
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine; Yerkes National Primate Research Center,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University,Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
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