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Flerlage WJ, Simmons SC, Thomas EH, Gouty S, Tsuda MC, Wu TJ, Armstrong RC, Cox BM, Nugent FS. Effects of Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Modulation of Lateral Habenula Excitability and Motivated Behavior. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.16.589760. [PMID: 38798343 PMCID: PMC11118357 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.16.589760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a significant health burden due to mTBI-related chronic debilitating cognitive and psychiatric morbidities. Recent evidence from our laboratory suggests a possible dysregulation within reward/motivational circuit function at the level of a subcortical structure, the lateral habenula (LHb), where we demonstrated a causal role for hyperactive LHb in mTBI-induced motivational deficits in self-care grooming behavior in young adult male mice when exposed to mTBI injury during late adolescence (at ~8 weeks old). Here we extended this observation by further characterizing neurobehavioral effects of this repetitive closed head injury model of mTBI in both young adult male and female mice on LHb excitability, corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) modulation of LHb activity, and behavioral responses of motivation to self-care behavior, and approach versus avoidance behavior in the presence of a social- or threat-related stimulus. We show that mTBI increases LHb spontaneous tonic activity in female mice similar to what we previously observed in male mice as well as promoting LHb neuronal hyperexcitability and hyperpolarization-induced LHb bursting in both male and female mice. Interestingly, mTBI only increases LHb intrinsic excitability in male mice coincident with higher levels of the hyperpolarization-activated cation currents (HCN/Ih) and reduces levels of the M-type potassium currents while potentiating M-currents without altering intrinsic excitability in LHb neurons of female mice. Since persistent dysregulation of brain CRF systems is suggested to contribute to chronic psychiatric morbidities and that LHb neurons are highly responsive to CRF, we then tested whether LHb CRF subsystem becomes engaged following mTBI. We found that in vitro inhibition of CRF receptor type 1 (CRFR1) within the LHb normalizes mTBI-induced enhancement of LHb tonic activity and hyperexcitability in both sexes, suggesting that an augmented intra-LHb CRF-CRFR1-mediated signaling contributes to the overall LHb hyperactivity following mTBI. Behaviorally, mTBI diminishes motivation for self-care grooming in female mice as in male mice. mTBI also alters defensive behaviors in the looming shadow task by shifting the innate defensive behaviors towards more passive action-locking rather than escape behaviors in response to an aerial threat in both male and female mice as well as prolonging the latency to escape responses in female mice. While, this model of mTBI reduces social preference in male mice, it induces higher social novelty seeking during the novel social encounters in both male and female mice. Overall, our study provides further translational validity for the use of this preclinical model of mTBI for investigation of mTBI-related reward circuit dysfunction and mood/motivation-related behavioral deficits in both sexes while uncovering a few sexually dimorphic neurobehavioral effects of this model that may differentially affect young males and females when exposed to this type of mTBI injury during late adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J. Flerlage
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - Sarah C. Simmons
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - Emily H. Thomas
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - Shawn Gouty
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - Mumeko C. Tsuda
- Preclinical Behavior and Modeling Core, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
| | - T. John Wu
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Gynecologic Surgery and Obstetrics, Bethesda, MD 20814
| | - Regina C. Armstrong
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - Brian M. Cox
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - Fereshteh S. Nugent
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
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Aguilar LA, Coker CR, McCullers Z, Evans A, Showemimo O, Melkumyan M, Keller BN, Snyder AE, Bingaman SS, Randall PA, Hajnal A, Browning KN, Arnold AC, Silberman Y. Adolescent alcohol disrupts development of noradrenergic neurons in the nucleus of the tractus solitarius and enhances stress behaviors in adulthood in mice in a sex specific manner. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 9:100132. [PMID: 38162404 PMCID: PMC10756564 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2023.100132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are common mental health issues worldwide and can lead to other chronic diseases. Stress is a major factor in the development and continuation of AUDs, and adolescent alcohol exposure can lead to enhanced stress-responsivity and increased risk for AUD development in adulthood. The exact mechanisms behind the interaction between adolescence, stress, and alcohol are not fully understood and require further research. In this regard, the nucleus of the tractus solitarius (NTS) provides dense norepinephrine projections to the extended amygdala, providing a key pathway for stress-related alcohol behaviors. While NTS norepinephrine neurons are known to be alcohol sensitive, whether adolescent alcohol disrupts NTS-norepinephrine neuron development and if this is related to altered stress-sensitivity and alcohol preference in adulthood has not previously been examined. Here, we exposed male and female C57Bl/6J mice to the commonly used adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) vapor model during postnatal day 28-42 and examined AIE effects on: 1) tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA expression in the NTS across various ages (postnatal day 21-90), 2) behavioral responses to acute stress in the light/dark box test in adulthood, 3) NTS TH neuron responses to acute stress and ethanol challenges in adulthood, and 4) ethanol conditioned place preference behavior in adulthood. Overall the findings indicate that AIE alters NTS TH mRNA expression and increases anxiety-like behaviors following acute stress exposure in a sex-dependent manner. These mRNA expression and behavioral changes occur in the absence of AIE-induced changes in NTS TH neuron sensitivity to either acute stress or acute alcohol exposure or changes to ethanol conditioned place preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liz A. Aguilar
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, USA
- Currently at Department of Biology, Indiana University Bloomington, USA
| | - Caitlin R. Coker
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, USA
- Penn State College of Medicine, Graduate Program in Anatomy, USA
- Currently at Georgetown University School of Medicine, USA
| | - Zari McCullers
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, USA
- Penn State College of Medicine, Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, USA
| | - Alexandra Evans
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, USA
- Penn State College of Medicine, Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, USA
| | - Opeyemi Showemimo
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, USA
- Penn State College of Medicine, Graduate Program in Anatomy, USA
| | - Mariam Melkumyan
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, USA
- Penn State College of Medicine, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, USA
| | - Bailey N. Keller
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, USA
- Penn State College of Medicine, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, USA
| | - Angela E. Snyder
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, USA
- Penn State College of Medicine, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, USA
| | - Sarah S. Bingaman
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, USA
| | | | - Andras Hajnal
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, USA
| | - Kirsteen N. Browning
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, USA
| | - Amy C. Arnold
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, USA
| | - Yuval Silberman
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, USA
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3
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Hu P, Wang Y, Qi XH, Shan QH, Huang ZH, Chen P, Ma X, Yang YP, Swaab DF, Samuels BA, Zhang Z, Zhou JN. SIRT1 in the BNST modulates chronic stress-induced anxiety of male mice via FKBP5 and corticotropin-releasing factor signaling. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:5101-5117. [PMID: 37386058 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02144-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
Although clinical reports have highlighted association of the deacetylase sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) gene with anxiety, its exact role in the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders remains unclear. The present study was designed to explore whether and how SIRT1 in the mouse bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a key limbic hub region, regulates anxiety. In a chronic stress model to induce anxiety in male mice, we used site- and cell-type-specific in vivo and in vitro manipulations, protein analysis, electrophysiological and behavioral analysis, in vivo MiniScope calcium imaging and mass spectroscopy, to characterize possible mechanism underlying a novel anxiolytic role for SIRT1 in the BNST. Specifically, decreased SIRT1 in parallel with increased corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) expression was found in the BNST of anxiety model mice, whereas pharmacological activation or local overexpression of SIRT1 in the BNST reversed chronic stress-induced anxiety-like behaviors, downregulated CRF upregulation, and normalized CRF neuronal hyperactivity. Mechanistically, SIRT1 enhanced glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-mediated CRF transcriptional repression through directly interacting with and deacetylating the GR co-chaperone FKBP5 to induce its dissociation from the GR, ultimately downregulating CRF. Together, this study unravels an important cellular and molecular mechanism highlighting an anxiolytic role for SIRT1 in the mouse BNST, which may open up new therapeutic avenues for treating stress-related anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pu Hu
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, PR China.
| | - Yu Wang
- Institute of Brain Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui, China
| | - Xiu-Hong Qi
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, PR China
| | - Qing-Hong Shan
- Institute of Brain Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui, China
| | - Zhao-Huan Huang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Brain-inspired Intelligence Technology and Application, School of Information Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Peng Chen
- Institute of Brain Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui, China
| | - Xiao Ma
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, PR China
| | - Yu-Peng Yang
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, PR China
| | - Dick F Swaab
- Department of Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, An Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Benjamin A Samuels
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Zhi Zhang
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, PR China
| | - Jiang-Ning Zhou
- Institute of Brain Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui, China.
- Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200072, PR China.
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Zhu KW, Tao GJ, Huang ZL, Qu WM, Wang L. Whole-brain connectivity to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis calretinin-expressing interneurons in male mice. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 58:2807-2823. [PMID: 37452644 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a neuropeptide-enriched brain region that modulates a wide variety of emotional behaviours and states, including stress, anxiety, reward and social interaction. The BNST consists of diverse subregions and neuronal ensembles; however, because of the high molecular heterogeneity within BNST neurons, the mechanisms through which the BNST regulates distinct emotional behaviours remain largely unclear. Prior studies have identified BNST calretinin (CR)-expressing neurons, which lack neuropeptides. Here, employing virus-based cell-type-specific retrograde and anterograde tracing systems, we mapped the whole-brain monosynaptic inputs and axonal projections of BNST CR-expressing neurons in male mice. We found that BNST CR-expressing neurons received inputs mainly from the amygdalopiriform transition area, central amygdala and hippocampus and moderately from the medial preoptic area, basolateral amygdala, paraventricular thalamus and lateral hypothalamus. Within the BNST, plenty of input neurons were primarily located in the oval and interfascicular subregions. Furthermore, numerous BNST CR-expressing neuronal boutons were observed within the BNST but not in other brain regions, thus suggesting that these neurons are a type of interneuron. These results will help further elucidate the neuronal circuits underlying the elaborate and distinct functions of the BNST.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke-Wei Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Gui-Jin Tao
- Department of Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhi-Li Huang
- Department of Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei-Min Qu
- Department of Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lu Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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Brown JA, Petersen N, Centanni SW, Jin AY, Yoon HJ, Cajigas SA, Bedenbaugh MN, Luchsinger JR, Patel S, Calipari ES, Simerly RB, Winder DG. An ensemble recruited by α 2a-adrenergic receptors is engaged in a stressor-specific manner in mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:1133-1143. [PMID: 36085168 PMCID: PMC10267140 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01442-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
α2a-adrenergic receptor (α2a-AR) agonists are candidate substance use disorder therapeutics due to their ability to recruit noradrenergic autoreceptors to dampen stress system engagement. However, we recently found that postsynaptic α2a-ARs are required for stress-induced reinstatement of cocaine-conditioned behavior. Understanding the ensembles recruited by these postsynaptic receptors (heteroceptors) is necessary to understand noradrenergic circuit control. We utilized a variety of approaches in FosTRAP (Targeted Recombination in Active Populations) mice to define an ensemble of cells activated by the α2a-AR partial agonist guanfacine ("Guansembles") in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST/BNST), a region key to stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. We define BNST "Guansembles" and show they differ from restraint stress-activated cells. Guanfacine produced inhibition of cAMP-dependent signaling in Guansembles, while chronic restraint stress increased cAMP-dependent signaling. Guanfacine both excited and inhibited aspects of Guansemble neuronal activity. Further, while some stressors produced overall reductions in Guansemble activity, active coping events during restraint stress and exposure to unexpected shocks were both associated with Guansemble recruitment. Using viral tracing, we define a BNST Guansemble afferent network that includes regions involved in the interplay of stress and homeostatic functions. Finally, we show that activation of Guansembles produces alterations in behavior on the elevated plus maze consistent with task-specific anxiety-like behavior. Overall, we define a population of BNST neurons recruited by α2a-AR signaling that opposes the behavioral action of canonical autoreceptor α2a-AR populations and which are differentially recruited by distinct stressors. Moreover, we demonstrate stressor-specific physiological responses in a specific neuronal population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan A Brown
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Nicholas Petersen
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Samuel W Centanni
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Allie Y Jin
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Hye Jean Yoon
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Stephanie A Cajigas
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Michelle N Bedenbaugh
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Joseph R Luchsinger
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Sachin Patel
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Erin S Calipari
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Richard B Simerly
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Danny G Winder
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
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Gyawali U, Martin DA, Sun F, Li Y, Calu D. Dopamine in the dorsal bed nucleus of stria terminalis signals Pavlovian sign-tracking and reward violations. eLife 2023; 12:e81980. [PMID: 37232554 PMCID: PMC10219648 DOI: 10.7554/elife.81980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Midbrain and striatal dopamine signals have been extremely well characterized over the past several decades, yet novel dopamine signals and functions in reward learning and motivation continue to emerge. A similar characterization of real-time sub-second dopamine signals in areas outside of the striatum has been limited. Recent advances in fluorescent sensor technology and fiber photometry permit the measurement of dopamine binding correlates, which can divulge basic functions of dopamine signaling in non-striatal dopamine terminal regions, like the dorsal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (dBNST). Here, we record GRABDA signals in the dBNST during a Pavlovian lever autoshaping task. We observe greater Pavlovian cue-evoked dBNST GRABDA signals in sign-tracking (ST) compared to goal-tracking/intermediate (GT/INT) rats and the magnitude of cue-evoked dBNST GRABDA signals decreases immediately following reinforcer-specific satiety. When we deliver unexpected rewards or omit expected rewards, we find that dBNST dopamine signals encode bidirectional reward prediction errors in GT/INT rats, but only positive prediction errors in ST rats. Since sign- and goal-tracking approach strategies are associated with distinct drug relapse vulnerabilities, we examined the effects of experimenter-administered fentanyl on dBNST dopamine associative encoding. Systemic fentanyl injections do not disrupt cue discrimination but generally potentiate dBNST dopamine signals. These results reveal multiple dBNST dopamine correlates of learning and motivation that depend on the Pavlovian approach strategy employed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Utsav Gyawali
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | - David A Martin
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Fangmiao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Donna Calu
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
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Ge M, Balleine BW. The role of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in the motivational control of instrumental action. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:968593. [DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.968593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We review recent studies assessing the role of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) in the motivational control of instrumental conditioning. This evidence suggests that the BNST and central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) form a circuit that modulates the ventral tegmental area (VTA) input to the nucleus accumbens core (NAc core) to control the influence of Pavlovian cues on instrumental performance. In support of these claims, we found that activity in the oval region of BNST was increased by instrumental conditioning, as indexed by phosphorylated ERK activity (Experiment 1), but that this increase was not due to exposure to the instrumental contingency or to the instrumental outcome per se (Experiment 2). Instead, BNST activity was most significantly incremented in a test conducted when the instrumental outcome was anticipated but not delivered, suggesting a role for BNST in the motivational effects of anticipated outcomes on instrumental performance. To test this claim, we examined the effect of NMDA-induced cell body lesions of the BNST on general Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (Experiment 3). These lesions had no effect on instrumental performance or on conditioned responding during Pavlovian conditioning to either an excitory conditioned stimulus (CS) or a neutral CS (CS0) but significantly attenuated the excitatory effect of the Pavlovian CS on instrumental performance. These data are consistent with the claim that the BNST mediates the general excitatory influence of Pavlovian cues on instrumental performance and suggest BNST activity may be central to CeA-BNST modulation of a VTA-NAc core circuit in incentive motivation.
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Keller BN, Hajnal A, Browning KN, Arnold AC, Silberman Y. Involvement of the Dorsal Vagal Complex in Alcohol-Related Behaviors. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:801825. [PMID: 35330845 PMCID: PMC8940294 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.801825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The neurobiological mechanisms that regulate the development and maintenance of alcohol use disorder (AUD) are complex and involve a wide variety of within and between systems neuroadaptations. While classic reward, preoccupation, and withdrawal neurocircuits have been heavily studied in terms of AUD, viable treatment targets from this established literature have not proven clinically effective as of yet. Therefore, examination of additional neurocircuitries not classically studied in the context of AUD may provide novel therapeutic targets. Recent studies demonstrate that various neuropeptides systems are important modulators of alcohol reward, seeking, and intake behaviors. This includes neurocircuitry within the dorsal vagal complex (DVC), which is involved in the control of the autonomic nervous system, control of intake of natural rewards like food, and acts as a relay of interoceptive sensory information via interactions of numerous gut-brain peptides and neurotransmitter systems with DVC projections to central and peripheral targets. DVC neuron subtypes produce a variety of neuropeptides and transmitters and project to target brain regions critical for reward such as the mesolimbic dopamine system as well as other limbic areas important for the negative reinforcing and aversive properties of alcohol withdrawal such as the extended amygdala. This suggests the DVC may play a role in the modulation of various aspects of AUD. This review summarizes the current literature on neurotransmitters and neuropeptides systems in the DVC (e.g., norepinephrine, glucagon-like peptide 1, neurotensin, cholecystokinin, thyrotropin-releasing hormone), and their potential relevance to alcohol-related behaviors in humans and rodent models for AUD research. A better understanding of the role of the DVC in modulating alcohol related behaviors may lead to the elucidation of novel therapeutic targets for drug development in AUD.
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Shah T, Dunning JL, Contet C. At the heart of the interoception network: Influence of the parasubthalamic nucleus on autonomic functions and motivated behaviors. Neuropharmacology 2022; 204:108906. [PMID: 34856204 PMCID: PMC8688299 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The parasubthalamic nucleus (PSTN), a small nucleus located on the lateral edge of the posterior hypothalamus, has emerged in recent years as a highly interconnected node within the network of brain regions sensing and regulating autonomic function and homeostatic needs. Furthermore, the strong integration of the PSTN with extended amygdala circuits makes it ideally positioned to serve as an interface between interoception and emotions. While PSTN neurons are mostly glutamatergic, some of them also express neuropeptides that have been associated with stress-related affective and motivational dysfunction, including substance P, corticotropin-releasing factor, and pituitary adenylate-cyclase activating polypeptide. PSTN neurons respond to food ingestion and anorectic signals, as well as to arousing and distressing stimuli. Functional manipulation of defined pathways demonstrated that the PSTN serves as a central hub in multiple physiologically relevant networks and is notably implicated in appetite suppression, conditioned taste aversion, place avoidance, impulsive action, and fear-induced thermoregulation. We also discuss the putative role of the PSTN in interoceptive dysfunction and negative urgency. This review aims to synthesize the burgeoning preclinical literature dedicated to the PSTN and to stimulate interest in further investigating its influence on physiology and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanvi Shah
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jeffery L Dunning
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Candice Contet
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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10
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Levine OB, Skelly MJ, Miller JD, Rivera-Irizarry JK, Rowson SA, DiBerto JF, Rinker JA, Thiele TE, Kash TL, Pleil KE. The paraventricular thalamus provides a polysynaptic brake on limbic CRF neurons to sex-dependently blunt binge alcohol drinking and avoidance behavior in mice. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5080. [PMID: 34426574 PMCID: PMC8382748 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25368-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) neurons that synthesize corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) drive binge alcohol drinking and anxiety. Here, we found that female C57BL/6J mice binge drink more than males and have greater basal BNSTCRF neuron excitability and synaptic excitation. We identified a dense VGLUT2 + synaptic input from the paraventricular thalamus (PVT) that releases glutamate directly onto BNSTCRF neurons but also engages a large BNST interneuron population to ultimately inhibit BNSTCRF neurons, and this polysynaptic PVTVGLUT2-BNSTCRF circuit is more robust in females than males. Chemogenetic inhibition of the PVTBNST projection promoted binge alcohol drinking only in female mice, while activation reduced avoidance behavior in both sexes. Lastly, repeated binge drinking produced a female-like phenotype in the male PVT-BNSTCRF excitatory synapse without altering the function of PVTBNST neurons per se. Our data describe a complex, feedforward inhibitory PVTVGLUT2-BNSTCRF circuit that is sex-dependent in its function, behavioral roles, and alcohol-induced plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia B Levine
- Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mary Jane Skelly
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
- Psychology Department, Iona College, New Rochelle, NY, USA
| | - John D Miller
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jean K Rivera-Irizarry
- Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sydney A Rowson
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jeffrey F DiBerto
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jennifer A Rinker
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
- Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Todd E Thiele
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Thomas L Kash
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kristen E Pleil
- Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
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11
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Vázquez-León P, Miranda-Páez A, Chávez-Reyes J, Allende G, Barragán-Iglesias P, Marichal-Cancino BA. The Periaqueductal Gray and Its Extended Participation in Drug Addiction Phenomena. Neurosci Bull 2021; 37:1493-1509. [PMID: 34302618 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-021-00756-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The periaqueductal gray (PAG) is a complex mesencephalic structure involved in the integration and execution of active and passive self-protective behaviors against imminent threats, such as immobility or flight from a predator. PAG activity is also associated with the integration of responses against physical discomfort (e.g., anxiety, fear, pain, and disgust) which occurs prior an imminent attack, but also during withdrawal from drugs such as morphine and cocaine. The PAG sends and receives projections to and from other well-documented nuclei linked to the phenomenon of drug addiction including: (i) the ventral tegmental area; (ii) extended amygdala; (iii) medial prefrontal cortex; (iv) pontine nucleus; (v) bed nucleus of the stria terminalis; and (vi) hypothalamus. Preclinical models have suggested that the PAG contributes to the modulation of anxiety, fear, and nociception (all of which may produce physical discomfort) linked with chronic exposure to drugs of abuse. Withdrawal produced by the major pharmacological classes of drugs of abuse is mediated through actions that include participation of the PAG. In support of this, there is evidence of functional, pharmacological, molecular. And/or genetic alterations in the PAG during the impulsive/compulsive intake or withdrawal from a drug. Due to its small size, it is difficult to assess the anatomical participation of the PAG when using classical neuroimaging techniques, so its physiopathology in drug addiction has been underestimated and poorly documented. In this theoretical review, we discuss the involvement of the PAG in drug addiction mainly via its role as an integrator of responses to the physical discomfort associated with drug withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscila Vázquez-León
- Departamento de Fisiología y Farmacología, Centro de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Ciudad Universitaria, 20131, Aguascalientes, Ags., Mexico
| | - Abraham Miranda-Páez
- Departamento de Fisiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Wilfrido Massieu esq. Manuel Stampa s/n Col. Nueva Industrial Vallejo, 07738, Gustavo A. Madero, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Jesús Chávez-Reyes
- Departamento de Fisiología y Farmacología, Centro de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Ciudad Universitaria, 20131, Aguascalientes, Ags., Mexico
| | - Gonzalo Allende
- Departamento de Fisiología y Farmacología, Centro de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Ciudad Universitaria, 20131, Aguascalientes, Ags., Mexico
| | - Paulino Barragán-Iglesias
- Departamento de Fisiología y Farmacología, Centro de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Ciudad Universitaria, 20131, Aguascalientes, Ags., Mexico.
| | - Bruno A Marichal-Cancino
- Departamento de Fisiología y Farmacología, Centro de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Ciudad Universitaria, 20131, Aguascalientes, Ags., Mexico.
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12
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Luchsinger JR, Fetterly TL, Williford KM, Salimando GJ, Doyle MA, Maldonado J, Simerly RB, Winder DG, Centanni SW. Delineation of an insula-BNST circuit engaged by struggling behavior that regulates avoidance in mice. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3561. [PMID: 34117229 PMCID: PMC8196075 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23674-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Active responses to stressors involve motor planning, execution, and feedback. Here we identify an insular cortex to BNST (insula→BNST) circuit recruited during restraint stress-induced active struggling that modulates affective behavior. We demonstrate that activity in this circuit tightly follows struggling behavioral events and that the size of the fluorescent sensor transient reports the duration of the struggle event, an effect that fades with repeated exposure to the homotypic stressor. Struggle events are associated with enhanced glutamatergic- and decreased GABAergic signaling in the insular cortex, indicating the involvement of a larger circuit. We delineate the afferent network for this pathway, identifying substantial input from motor- and premotor cortex, somatosensory cortex, and the amygdala. To begin to dissect these incoming signals, we examine the motor cortex input, and show that the cells projecting from motor regions to insular cortex are engaged shortly before struggle event onset. This study thus demonstrates a role for the insula→BNST pathway in monitoring struggling activity and regulating affective behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph R Luchsinger
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Tracy L Fetterly
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Kellie M Williford
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Gregory J Salimando
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Marie A Doyle
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jose Maldonado
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Richard B Simerly
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Danny G Winder
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Samuel W Centanni
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
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13
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Carboni E, Carta AR, Carboni E, Novelli A. Repurposing Ketamine in Depression and Related Disorders: Can This Enigmatic Drug Achieve Success? Front Neurosci 2021; 15:657714. [PMID: 33994933 PMCID: PMC8120160 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.657714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Repurposing ketamine in the therapy of depression could well represent a breakthrough in understanding the etiology of depression. Ketamine was originally used as an anesthetic drug and later its use was extended to other therapeutic applications such as analgesia and the treatment of addiction. At the same time, the abuse of ketamine as a recreational drug has generated a concern for its psychotropic and potential long-term effects; nevertheless, its use as a fast acting antidepressant in treatment-resistant patients has boosted the interest in the mechanism of action both in psychiatry and in the wider area of neuroscience. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the actions of ketamine and intends to cover: (i) the evaluation of its clinical use in the treatment of depression and suicidal behavior; (ii) the potential use of ketamine in pediatrics; (iii) a description of its mechanism of action; (iv) the involvement of specific brain areas in producing antidepressant effects; (v) the potential interaction of ketamine with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; (vi) the effect of ketamine on neuronal transmission in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis and on its output; (vii) the evaluation of any gender-dependent effects of ketamine; (viii) the interaction of ketamine with the inflammatory processes involved in depression; (ix) the evaluation of the effects observed with single or repeated administration; (x) a description of any adverse or cognitive effects and its abuse potential. Finally, this review attempts to assess whether ketamine's use in depression can improve our knowledge of the etiopathology of depression and whether its therapeutic effect can be considered an actual cure for depression rather than a therapy merely aimed to control the symptoms of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ezio Carboni
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Anna R. Carta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Elena Carboni
- Unit of Paediatrics, ASST Cremona Maggiore Hospital, Cremona, Italy
| | - Antonello Novelli
- Department of Psychology and University Institute of Biotechnology of Asturias, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
- Sanitary Institute of the Princedom of Asturias, Oviedo, Spain
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14
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Young CE, Tong Q. Corticotropin Releasing Hormone Signaling in the Bed Nuclei of the Stria Terminalis as a Link to Maladaptive Behaviors. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:642379. [PMID: 33867924 PMCID: PMC8044981 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.642379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The bed nuclei of the stria terminalis (BST) is a limbic region in the extended amygdala that is heavily implicated in anxiety processing and hypothalamic-adrenal-pituitary (HPA) axis activation. The BST is complex, with many nuclei expressing different neurotransmitters and receptors involved in a variety of signaling pathways. One neurotransmitter that helps link its functions is corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH). BST CRH neuron activation may cause both anxiogenic and anxiolytic effects in rodents, and CRH neurons interact with other neuron types to influence anxiety-like responses as well as alcohol and drug–seeking behavior. This review covers the link between BST CRH neurons and thirteen other neurotransmitters and receptors and analyzes their effect on rodent behavior. Additionally, it covers the translational potential of targeting CRH signaling pathways for the treatment of human mental health disorders. Given the massive impact of anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders on our society, further research into BST CRH signaling is critical to alleviate the social and economic burdens of those disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Emily Young
- The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Qingchun Tong
- The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy of McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States.,MD Anderson Cancer Center & UTHealth Graduate School of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
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15
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Alcohol. Alcohol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-816793-9.00001-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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16
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Knight CP, Hauser SR, Waeiss RA, Molosh AI, Johnson PL, Truitt WA, McBride WJ, Bell RL, Shekhar A, Rodd ZA. The Rewarding and Anxiolytic Properties of Ethanol within the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala: Mediated by Genetic Background and Nociceptin. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2020; 374:366-375. [PMID: 32527792 PMCID: PMC7430446 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.119.262097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
In humans, alcohol is consumed for its rewarding and anxiolytic effects. The central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) is considered a neuronal nexus that regulates fear, anxiety, and drug self-administration. Manipulations of the CeA alter ethanol (EtOH) consumption under numerous EtOH self-administration models. The experiments determined whether EtOH is reinforcing/anxiolytic within the CeA, whether selective breeding for high alcohol consumption alters the rewarding properties of EtOH in the CeA, and whether the reinforcing/anxiolytic effects of EtOH in the CeA are mediated by the neuropeptides corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and nociceptin. The reinforcing properties of EtOH were determined by having male Wistar and Taconic alcohol-preferring (tP) rats self-administer EtOH directly into the CeA. The expression of anxiety-like behaviors was assessed through multiple behavioral models (social interaction, acoustic startle, and open field). Coadministration of EtOH and a CRF1 antagonist (NBI35965) or nociceptin on self-administration into the CeA and anxiety-like behaviors was determined. EtOH was self-administered directly into the lateral CeA, and tP rats self-administered a lower concentration of EtOH than Wistar rats. EtOH microinjected into the lateral CeA reduced the expression of anxiety-like behaviors, indicating an anxiolytic effect. Coadministration of NBI35965 failed to alter the rewarding/anxiolytic properties of EtOH in the CeA. In contrast, coadministration of the nociceptin enhanced both EtOH reward and anxiolysis in the CeA. Overall, the data indicate that the lateral CeA is a key anatomic location that mediates the rewarding and anxiolytic effects of EtOH, and local nociceptin receptors, but not local CRF1 receptors, are involved in these behaviors. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Alcohol is consumed for the stimulatory, rewarding, and anxiolytic properties of the drug of abuse. The current data are the first to establish that alcohol is reinforcing and anxiolytic within the lateral central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and that the nociceptin system regulates these effects of alcohol within the CeA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher P Knight
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Sheketha R Hauser
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - R Aaron Waeiss
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Andrei I Molosh
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Philip L Johnson
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - William A Truitt
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - William J McBride
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Richard L Bell
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Anantha Shekhar
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Zachary A Rodd
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
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17
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Salimando GJ, Hyun M, Boyt KM, Winder DG. BNST GluN2D-Containing NMDA Receptors Influence Anxiety- and Depressive-like Behaviors and ModulateCell-Specific Excitatory/Inhibitory Synaptic Balance. J Neurosci 2020; 40:3949-3968. [PMID: 32277042 PMCID: PMC7219300 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0270-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Excitatory signaling mediated by NMDARs has been shown to regulate mood disorders. However, current treatments targeting NMDAR subtypes have shown limited success in treating patients, highlighting a need for alternative therapeutic targets. Here, we identify a role for GluN2D-containing NMDARs in modulating emotional behaviors and neural activity in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Using a GluN2D KO mouse line (GluN2D-/-), we assessed behavioral phenotypes across tasks modeling emotional behavior. We then used a combination of ex vivo electrophysiology and in vivo fiber photometry to assess changes in BNST plasticity, cell-specific physiology, and cellular activity profiles. GluN2D-/- male mice exhibit evidence of exacerbated negative emotional behavior, and a deficit in BNST synaptic potentiation. We also found that GluN2D is functionally expressed on corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)-positive BNST cells implicated in driving negative emotional states, and recordings in mice of both sexes revealed increased excitatory and reduced inhibitory drive onto GluN2D-/- BNST-CRF cells ex vivo and increased activity in vivo Using a GluN2D conditional KO line (GluN2Dflx/flx) to selectively delete the subunit from the BNST, we find that BNST-GluN2Dflx/flx male mice exhibit increased depressive-like behaviors, as well as altered NMDAR function and increased excitatory drive onto BNST-CRF neurons. Together, this study supports a role for GluN2D-NMDARs in regulating emotional behavior through their influence on excitatory signaling in a region-specific manner, and suggests that these NMDARs may serve as a novel target for selectively modulating glutamate signaling in stress-responsive structures and cell populations.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Excitatory signaling mediated through NMDARs plays an important role in shaping emotional behavior; however, the receptor subtypes/brain regions through which this occurs are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that loss of GluN2D-containing NMDARs produces an increase in anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in mice, deficits in BNST synaptic potentiation, and increased activity in BNST-CRF neurons known to drive negative emotional behavior. Further, we determine that deleting GluN2D in the BNST leads to increased depressive-like behaviors and increased excitatory drive onto BNST-CRF cells. Collectively, these results demonstrate a role for GluN2D-NMDARs in regulating the activity of stress-responsive structures and neuronal populations in the adult brain, suggesting them as a potential target for treating negative emotional states in mood-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory J Salimando
- Department of Molecular Physics & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, 37212
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, 37212
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Nashville, Tennessee, 37203
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, 37232
| | - Minsuk Hyun
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115
| | - Kristen M Boyt
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599
| | - Danny G Winder
- Department of Molecular Physics & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, 37212
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, 37212
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Nashville, Tennessee, 37203
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, 37232
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, 37212
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, 37212
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18
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Gomes-de-Souza L, Costa-Ferreira W, Oliveira LA, Benini R, Crestani CC. Cannabinoid receptor type 1 in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis modulates cardiovascular responses to stress via local N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor/neuronal nitric oxide synthase/soluble guanylate cyclase/protein kinase G signaling. J Psychopharmacol 2020; 34:429-440. [PMID: 31913077 DOI: 10.1177/0269881119897556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endocannabinoid neurotransmission in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis is involved in the control of cardiovascular responses to stress. However, the local mechanisms involved is this regulation are not known. AIMS The purpose of this study was to assess an interaction of bed nucleus of the stria terminalis endocannabinoid neurotransmission with local nitrergic signaling, as well as to investigate the involvement of local N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor and nitric oxide signaling in the control of cardiovascular responses to acute restraint stress by bed nucleus of the stria terminalis endocannabinoid neurotransmission in rats. METHODS The first protocol evaluated the effect of intra-bed nucleus of the stria terminalis microinjection of the selective cannabinoid receptor type 1 receptor antagonist AM251 in nitrite/nitrate content in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis following restraint stress. The other protocols evaluated the impact of local pretreatment with the selective N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor antagonist LY235959, the selective neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor Nω-propyl-L-arginine, the soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one, or the protein kinase G inhibitor KT5823 in restraint-evoked cardiovascular changes following bed nucleus of the stria terminalis treatment with AM251. RESULTS Bilateral microinjection of AM251 into the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis increased local nitric oxide release during restraint stress. Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis treatment with the cannabinoid receptor type 1 receptor antagonist also enhanced the tachycardia caused by restraint stress, but without affecting arterial pressure increase and sympathetic-mediated cutaneous vasoconstriction. The facilitation of restraint-evoked tachycardia following bed nucleus of the stria terminalis treatment with the cannabinoid receptor type 1 receptor antagonist was completely inhibited by local pretreatment with LY235959, Nω-propyl-L-arginine, 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one, or KT5823. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide evidence that bed nucleus of the stria terminalis endocannabinoid neurotransmission inhibits local N-methyl-D-aspartate/neuronal nitric oxide synthase/soluble guanylate cyclase/protein kinase G signaling, and this mechanism is involved in the control of the cardiovascular responses to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Gomes-de-Souza
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Araraquara, Brazil.,Joint Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar)-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Willian Costa-Ferreira
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Araraquara, Brazil.,Joint Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar)-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Leandro A Oliveira
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Araraquara, Brazil.,Joint Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar)-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Benini
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Araraquara, Brazil.,Joint Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar)-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Carlos C Crestani
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Araraquara, Brazil.,Joint Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar)-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, São Carlos, Brazil
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19
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Beyeler A, Dabrowska J. Neuronal diversity of the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. HANDBOOK OF BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 26:63-100. [PMID: 32792868 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-815134-1.00003-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Beyeler
- Neurocentre Magendie, French National Institutes of Health (INSERM) unit 1215, Neurocampus of Bordeaux University, Bordeaux, France
| | - Joanna Dabrowska
- Center for the Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, United States
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Chronic Stress Induces Maladaptive Behaviors by Activating Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Signaling in the Mouse Oval Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis. J Neurosci 2020; 40:2519-2537. [PMID: 32054675 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2410-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a forebrain region highly responsive to stress that expresses corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and is implicated in mood disorders, such as anxiety. However, the exact mechanism by which chronic stress induces CRH-mediated dysfunction in BNST and maladaptive behaviors remains unclear. Here, we first confirmed that selective acute optogenetic activation of the oval nucleus BNST (ovBNST) increases maladaptive avoidance behaviors in male mice. Next, we found that a 6 week chronic variable mild stress (CVMS) paradigm resulted in maladaptive behaviors and increased cellular excitability of ovBNST CRH neurons by potentiating mEPSC amplitude, altering the resting membrane potential, and diminishing M-currents (a voltage-gated K+ current that stabilizes membrane potential) in ex vivo slices. CVMS also increased c-fos+ cells in ovBNST following handling. We next investigated potential molecular mechanism underlying the electrophysiological effects and observed that CVMS increased CRH+ and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide+ (PACAP; a CRH upstream regulator) cells but decreased striatal-enriched protein tyrosine phosphatase+ (a STEP CRH inhibitor) cells in ovBNST. Interestingly, the electrophysiological effects of CVMS were reversed by CRHR1-selective antagonist R121919 application. CVMS also activated protein kinase A (PKA) in BNST, and chronic infusion of the PKA-selective antagonist H89 into ovBNST reversed the effects of CVMS. Coadministration of the PKA agonist forskolin prevented the beneficial effects of R121919. Finally, CVMS induced an increase in surface expression of phosphorylated GluR1 (S845) in BNST. Collectively, these findings highlight a novel and indispensable stress-induced role for PKA-dependent CRHR1 signaling in activating BNST CRH neurons and mediating maladaptive behaviors.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Chronic stress and acute activation of oval bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (ovBNST) induces maladaptive behaviors in rodents. However, the precise molecular and electrophysiological mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that chronic variable mild stress activates corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-associated stress signaling and CRH neurons in ovBNST by potentiating mEPSC amplitude and decreasing M-current in male mice. These electrophysiological alterations and maladaptive behaviors were mediated by BNST protein kinase A-dependent CRHR1 signaling. Our results thus highlight the importance of BNST CRH dysfunction in chronic stress-induced disorders.
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Carzoli KL, Sharfman NM, Lerner MR, Miller MC, Holmgren EB, Wills TA. Regulation of NMDA Receptor Plasticity in the BNST Following Adolescent Alcohol Exposure. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:440. [PMID: 31636539 PMCID: PMC6787153 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Persistent alterations in synaptic plasticity and neurotransmission are thought to underlie the heightened risk of adolescent-onset drinkers to develop alcohol use disorders in adulthood. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a compelling region to study the consequences of early alcohol, as it is innervated by cortical structures which undergo continued maturation during adolescence and is critically involved in stress and negative affect-associated relapse. In adult mice, chronic ethanol induces long-term changes in GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors (NMDARs) of the BNST. It remains unclear, however, whether the adolescent BNST is susceptible to such persistent alcohol-induced modifications and, if so, whether they are preserved into adulthood. We therefore examined the short- and long-term consequences of adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure (AIE) on NMDAR transmission and plasticity in the BNST of male and female mice. Whole-cell voltage clamp recordings revealed greater glutamatergic tone in the BNST of AIE-treated males and females relative to air-controls. This change, which corresponded to an increase in presynaptic glutamate release, resulted in altered postsynaptic NMDAR metaplasticity and enhanced GluN2B transmission in males but not females. Only AIE-treated males displayed upregulated GluN2B expression (determined by western blot analysis). While these changes did not persist into adulthood under basal conditions, exposing adult males (but not females) to acute restraint stress reinstated AIE-induced alterations in NMDAR metaplasticity and GluN2B function. These data demonstrate that adolescent alcohol exposure specifically modifies NMDARs in the male BNST, that the plastic changes to NMDARs are long-lasting, and that they can be engaged by stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn L. Carzoli
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Nathan M. Sharfman
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Mollie R. Lerner
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Miriam C. Miller
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Eleanor B. Holmgren
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Tiffany A. Wills
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States
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22
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Jacobskind JS, Rosinger ZJ, Brooks ML, Zuloaga DG. Stress-induced neural activation is altered during early withdrawal from chronic methamphetamine. Behav Brain Res 2019; 366:67-76. [PMID: 30902659 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.03.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Chronic methamphetamine (MA) use can lead to increased symptoms of depression and anxiety during abstinence. Less is known about the specific brain regions that are altered following repeated MA that may be associated with these behavioral perturbations. Furthermore, MA has been reported to recruit and activate microglia in the brain, which may exacerbate stress-associated behavioral changes. In the present study, male and female mice were injected with MA (5 mg/kg) or saline once daily for 10 days, and during early withdrawal were assessed for alterations in immediate early gene (c-Fos) responses to a forced swim stressor. Chronic MA exposure increased floating and decreased swim time in the forced swim test in male and female mice tested 48 h after the final dose, indicating elevated depressive-like behavior. Furthermore, assessment of nest building, a measure of distress or despair-like behavior, revealed a sex-specific effect with only MA-treated females showing impairments. The c-Fos response to forced swim was attenuated by prior MA exposure in the central amygdala, CA3 hippocampal region, prefrontal cortex, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST). In the BST this attenuation occurred only in males. Neither the total number of microglia or activated microglia were altered by chronic MA exposure in regions examined. The primary findings indicate that chronic MA exposure attenuates activation of select stress-associated brain regions, a dysregulation that might contribute to alterations in mood-related behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason S Jacobskind
- University at Albany, Department of Psychology, Albany, NY 12222, United States
| | - Zachary J Rosinger
- University at Albany, Department of Psychology, Albany, NY 12222, United States
| | - Morgan L Brooks
- University at Albany, Department of Psychology, Albany, NY 12222, United States
| | - Damian G Zuloaga
- University at Albany, Department of Psychology, Albany, NY 12222, United States.
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23
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Goode TD, Ressler RL, Acca GM, Miles OW, Maren S. Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis regulates fear to unpredictable threat signals. eLife 2019; 8:46525. [PMID: 30946011 PMCID: PMC6456295 DOI: 10.7554/elife.46525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) has been implicated in conditioned fear and anxiety, but the specific factors that engage the BNST in defensive behaviors are unclear. Here we examined whether the BNST mediates freezing to conditioned stimuli (CSs) that poorly predict the onset of aversive unconditioned stimuli (USs) in rats. Reversible inactivation of the BNST selectively reduced freezing to CSs that poorly signaled US onset (e.g., a backward CS that followed the US), but did not eliminate freezing to forward CSs even when they predicted USs of variable intensity. Additionally, backward (but not forward) CSs selectively increased Fos in the ventral BNST and in BNST-projecting neurons in the infralimbic region of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), but not in the hippocampus or amygdala. These data reveal that BNST circuits regulate fear to unpredictable threats, which may be critical to the etiology and expression of anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis D Goode
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Reed L Ressler
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Gillian M Acca
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Olivia W Miles
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
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24
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Ruisoto P, Contador I. The role of stress in drug addiction. An integrative review. Physiol Behav 2019; 202:62-68. [PMID: 30711532 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The high prevalence and burden to society of drug abuse and addiction is undisputed. However, its conceptualisation as a brain disease is controversial, and available interventions insufficient. Research on the role of stress in drug addiction may bridge positions and develop more effective interventions. AIM The aim of this paper is to integrate the most influential literature to date on the role of stress in drug addiction. METHODS A literature search was conducted of the core collections of Web of Science and Semantic Scholar on the topic of stress and addiction from a neurobiological perspective in humans. The most frequently cited articles and related references published in the last decade were finally redrafted into a narrative review based on 130 full-text articles. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION First, a brief overview of the neurobiology of stress and drug addiction is provided. Then, the role of stress in drug addiction is described. Stress is conceptualised as a major source of allostatic load, which result in progressive long-term changes in the brain, leading to a drug-prone state characterized by craving and increased risk of relapse. The effects of stress on drug addiction are mainly mediated by the action of corticotropin-releasing factor and other stress hormones, which weaken the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex and strengthen the amygdala, leading to a negative emotional state, craving and lack of executive control, increasing the risk of relapse. Both, drugs and stress result in an allostatic overload responsible for neuroadaptations involved in most of the key features of addiction: reward anticipation/craving, negative affect, and impaired executive functions, involved in three stages of addiction and relapse. CONCLUSION This review elucidates the crucial role of stress in drug addiction and highlights the need to incorporate the social context where brain-behaviour relationships unfold into the current model of addition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Ruisoto
- Department of Psychobiology, Methodology and Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Psychology, University of Salamanca, Spain.
| | - Israel Contador
- Department of Psychobiology, Methodology and Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Psychology, University of Salamanca, Spain
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25
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Hefner KR, Starr MJ, Curtin JJ. Heavy marijuana use but not deprivation is associated with increased stressor reactivity. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 127:348-358. [PMID: 29745700 DOI: 10.1037/abn0000344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Although stressors appear to motivate marijuana use, and marijuana use, in turn, is believed to induce stress system neuroadaptations, relatively little empirical work has explicitly tested for stress neuroadaptations associated with heavy marijuana use. We examined stressor reactivity to threat of unpredictable electric shock via startle potentiation among heavy marijuana users and a control group that reported minimal history of marijuana use. Heavy marijuana users were randomly assigned to 3 days of marijuana deprivation or no deprivation. This design allowed us to test contrasts for heavy (vs. minimal) use and deprivation (vs. no deprivation) on stressor reactivity. Heavy marijuana users (both deprived and nondeprived) displayed increased startle potentiation during threat of unpredictable electric shock relative to minimal use controls. In contrast, marijuana deprivation had no effect on startle potentiation. Startle potentiation was also increased among users who reported greater stress-coping motives for their marijuana use and users with cannabis use disorder diagnoses. To our knowledge, this is the 1st study to demonstrate increased reactivity to unpredictable stressors among heavy marijuana users. However, comparable increased unpredictable stressor reactivity among patients with alcohol and other substance use disorders has been previously documented. This relationship to heavy marijuana use is consistent with predictions from rodent addiction models regarding stress neuroadaptations following heavy, chronic drug use but could also represent an etiologically relevant premorbid risk characteristic. Finally, the clinical import of unpredictable stressor reactivity is reinforced by its relationships with stress-coping motives and cannabis use disorder status. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark J Starr
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
| | - John J Curtin
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
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26
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Maracle AC, Normandeau CP, Dumont ÉC, Olmstead MC. Dopamine in the oval bed nucleus of the stria terminalis contributes to compulsive responding for sucrose in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:381-389. [PMID: 30030542 PMCID: PMC6300551 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0149-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Revised: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by periods of excessive food intake combined with subjective feelings of loss of control. We examined whether sucrose bingeing itself leads to uncontrolled or compulsive responding and whether this effect is magnified following a period of abstinence. We then assessed dopamine (DA) modulation of inhibitory synaptic transmission in the oval bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (ovBNST) as a neural correlate of compulsive responding and whether this behavioral effect could be disrupted by DA blockade in the ovBNST. Over 28 days, male Long-Evans rats (n = 8-16 per group) had access to 10% sucrose and food (12 or 24 h), 0.1% saccharin and food (12 h), or food alone (12 h). Compulsive responding was assessed following 1 or 28 days of sucrose abstinence using a conditioned suppression paradigm. Only rats given 12 h access to sucrose developed binge-like intake, manifested as copious intake within the first hour; compulsive responding was significantly elevated in this group following 28 days of abstinence. In parallel, the effect of DA on ovBNST inhibitory transmission switched from a reduction to a potentiation; the effect, although observable after 1 day, was more pronounced and sustained following 28 days of abstinence. Intra-ovBNST infusions of a DA D1 receptor antagonist (0.8 µg/µl SCH-23390) reversed the blockade of conditioned suppression, thereby confirming the causal relationship between ovBNST DA modulation of γ-aminobutyric acid transmission and alterations in conditioned suppression following binge-like intake of sucrose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda C Maracle
- Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Catherine P Normandeau
- Center for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Éric C Dumont
- Center for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Mary C Olmstead
- Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada.
- Center for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada.
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada.
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27
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Schreiber AL, McGinn MA, Edwards S, Gilpin NW. Predator odor stress blunts alcohol conditioned aversion. Neuropharmacology 2019; 144:82-90. [PMID: 30336151 PMCID: PMC6286202 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder is highly co-morbid with traumatic stress disorders in humans, and dually diagnosed individuals cite negative affective symptoms as a primary reason for drinking alcohol. Therefore, it is reasonable to hypothesize that traumatic stress history increases the rewarding properties and/or blunts the aversive properties of alcohol. We used a place conditioning procedure to test the rewarding/aversive properties of alcohol in adult male Wistar rats with or without a traumatic stress (i.e., predator odor exposure) history, and with or without an alcohol drinking history. Because extended amygdala regions have documented roles in stress, reward, and stress-induced changes in reward, we also tested the effect of acute alcohol on CREB phosphorylation (pCREB) and striatal-enriched protein tyrosine phosphatase (STEP) expression in central amygdala (CeA) and bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST). Our results show that a moderate alcohol dose (1.0 g/kg) produces conditioned place aversion (CPA) that is blunted by stress history but is not affected by alcohol drinking history, and this effect differed in pair-housed versus single-housed rats. Stress history reduced pCREB expression in BNST of rats with and without an alcohol drinking history. Finally, acute alcohol effects on pCREB and STEP expression in CeA were positively associated with preference for the alcohol-paired chamber. These data suggest that stress history reduces the aversive properties of moderate alcohol doses, and that alcohol aversion is associated with acute alcohol effects on pCREB and STEP expression in the extended amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allyson L Schreiber
- Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, United States
| | - M Adrienne McGinn
- Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, United States
| | - Scott Edwards
- Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, United States; Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, New Orleans, LA, 70112, United States
| | - Nicholas W Gilpin
- Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, United States; Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, New Orleans, LA, 70112, United States.
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28
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Dedic N, Chen A, Deussing JM. The CRF Family of Neuropeptides and their Receptors - Mediators of the Central Stress Response. Curr Mol Pharmacol 2018; 11:4-31. [PMID: 28260504 PMCID: PMC5930453 DOI: 10.2174/1874467210666170302104053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2015] [Revised: 11/26/2015] [Accepted: 08/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Background: Dysregulated stress neurocircuits, caused by genetic and/or environmental changes, underlie the development of many neuropsychiatric disorders. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is the major physiological activator of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and conse-quently a primary regulator of the mammalian stress response. Together with its three family members, urocortins (UCNs) 1, 2, and 3, CRF integrates the neuroendocrine, autonomic, metabolic and behavioral responses to stress by activating its cognate receptors CRFR1 and CRFR2. Objective: Here we review the past and current state of the CRF/CRFR field, ranging from pharmacologi-cal studies to genetic mouse models and virus-mediated manipulations. Results: Although it is well established that CRF/CRFR1 signaling mediates aversive responses, includ-ing anxiety and depression-like behaviors, a number of recent studies have challenged this viewpoint by revealing anxiolytic and appetitive properties of specific CRF/CRFR1 circuits. In contrast, the UCN/CRFR2 system is less well understood and may possibly also exert divergent functions on physiol-ogy and behavior depending on the brain region, underlying circuit, and/or experienced stress conditions. Conclusion: A plethora of available genetic tools, including conventional and conditional mouse mutants targeting CRF system components, has greatly advanced our understanding about the endogenous mecha-nisms underlying HPA system regulation and CRF/UCN-related neuronal circuits involved in stress-related behaviors. Yet, the detailed pathways and molecular mechanisms by which the CRF/UCN-system translates negative or positive stimuli into the final, integrated biological response are not completely un-derstood. The utilization of future complementary methodologies, such as cell-type specific Cre-driver lines, viral and optogenetic tools will help to further dissect the function of genetically defined CRF/UCN neurocircuits in the context of adaptive and maladaptive stress responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Dedic
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr, 2-10, 80804 Munich. Germany
| | - Alon Chen
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr, 2-10, 80804 Munich. Germany
| | - Jan M Deussing
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr, 2-10, 80804 Munich. Germany
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22 kHz and 55 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations differentially influence neural and behavioral outcomes: Implications for modeling anxiety via auditory stimuli in the rat. Behav Brain Res 2018; 360:134-145. [PMID: 30521931 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The communicative role of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in rats is well established, with distinct USVs indicative of different affective states. USVs in the 22 kHz range are typically emitted by adult rats when in anxiety- or fear-provoking situations (e.g. predator odor, social defeat), while 55 kHz range USVs are typically emitted in appetitive situations (e.g., play, anticipation of reward). Previous work indicates that USVs (real-time and playback) can effectively communicate these affective states and influence changes in behavior and neural activity of the receiver. Changes in cFos activation following 22 kHz USVs have been seen in cortical and limbic regions involved in anxiety, including the basolateral amygdala (BLA). However, it is unclear how USV playback influences cFos activity within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a region also thought to be critical in processing anxiety-related information, and the nucleus accumbens, a region associated with reward. The present work sought to characterize distinct behavioral, physiological, and neural responses in rats presented with aversive (22 kHz) compared to appetitive (55 kHz) USVs or silence. Our findings show that rats exposed to 22 kHz USVs: 1) engage in anxiety-like behaviors in the elevated zero maze, and 2) show distinct patterns of cFos activation within the BLA and BNST that contrast those seen in 55 kHz playback and silence. Specifically, 22 kHz USVs increased cFos density in the anterodorsal nuclei, while 55 kHz playback increased cFos in the oval nucleus of the BNST, without significant changes within the nucleus accumbens. These results provide important groundwork for leveraging ethologically-relevant stimuli in the rat to improve our understanding of anxiety-related responses in both typical and pathological populations.
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Walter AL, Bartsch JC, Datunashvili M, Blaesse P, Lange MD, Pape HC. Physiological Profile of Neuropeptide Y-Expressing Neurons in Bed Nucleus of Stria Terminalis in Mice: State of High Excitability. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:393. [PMID: 30455634 PMCID: PMC6231247 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Both, the anterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the neuropeptide Y (NPY) system are involved in shaping fear and defensive responses that adapt the organism to potentially life-threatening conditions. NPY is expressed in the BNST but NPY-expressing neurons in this critical hub in the stress response network have not been addressed before. Therefore, we performed whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in acute slices of anterior BNST from Npy-hrGFP transgenic mice to identify and characterize NPY-expressing neurons. We show that NPY-positive and NPY-negative neurons in anterior BNST match the previous classification scheme of type I (Regular Spiking), type II (Low-Threshold Bursting), and type III (fast Inward Rectifying) cells, although the proportion of these physiological phenotypes was similar within both neuronal subpopulations. However, NPY-positive and NPY-negative neurons possessed distinct intrinsic electrophysiological properties. NPY-positive neurons displayed higher input resistance and lower membrane capacitance, corresponding to small cell bodies and shorter less ramified dendrites, as compared to their NPY-negative counterparts. Furthermore, NPY-positive neurons generated higher frequent series of action potentials upon membrane depolarization and displayed significantly lower GABAA receptor-mediated synaptic responsiveness during evoked, spontaneous, and elementary synaptic activity. Taken together, these properties indicate an overall state of high excitability in NPY-positive neurons in anterior BNST. In view of the role of the anterior BNST in anxiety- and stress-related behaviors, these findings suggest a scenario where NPY-positive neurons are preferentially active and responsive to afferent inputs, thereby contributing to adaptation of the organism to stressful environmental encounters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achim Leonhard Walter
- Institute of Physiology I, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Maia Datunashvili
- Institute of Physiology I, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Peter Blaesse
- Institute of Physiology I, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Maren Denise Lange
- Institute of Physiology I, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Hans-Christian Pape
- Institute of Physiology I, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
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31
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CRF modulation of central monoaminergic function: Implications for sex differences in alcohol drinking and anxiety. Alcohol 2018; 72:33-47. [PMID: 30217435 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2018.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Revised: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Decades of research have described the importance of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling in alcohol addiction, as well as in commonly co-expressed neuropsychiatric diseases, including anxiety and mood disorders. However, CRF signaling can also acutely regulate binge alcohol consumption, anxiety, and affect in non-dependent animals, possibly via modulation of central monoaminergic signaling. We hypothesize that basal CRF tone is particularly high in animals and humans with an inherent propensity for high anxiety and alcohol consumption, and thus these individuals are at increased risk for the development of alcohol use disorder and comorbid neuropsychiatric diseases. The current review focuses on extrahypothalamic CRF circuits, particularly those stemming from the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), found to play a role in basal phenotypes, and examines whether the intrinsic hyperactivity of these circuits is sufficient to escalate the expression of these behaviors and steepen the trajectory of development of disease states. We focus our efforts on describing CRF modulation of biogenic amine neuron populations that have widespread projections to the forebrain to modulate behaviors, including alcohol and drug intake, stress reactivity, and anxiety. Further, we review the known sex differences and estradiol modulation of these neuron populations and CRF signaling at their synapses to address the question of whether females are more susceptible to the development of comorbid addiction and stress-related neuropsychiatric diseases because of hyperactive extrahypothalamic CRF circuits compared to males.
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32
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Barretto-de-Souza L, Adami MB, Benini R, Crestani CC. Dual role of nitrergic neurotransmission in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in controlling cardiovascular responses to emotional stress in rats. Br J Pharmacol 2018; 175:3773-3783. [PMID: 30007000 DOI: 10.1111/bph.14447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Revised: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The aim of the present study was to assess the interaction of nitrergic neurotransmission within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) with local glutamatergic and noradrenergic neurotransmission in the control of cardiovascular responses to acute restraint stress in rats. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Interaction with local noradrenergic neurotransmission was evaluated using local pretreatment with the selective α1 -adrenoceptor antagonist WB4101 before microinjection of the NO donor NOC-9 into the BNST. Interaction with glutamatergic neurotransmission was assessed by pretreating the BNST with a selective inhibitor of neuronal NOS (nNOS), Nω-propyl-L-arginine (NPLA) before local microinjection of NMDA. The effect of intra-BNST NPLA microinjection in animals locally pretreated with WB4101 was also evaluated. KEY RESULTS NOC-9 reduced the heart rate (HR) and blood pressure increases evoked by restraint stress. These effects of NOC-9 on HR, but not in blood pressure, was inhibited by pretreatment of BNST with WB4101. NMDA enhanced the restraint-evoked HR increase, and this effect was abolished following BNST pretreatment with NPLA. Administration of NPLA to the BNST of animals pretreated locally with WB4101 decreased the HR and blood pressure increases induced by restraint. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS These results indicate that inhibitory control of stress-evoked cardiovascular responses by nitrergic signalling in the BNST is mediated by a facilitation of local noradrenergic neurotransmission. The present data also provide evidence of an involvement of local nNOS in facilitatory control of tachycardia during stress by NMDA receptors within the BNST.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Barretto-de-Souza
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil.,Joint UFSCar-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Mariane B Adami
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Benini
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil.,Joint UFSCar-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Carlos C Crestani
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil.,Joint UFSCar-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
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Shimamoto A. Social Defeat Stress, Sex, and Addiction-Like Behaviors. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2018; 140:271-313. [PMID: 30193707 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2018.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Social confrontation is a form of social interaction in animals where two conspecific individuals confront each other in dispute over territory, during the formation of hierarchies, and during breeding seasons. Typically, a social confrontation involves a prevailing individual and a yielding individual. The prevailing individual often exhibits aggressive postures and launches attacks, whereas the yielding individual often adopts postures of defeat. The yielding or defeated animals experience a phenomenon known as social defeat stress, in which they show exaggerated stress as well as autonomic and endocrine responses that cause impairment of both the brain and body. In laboratory settings, one can reliably generate social defeat stress by allowing a naïve (or already defeated) animal to intrude into a home cage in which its resident has already established a territory or is nursing. This resident-intruder paradigm has been widely used in both males and females to study mechanisms in the brain that underlie the stress responses. Stress has profound effects on drug reward for cocaine, methamphetamine, alcohol, and opioids. Particularly, previous experiences with social defeat can exaggerate subsequent addiction-like behaviors. The extent of these addiction-like behaviors depends on the intensity, duration, frequency, and intermittency of the confrontation episodes. This chapter describes four types of social defeat stress: acute, repeated, intermittent, and chronic. Specifically, it focuses on social defeat stress models used in laboratories to study individual, sex, and animal strain differences in addiction-like behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akiko Shimamoto
- Department of Biochemistry, Cancer Biology, Neuroscience, and Pharmacology, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN, United States.
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Verheij MMM, Contet C, Karel P, Latour J, van der Doelen RHA, Geenen B, van Hulten JA, Meyer F, Kozicz T, George O, Koob GF, Homberg JR. Median and Dorsal Raphe Serotonergic Neurons Control Moderate Versus Compulsive Cocaine Intake. Biol Psychiatry 2018; 83:1024-1035. [PMID: 29357981 PMCID: PMC5960600 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.10.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Revised: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reduced expression of the serotonin transporter (SERT) promotes anxiety and cocaine intake in both humans and rats. We tested the hypothesis that median raphe nucleus (MRN) and dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) serotonergic projections differentially mediate these phenotypes. METHODS We used virally mediated RNA interference to locally downregulate SERT expression and compared the results with those of constitutive SERT knockout. Rats were allowed either short access (ShA) (1 hour) or long access (LgA) (6 hours) to cocaine self-administration to model moderate versus compulsive-like cocaine taking. RESULTS SERT knockdown in the MRN increased cocaine intake selectively under ShA conditions and, like ShA cocaine self-administration, reduced corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) immunodensity in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. In contrast, SERT knockdown in the DRN increased cocaine intake selectively under LgA conditions and, like LgA cocaine self-administration, reduced CRF immunodensity in the central nucleus of the amygdala. SERT knockdown in the MRN or DRN produced anxiety-like behavior, as did withdrawal from ShA or LgA cocaine self-administration. The phenotype of SERT knockout rats was a summation of the phenotypes generated by MRN- and DRN-specific SERT knockdown. CONCLUSIONS Our results highlight a differential role of serotonergic projections arising from the MRN and DRN in the regulation of cocaine intake. We propose that a cocaine-induced shift from MRN-driven serotonergic control of CRF levels in the hypothalamus to DRN-driven serotonergic control of CRF levels in the amygdala may contribute to the transition from moderate to compulsive intake of cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel M M Verheij
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Molecular and Animal Physiology, Nijmegen Center for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Candice Contet
- Department of Molecular and Animal Physiology, Nijmegen Center for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Peter Karel
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Judith Latour
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Rick H A van der Doelen
- Department of Anatomy, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Bram Geenen
- Department of Anatomy, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Francisca Meyer
- Department of Neuroscience, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California
| | - Tamas Kozicz
- Department of Anatomy, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Olivier George
- Department of Molecular and Animal Physiology, Nijmegen Center for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - George F Koob
- Neurobiology of Addiction Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Judith R Homberg
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Dedic N, Kühne C, Jakovcevski M, Hartmann J, Genewsky AJ, Gomes KS, Anderzhanova E, Pöhlmann ML, Chang S, Kolarz A, Vogl AM, Dine J, Metzger MW, Schmid B, Almada RC, Ressler KJ, Wotjak CT, Grinevich V, Chen A, Schmidt MV, Wurst W, Refojo D, Deussing JM. Chronic CRH depletion from GABAergic, long-range projection neurons in the extended amygdala reduces dopamine release and increases anxiety. Nat Neurosci 2018; 21:803-807. [PMID: 29786085 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-018-0151-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The interplay between corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and the dopaminergic system has predominantly been studied in addiction and reward, while CRH-dopamine interactions in anxiety are scarcely understood. We describe a new population of CRH-expressing, GABAergic, long-range-projecting neurons in the extended amygdala that innervate the ventral tegmental area and alter anxiety following chronic CRH depletion. These neurons are part of a distinct CRH circuit that acts anxiolytically by positively modulating dopamine release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Dedic
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Claudia Kühne
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Mira Jakovcevski
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Jakob Hartmann
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Andreas J Genewsky
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Karina S Gomes
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.,Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Paulista State University, Araraquara, Brazil
| | - Elmira Anderzhanova
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Max L Pöhlmann
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Simon Chang
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Adam Kolarz
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Annette M Vogl
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Julien Dine
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Michael W Metzger
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Bianca Schmid
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Rafael C Almada
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Carsten T Wotjak
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Valery Grinevich
- Schaller Research Group on Neuropeptides, German Cancer Research Center, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Alon Chen
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Mathias V Schmidt
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Wurst
- Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany.,Technische Universität München, Chair of Developmental Genetics, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Damian Refojo
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.,Instituto de Investigacion en Biomedicina de Buenos Aires (IBioBA)-CONICET-Partner Institute of the Max Planck Society, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jan M Deussing
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
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36
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Authement ME, Langlois LD, Shepard RD, Browne CA, Lucki I, Kassis H, Nugent FS. A role for corticotropin-releasing factor signaling in the lateral habenula and its modulation by early-life stress. Sci Signal 2018; 11:11/520/eaan6480. [PMID: 29511121 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aan6480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Centrally released corticotropin-releasing factor or hormone (extrahypothalamic CRF or CRH) in the brain is involved in the behavioral and emotional responses to stress. The lateral habenula (LHb) is an epithalamic brain region involved in value-based decision-making and stress evasion. Through its inhibition of dopamine-mediated reward circuitry, the increased activity of the LHb is associated with addiction, depression, schizophrenia, and behavioral disorders. We found that extrahypothalamic CRF neurotransmission increased neuronal excitability in the LHb. Through its receptor CRFR1 and subsequently protein kinase A (PKA), CRF application increased the intrinsic excitability of LHb neurons by affecting changes in small-conductance SK-type and large-conductance BK-type K+ channels. CRF also reduced inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid-containing (GABAergic) synaptic transmission onto LHb neurons through endocannabinoid-mediated retrograde signaling. Maternal deprivation is a severe early-life stress that alters CRF neural circuitry and is likewise associated with abnormal mental health later in life. LHb neurons from pups deprived of maternal care exhibited increased intrinsic excitability, reduced GABAergic transmission, decreased abundance of SK2 channel protein, and increased activity of PKA, without any substantial changes in Crh or Crhr1 expression. Furthermore, maternal deprivation blunted the response of LHb neurons to subsequent, acute CRF exposure. Activating SK channels or inhibiting postsynaptic PKA activity prevented the effects of both CRF and maternal deprivation on LHb intrinsic excitability, thus identifying potential pharmacological targets to reverse central CRF circuit dysregulation in patients with associated disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Authement
- Department of Pharmacology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Ludovic D Langlois
- Department of Pharmacology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Ryan D Shepard
- Department of Pharmacology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Caroline A Browne
- Department of Pharmacology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Irwin Lucki
- Department of Pharmacology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Haifa Kassis
- Department of Pharmacology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Fereshteh S Nugent
- Department of Pharmacology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
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37
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Oliveira LA, Gomes-de-Souza L, Benini R, Crestani CC. Control of cardiovascular responses to stress by CRF in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis is mediated by local NMDA/nNOS/sGC/PKG signaling. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2018; 89:168-176. [PMID: 29414029 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2017] [Revised: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The aims of the present study were to assess an interaction of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neurotransmission within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) with local nitrergic signaling, as well as to investigate an involvement of activation of local NMDA glutamate receptor and nitric oxide (NO) signaling in control of cardiovascular responses to acute restraint stress by BNST CRF neurotransmission in rats. We observed that CRF microinjection into the BNST increased local NO release during restraint stress. Furthermore, bilateral microinjection of CRF into the BNST enhanced both the arterial pressure and heart rate increases evoked by restraint stress, but without affecting the sympathetically-mediated cutaneous vasoconstriction. The facilitation of both pressor and tachycardiac responses to restraint stress evoked by BNST treatment with CRF were completely inhibited by local pretreatment with either the selective NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist LY235959, the selective neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) inhibitor Nω-Propyl-l-arginine (NPLA), the soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4]Oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) or the protein kinase G (PKG) inhibitor KT5823. Taken together, these results provide evidence that BNST CRF neurotransmission facilitates local NMDA-mediated glutamatergic neurotransmission and activates nitrergic signaling, and this pathway is involved in control of cardiovascular responses to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandro A Oliveira
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Araraquara, SP, Brazil; Joint UFSCar-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Lucas Gomes-de-Souza
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Araraquara, SP, Brazil; Joint UFSCar-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Benini
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Araraquara, SP, Brazil; Joint UFSCar-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Carlos C Crestani
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Araraquara, SP, Brazil; Joint UFSCar-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
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Lê AD, Funk D, Coen K, Tamadon S, Shaham Y. Role of κ-Opioid Receptors in the Bed Nucleus of Stria Terminalis in Reinstatement of Alcohol Seeking. Neuropsychopharmacology 2018; 43:838-850. [PMID: 28589966 PMCID: PMC5809779 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2017.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2017] [Revised: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
κ-Opioid receptors (KORs) and their endogenous ligand dynorphin are involved in stress-induced alcohol seeking but the mechanisms involved are largely unknown. We previously showed that systemic injections of the KOR agonist U50,488, which induce stress-like aversive states, reinstate alcohol seeking after extinction of the alcohol-reinforced responding. Here, we used the neuronal activity marker Fos and site-specific injections of the KOR antagonist nor-BNI and U50,488 to study brain mechanisms of U50,488-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking. We trained male Long-Evans rats to self-administer alcohol (12% w/v) for 23-30 days. After extinction of the alcohol-reinforced responding, we tested the effect of U50,488 (0, 1.25, 2.5, and 5 mg/kg) on reinstatement of alcohol seeking. Next, we correlated regional Fos expression with reinstatement induced by the most effective U50,488 dose (5 mg/kg). Based on the correlational Fos results, we determined the effect of bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) injections of nor-BNI (4 μg/side) on U50,488-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking, and reinstatement induced by injections of U50,488 (0, 0.3, 1, and 3 μg/side) into the BNST. U50,488-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking was associated with increased Fos expression in multiple brain areas, including the BNST, where it was significantly correlated with lever pressing. U50,488-induced reinstatement was blocked by BNST nor-BNI injections, and BNST U50,488 injections partially mimicked the drug's systemic effect on reinstatement. Our data indicate that the BNST is a critical site for U50,488-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking and suggest that KOR/dynorphin mechanisms in this brain area play a key role in stress-induced alcohol seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- A D Lê
- Neurobiology of Alcohol Laboratory, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Douglas Funk
- Neurobiology of Alcohol Laboratory, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kathleen Coen
- Neurobiology of Alcohol Laboratory, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sahar Tamadon
- Neurobiology of Alcohol Laboratory, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA-NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Yanovich C, Kirby ML, Michaelevski I, Yadid G, Pinhasov A. Social rank-associated stress vulnerability predisposes individuals to cocaine attraction. Sci Rep 2018; 8:1759. [PMID: 29379100 PMCID: PMC5789078 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-19816-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of personality have suggested that dissimilarities in ability to cope with stressful situations results in differing tendency to develop addictive behaviors. The present study used selectively bred stress-resilient, socially-dominant (Dom) and stress-vulnerable, socially-submissive (Sub) mice to investigate the interaction between environmental stress and inbred predisposition to develop addictive behavior to cocaine. In a Conditioned Place Preference (CPP) paradigm using cocaine, Sub mice displayed an aversion to drug, whereas Dom mice displayed drug attraction. Following a 4-week regimen of Chronic Mild Stress (CMS), Sub mice in CPP displayed a marked increase (>400%) in cocaine attraction, whereas Dom mice did not differ in attraction from their non-stressed state. Examination of hippocampal gene expression revealed in Sub mice, exposure to external stimuli, stress or cocaine, increased CRH expression (>100%), which was evoked in Dom mice only by cocaine exposure. Further, stress-induced decreases in DRD1 (>60%) and DRD2 (>50%) expression in Sub mice differed markedly from a complete lack of change in Dom mice. From our findings, we propose that social stratification dictates vulnerability to stress-induced attraction that may lead to addiction via differential regulation of hippocampal response to dopaminergic input, which in turn may influence differing tendency to develop addictive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Yanovich
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | - Michael L Kirby
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | | | - Gal Yadid
- Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center and the Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
| | - Albert Pinhasov
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel.
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Francesconi W, Szücs A, Berton F, Koob GF, Vendruscolo LF, Sanna PP. Opiate dependence induces cell type-specific plasticity of intrinsic membrane properties in the rat juxtacapsular bed nucleus of stria terminalis (jcBNST). Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2017; 234:3485-3498. [PMID: 28986608 PMCID: PMC5993421 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-017-4732-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Drugs of abuse can alter circuit dynamics by modifying synaptic efficacy and/or the intrinsic membrane properties of neurons. The juxtacapsular subdivision of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (jcBNST) has unique connectivity that positions it to integrate cortical and amygdala inputs and provide feed-forward inhibition to the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), among other regions. In this study, we investigated changes in the synaptic and intrinsic properties of neurons in the rat jcBNST during protracted withdrawal from morphine dependence using a combination of conventional electrophysiological methods and the dynamic clamp technique. RESULTS A history of opiate dependence induced a form of cell type-specific plasticity characterized by reduced inward rectification associated with more depolarized resting membrane potentials and increased membrane resistance. This cell type also showed a lower rheobase when stimulated with direct current (DC) pulses as well as a decreased firing threshold under simulated synaptic bombardment with the dynamic clamp. Morphine dependence also decreased excitatory postsynaptic potential amplification, suggesting the downregulation of the persistent Na+ current (I NaP). CONCLUSION These findings show that a history of morphine dependence leads to persistent cell type-specific plasticity of the passive membrane properties of a jcBNST neuronal population, leading to an overall increased excitability of such neurons. By altering the activity of extended amygdala circuits where they are embedded, changes in the integration properties of jcBNST neurons may contribute to emotional dysregulation associated with drug dependence and withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter Francesconi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA and Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Attila Szücs
- BioCircuits Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA and MTA-ELTE NAP-B Neuronal Cell Biology Group, Eötvös Lóránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Fulvia Berton
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Universita’ degli Studi di Pisa, Pisa, Italy and Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - George F. Koob
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla. Current address: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD
| | - Leandro F. Vendruscolo
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla. Current address: National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Pietro Paolo Sanna
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology and Department ofNeuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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Kaye JT, Bradford DE, Magruder KP, Curtin JJ. Probing for Neuroadaptations to Unpredictable Stressors in Addiction: Translational Methods and Emerging Evidence. J Stud Alcohol Drugs 2017; 78:353-371. [PMID: 28499100 DOI: 10.15288/jsad.2017.78.353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Stressors clearly contribute to addiction etiology and relapse in humans, but our understanding of specific mechanisms remains limited. Rodent models of addiction offer the power, flexibility, and precision necessary to delineate the causal role and specific mechanisms through which stressors influence alcohol and other drug use. This review describes a program of research using startle potentiation to unpredictable stressors that is well positioned to translate between animal models and clinical research with humans on stress neuroadaptations in addiction. This research rests on a solid foundation provided by three separate pillars of evidence from (a) rodent behavioral neuroscience on stress neuroadaptations in addiction, (b) rodent affective neuroscience on startle potentiation, and (c) human addiction and affective science with startle potentiation. Rodent stress neuroadaptation models implicate adaptations in corticotropin-releasing factor and norepinephrine circuits within the central extended amygdala following chronic alcohol and other drug use that mediate anxious behaviors and stress-induced reinstatement among drug-dependent rodents. Basic affective neuroscience indicates that these same neural mechanisms are involved in startle potentiation to unpredictable stressors in particular (vs. predictable stressors). We believe that synthesis of these evidence bases should focus us on the role of unpredictable stressors in addiction etiology and relapse. Startle potentiation in unpredictable stressor tasks is proposed to provide an attractive and flexible test bed to encourage tight translation and reverse translation between animal models and human clinical research on stress neuroadaptations. Experimental therapeutics approaches focused on unpredictable stressors hold high promise to identify, repurpose, or refine pharmacological and psychosocial interventions for addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse T Kaye
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
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Laman-Maharg A, Trainor BC. Stress, sex, and motivated behaviors. J Neurosci Res 2017; 95:83-92. [PMID: 27870436 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2016] [Revised: 06/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Stress is a major risk factor for development of psychiatric disorders such as depression and development of substance use disorder. Although there are important sex differences in the prevalence of these disorders, most preclinical models used to study stress-induced disorders have used males only. Social defeat stress is a commonly used method to induce stress in an ethologically relevant way but has only recently begun to be used in female rodents. Using these new female models, recent studies have examined how social defeat stress affects males and females differently at the behavioral, circuit, and molecular levels. This Mini-Review discusses sex differences in the effects of social defeat stress on social behavior and drug-seeking behavior as well as its impact on the mesolimbic dopamine system and the highly connected region of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Laman-Maharg
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, California.,Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California.,Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, California
| | - Brian C Trainor
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, California.,Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California.,Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, California
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Albrechet-Souza L, Viola TW, Grassi-Oliveira R, Miczek KA, de Almeida RMM. Corticotropin Releasing Factor in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis in Socially Defeated and Non-stressed Mice with a History of Chronic Alcohol Intake. Front Pharmacol 2017; 8:762. [PMID: 29118713 PMCID: PMC5660971 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress exposure has been identified as one risk factor for alcohol abuse that may facilitate the transition from social or regulated use to the development of alcohol dependence. Preclinical studies have shown that dysregulation of the corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) neurotransmission has been implicated in stress-related psychopathologies such as depression and anxiety, and may affect alcohol consumption. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) contains CRF-producing neurons which seem to be sensitive to stress. In this study, adult male C57BL/6 mice previously defeated in resident-intruder confrontations were evaluated in the elevated plus-maze and tail suspension test. Mice were also tested for sweet solution intake before and after social stress. After having had continuous access to ethanol (20% weight/volume) for 4 weeks, control and stressed mice had CRF type 1 (CRFR1) or type 2 (CRFR2) receptor antagonists infused into the BNST and then had access to ethanol for 24 h. In separate cohorts of control and stressed mice, we assessed mRNA levels of BNST CRF, CRFR1 and CRFR2. Stressed mice increased their intake of sweet solution after ten sessions of social defeat and showed reduced activity in the open arms of the elevated plus-maze. When tested for ethanol consumption, stressed mice persistently drank significantly more than controls during the 4 weeks of access. Also, social stress induced higher BNST CRF mRNA levels. The selective blockade of BNST CRFR1 with CP376,395 effectively reduced alcohol drinking in non-stressed mice, whereas the selective CRFR2 antagonist astressin2B produced a dose-dependent increase in ethanol consumption in both non-stressed controls and stressed mice. The 10-day episodic defeat stress used here elicited anxiety- but not depressive-like behaviors, and promoted an increase in ethanol drinking. CRF-CRFR1 signaling in the BNST seems to underlie ethanol intake in non-stressed mice, whereas CRFR2 modulates alcohol consumption in both socially defeated and non-stressed mice with a history of chronic intake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Albrechet-Souza
- Institute of Psychology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Thiago W Viola
- Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab (DCNL) and Brain Institute (InsCer), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Grassi-Oliveira
- Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab (DCNL) and Brain Institute (InsCer), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Klaus A Miczek
- Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
| | - Rosa M M de Almeida
- Institute of Psychology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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44
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Goode TD, Maren S. Role of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in aversive learning and memory. Learn Mem 2017; 24:480-491. [PMID: 28814474 PMCID: PMC5580527 DOI: 10.1101/lm.044206.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Surviving threats in the environment requires brain circuits for detecting (or anticipating) danger and for coordinating appropriate defensive responses (e.g., increased cardiac output, stress hormone release, and freezing behavior). The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a critical interface between the "affective forebrain"-including the amygdala, ventral hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex-and the hypothalamic and brainstem areas that have been implicated in neuroendocrine, autonomic, and behavioral responses to actual or anticipated threats. However, the precise contribution of the BNST to defensive behavior is unclear, both in terms of the antecedent stimuli that mobilize BNST activity and the consequent defensive reactions. For example, it is well known that the BNST is essential for contextual fear conditioning, but dispensable for fear conditioning to discrete conditioned stimuli (CSs), at least as indexed by freezing behavior. However, recent evidence suggests that there are circumstances in which contextual freezing may persist independent of the BNST. Furthermore, the BNST is involved in the reinstatement (or relapse) of conditioned freezing to extinguished discrete CSs. As such, there are critical gaps in understanding how the BNST contributes to fundamental processes involved in Pavlovian fear conditioning. Here, we attempt to provide an integrative account of BNST function in fear conditioning. We discuss distinctions between unconditioned stress and conditioned fear and the role of BNST circuits in organizing behaviors associated with these states. We propose that the BNST mediates conditioned defensive responses-not based on the modality or duration of the antecedent threat or the duration of the behavioral response to the threat-but rather as consequence the ability of an antecedent stimulus to predict when an aversive outcome will occur (i.e., its temporal predictability). We argue that the BNST is not uniquely mobilized by sustained threats or uniquely involved in organizing sustained fear responses. In contrast, we argue that the BNST is involved in organizing fear responses to stimuli that poorly predict when danger will occur, no matter the duration, modality, or complexity of those stimuli. The concepts discussed in this review are critical to understanding the contribution of the human BNST to fear and anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis D Goode
- Institute for Neuroscience and the Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3474, USA
| | - Stephen Maren
- Institute for Neuroscience and the Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3474, USA
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Oliveira LA, Almeida J, Gomes-de-Souza L, Benini R, Crestani CC. CRF1and CRF2receptors in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis differently modulate the baroreflex function in unanesthetized rats. Eur J Neurosci 2017; 46:1805-1812. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Revised: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 06/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Leandro A. Oliveira
- Laboratory of Pharmacology; Department of Natural Active Principles and Toxicology; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences; São Paulo State University (UNESP); Rodovia Araraquara-Jau Km 01 (Campus Universitário) 14800-903 Araraquara SP Brazil
- Joint UFSCar-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences; PIPGCF; São Carlos SP Brazil
| | - Jeferson Almeida
- Laboratory of Pharmacology; Department of Natural Active Principles and Toxicology; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences; São Paulo State University (UNESP); Rodovia Araraquara-Jau Km 01 (Campus Universitário) 14800-903 Araraquara SP Brazil
- Joint UFSCar-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences; PIPGCF; São Carlos SP Brazil
| | - Lucas Gomes-de-Souza
- Laboratory of Pharmacology; Department of Natural Active Principles and Toxicology; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences; São Paulo State University (UNESP); Rodovia Araraquara-Jau Km 01 (Campus Universitário) 14800-903 Araraquara SP Brazil
- Joint UFSCar-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences; PIPGCF; São Carlos SP Brazil
| | - Ricardo Benini
- Laboratory of Pharmacology; Department of Natural Active Principles and Toxicology; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences; São Paulo State University (UNESP); Rodovia Araraquara-Jau Km 01 (Campus Universitário) 14800-903 Araraquara SP Brazil
- Joint UFSCar-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences; PIPGCF; São Carlos SP Brazil
| | - Carlos C. Crestani
- Laboratory of Pharmacology; Department of Natural Active Principles and Toxicology; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences; São Paulo State University (UNESP); Rodovia Araraquara-Jau Km 01 (Campus Universitário) 14800-903 Araraquara SP Brazil
- Joint UFSCar-UNESP Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences; PIPGCF; São Carlos SP Brazil
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Reichard RA, Subramanian S, Desta MT, Sura T, Becker ML, Ghobadi CW, Parsley KP, Zahm DS. Abundant collateralization of temporal lobe projections to the accumbens, bed nucleus of stria terminalis, central amygdala and lateral septum. Brain Struct Funct 2017; 222:1971-1988. [PMID: 27704219 PMCID: PMC5378696 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-016-1321-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2016] [Accepted: 09/28/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral flexibility is subserved in part by outputs from the cerebral cortex to telencephalic subcortical structures. In our earlier evaluation of the organization of the cortical-subcortical output system (Reynolds and Zahm, J Neurosci 25:11757-11767, 2005), retrograde double-labeling was evaluated in the prefrontal cortex following tracer injections into pairs of the following subcortical telencephalic structures: caudate-putamen, core and shell of the accumbens (Acb), bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BST) and central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). The present study was done to assess patterns of retrograde labeling in the temporal lobe after similar paired tracer injections into most of the same telencephalic structures plus the lateral septum (LS). In contrast to the modest double-labeling observed in the prefrontal cortex in the previous study, up to 60-80 % of neurons in the basal and accessory basal amygdaloid nuclei and amygdalopiriform transition area exhibited double-labeling in the present study. The most abundant double-labeling was generated by paired injections into structures affiliated with the extended amygdala, including the CeA, BST and Acb shell. Injections pairing the Acb core with the BST or CeA produced significantly fewer double-labeled neurons. The ventral subiculum exhibited modest amounts of double-labeling associated with paired injections into the Acb, BST, CeA and LS. The results raise the issue of how an extraordinarily collateralized output from the temporal lobe may contribute to behavioral flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhett A Reichard
- Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Science, School of Medicine, Saint Louis University, 1402 S, Grand Blvd., Saint Louis, MO, 63104, USA
| | - Suriya Subramanian
- Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Science, School of Medicine, Saint Louis University, 1402 S, Grand Blvd., Saint Louis, MO, 63104, USA
| | - Mikiyas T Desta
- Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Science, School of Medicine, Saint Louis University, 1402 S, Grand Blvd., Saint Louis, MO, 63104, USA
| | - Tej Sura
- Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Science, School of Medicine, Saint Louis University, 1402 S, Grand Blvd., Saint Louis, MO, 63104, USA
| | - Mary L Becker
- Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Science, School of Medicine, Saint Louis University, 1402 S, Grand Blvd., Saint Louis, MO, 63104, USA
| | - Comeron W Ghobadi
- Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Science, School of Medicine, Saint Louis University, 1402 S, Grand Blvd., Saint Louis, MO, 63104, USA
| | - Kenneth P Parsley
- Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Science, School of Medicine, Saint Louis University, 1402 S, Grand Blvd., Saint Louis, MO, 63104, USA
| | - Daniel S Zahm
- Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Science, School of Medicine, Saint Louis University, 1402 S, Grand Blvd., Saint Louis, MO, 63104, USA.
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Cadeddu R, Jadzic D, Carboni E. Ketamine modulates catecholamine transmission in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis: The possible role of this region in the antidepressant effects of ketamine. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2016; 26:1678-82. [PMID: 27569123 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2016.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Revised: 07/26/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Since the therapeutic treatment of depression is far from being satisfactory, new therapeutic strategies ought to be pursued. In addition, further investigation on brain areas involved in the action mechanism of antidepressants can shed light on the aetiology of depression. We have previously reported that typical and atypical antidepressants strongly stimulate catecholamine transmission in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST). In this study, we have built on that work to examine the effect of ketamine, an unusual antidepressant that can produce a fast-acting and long-lasting antidepressant effect after administration of a single sub-anaesthetic dose. Ketamine is an antagonist of the ionotropic N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor but can also act through its metabolite (2R-6R)-hydroxynorketamine. Using the microdialysis technique in freely moving rats, we monitored the acute effect of ketamine on catecholamine release in the BNST to gain clues to its prompt antidepressant effect. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with a microdialysis probe in the BNST and 48h later, were injected with ketamine (10, 20, and 40mg/kg, i.p.). Ketamine increased norepinephrine (127%, 155%, 186%) and dopamine (114%, 156%, 176%) extracellular concentration above basal in a time and dose dependent manner, without significantly modifying motility. Since the effect of ketamine, although lower, was not substantially different from that produced by classical antidepressants, we suggest that catecholamine increase in BNST is not likely to be related to a rapid ketamine antidepressant effect, though it might be related to its performance in predictive tests of antidepressant properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Cadeddu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09126 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Dragana Jadzic
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09126 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Ezio Carboni
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09126 Cagliari, Italy; Neuroscience Institute, Section of Cagliari, National Research Council of Italy - CNR, Cagliari, Italy
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48
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McGonigle CE, Nentwig TB, Wilson DE, Rhinehart EM, Grisel JE. β-endorphin regulates alcohol consumption induced by exercise restriction in female mice. Alcohol 2016; 53:51-60. [PMID: 27286936 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2016.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2015] [Revised: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Animal models have long been used to study the mechanisms underlying the complex association between alcohol and stress. Female mice prevented from running on a home-cage activity wheel increase voluntary ethanol consumption. β-endorphin is an endogenous opioid involved in negatively regulating the stress response and has also been implicated in the risk for excessive drinking. The present study investigates the role of β-endorphin in moderating free-choice consumption of ethanol in response to a blocked activity wheel. Female, transgenic mice with varying levels of the opioid peptide were given daily 2-h access to 20% ethanol with rotations on a running wheel blocked on alternate days. Subjects with low β-endorphin exhibited enhanced stress sensitivity by self-administering larger quantities of ethanol on days when wheel running was prevented. β-endorphin levels did not influence voluntary activity on the running wheel. There were genotypic differences in plasma corticosterone levels as well as corticotropin-releasing hormone mRNA content in multiple brain regions associated with the stress response in these free drinking and running subjects. Susceptibility to stress is enhanced in female mice with low levels of β-endorphin, and better understanding of the role for this opioid in mitigating the response to stressors may aid in the development of interventions and treatments for excessive use of alcohol in women.
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49
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Waraczynski M. Toward a systems-oriented approach to the role of the extended amygdala in adaptive responding. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 68:177-194. [PMID: 27216212 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Revised: 04/02/2016] [Accepted: 05/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Research into the structure and function of the basal forebrain macrostructure called the extended amygdala (EA) has recently seen considerable growth. This paper reviews that work, with the objectives of identifying underlying themes and developing a common goal towards which investigators of EA function might work. The paper begins with a brief review of the structure and the ontological and phylogenetic origins of the EA. It continues with a review of research into the role of the EA in both aversive and appetitive states, noting that these two seemingly disparate avenues of research converge on the concept of reinforcement - either negative or positive - of adaptive responding. These reviews lead to a proposal as to where the EA may fit in the organization of the basal forebrain, and an invitation to investigators to place their findings in a unifying conceptual framework of the EA as a collection of neural ensembles that mediate adaptive responding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meg Waraczynski
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 800 West Main Street, Whitewater, WI 53190, USA.
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50
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Xu X, Ikrar T, Sun Y, Santos R, Holmes TC, Francesconi W, Berton F. High-resolution and cell-type-specific photostimulation mapping shows weak excitatory vs. strong inhibitory inputs in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. J Neurophysiol 2016; 115:3204-16. [PMID: 27052587 DOI: 10.1152/jn.01148.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2015] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a key component of the extended amygdala and has been implicated in anxiety and addiction. As individual neurons function within neural circuits, it is important to understand local microcircuits and larger network connections of identified neuronal types and understand how maladaptive changes in the BNST neural networks are induced by stress and drug abuse. However, due to limitations of classic anatomical and physiological methods, the local circuit organization of synaptic inputs to specific BNST neuron types is not well understood. In this study, we report on the application of high-resolution and cell-type-specific photostimulation methodology developed in our laboratory to local circuit mapping in the BNST. Under calibrated experimental conditions, laser photostimulation via glutamate uncaging or channelrhodopsin-2 photoactivation evokes spiking of BNST neurons perisomatically, without activating spikes from axons of passage or distal dendrites. Whole cell recordings, combined with spatially restricted photostimulation of presynaptic neurons at many different locations over a large region, allow high-resolution mapping of presynaptic input sources to single recorded neurons in the BNST. We constructed maps of synaptic inputs impinging onto corticotrophin-releasing hormone-expressing (CRH+) BNST neurons in the dorsolateral BNST and found that the CRH+ neurons receive predominant local inhibitory synaptic connections with very weak excitatory connections. Through cell-type-specific optogenetic stimulation mapping, we generated maps of somatostatin-expressing neuron-specific inhibitory inputs to BNST neurons. Taken together, the photostimulation-based techniques offer us powerful tools for determining the functional organization of local circuits of specific BNST neuron types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangmin Xu
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, California; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Irvine, California;
| | - Taruna Ikrar
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California
| | - Yanjun Sun
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California
| | - Rommel Santos
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California
| | - Todd C Holmes
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California
| | - Walter Francesconi
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California; and
| | - Fulvia Berton
- Department of Chemical Physiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California
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