The expression of Huntingtin-associated protein (HAP1) mRNA in developing, adult and ageing rat CNS: implications for Huntington's disease neuropathology

Using radioactive in situ hybridization, we have mapped the expression of Huntingtin-associated protein (HAP1) mRNA in rat brain at developmental stages (E12-E19, PO-P21), in adult rats (3 months) and in 'aged' (19-21 months) rats. Using two pairs of 45mer oligonucleotide probes specific for HAP1A and a probe which recognizes regions of both the HAP1A and HAP1B mRNA sequences (panHAP1), we find that the expression of HAP1 mRNA is specific to the CNS and restricted predominantly to anatomically connected limbic structures, particularly the amygdala (medial and corticomedial nuclei), the hypothalamus (arcuate, preoptic, paraventricular and lateral hypothalamic area), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the lateral septal nuclei. HAP1 mRNA was detected in embryos at E12 and displayed a prevalent distribution in the developing limbic structures by E15. In aged, 19-21-months-old, rats there is a downregulation of HAP1 mRNA expression across all CNS loci where HAP1 was previously abundant. The lowest levels of HAP1 mRNA expression corresponded with the areas of greatest pathological cell loss in Huntington's disease (HD); the caudate putamen, globus pallidus and neocortex. These observations support the suggestion that HAP1 plays an important role in the neuropathology of HD.

Dissociations in dopamine release in medial prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum during the acquisition and extinction of classical aversive conditioning in the rat

Dual perfusion in vivo brain microdialysis was used to monitor extracellular levels of dopamine in the medial prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum during the acquisition and extinction of a classical aversive conditioning paradigm in rats. The main finding was a dissociation in the pattern of release in the two brain areas. The first stimulus-footshock pairing elicited large increases in cortical dopamine over baseline levels that were much greater than the increases elicited by different stimuli of equivalent salience that were unpaired with footshock. In contrast, dopamine levels in ventral striatum were unchanged under these conditions. Over the next two pairings, there was a decline in the cortical response and an increase in the response in ventral striatum. The first presentation of the aversive conditioned stimulus in a separate context elicited the largest response in ventral striatum. Post-conditioning, the cortical response to the conditioned stimulus was smaller than that elicited by the initial stimulus-footshock pairing and was equivalent in magnitude to that elicited by stimuli unpaired with footshock. Over the final two conditioned stimuli presentations, in the absence of the footshock reinforcer (extinction), responses declined in both brain areas. Simultaneous monitoring of behaviour indicated that the neurochemical events were accompanied by effective aversive learning, as indexed by conditioned freezing responses. The data are discussed in terms of the hypothesis that medial prefrontal cortex is especially engaged during novel circumstances which may, potentially, require new learning, whilst ventral striatal dopamine more closely follows the expression of conditioned responding during learning and extinction.

The cerebral metabolic effects of manipulating glutamatergic systems within the basal forebrain in conscious rats

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and non-NMDA receptor-mediated manipulations of the cortical cholinergic input arising from the basal forebrain differentially affect cognitive function. We used [14C]-2-deoxyglucose autoradiography in conscious rats to map the effects of excitatory amino acid agonist infusions into the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM) on cerebral functional activity, as reflected by local rates of glucose utilization. Acute stimulation of NBM neurones by local infusion of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA), 15 min before glucose use measurement, resulted in glucose use reductions in nine cortical regions innervated by NBM efferents including prefrontal, frontal, sensorimotor and cingulate cortices. NMDA infusions altered glucose use in two cortical areas. Both AMPA and NMDA markedly increased glucose use in the striatum and globus pallidus, with concomitant perturbations in striato-pallidal projection targets including the substantia nigra, entopeduncular nucleus, subthalamic nucleus and lateral habenular nucleus. In contrast, the GABAA agonist muscimol did not affect glucose use in the NBM or neocortical regions, but induced glucose use increases in several subcortical nuclei including the substantia nigra and entopeduncular nucleus. The delayed effects of excitotoxic lesions were assessed 3 weeks after basal forebrain infusions of AMPA, NMDA, ibotenate or quisqualate. Statistically significant glucose use changes only occurred in the hypothalamus after NMDA, and the NBM after ibotenate infusions, although reduced cortical metabolism was apparent following AMPA-induced lesions of the NBM. Results support a dissociation between the functional sequelae of NMDA and non-NMDA receptor-mediated events in the basal forebrain, and long-term compensatory functional adaptation following cortical denervation.

Triple dissociation of anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate, and medial frontal cortices on visual discrimination tasks using a touchscreen testing procedure for the rat

Four experiments examined effects of quinolinic acid-induced lesions of the anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate, and medial frontal cortices on tests of visual discrimination learning, using a new "touchscreen" testing method for rats. Anterior cingulate cortex lesions impaired acquisition of an 8-pair concurrent discrimination task, whereas posterior cingulate cortex lesions facilitated learning but selectively impaired the late stages of acquisition of a visuospatial conditional discrimination. Medial frontal cortex lesions selectively impaired reversal learning when stimuli were difficult to discriminate; lesions of anterior and posterior cingulate cortex had no effect. These results suggest roles for the anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate, and medial frontal cortex in stimulus-reward learning, stimulus-response learning or response generation, and attention during learning, respectively.

Dissociable effects of cingulate and medial frontal cortex lesions on stimulus-reward learning using a novel Pavlovian autoshaping procedure for the rat: implications for the neurobiology of emotion

The effects of quinolinic acid-induced lesions of the anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate, and medial frontal cortices on stimulus-reward learning were investigated with a novel Pavlovian autoshaping procedure in an apparatus allowing the automated presentation of computer-graphic stimuli to rats (T. J. Bussey, J. L. Muir, & T. W. Robbins, 1994). White vertical rectangles were presented on the left or the right of a computer screen. One of these conditioned stimuli (the CS+) was always followed by the presentation of a sucrose pellet; the other, the CS-, was never followed by reward. With training, rats came to approach the CS+ more often than the CS-. Anterior cingulate cortex-lesioned rats failed to demonstrate normal discriminated approach, making significantly more approaches to the CS- than did sham-operated controls. Medial frontal cortex-lesioned rats acquired the task normally but had longer overall approach latencies. Posterior cingulate cortex lesions did not affect acquisition.

Doubly dissociable effects of median- and dorsal-raphé lesions on the performance of the five-choice serial reaction time test of attention in rats

Six experiments examined the effects of selective median (MRN)- and dorsal (DRN)-raphé nucleus lesions on the performance of the five-choice serial reaction time task. In this test rats are required to localize brief visual stimuli presented randomly in one of five locations in approximately 30 min sessions of 100 trials. Both accuracy and latency to respond are measured, as well as the incidence of premature and perseverative responding. Selective 5-HT lesions were induced by intra-raphé infusions of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine following pretreatment with both a noradrenergic and a dopaminergic re-uptake inhibitor. Analysis of tissue monoamine content demonstrated that the MRN lesion profoundly depleted hippocampal 5-HT (by about 90%) without affecting noradrenaline and dopamine, whereas the DRN lesion primarily depleted (by about 80%) nucleus accumbens and caudate-putamen 5-HT. Rats with 5-HT lesions of the MRN performed the task with a similar degree of accuracy to that exhibited by sham-operated controls. Although the MRN lesion did not affect the latency to respond correctly to the visual targets the lesioned animals collected the food reward significantly faster than the controls. A transient increase in the number of premature responses also resulted from this lesion. In contrast the DRN lesion produced a transient but significant increase in the accuracy of performance, and increased both the speed and the probability of responding. The similarity of the effects following global forebrain 5-HT depletion and the selective DRN lesion suggests that the 5-HT projections of the DRN rather than the MRN may play an important role in impulsive behaviour following 5-HT depletion.

Effects of medial prefrontal or anterior cingulate cortex lesions on responding for cocaine under fixed-ratio and second-order schedules of reinforcement in rats

Four experiments examined the effects of excitotoxic, axon-sparing lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex or anterior cingulate cortex in rats on responding under different schedules of intravenous cocaine self-administration and on the locomotor stimulant effects of cocaine. Experiment 1 tested the acquisition and maintenance of cocaine self-administration under a fixed ratio schedule. Rats with medial prefrontal cortex lesions showed facilitated acquisition and enhanced responding for low doses of the drug when lesions were induced before self-administration behaviour was established. Lesions of the anterior cingulate cortex did not affect cocaine self-administration. In experiment 2, rats were trained to respond under a second-order schedule of cocaine reinforcement, where responding during the fixed interval was reinforced by presentation of a cocaine-associated visual stimulus under fixed-ratio contingencies. In control rats, these schedule conditions were found to maintain high rates of responding and a scalloped pattern of responding over time. Omission of conditioned stimulus presentation during the fixed interval significantly disrupted response patterns, confirming that the stimulus served to maintain responding during the fixed interval. By contrast, rats with medial prefrontal cortex lesions showed higher rates and disrupted patterns of responding that were unchanged by stimulus omission. Rats with lesions of the anterior cingulate cortex responded at high rates throughout the fixed interval under all test conditions, indicating that the cocaine-associated stimulus did not serve to maintain temporal patterns of responding in these rats. Experiment 3 demonstrated the lack of effect of either lesion on the acquisition of responding for a non-drug reinforcer, sucrose. In experiment 4, measures of spontaneous and cocaine-induced locomotor activity revealed that rats in both lesion groups were significantly more active than controls regardless of test conditions. These data indicate that facilitated acquisition of cocaine self-administration and disrupted response patterns under second-order schedule contingencies may result from deficits in behavioural inhibition induced by medial prefrontal cortical lesions that contrast with deficits following damage to other limbic cortical regions, such as the basolateral amygdala or anterior cingulate cortex.

Central 5-HT depletion enhances impulsive responding without affecting the accuracy of attentional performance: interactions with dopaminergic mechanisms

A series of ten experiments examined the effects of profound central 5-HT depletion on attentional performance in the rat in the five-choice serial reaction time task, and also determined the effects of such depletion on responding affected by d-amphetamine and by selective dopamine receptor antagonists. Rats were trained to detect and locate brief visual stimuli randomly presented in one of five spatial locations. When performance had stabilised (> 80% correct, < 20% omissions), selective central 5-HT depletion was induced by intracerebroventricular administration of the neurotoxin 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) following pretreatment with both a noradrenergic and a dopaminergic re-uptake inhibitor. The lesioned animals performed the five-choice serial reaction time task with the same degree of accuracy as the sham-operated controls. However, 5-HT depletion reduced the percentage of omitted trials and increased the number of premature/anticipatory responses. This pattern of behaviour following 5-HT depletion could not be attributed to enhanced primary motivation as demonstrated by measures of food intake and latencies to collect food reinforcement. The lesion attenuated the increase of premature responding induced by high doses of systemically administered d-amphetamine. 5-HT depletion also attenuated the dose-dependent decrease in accuracy induced by (-)-sulpiride, a D2 receptor antagonist, although the effects of this drug on response latencies and premature responding were similar in both groups. However, the systemic administration of the D1 receptor antagonist, SCH 23390, blocked the impulsive responding produced by the lesion as indicated by a lack of lesion effects on the percentage of omitted trials and premature responding. The results suggest that central 5-HT depletion results in impulsive, fast responding, which nevertheless does not impair accuracy of visual discrimination performance. The increased impulsivity may be mediated by altered 5-HT-dopamine interactions, with the lesion removing an inhibitory influence over dopamine neurotransmission.

Dissociable effects of cingulate and medial frontal cortex lesions on stimulus-reward learning using a novel Pavlovian autoshaping procedure for the rat: implications for the neurobiology of emotion

The effects of quinolinic acid-induced lesions of the anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate, and medial frontal cortices on stimulus-reward learning were investigated with a novel Pavlovian autoshaping procedure in an apparatus allowing the automated presentation of computer-graphic stimuli to rats (T. J. Bussey, J. L. Muir, & T. W. Robbins, 1994). White vertical rectangles were presented on the left or the right of a computer screen. One of these conditioned stimuli (the CS+) was always followed by the presentation of a sucrose pellet; the other, the CS-, was never followed by reward. With training, rats came to approach the CS+ more often than the CS-. Anterior cingulate cortex-lesioned rats failed to demonstrate normal discriminated approach, making significantly more approaches to the CS- than did sham-operated controls. Medial frontal cortex-lesioned rats acquired the task normally but had longer overall approach latencies. Posterior cingulate cortex lesions did not affect acquisition.

Contrasting effects of excitotoxic lesions of the prefrontal cortex on the behavioural response to D-amphetamine and presynaptic and postsynaptic measures of striatal dopamine function in monkeys

The effects of excitotoxic lesions of the prefrontal cortex on behavioural, neurochemical and molecular indices of dopamine function in the caudate nucleus were studied in the marmoset. The lesion, which encompassed both the lateral and orbital regions of prefrontal cortex, made the animals more sensitive to the performance disrupting effects of the dopamine releasing drug, D-amphetamine, in a variation of the object retrieval task. Specifically, following drug administration, the lesioned marmosets were less able to gain access to food reward in the minimum number of responses. Analysis of the nature of the errors suggested that the deficit was not due to inhibition of a prepotent response as the lesioned monkeys were just as likely to make a detour reach to the unopened side of the box as a direct "line-of-sight" reach into the unopened front of the box. Rather, the data indicated a general disorganization of behaviour. The enhanced behavioural responsiveness to manipulations increasing presynaptic dopamine function was accompanied by neurochemical changes indicating a reduced responsiveness, as revealed by in vivo microdialysis. Thus, in lesioned animals, whilst there were no effects on baseline levels of extracellular dopamine in dorsolateral caudate, evoked release, both to systemic D-amphetamine and to a local depolarizing pulse of potassium ions, was attenuated. These opposite effects of the prefrontal cortex lesion on behavioural and neurochemical indices of striatal dopamine function occurred in the absence of any changes in striatal dopamine receptors of the D1 and D2 subtype, as determined both by radioligand binding assays and measurements of messenger RNA using in situ hydridization techniques. These data provide further insight into the interactions between prefrontal cortex and striatal dopamine function in the non-human primate. In particular, when taken in the light of our previous studies they indicate that following prefrontal manipulations, concurrence between behavioural and neurochemical indices of striatal dopamine function depends, critically, on the behavioural task. These findings are discussed with respect to the growing body of evidence implicating abnormalities in frontostriatal neurotransmission in complex disorders such as schizophrenia.

Triple dissociation of anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate, and medial frontal cortices on visual discrimination tasks using a touchscreen testing procedure for the rat

Four experiments examined effects of quinolinic acid-induced lesions of the anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate, and medial frontal cortices on tests of visual discrimination learning, using a new "touchscreen" testing method for rats. Anterior cingulate cortex lesions impaired acquisition of an 8-pair concurrent discrimination task, whereas posterior cingulate cortex lesions facilitated learning but selectively impaired the late stages of acquisition of a visuospatial conditional discrimination. Medial frontal cortex lesions selectively impaired reversal learning when stimuli were difficult to discriminate; lesions of anterior and posterior cingulate cortex had no effect. These results suggest roles for the anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate, and medial frontal cortex in stimulus-reward learning, stimulus-response learning or response generation, and attention during learning, respectively.

Different types of fear-conditioned behaviour mediated by separate nuclei within amygdala

The amygdala has long been thought to be involved in emotional behaviour, and its role in anxiety and conditioned fear has been highlighted. Individual amygdaloid nuclei have been shown to project to various cortical and subcortical regions implicated in affective processing. Here we show that some of these nuclei have separate roles in distinct mechanisms underlying conditioned fear responses. Rats with lesions of the central nucleus exhibited reduction in the suppression of behaviour elicited by a conditioned fear stimulus, but were simultaneously able to direct their actions to avoid further presentations of this aversive stimulus. In contrast, animals with lesions of the basolateral amygdala were unable to avoid the conditioned aversive stimulus by their choice behaviour, but exhibited normal conditioned suppression to this stimulus. This double dissociation demonstrates that distinct neural systems involving separate amygdaloid nuclei mediate different types of conditioned fear behaviour. We suggest that theories of amygdala function should take into account the roles of discrete amygdala subsystems in controlling different components of integrated emotional responses.

D3 receptor test in vitro predicts decreased cocaine self-administration in rats

The three dopamine agonists with highest reported D3 receptor selectivity in vitro, pramipexole, quinelorane and PD128,907, decreased self-administration of a high dose of cocaine in rats as a result of a leftward shift in the cocaine dose-effect function. In contrast the D3 preferring antagonist nafadotride increased cocaine self-administration. Moreover the relative potencies of these and other D2-like dopamine agonists (lisuride, 7-OH-DPAT, quinpirole, apomorphine, bromocriptine) to modulate cocaine self-administration were highly correlated with their relative potencies for increasing mitogenesis in vitro in cell lines expressing D3 but not D2 receptors. These results support the hypothesis that the D3 receptor may be an important target for pharmacotherapies for cocaine abuse and dependence.

Effects of excitotoxic lesions of the central amygdaloid nucleus on the potentiation of reward-related stimuli by intra-accumbens amphetamine

The present study examined the effects of lesions of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) on the acquisition of a new response with conditioned reinforcement (CR) and its potentiation by intra-accumbens infusions of d-amphetamine (1, 3, 10, and 20 microg/microl). Rats were trained to associate a light-plus-noise compound stimulus with the availability of a sucrose solution before receiving both bilateral ibotenic acid lesions of the CeA and cannulas implanted above the nucleus accumbens. Lesions of the central nucleus did not impair the performance of positively reinforced discriminated approach, nor did they impair the acquisition of a new response with conditioned reinforcement. However, the potentiation of responding with CR following intra-accumbens amphetamine was blocked in lesioned animals. These results are discussed in terms of the possible interactions between associative mechanisms in the amygdala and the mesolimbic dopamine projection.

Contrasting effects of systemic and intracerebral infusions of the 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT on spatial short-term working memory in rats

The present study compared the effects of systemic 8-OH-DPAT (0.05, 0.1 and 1.0 mg/kg) with intra-raphe and intra-hippocampal infusions of 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) (10, 30 100 ng) on delayed non-matching-to-position (DNMP) performance in rats. The highest dose of 8-OH-DPAT administered systemically impaired DNMP performance in a delay-independent manner, increased premature responding and increased response bias. Infusions of 8-OH-DPAT (100 ng) into the median raphe nucleus improved performance accuracy, independent of delay whilst having no effect on any other response measure. Infusions of 8-OH-DPAT into the dorsal raphe nucleus had no effect on performance at any dose tested. Infusions of 8-OH-DPAT into the dorsal hippocampus produced a small impairment in performance which was also independent of delay. However, this decrement in performance accuracy was not accompanied by any changes in other response measures. These findings demonstrate a dissociation between the effects of stimulation of pre- and post-synaptic 5-HT1A receptors on performance of a DNMP task although the changes in performance cannot be accounted for by changes in mnemonic function.

Cognitive enhancers in theory and practice: studies of the cholinergic hypothesis of cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease

The current status of the cholinergic hypothesis of cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease is reviewed in the context of recent attempts to alleviate specific cognitive impairments produced in rats by excitotoxic lesions of basal forebrain neurons by treatment with cholinergic agents. AMPA-induced lesions of the nucleus basalis region in rats produce profound and relatively specific reductions in neocortical markers of cholinergic function but fail to affect performance in many tests of memory and learning in rats. However, such lesions produce specific deficits in responding accurately in a test of visual attentional performance, which are reversed dose-dependently by treatment with systemic physostigmine or nicotine. Analogous improvements have been reported in a clinical trial of the anticholinesterase tacrine in patients with Alzheimer's disease. By contrast, AMPA-induced lesions of the medial septum produce profound reductions in hippocampal acetylcholine and accompanying delay-dependent deficits in a delayed non-matching-to-position procedure which measures spatial working memory in rats. This impairment is shown to be reversed to some extent by treatment with low doses of physostigmine. The results are discussed in terms of the multivariate nature of the neurochemical pathology of Alzheimer's disease and attendant limitations in the use of the cholinergic strategy. The cognitive costs, as well as benefits, of cognitive enhancers are discussed, as well as the need to broaden our therapeutic approach to other neurotransmitter systems and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Symmetrical effects of amphetamine and alpha-flupenthixol on conditioned punishment and conditioned reinforcement: contrasts with midazolam

In a test of conditioned punishment, saline-treated controls showed a moderate bias in responding away from a lever producing a response-contingent auditory conditioned stimulus (CS) that had been paired with mild footshock during training and towards a lever producing a neutral auditory CS. Systemic treatment with the indirect dopamine (DA) agonist amphetamine (0.25-1.0 mg/kg) produced a dose-dependent increase in the punishing effect of the aversive CS, whilst responding on the neutral CS lever was unchanged. Treatment with the dopamine-receptor antagonist alpha-flupenthixol (0.125, 0.25 mg/kg) decreased the efficacy of the punishing CS, but again left responding on the neutral lever unchanged. The benzodiazepine midazolam (0.1, 0.3 mg/kg) had a similar effect to alpha-flupenthixol, but treated animals showed a preference for the aversive CS. Parallel results were observed with amphetamine (0.25 mg/kg) and alpha-flupenthixol (0.125, 0.25 mg/kg) in a matched test of positive conditioned reinforcement, with amphetamine enhancing, and alpha-flupenthixol reducing, the efficacy of the CS paired with food. Midazolam treatment (0.1-1.0 mg/kg) had no effect on the reinforcing impact of an appetitive CS. Thus dopaminergic agents modulate the behavioural impact of both appetitively and aversively motivated conditioned stimuli on instrumental performance, whilst the benzodiazepine midazolam has a selective impact on aversively-motivated stimuli that is qualitatively distinct from that of the dopaminergic antagonist alpha-flupenthixol.

Central cholinergic systems and cognition

The organization and possible functions of basal forebrain and pontine cholinergic systems are reviewed. Whereas the basal forebrain cholinergic neuronal projections likely subserve a common electrophysiological function, e.g. to boost signal-to-noise ratios in cortical target areas, this function has different effects on psychological processes dependent upon the neural network operations within these various cortical domains. Evidence is presented that (a) the nucleus basalis-neocortical cholinergic system contributes greatly to visual attentional function, but not to mnemonic processes per se; (b) the septohippocampal projection is involved in the modulation of short-term spatial (working) memory processes, perhaps by prolonging the neural representation of external stimuli within the hippocampus; and (c) the diagonal band-cingulate cortex cholinergic projection impacts on the ability to utilize response rules through conditional discrimination. We also suggest that nucleus basalis-amygdala cholinergic projections have a role in the retention of affective conditioning while brainstem cholinergic projections to the thalamus and midbrain dopamine neurons affect basic arousal processes (e.g. sleep-wake cycle) and behavioral activation, respectively. The possibilities and limitations of therapeutic interventions with procholinergic drugs in patients with Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders in which basal forebrain cholinergic neurons degenerate are also discussed.

Dissociable effects of anterior and posterior cingulate cortex lesions on the acquisition of a conditional visual discrimination: facilitation of early learning vs. impairment of late learning

Two experiments investigated the effects of quinolinic acid induced lesions of the anterior and posterior cingulate cortices on the acquisition and performance of a conditional visual discrimination (CVD) task, in which rats were required to learn a rule of the type: "If lights are flashing FAST, press the right lever; if SLOW press left". In Experiment 1, animals with lesions of the anterior cingulate cortex (ANT group) demonstrated a significant enhancement in learning during the early stages of task acquisition. Conversely, animals with lesions of the posterior cingulate cortex (POS group) were impaired in learning during the later stages of acquisition. There were no significant differences between the ANT and POS groups on the performance of the task when either variable inter-trial intervals or reduced stimulus durations were imposed. In Experiment 2, the specificity of the lesion effects for processes operative during the early and late stages of learning was tested. Animals were trained to a criterion of 70% correct choices on two consecutive sessions prior to lesioning, and subsequently allowed to continue to acquire the task to the mean asymptotic performance level of 85% correct choices on two consecutive sessions. Animals of the POS group were impaired in learning during this later stage of task acquisition, thus replicating the pattern of results obtained in Experiment 1. The animals in Experiment 2 were then tested following a 30-day retention interval and during extinction (removal of sucrose from the magazine). The extinction test revealed an impairment in the ability of animals in the ANT group to omit lever responses in the absence of reinforcement. These results indicate that the anterior and posterior cingulate cortices are functionally dissociable, and suggest that they may form part of complementary, but competing, learning and memory systems.

Dissociable effects of AMPA-induced lesions of the vertical limb diagonal band of Broca on performance of the 5-choice serial reaction time task and on acquisition of a conditional visual discrimination

The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of the cholinergic innervation of the cingulate cortex in visual attentional function and acquisition of a visual conditional discrimination task. Following AMPA (alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid) lesions of the vertical limb diagonal band of Broca (VDB) which provides the main cholinergic projection to cingulate cortex, animals were not significantly impaired on the 5-choice serial reaction time task. This task, which provides a continuous performance test of visual attention, has previously been shown to be sensitive to AMPA lesions of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (nbM). In contrast to the results obtained for visual attentional function, lesions of the VDB did significantly affect the acquisition of a visual conditional discrimination. While showing a significant facilitation in the early learning stage of acquiring this task animals with lesions of the VDB were significantly impaired during the late stages of learning this task. This late learning deficit was not the result of the animals being unable to learn the task due to the presence of the lesion throughout task acquisition as the results of a second experiment revealed that when animals were pre-trained to 70% accuracy on the task and then lesioned, the impairment in late learning was still apparent. In light of the results presented in the accompanying paper (Bussey et al., Behav. Brain Res., 1996), these results suggest that the early learning effects may be due to cholinergic denervation of the anterior cingulate cortex while the late learning effects may be due to denervation of the posterior cingulate cortex. Taken together with previous work indicating a role for the nbM cholinergic system in visual attentional function, these results suggest a role for the cholinergic innervation of the cingulate cortex in conditional learning but not for continuous attentional performance.

Excitotoxic lesions of the basolateral amygdala impair the acquisition of cocaine-seeking behaviour under a second-order schedule of reinforcement

In these experiments we sought to establish the intravenous (i.v.) self-administration of cocaine under a second-order schedule of reinforcement in order: (i) to obtain reliable, drug-free levels of responding with cocaine as a reinforcer, and (ii) to enable investigation of the neural mechanisms by which arbitrary cues gain motivational salience and, as conditioned reinforcers, control over drug-seeking behaviour. Initially, each infusion of cocaine was made contingent upon a response on one of two identical levers and was paired with a 20-s light conditioned stimulus (CS). Responses on the second lever were recorded, but had no programmed consequence. When rats acquired stable rates of self-administration, a second-order schedule of the type FRx(FRy:S) was introduced, with values of "x" being increased progressively to 10 and then "y" from 2 through 8. Priming (i.e. non-contingent) infusions of cocaine were never given. Once the first infusion was obtained under the second-order schedule, further infusions were made contingent on each response (to a maximum of ten infusions/day). Each stage was repeated daily until the first infusion of each session was achieved within a 5-min criterion. Rats with bilateral, excitotoxic lesions of the basolateral amygdala readily acquired the i.v. self-administration of cocaine under a continuous reinforcement schedule, initially administering more infusions and maintaining a slightly elevated level of self-administration than controls. Despite increased numbers of CS/drug pairings, basolateral amygdala-lesioned rats were severely impaired in the acquisition of the second-order schedule of i.v. cocaine reinforcement. Lesioned rats showed a cocaine dose-response function that was shifted upwards relative to control subjects. There was no significant difference between drug-naive amygdala-lesioned and control animals in the locomotor response to intraperitoneal injections of cocaine. These experiments indicate the feasibility and utility of second-order schedules in studying the neurobehavioural basis of cocaine-seeking behaviour. They suggest a dissociation in the neural mechanisms underlying cocaine-taking and cocaine seeking behaviour, and demonstrate the potential importance of the basolateral amygdala in the processes by which previously neutral stimuli gain control over drug-seeking behaviour.

Effects of excitotoxic lesions of the central amygdaloid nucleus on the potentiation of reward-related stimuli by intra-accumbens amphetamine

The present study examined the effects of lesions of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) on the acquisition of a new response with conditioned reinforcement (CR) and its potentiation by intra-accumbens infusions of d-amphetamine (1, 3, 10, and 20 microg/microl). Rats were trained to associate a light-plus-noise compound stimulus with the availability of a sucrose solution before receiving both bilateral ibotenic acid lesions of the CeA and cannulas implanted above the nucleus accumbens. Lesions of the central nucleus did not impair the performance of positively reinforced discriminated approach, nor did they impair the acquisition of a new response with conditioned reinforcement. However, the potentiation of responding with CR following intra-accumbens amphetamine was blocked in lesioned animals. These results are discussed in terms of the possible interactions between associative mechanisms in the amygdala and the mesolimbic dopamine projection.

Effects of lesions to amygdala, ventral subiculum, medial prefrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens on the reaction to novelty: implication for limbic-striatal interactions

The effects of bilateral excitotoxic lesions of 3 major sources of afferents to the ventral striatum (nucleus accumbens) were compared on an open field test of food neophobia allowing the choice between familiar and novel food. Whereas lesions of the basolateral amygdala and ventral subiculum had qualitatively similar effects to reduce food neophobia (although not affecting the latency to eat), amygdala lesions increased and the ventral subiculum decreased locomotor activity. In contrast, damage to the ventromedial prelimbic prefrontal cortex only affected initial food choice and latency measures. By comparison, excitotoxic lesions of the nucleus accumbens itself and intra-accumbens infusion of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist AP5 increased activity and attenuated food neophobia. Results are discussed in terms of the role of limbic and prefrontal neuronal networks converging in the nucleus accumbens to control different aspects of the behavioral response to novelty.

Dissociations in hippocampal 5-hydroxytryptamine release in the rat following Pavlovian aversive conditioning to discrete and contextual stimuli

The experiments examined the release of 5-hydroxytryptamine using in vivo microdialysis methods in the hippocampus of freely moving rats following Pavlovian aversive conditioning to discrete and contextual stimuli. Differential conditioning was achieved by manipulating the interval between the offset of a discrete auditory 'clicker' stimulus and the onset of a mild foot-shock reinforcer (0.5 mA, 0.5 s). Foot-shock occurred either simultaneously with the last second of the discrete auditory stimulus (in short-trace subjects) or 60 s later (long-trace subjects). In this way, subjects were preferentially conditioned to the discrete stimulus and background 'contextual' stimuli respectively. During conditioning subjects also received two identical unpaired visual stimuli. At test, dialysates were collected and behavioural measures taken as all animals experienced (i) the aversive and two other 'neutral' environments, and (ii) the discrete unconditioned and conditioned stimuli presented in both aversive and neutral environments. Exposure to the aversive environment, but not to either of the two neutral environments, was associated with significantly increased hippocampal 5-hydroxytryptamine release in long-trace subjects. There was also a small but non-significant increase in 5-hydroxytryptamine release in short-trace animals. In contrast, hippocampal 5-hydroxytryptamine release was unaffected by presentation of either of the discrete stimuli under all conditions. The last result was obtained despite robust behavioural responses (freezing) to the discrete conditioned stimulus. These data do not agree with the hypothesis that aversive cues generally activate 5-hydroxytryptamine function in the hippocampus. Rather, they suggest a degree of specificity whereby 5-hydroxytryptamine release in the hippocampus was determined primarily by other qualitative properties of the conditioned aversive stimulus, namely whether the aversive cue was discrete or contextual, as well as by the magnitude of conditioning.

The biological, social and clinical bases of drug addiction: commentary and debate

This article summarizes the main discussions at a meeting on the biological, social and clinical bases of drug addiction focused on contemporary topics in drug dependence. Four main domains are surveyed, reflecting the structure of the meeting: psychological and pharmacological factors; neurobiological substrates; risk factors (including a consideration of vulnerability from an environmental and genetic perspective); and clinical treatment. Among the topics discussed were tolerance, sensitization, withdrawal, craving and relapse; mechanisms of reinforcing actions of drugs at the behavioural, cognitive and neural levels; the role of subjective factors in drug dependence; approaches to the behavioural and molecular genetics of drug dependence; the use of functional neuroimaging; pharmaceutical and psychosocial strategies for treatment; epidemiological and sociological aspects of drug dependence. The survey takes into account the considerable disagreements and controversies arising from the discussions, but also reaches a degree of consensus in certain areas.