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Verplaetse TL, McKee SA. Targeting Stress Neuroadaptations for Addiction Treatment: A Commentary on Kaye et al. (2017). J Stud Alcohol Drugs 2018; 78:372-374. [PMID: 28499101 DOI: 10.15288/jsad.2017.78.372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sherry A McKee
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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Interaction between noradrenergic and cholinergic signaling in amygdala regulates anxiety- and depression-related behaviors in mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2018; 43:2118-2125. [PMID: 29472646 PMCID: PMC6098039 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0024-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2017] [Revised: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Medications that target the noradrenergic system are important therapeutics for depression and anxiety disorders. More recently, clinical studies have shown that the α2-noradrenergic receptor (α2AR) agonist guanfacine can decrease stress-induced smoking relapse during acute abstinence, suggesting that targeting the noradrenergic system may aid in smoking cessation through effects on stress pathways in the brain. Acetylcholine (ACh), like the nicotine in tobacco, acts at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) to regulate behaviors related to anxiety and depression. We therefore investigated interactions between guanfacine and ACh signaling in tests of anxiolytic and antidepressant efficacy in female and male C57BL/6J mice, focusing on the amygdala as a potential site of noradrenergic/cholinergic interaction. The antidepressant-like effects of guanfacine were blocked by shRNA-mediated knockdown of α2AR in amygdala. Knockdown of the high-affinity β2 nAChR subunit in amygdala also prevented antidepressant-like effects of guanfacine, suggesting that these behavioral effects require ACh signaling through β2-containing nAChRs in this brain area. Ablation of NE terminals prevented the anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects of the nicotinic partial agonist cytisine, whereas administration of the cholinesterase antagonist physostigmine induced a depression-like phenotype that was not altered by knocking down α2AR in the amygdala. These studies suggest that ACh and NE have opposing actions on behaviors related to anxiety and depression and that cholinergic signaling through β2-containing nAChRs and noradrenergic signaling through α2a receptors in neurons of the amygdala are critical for regulation of these behaviors.
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Krolick KN, Zhu Q, Shi H. Effects of Estrogens on Central Nervous System Neurotransmission: Implications for Sex Differences in Mental Disorders. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2018; 160:105-171. [PMID: 30470289 PMCID: PMC6737530 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2018.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Nearly one of every five US individuals aged 12 years old or older lives with certain types of mental disorders. Men are more likely to use various types of substances, while women tend to be more susceptible to mood disorders, addiction, and eating disorders, all of which are risks associated with suicidal attempts. Fundamental sex differences exist in multiple aspects of the functions and activities of neurotransmitter-mediated neural circuits in the central nervous system (CNS). Dysregulation of these neural circuits leads to various types of mental disorders. The potential mechanisms of sex differences in the CNS neural circuitry regulating mood, reward, and motivation are only beginning to be understood, although they have been largely attributed to the effects of sex hormones on CNS neurotransmission pathways. Understanding this topic is important for developing prevention and treatment of mental disorders that should be tailored differently for men and women. Studies using animal models have provided important insights into pathogenesis, mechanisms, and new therapeutic approaches of human diseases, but some concerns remain to be addressed. The purpose of this chapter is to integrate human and animal studies involving the effects of the sex hormones, estrogens, on CNS neurotransmission, reward processing, and associated mental disorders. We provide an overview of existing evidence for the physiological, behavioral, cellular, and molecular actions of estrogens in the context of controlling neurotransmission in the CNS circuits regulating mood, reward, and motivation and discuss related pathology that leads to mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen N Krolick
- Center for Physiology and Neuroscience, Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States
| | - Qi Zhu
- Center for Physiology and Neuroscience, Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States
| | - Haifei Shi
- Center for Physiology and Neuroscience, Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States; Cellular, Molecular and Structural Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States.
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Dorsal BNST α 2A-Adrenergic Receptors Produce HCN-Dependent Excitatory Actions That Initiate Anxiogenic Behaviors. J Neurosci 2018; 38:8922-8942. [PMID: 30150361 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0963-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2018] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress is a precipitating agent in neuropsychiatric disease and initiates relapse to drug-seeking behavior in addicted patients. Targeting the stress system in protracted abstinence from drugs of abuse with anxiolytics may be an effective treatment modality for substance use disorders. α2A-adrenergic receptors (α2A-ARs) in extended amygdala structures play key roles in dampening stress responses. Contrary to early thinking, α2A-ARs are expressed at non-noradrenergic sites in the brain. These non-noradrenergic α2A-ARs play important roles in stress responses, but their cellular mechanisms of action are unclear. In humans, the α2A-AR agonist guanfacine reduces overall craving and uncouples craving from stress, yet minimally affects relapse, potentially due to competing actions in the brain. Here, we show that heteroceptor α2A-ARs postsynaptically enhance dorsal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (dBNST) neuronal activity in mice of both sexes. This effect is mediated by hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channels because inhibition of these channels is necessary and sufficient for excitatory actions. Finally, this excitatory action is mimicked by clozapine-N-oxide activation of the Gi-coupled DREADD hM4Di in dBNST neurons and its activation elicits anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze. Together, these data provide a framework for elucidating cell-specific actions of GPCR signaling and provide a potential mechanism whereby competing anxiogenic and anxiolytic actions of guanfacine may affect its clinical utility in the treatment of addiction.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Stress affects the development of neuropsychiatric disorders including anxiety and addiction. Guanfacine is an α2A-adrenergic receptor (α2A-AR) agonist with actions in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) that produces antidepressant actions and uncouples stress from reward-related behaviors. Here, we show that guanfacine increases dorsal BNST neuronal activity through actions at postsynaptic α2A-ARs via a mechanism that involves hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide gated cation channels. This action is mimicked by activation of the designer receptor hM4Di expressed in the BNST, which also induces anxiety-like behaviors. Together, these data suggest that postsynaptic α2A-ARs in BNST have excitatory actions on BNST neurons and that these actions can be phenocopied by the so-called "inhibitory" DREADDs, suggesting that care must be taken regarding interpretation of data obtained with these tools.
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Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Peptide (PACAP) Signaling and the Dark Side of Addiction. J Mol Neurosci 2018; 68:453-464. [PMID: 30074172 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-018-1147-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
While addiction to drugs of abuse represents a significant health problem worldwide, the behavioral and neural mechanisms that underlie addiction and relapse are largely unclear. The concept of the dark side of addiction, developed and explored by George Koob and colleagues, describes a systematic decrease in reward-related processing following drug self-administration and subsequent recruitment of anti-reward (i.e., stress) systems. Indeed, the activation of central nervous system (CNS) stress-response systems by drugs of abuse is contributory not only to mood and anxiety-related disorders but critical to both the maintenance of addiction and relapse following abstinence. In both human and animal studies, compounds that activate the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) have roles in stress-related behaviors and addiction processes. The activation of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) systems in the BNST mediates many consequences of chronic stressor exposure that may engage in part downstream corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) signaling. Similar to footshock stress, the BNST administration of PACAP or the PAC1 receptor-specific agonist maxadilan can facilitate relapse following extinction of cocaine-seeking behavior. Further, in the same paradigm, the footshock-induced relapse could be attenuated following BNST pretreatment with PAC1 receptor antagonist PACAP6-38, implicating PACAP systems as critical components underlying stress-induced reinstatement. In congruence with previous work, the PAC1 receptor internalization and endosomal MEK/ERK signaling appear contributory mechanisms to the addiction processes. The studies offer new insights and approaches to addiction and relapse therapeutics.
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Thalamic Cortical Error-Related Responses in Adult Social Drinkers: Sex Differences and Problem Alcohol Use. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2018; 3:868-877. [PMID: 29859929 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2018.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Revised: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Error-related brain activities are altered in individuals with substance use disorders. Here we examined error-related activities in relation to problem drinking in nondependent alcohol drinkers. In particular, we investigated sex differences and whether altered error responses are related to post-error behavioral control. METHODS A sample of 145 nondependent drinkers (77 women) performed the stop-signal task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Imaging data were processed and modeled using statistical parametric mapping. Independent sample t test and linear regression were employed to examine sex differences in error response and relationship between error response and problem drinking. RESULTS Compared with men, women showed greater error-related (stop error > go success) activations in the bilateral thalamus, right middle/superior temporal cortex, and bilateral dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. In whole-brain linear regression of error responses against the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score, a wide swath of cortical and subcortical regions, including the thalamus, showed decreased activation in association with problem drinking in women but not in men. However, men and women were not different in the extent of post-error slowing and decreased thalamic error response in association with problem drinking was not related to the extent of post-error slowing in women. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest sex differences in error-related activations with heavier drinking associated with reduced error activations in women but not in men. These differences in cerebral activations may reflect higher physiological arousal in response to errors and greater vulnerability of saliency-related arousal response to problem drinking in female as compared with male social drinkers.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE Animal models are frequently used to examine stress response, but experiments seldom include females. The connection between the microbiota-gut-brain axis and behavioral stress response is investigated here using a mixed-sex mouse cohort. METHODS CF-1 mice underwent alternating days of restraint and forced swim for 19 days (male n = 8, female n = 8) with matching numbers of control animals at which point the 16S rRNA genes of gut microbiota were sequenced. Mixed linear models accounting for stress status and sex with individuals nested in cage to control for cage effects evaluated these data. Murine behaviors in elevated plus-maze, open-field, and light/dark box were investigated. RESULTS Community-level associations with sex, stress, and their interaction were significant. Males had higher microbial diversity than females (p = .025). Of the 638 operational taxonomic units detected in at least 25% of samples, 94 operational taxonomic units were significant: 31 (stress), 61 (sex), and 34 (sex-stress interaction). Twenty of the 39 behavioral measures were significant for stress, 3 for sex, and 6 for sex-stress. However, no significant associations between behavioral measures and specific microbes were detected. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest sex influences stress response and the microbiota-gut-brain axis and that studies of behavior and the microbiome therefore benefit from consideration of how sex differences drive behavior and microbial community structure. Host stress resilience and absence of associations between stress-induced behaviors with specific microbes suggests that hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation represents a threshold for microbial influence on host behavior. Future studies are needed in examining the intersection of sex, stress response, and the microbiota-gut-brain axis.
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Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Peptide in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis Mediates Stress-Induced Reinstatement of Cocaine Seeking in Rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2018; 43:978-986. [PMID: 28656976 PMCID: PMC5854788 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2017.135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2017] [Revised: 05/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Stressors often contribute to difficulties in maintaining behavior change following a period of abstinence, and may play a significant role in drug relapse. The activation of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) systems in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) mediates many consequences of chronic stressor exposure. Here we ask whether PACAP is also involved in producing reinstatement in a model of stress-induced relapse to drug taking. Rats self-administered cocaine for 1 h daily over 10 days that was followed by 20 days of extinction training in which lever pressing no longer produced cocaine. In experiment 1, quantitative PCR (qPCR) was performed at several stages to determine transcript levels of PACAP and corresponding receptors. Reinstatement of cocaine seeking was then tested after footshock exposure in different groups of rats that were pretreated with vehicle solution, a PAC1 receptor antagonist (experiment 2), or a PACAP agonist (experiment 3) without footshock. In experiment 1, cocaine self-administration increased BNST PACAP transcript levels similar to what we have previously reported with chronic stress. In experiment 2, intra-BNST infusions of the PAC1/VPAC2 antagonist, PACAP 6-38, prevented footshock-induced reinstatement of extinguished cocaine seeking. In experiment 3, intra-BNST PACAP infusion reinstated previously extinguished cocaine-seeking behavior in the absence of footshock. Cocaine self-administration elevated BNST PACAP, and BNST PACAP receptor activation was necessary and sufficient for stress-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking. These data suggest that BNST PACAP systems may be viable targets for relapse prevention.
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Marsh JC, Park K, Lin YA, Bersamira C. Gender differences in trends for heroin use and nonmedical prescription opioid use, 2007-2014. J Subst Abuse Treat 2018; 87:79-85. [PMID: 29433788 PMCID: PMC9084392 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsat.2018.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Revised: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Trends in the current opioid epidemic in the United States show that use of heroin is increasing while nonmedical use of prescription opioids is slowing. Understanding gender differences in these trends is essential to efforts to address the opioid epidemic. This study compared gender difference in trends in heroin and nonmedical prescription opioid use in the U.S. between 2007 and 2014. METHODS Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) were used to trace prevalence and to estimate risk for heroin and nonmedical prescription opioid use in the last year for women and men. RESULTS Prevalence rates in the total sample (N = 447,188) indicate a notable increase in heroin use and a steady decline in the nonmedical use of prescription opioids between 2007 and 2014 for both women and men. Women are increasing heroin use at a faster rate than men but decreasing nonmedical prescription opioid use at a slower rate than men. Overall, risk factors for both heroin use and nonmedical prescription opioid use are similar to other illicit substances, but the magnitude of associations indicates that women may be at greater risk for the nonmedical use of prescription opioids than for the use of heroin. CONCLUSIONS Trend analyses reveal a linear increase in heroin use and a quadratic decline in nonmedical prescription opioid use at the population level. The differential rates of change between men and women in use of both opioids highlight the need for comprehensive, gender-sensitive approaches to prevention and treatment for both heroin and nonmedical prescription opioid use. Future research should continue to explore gender differences in treatment access, including access to medication-assisted treatments and treatments integrated with health and social services, especially for women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne C Marsh
- University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration, 969 E. 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, United States.
| | - Keunhye Park
- University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration, 969 E. 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
| | - Yu-An Lin
- University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration, 969 E. 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
| | - Cliff Bersamira
- University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration, 969 E. 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, United States
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Sandiego CM, Matuskey D, Lavery M, McGovern E, Huang Y, Nabulsi N, Ropchan J, Picciotto MR, Morris ED, McKee SA, Cosgrove KP. The Effect of Treatment with Guanfacine, an Alpha2 Adrenergic Agonist, on Dopaminergic Tone in Tobacco Smokers: An [ 11C]FLB457 PET Study. Neuropsychopharmacology 2018; 43:1052-1058. [PMID: 28944773 PMCID: PMC5854798 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2017.223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2017] [Revised: 09/11/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Guanfacine, a noradrenergic alpha2a agonist, reduced tobacco smoking in a 4-week trial and in animal models has been shown to reduce cortical dopamine release, which is critically involved in the reinforcing effect of tobacco smoking. We measured amphetamine-induced extrastriatal dopamine release before and after treatment with guanfacine with [11C]FLB457, a dopamine D2/D3 receptor radiotracer, and positron emission tomography (PET). Sixteen tobacco smokers had one set of [11C]FLB457 PET scans on the same day, one before and one at 2.5-3 h after amphetamine (0.4-0.5 mg/kg, PO). A subset (n=12) then underwent guanfacine treatment (3 mg/day for 3 weeks) and the set of scans were repeated. [11C]FLB457-binding potential (BPND) was measured pre- and post amphetamine in extrastriatal brain regions. The fractional change in BPND after vs before amphetamine (Δ BPND) is an indirect measure of DA release and was compared between the untreated and guanfacine-treated conditions. Guanfacine treatment attenuated amphetamine-induced DA release; however, the change was due to a global 8% decrease in baseline BPND from the untreated to the guanfacine-treated condition. Chronic guanfacine treatment reduced [11C]FLB457 BPND in tobacco smokers, suggesting an increase in dopaminergic tone. Guanfacine-induced normalization of dopamine signaling may be an important mesocortical mechanism contributing to its ability to aid in tobacco smoking cessation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Sandiego
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- PET Center, Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - David Matuskey
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- PET Center, Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Meaghan Lavery
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Erin McGovern
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Yiyun Huang
- PET Center, Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Nabeel Nabulsi
- PET Center, Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jim Ropchan
- PET Center, Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Evan D Morris
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- PET Center, Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sherry A McKee
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Kelly P Cosgrove
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- PET Center, Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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17β-Estradiol Potentiates the Reinstatement of Cocaine Seeking in Female Rats: Role of the Prelimbic Prefrontal Cortex and Cannabinoid Type-1 Receptors. Neuropsychopharmacology 2018; 43:781-790. [PMID: 28825421 PMCID: PMC5809785 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2017.170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2017] [Revised: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 08/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Clinical observations imply that female cocaine addicts experience enhanced relapse vulnerability compared with males, an effect tied to elevated estrogen phases of the ovarian hormone cycle. Although estrogens can enhance drug-seeking behavior, they do not directly induce reinstatement on their own. To model this phenomenon, we tested whether an estrogen could augment drug-seeking behavior in response to an ordinarily subthreshold reinstatement trigger. Following cocaine self-administration and extinction, female rats were ovariectomized to isolate estrogen effects on reinstatement. Although neither peak proestrus levels of the primary estrogen 17β-estradiol (E2; 10 μg/kg, i.p., 1-h pretreatment) nor a subthreshold cocaine dose (1.25 mg/kg, i.p.) alone were sufficient to reinstate drug-seeking behavior, pretreatment with E2 potentiated reinstatement to the ordinarily subthreshold cocaine dose. Furthermore, E2 microinfusions revealed that E2 (5 μg/0.3 μl, 15-min pretreatment) acts directly within the prelimbic prefrontal cortex (PrL-PFC) to potentiate reinstatement. As E2 has been implicated in endocannabinoid mobilization, which can disinhibit PrL-PFC projection neurons, we investigated whether cannabinoid type-1 receptor (CB1R) activation is necessary for E2 to potentiate reinstatement. The CB1R antagonist AM251 (1 or 3 mg/kg, i.p., 30-min pretreatment) administered prior to E2 and cocaine suppressed reinstatement in a dose-dependent manner. Finally, PrL-PFC AM251 microinfusions (300 ng/side, 15-min pretreatment) also suppressed E2-potentiated reinstatement. Together, these results suggest that E2 can augment reactivity to an ordinarily subthreshold relapse trigger in a PrL-PFC CB1R activation-dependent manner.
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Nishitomi K, Yano K, Kobayashi M, Jino K, Kano T, Horiguchi N, Shinohara S, Hasegawa M. Systemic administration of guanfacine improves food-motivated impulsive choice behavior primarily via direct stimulation of postsynaptic α 2A-adrenergic receptors in rats. Behav Brain Res 2018; 345:21-29. [PMID: 29476896 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Revised: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Impulsive choice behavior, which can be assessed using the delay discounting task, is a characteristic of various psychiatric disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Guanfacine is a selective α2A-adrenergic receptor agonist that is clinically effective in treating ADHD. However, there is no clear evidence that systemic guanfacine administration reduces impulsive choice behavior in the delay discounting task in rats. In the present study, we examined the effect of systemic guanfacine administration on food-motivated impulsive choice behavior in rats and the neuronal mechanism underlying this effect. Repeated administration of either guanfacine, methylphenidate, or atomoxetine significantly enhanced impulse control, increasing the number of times the rats chose a large but delayed reward in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of guanfacine was significantly blocked by pretreatment with an α2A-adrenergic receptor antagonist. Furthermore, the effect of guanfacine remained unaffected in rats pretreated with a selective noradrenergic neurotoxin, consistent with a post-synaptic action. In contrast, the effect of atomoxetine on impulsive choice behavior was attenuated by pretreatment with the noradrenergic neurotoxin. These results provide the first evidence that systemically administered guanfacine reduces impulsive choice behavior in rats and that direct stimulation of postsynaptic, rather than presynaptic, α2A-adrenergic receptors is involved in this effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kouhei Nishitomi
- Pain & Neuroscience, Drug Discovery & Disease Research Laboratory, Shionogi Co. Ltd., Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan.
| | - Koji Yano
- Pain & Neuroscience, Drug Discovery & Disease Research Laboratory, Shionogi Co. Ltd., Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan
| | - Mika Kobayashi
- Drug Efficacy Evaluation Services 3, Drug Efficacy Evaluation and Research Technology Service, Shionogi Techno Advance Research Co. Ltd., Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kohei Jino
- Pain & Neuroscience, Drug Discovery & Disease Research Laboratory, Shionogi Co. Ltd., Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takuya Kano
- Pain & Neuroscience, Drug Discovery & Disease Research Laboratory, Shionogi Co. Ltd., Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan
| | - Naotaka Horiguchi
- Pain & Neuroscience, Drug Discovery & Disease Research Laboratory, Shionogi Co. Ltd., Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shunji Shinohara
- Pain & Neuroscience, Drug Discovery & Disease Research Laboratory, Shionogi Co. Ltd., Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan
| | - Minoru Hasegawa
- Pain & Neuroscience, Drug Discovery & Disease Research Laboratory, Shionogi Co. Ltd., Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan
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Pomrenze MB, Fetterly TL, Winder DG, Messing RO. The Corticotropin Releasing Factor Receptor 1 in Alcohol Use Disorder: Still a Valid Drug Target? Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2017; 41:1986-1999. [PMID: 28940382 PMCID: PMC5711524 DOI: 10.1111/acer.13507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 09/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) is a neuropeptide that plays a key role in behavioral and physiological responses to stress. A large body of animal literature implicates CRF acting at type 1 CRF receptors (CRFR1) in consumption by alcohol-dependent subjects, stress-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking, and possibly binge alcohol consumption. These studies have encouraged recent pilot studies of CRFR1 antagonists in humans with alcohol use disorder (AUD). It was a great disappointment to many in the field that these studies failed to show an effect of these compounds on stress-induced alcohol craving. Here, we examine these studies to explore potential limitations and discuss preclinical and human literature to ask whether CRFR1 is still a valid drug target to pursue for the treatment of AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tracy L. Fetterly
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt
University, Nashville, TN
- Vanderbilt Neuroscience Graduate Program, Vanderbilt University,
Nashville, TN
| | - Danny G. Winder
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt
University, Nashville, TN
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University,
Nashville, TN
- Vanderbilt Neuroscience Graduate Program, Vanderbilt University,
Nashville, TN
| | - Robert O. Messing
- Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin,
TX
- Departments of Neuroscience and Neurology, University of Texas at
Austin, Austin, TX
- Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of
Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
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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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McRae-Clark AL, Cason AM, Kohtz AS, Moran Santa-Maria M, Aston-Jones G, Brady KT. Impact of gender on corticotropin-releasing factor and noradrenergic sensitivity in cocaine use disorder. J Neurosci Res 2017; 95:320-327. [PMID: 27870396 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2016] [Revised: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Responses to stress may be important in understanding gender differences in substance use disorders and may also be a target for development of treatment interventions. A growing body of both preclinical and clinical research supports important underlying gender differences in the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and noradrenergic systems, which may contribute to drug use. Preclinical models have demonstrated increased sensitivity of females to CRF and noradrenergic-induced drug reinstatement compared with males, and, consistent with these findings, human laboratory studies have demonstrated greater sensitivity to corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and noradrenergic stimulation in cocaine-dependent women compared with men. Furthermore, neuroimaging studies have demonstrated increased neural response to stressful stimuli in cocaine-dependent women compared with men as well as showing significant sex differences in the sensitivity of brain regions responsible for regulating the response to CRH. Development of interventions targeting the noradrenergic system and stress response in drug-dependent individuals could have important clinical implications for both women and men. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aimee L McRae-Clark
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Angie M Cason
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Amy S Kohtz
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey
| | | | - Gary Aston-Jones
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey
| | - Kathleen T Brady
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
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Milivojevic V, Fox HC, Jayaram-Lindstrom N, Hermes G, Sinha R. Sex differences in guanfacine effects on stress-induced stroop performance in cocaine dependence. Drug Alcohol Depend 2017; 179:275-279. [PMID: 28823835 PMCID: PMC5599361 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Revised: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Chronic drug abuse leads to sex-specific changes in drug cue and stress physiologic and neuroendocrine reactivity as well as in neural responses to stress and cue-related challenges and in executive function such as inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility and self control. Importantly, these functions have been associated with high risk of relapse and treatment. Alpha-2 agonism may enhance inhibitory cognitive processes in the face of stress with sex-specific effects, however this has not been previously assessed in cocaine dependence. METHOD Forty inpatient treatment-seeking cocaine dependent individuals (13F/27M) were randomly assigned to receive either placebo or up to 3mgs of Guanfacine. Three laboratory sessions were conducted following 3-4 weeks of abstinence, where patients were exposed to three 10-min personalized guided imagery conditions (stress, drug cue, combined stress/cue), one per day, on consecutive days in a random, counterbalanced order. The Stroop task was administered at baseline and immediately following imagery exposure. RESULTS Guanfacine treated women improved their performance on the Stroop task following exposure to all 3 imagery conditions compared with placebo women (p=0.02). This improvement in cognitive inhibitory performance was not observed in the men. CONCLUSIONS Enhancing the ability to cognitively regulate in the face of stress, drug cues and combined stress and drug cue reactivity may be key targets for medications development in cocaine dependent women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verica Milivojevic
- The Yale Stress Center, Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry 2 Church Street South, Suite 209, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA.
| | - Helen C Fox
- Stony Brook University, Health Sciences Center, T10-040B, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Nitya Jayaram-Lindstrom
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, and Stockholm Health Care Services, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gretchen Hermes
- The Yale Stress Center, Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry 2 Church Street South, Suite 209, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA; APT Foundation, One Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, CT, 065111, USA
| | - Rajita Sinha
- The Yale Stress Center, Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry 2 Church Street South, Suite 209, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA
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Jenney CB, Dasalla J, Grigson PS. Female rats exhibit less avoidance than male rats of a cocaine-, but not a morphine-paired, saccharin cue. Brain Res Bull 2017; 138:80-87. [PMID: 28899794 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2017.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2017] [Revised: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Rats avoid intake of an otherwise palatable taste cue when paired with drugs of abuse (Grigson and Twining, 2002). In male rats, avoidance of drug-paired taste cues is associated with conditioned blunting of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (Grigson and Hajnal, 2007), conditioned elevation in circulating corticosterone (Gomez et al., 2000), and greater avoidance of the drug-paired cue predicts greater drug-taking (Grigson and Twining, 2002). While female rats generally are more responsive to drug than male rats, in this self-administration model, female rats consume more of a cocaine-paired saccharin cue and take less drug than males (Cason and Grigson, 2013). What is not known, however, is whether the same is true when a saccharin cue predicts availability of an opiate, particularly when the amount of drug experienced is held constant via passive administration by the experimenter. Here, avoidance of a saccharin cue was evaluated following pairings with experimenter delivered cocaine or morphine in male and female rats. Results showed that males and females avoided intake of a taste cue when paired with experimenter administered morphine or cocaine, and individual differences emerged whereby some male and female rats exhibited greater avoidance of the drug-paired cue than others. Female rats did not drink more of the saccharin cue than males when paired with morphine in Experiment 1, however, they did drink more of the saccharin cue than male rats when paired with cocaine in Experiment 2. While no pattern with estrous cycle emerged, avoidance of the cocaine-paired cue, like avoidance of a morphine-paired cue (Gomez et al., 2000), was associated with a conditioned elevation in corticosterone in both male and female rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B Jenney
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States; Nutrition and Foods Program, School of Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, United States
| | - Jinju Dasalla
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States
| | - Patricia S Grigson
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States.
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Sex Differences in Regional Brain Glucose Metabolism Following Opioid Withdrawal and Replacement. Neuropsychopharmacology 2017; 42:1841-1849. [PMID: 28393895 PMCID: PMC5520789 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2017.69] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Revised: 03/30/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Methadone and buprenorphine are currently the most common pharmacological treatments for opioid dependence. Interestingly, the clinical response to these drugs appears to be sex specific. That is, females exhibit superior therapeutic efficacy, defined as extended periods of abstinence and longer time to relapse, compared with males. However, the underlying metabolic effects of opioid withdrawal and replacement have not been examined. Therefore, using 18FDG and microPET, we measured differences in regional brain glucose metabolism in males and females following morphine withdrawal and subsequent methadone or buprenorphine replacement. In both males and females, spontaneous opioid withdrawal altered glucose metabolism in regions associated with reward and drug dependence. Specifically, metabolic increases in the thalamus, as well as metabolic decreases in insular cortex and the periaqueductal gray, were noted. However, compared with males, females exhibited increased metabolism in the preoptic area, primary motor cortex, and the amygdala, and decreased metabolism in the caudate/putamen and medial geniculate nucleus. Methadone and buprenorphine initially abolished these changes uniformly, but subsequently produced their own regional metabolic alterations that varied by treatment and sex. Compared with sex-matched control animals undergoing spontaneous opioid withdrawal, male animals treated with methadone exhibited increased caudate/putamen metabolism, whereas buprenorphine produced increased ventral striatum and motor cortex metabolism in females, and increased ventral striatum and somatosensory cortex metabolism in males. Notably, when treatment effects were compared between sexes, methadone-treated females showed increased cingulate cortex metabolism, whereas buprenorphine-treated females showed decreased metabolism in cingulate cortex and increased metabolism in the globus pallidus. Perhaps the initial similarities in males and females underlie early therapeutic efficacy, whereas these posttreatment sex differences contribute to clinical treatment failure more commonly experienced by the former.
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Fox HC, Milivojevic V, Angarita GA, Stowe R, Sinha R. Peripheral immune system suppression in early abstinent alcohol-dependent individuals: Links to stress and cue-related craving. J Psychopharmacol 2017; 31:883-892. [PMID: 28675117 PMCID: PMC5660633 DOI: 10.1177/0269881117691455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Peripheral immune system cytokines may play an integral role in the underlying sensitized stress response and alcohol craving during early alcohol withdrawal. To date, the nature of these immune changes during early abstinence have not been examined. METHODS A total of 39 early abstinent, treatment-seeking, alcohol-dependent individuals and 46 socially drinking controls were exposed to three guided imageries: stress, alcohol cue and neutral. These were presented randomly across consecutive days. Plasma measures of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10), were collected at baseline, immediately after imagery and at various recovery time-points. Ratings of alcohol craving, negative mood and anxiety were also obtained at the same time-points. RESULTS The alcohol group demonstrated decreased basal IL-10 compared with controls particularly following exposure to alcohol cue. They also showed a dampened TNFα and TNFR1 response to stress and cue, respectively, and a generalized suppression of IL-6. In the alcohol group, these immune system adaptations occurred alongside significant elevations in anxiety, negative mood and alcohol craving. CONCLUSIONS Findings demonstrate that broad immunosuppression is still observed in alcohol-dependent individuals after 3 weeks of abstinence and may be linked to motivation for alcohol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen C Fox
- 1 School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Verica Milivojevic
- 2 Department of Psychiatry, The Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- 3 Department of Psychiatry, 2 Church Street South, The Yale Stress Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Gustavo A Angarita
- 2 Department of Psychiatry, The Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Rajita Sinha
- 2 Department of Psychiatry, The Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- 3 Department of Psychiatry, 2 Church Street South, The Yale Stress Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
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Effective active vaccination against methamphetamine in female rats. Drug Alcohol Depend 2017; 175:179-186. [PMID: 28437722 PMCID: PMC5484075 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2016] [Revised: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/18/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immunotherapies directed against methamphetamine (MA) abuse have shown success in rodent models, however only a limited number of studies have investigated active vaccination in female mice and none in female rats. It is critical to determine if potential immunotherapeutic strategies generalize across sex, particularly for drugs that may produce significant sex-differences on behavioral or physiological endpoints. METHODS Female Wistar rats were initially vaccinated with keyhole-limpet hemocyanin (KLH) or an anti-methamphetamine-KLH conjugate (MH6-KLH) three times over five weeks and implanted with radiotelemetry devices to assess locomotor activity and body temperature responses to MA. Rats were first exposed to MA via vapor inhalation (100mg/mL in propylene glycol) and then by injection (0.25-1.0mg/kg, i.p.) and vapor after a final vaccine boost. RESULTS The MH6-KLH vaccine generated an increase in antibody titers across the initial 6-week, 3 immunization protocol and a restoration of titer after a week 14 booster. Locomotor stimulation induced by 0.25mg/kg MA, i.p, in the KLH group was prevented in the MH6-KLH group. MH6-KLH animals also exhibited an attenuated locomotor stimulation produced by 0.5mg/kg MA, i.p. No group differences in locomotion induced by vapor inhalation of MA were observed and body temperature was not differentially affected by MA across the groups, most likely because vapor inhalation of MA that produced similar locomotor stimulation resulted in ∼10-fold higher plasma MA levels. CONCLUSIONS This study confirms the efficacy of the MH6-KLH vaccine in attenuating the effects of MA in female rats.
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Parker CC, Dickson PE, Philip VM, Thomas M, Chesler EJ. Systems Genetic Analysis in GeneNetwork.org. CURRENT PROTOCOLS IN NEUROSCIENCE 2017; 79:8.39.1-8.39.20. [PMID: 28398643 PMCID: PMC5548442 DOI: 10.1002/cpns.23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have emerged as a powerful tool to identify alleles and molecular pathways that influence susceptibility to psychiatric disorders and other diseases. Forward genetics using mouse mapping populations allows for a complementary approach that provides rigorous genetic and environmental control. In this unit, we describe techniques and tools that reduce the technical burden traditionally associated with genetic mapping in mice and enhance their translational utility to human psychiatric disorders. We provide guidance on choosing the appropriate mapping population, discuss the importance of phenotype, and offer detailed instructions on using the Web-based resource GeneNetwork to aid neuroscientists in better understanding the mechanisms through which genes influence behavior. We believe that the continued development of mouse mapping populations, genetic tools, bioinformatics resources, and statistical methodologies should remain a parallel strategy by which to investigate the genetic and environmental underpinnings of psychiatric disorders and other diseases in humans. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clarissa C Parker
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont
| | - Price E Dickson
- Center for Mammalian Genetics, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine
| | - Vivek M Philip
- Center for Computational Sciences, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine
| | - Mary Thomas
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont
| | - Elissa J Chesler
- Center for Mammalian Genetics, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine
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Santoro GC, Carrion J, Dewey SL. Imaging Sex Differences in Regional Brain Metabolism during Acute Opioid Withdrawal. JOURNAL OF ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG DEPENDENCE 2017; 5:262. [PMID: 29046888 PMCID: PMC5642926 DOI: 10.4172/2329-6488.1000262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The rate of opioid overdose continues to rise, necessitating improved treatment options. Current therapeutic approaches rely on administration of either a blocking agent, such as naloxone, or chronic treatment with replacement drugs, including methadone and/or buprenorphine. Recent findings suggest that males and females respond to these treatments uniquely. In an effort to better understand this sex-specific variation in treatment efficacy, we investigated the effects of acute opioid withdrawal in male and female rats using 18FDG and microPET. These data demonstrate that acute opioid withdrawal produces metabolic alterations in brain regions associated with reward and drug dependence, namely corpus striatum, thalamic nuclei, septum, and frontal cortex. Furthermore, certain changes are unique to males. Specifically, males demonstrated increased metabolism in the anterior cingulate cortex and the ventral hippocampus (CA3) following acute opioid withdrawal. If males and females exhibit sex-specific changes in regional brain metabolism following acute opioid withdrawal, then perhaps it is not surprising that they respond to treatment differently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni C Santoro
- Center for Neurosciences, Laboratory for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroimaging, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Joseph Carrion
- Center for Neurosciences, Laboratory for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroimaging, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Stephen L Dewey
- Center for Neurosciences, Laboratory for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroimaging, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
- Psychiatry Department, New York University School of Medicine, NY, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, Hempstead, NY, USA
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Young EJ, Briggs SB, Rumbaugh G, Miller CA. Nonmuscle myosin II inhibition disrupts methamphetamine-associated memory in females and adolescents. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2017; 139:109-116. [PMID: 28082169 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2017.01.001] [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: 10/24/2016] [Revised: 12/30/2016] [Accepted: 01/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Memories associated with drug use can trigger strong motivation for the drug, which increases relapse vulnerability in substance use disorder (SUD). Currently there are no treatments for relapse to abuse of psychostimulants, such as methamphetamine (METH). We previously reported that storage of memories associated with METH, but not those for fear or food reward, and the concomitant spine density increase are disrupted in a retrieval-independent manner by depolymerizing actin in the basolateral amygdala complex (BLC) of adult male rats and mice. Similar results are achieved in males through intra-BLC or systemic inhibition of nonmuscle myosin II (NMII), a molecular motor that directly drives actin polymerization. Given the substantial differences in physiology between genders, we sought to determine if this immediate and selective disruption of METH-associated memory extends to adult females. A single intra-BLC infusion of the NMII inhibitor Blebbistatin (Blebb) produced a long-lasting disruption of context-induced drug seeking for at least 30days in female rats that mirrored our prior results in males. Furthermore, a single systemic injection of Blebb prior to testing disrupted METH-associated memory and the concomitant increase in BLC spine density in females. Importantly, as in males, the same manipulation had no effect on an auditory fear memory or associated BLC spine density. In addition, we established that the NMII-based disruption of METH-associated memory extends to both male and female adolescents. These findings provide further support that small molecular inhibitors of NMII have strong therapeutic potential for the prevention of relapse to METH abuse triggered by associative memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica J Young
- Department of Metabolism & Aging, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, USA; Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Sherri B Briggs
- Department of Metabolism & Aging, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, USA; Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Gavin Rumbaugh
- Department of Metabolism & Aging, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, USA; Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Courtney A Miller
- Department of Metabolism & Aging, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, USA; Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, USA.
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Sanchis-Segura C, Becker JB. Why we should consider sex (and study sex differences) in addiction research. Addict Biol 2016; 21:995-1006. [PMID: 27029841 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Among mammals, every cell has a biological sex, and the sex of an individual pervades its body and brain. In this review, we describe the processes through which mammals become phenotypically male or female by organizational and activational influences of genes and hormones throughout development. We emphasized that the molecular and cellular changes triggered by sex chromosomes and steroid hormones may generate sex differences in overt physiological functions and behavior, but they may alternatively promote end-point convergences between males and females. Clinical and pre-clinical evidences suggest that sex and gender differences modulate drug consumption as well as of the transition towards drug-promoted pathological states such as dependence and addiction. Additionally, sex differences in drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics will also influence dependence and addiction as well as side effects of drugs. These effects will further interact with socially gendered factors to result in sex differences in the access to, engagement in and efficacy of any therapeutic attempt. Finally, we maintain that 'sex sameness' is as important as 'sex differences' when building a complete understanding of biology for both males and females and provide a framework with which to classify and guide investigation into the mechanisms mediating sex differences and sex sameness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Sanchis-Segura
- Departament de Psicologia básica, clínica i psicobiologia. Área de Psicobiología; Universitat Jaume I; Castellón de la Plana Spain
| | - Jill B. Becker
- Department of Psychology and Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute; University of Michigan; Ann Arbor MI USA
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Mantsch JR, Baker DA, Funk D, Lê AD, Shaham Y. Stress-Induced Reinstatement of Drug Seeking: 20 Years of Progress. Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:335-56. [PMID: 25976297 PMCID: PMC4677117 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 324] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2015] [Revised: 05/01/2015] [Accepted: 05/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
In human addicts, drug relapse and craving are often provoked by stress. Since 1995, this clinical scenario has been studied using a rat model of stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. Here, we first discuss the generality of stress-induced reinstatement to different drugs of abuse, different stressors, and different behavioral procedures. We also discuss neuropharmacological mechanisms, and brain areas and circuits controlling stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. We conclude by discussing results from translational human laboratory studies and clinical trials that were inspired by results from rat studies on stress-induced reinstatement. Our main conclusions are (1) The phenomenon of stress-induced reinstatement, first shown with an intermittent footshock stressor in rats trained to self-administer heroin, generalizes to other abused drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, nicotine, and alcohol, and is also observed in the conditioned place preference model in rats and mice. This phenomenon, however, is stressor specific and not all stressors induce reinstatement of drug seeking. (2) Neuropharmacological studies indicate the involvement of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), noradrenaline, dopamine, glutamate, kappa/dynorphin, and several other peptide and neurotransmitter systems in stress-induced reinstatement. Neuropharmacology and circuitry studies indicate the involvement of CRF and noradrenaline transmission in bed nucleus of stria terminalis and central amygdala, and dopamine, CRF, kappa/dynorphin, and glutamate transmission in other components of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system (ventral tegmental area, medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens). (3) Translational human laboratory studies and a recent clinical trial study show the efficacy of alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonists in decreasing stress-induced drug craving and stress-induced initial heroin lapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Mantsch
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - David A Baker
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Douglas Funk
- Center for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Anh D Lê
- Center for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Intramural Research Program, NIDA-NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Mineur YS, Bentham MP, Zhou WL, Plantenga ME, McKee SA, Picciotto MR. Antidepressant-like effects of guanfacine and sex-specific differences in effects on c-fos immunoreactivity and paired-pulse ratio in male and female mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:3539-49. [PMID: 26146014 PMCID: PMC4561580 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-015-4001-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2015] [Accepted: 06/25/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE The a2A-noradrenergic agonist guanfacine can decreases stress-induced smoking in female, but not male, human smokers. It is not known whether these effects are due to effects on mood regulation and/or result from nicotinic-cholinergic interactions. OBJECTIVES The objective of the study was to determine whether there are sex differences in the effect of guanfacine in tests of anxiolytic and antidepressant efficacy in mice at baseline and in a hypercholinergic model of depression induced by the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine. METHODS The effects of guanfacine were measured in the light/dark box, tail suspension, and the forced swim test in female and male C57BL/6J mice. In parallel, electrophysiological properties were evaluated in the prefrontal cortex, a critical brain region involved in stress responses. c-fos immunoreactivity was measured in other brain regions known to regulate mood. RESULTS Despite a baseline sex difference in behavior in the forced swim test (female mice were more immobile), guanfacine had similar, dose-dependent, antidepressant-like effects in mice of both sexes (optimal dose, 0.15 mg/kg). An antidepressant-like effect of guanfacine was also observed following pre-treatment with physostigmine. A sex difference in the paired-pulse ratio in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) (male, 1.4; female, 2.1) was observed at baseline that was normalized by guanfacine. Other brain areas involved in cholinergic control of depression-like behaviors, including the basolateral amygdala and lateral septum, showed sex-specific changes in c-fos expression. CONCLUSIONS Guanfacine has a robust antidepressant-like effect and can reverse a depression-like state induced by increased acetylcholine (ACh) signaling. These data suggest that different brain areas are recruited in female and male mice, despite similar behavioral responses to guanfacine.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Marina R. Picciotto
- Correspondence should be addressed to: Marina R. Picciotto, Dept.
of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 34 Park Street – 3rd floor
research, New Haven, CT 06508, Phone: 203-737-2041; Fax: 203-737-2043;
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Polak K, Haug NA, Drachenberg HE, Svikis DS. Gender Considerations in Addiction: Implications for Treatment. CURRENT TREATMENT OPTIONS IN PSYCHIATRY 2015; 2:326-338. [PMID: 26413454 PMCID: PMC4578628 DOI: 10.1007/s40501-015-0054-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn Polak
- Virginia Commonwealth University 806 W. Franklin St., P.O. Box 842018, Richmond, VA 23284 804-477-5091,
| | - Nancy A. Haug
- PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium, Palo Alto University, The Gronowski Center, 5150 El Camino Real, C-24, Los Altos, CA 94022, 650-961-9300, ext. 3616,
| | | | - Dace S. Svikis
- Professor, Department of Psychology, Deputy Director, Institute for Women’s Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, 806 W. Franklin St., P.O. Box 842018, Richmond, VA 23284
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Ubaldi M, Del Bello F, Domi E, Pigini M, Nasuti C. Investigation of allyphenyline efficacy in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Eur J Pharmacol 2015; 760:122-8. [PMID: 25895641 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2015.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2015] [Revised: 03/31/2015] [Accepted: 04/02/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
We have recently demonstrated that allyphenyline, behaving as α2C-adrenoceptor/serotonin 5-HT1A receptor agonist and α2A-adrenoceptor antagonist, in mice enhanced morphine analgesia, attenuated morphine withdrawal symptoms, showed significant antidepressant-like activity and was devoid of sedative side effects. Opioid and alcohol withdrawal shares several common neurobiological and molecular mechanisms. Therefore, in this study we expanded our analysis of the pharmacological properties of allyphenyline by investigating its ability to prevent the expression of somatic withdrawal signs, anxiety-like behavior and hyperlocomotion associated with chronic ethanol intoxication. Rats were subjected to induction of ethanol dependence via repeated daily intragastric ethanol (20%) administration for 4 consecutive days. Twelve hours after the last alcohol administration, somatic alcohol withdrawal signs were scored. Results revealed a significant expression of physical withdrawal signs that were not affected by intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of allyphenyline at the doses of 0.05, 0.275 and 0.5 mg/kg. In contrast, allyphenyline (0.05 and 0.275 mg/kg i.p.) significantly reduced hyperanxiety-like behavior observed 6 days after alcohol intoxication as measured using the defensive burying test. Allyphenyline also reduced open field hyperlocomotor activity associated with alcohol withdrawal. Notably, the anxiolytic effect of the compound, as well as the already reported antidepressant action, was observed at very low doses, suggesting the involvement of its α2C-adrenoceptor/serotonin 5-HT1A receptor agonism. Therefore, the present investigation suggests that allyphenyline might represent an interesting pharmacological tool to investigate the potential of compounds exhibiting α2C-adrenoceptor/serotonin 5-HT1A receptor agonism and α2A-adrenoceptor antagonism in the treatment of hyperanxiety and hyperlocomotion occurring during alcohol withdrawal in dependent subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Ubaldi
- School of Pharmacy, Pharmacology Unit, University of Camerino, via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy.
| | - Fabio Del Bello
- School of Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry Unit, University of Camerino, via S. Agostino 1, 62032 Camerino, Italy.
| | - Esi Domi
- School of Pharmacy, Pharmacology Unit, University of Camerino, via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy
| | - Maria Pigini
- School of Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry Unit, University of Camerino, via S. Agostino 1, 62032 Camerino, Italy
| | - Cinzia Nasuti
- School of Pharmacy, Pharmacology Unit, University of Camerino, via Madonna delle Carceri, 62032 Camerino, Italy
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79
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Evaluation of guanfacine as a potential medication for alcohol use disorder in long-term drinking rats: behavioral and electrophysiological findings. Neuropsychopharmacology 2015; 40:1130-40. [PMID: 25359257 PMCID: PMC4367455 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2014.294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2014] [Revised: 10/18/2014] [Accepted: 10/23/2014] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
One of the main treatment challenges in alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the high rate of craving in combination with decreased cognitive functioning including impaired decision making and impulse control that often lead to relapse. Recent studies show that guanfacine, an α-2-adrenoceptor agonist and FDA-approved ADHD medication, attenuates stress-induced relapse of several drugs of abuse including alcohol. Here we evaluated guanfacine's effects on voluntary alcohol intake, the alcohol deprivation effect (ADE), alcohol seeking behavior, and cue/priming-induced reinstatement in Wistar rats that had voluntarily consumed alcohol for at least 2 months before treatment. In addition, guanfacine's ability to regulate glutamatergic neurotransmission was evaluated through electrophysiological recordings in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) slices prepared from long-term drinking rats (and alcohol-naive controls) that had received three daily guanfacine (0.6 mg/kg/day) or vehicle injections in vivo. Guanfacine decreased alcohol intake in high, but not low, alcohol-consuming rats and the effects were generally more long lasting than that of the AUD medication naltrexone. Repeated guanfacine treatment induced a long-lasting decrease in alcohol intake, persistent up to five drinking sessions after the last injection. In addition, guanfacine attenuated the ADE as well as alcohol seeking and cue/priming-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking. Finally, subchronic guanfacine treatment normalized an alcohol-induced dysregulated glutamatergic neurotransmission in the mPFC. These results support previous studies showing that guanfacine has the ability to improve prefrontal connectivity through modulation of the glutamatergic system. Together with the fact that guanfacine appears to be clinically safe, these results merit evaluation of guanfacine's clinical efficacy in AUD individuals.
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80
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Clemow DB, Walker DJ. The Potential for Misuse and Abuse of Medications in ADHD: A Review. Postgrad Med 2015; 126:64-81. [DOI: 10.3810/pgm.2014.09.2801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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81
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Verplaetse TL, Weinberger AH, Smith PH, Cosgrove KP, Mineur YS, Picciotto MR, Mazure CM, McKee SA. Targeting the noradrenergic system for gender-sensitive medication development for tobacco dependence. Nicotine Tob Res 2015; 17:486-95. [PMID: 25762760 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntu280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Tobacco use remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for both women and men in the United States, and women often experience poorer smoking cessation outcomes than men. Preliminary evidence suggests there are sex differences in medication effectiveness for smoking cessation. However, current medications do not take into account gender-sensitive treatment development and efficacy, underscoring the importance of this underdeveloped area of research. METHODS We reviewed preclinical and clinical evidence for gender differences in the inability to quit smoking by examining (a) the effect of increased negative affect and stress reactivity on smoking outcomes in women and (b) smoking for nicotine reinforcement in men. We also reviewed the current literature targeting the noradrenergic system as a novel gender-sensitive treatment strategy for tobacco dependence. RESULTS We hypothesize that noradrenergic agents that normalize noradrenergic activity may differentially attenuate stress reactivity in women and nicotine-related reinforcement in men, indicating that targeting the noradrenergic system for smoking cessation may be effective for both genders, with benefits operating through sex-specific mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS Converging lines of preclinical and clinical evidence suggest that gender-sensitive approaches to medication development for smoking cessation are a critical next step for addressing low quit rates and exacerbated health risks among women. Evidence reviewed indicates that smoking activates different brain systems modulated by noradrenergic activity in women versus men, and noradrenergic compounds may preferentially target these gender-sensitive systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terril L Verplaetse
- Department of Psychiatry and Women's Health Research, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | | | - Philip H Smith
- Department of Psychiatry and Women's Health Research, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Kelly P Cosgrove
- Department of Psychiatry and Women's Health Research, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Yann S Mineur
- Department of Psychiatry and Women's Health Research, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Marina R Picciotto
- Department of Psychiatry and Women's Health Research, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Carolyn M Mazure
- Department of Psychiatry and Women's Health Research, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Sherry A McKee
- Department of Psychiatry and Women's Health Research, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT;
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82
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Fox H, Sofuoglu M, Sinha R. Guanfacine enhances inhibitory control and attentional shifting in early abstinent cocaine-dependent individuals. J Psychopharmacol 2015; 29:312-23. [PMID: 25567555 PMCID: PMC4432477 DOI: 10.1177/0269881114562464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Attenuation of adrenergic drive and cognitive enhancement, via stimulation of alpha2 pre- and post-synaptic receptors, may selectively enhance executive performance in early abstinent cocaine-dependent individuals. As these cognitive processes underpin important treatment-related behaviors, the alpha2 agonist, guanfacine HCl, may represent an effective pharmaco-therapeutic intervention. METHODS Twenty-five early abstinent cocaine-dependent individuals were administered a battery of neurocognitive tasks on entry into treatment (baseline) and again following 3 weeks of either placebo or guanfacine treatment (up to 3 mg). Tasks included: Stop Signal, Stroop, 3-Dimentional Intra-dimensional/Extra-dimensional (IDED) task, Spatial Working Memory (SWM), Paired Associates Learning (PAL), Verbal Fluency and the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). RESULTS Compared with placebo, the guanfacine group demonstrated attenuated anxiety and negative affect as well as improved performance on selective executive tests. This included fewer directional errors on the stop signal task, fewer errors on the extra-dimensional shift component of the IDED task and better attentional switching during verbal fluency. Guanfacine did not improve strategic working memory or peripheral memory. CONCLUSION Guanfacine improves selective cognitive processes which may underlie salient treatment-related regulatory behaviors. Alpha2 agonists may therefore represent important agents for cocaine dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Fox
- Department of Psychiatry, The Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mehmet Sofuoglu
- Department of Psychiatry, VA Medical Center, Yale University School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Rajita Sinha
- The Yale Stress Center, Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, USA
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83
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Moran-Santa Maria MM, McRae-Clark A, Baker NL, Ramakrishnan V, Brady KT. Yohimbine administration and cue-reactivity in cocaine-dependent individuals. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2014; 231:4157-65. [PMID: 24710621 PMCID: PMC4190106 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3555-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2013] [Accepted: 03/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Preclinical studies suggest that stress potentiates cue-induced cocaine seeking and that this effect is more pronounced in females. These findings have not been characterized in clinical populations. OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study were to examine the impact a pharmacological stressor, alpha-2 adrenergic receptor antagonist yohimbine, on the subjective, endocrine, and physiologic responses to drug-paired cues cocaine-dependent men and women. METHODS In a double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over study, cocaine-dependent men (n = 32), cocaine-dependent women (n = 30), control men (n = 32), and control women (n = 25) received either yohimbine or placebo prior to two cocaine cue exposure sessions. RESULTS Yohimbine increased ratings of anxiety both before (p < 0.001) and after (p = 0.035) cues, and the post-cue increase in anxiety was more pronounced in women (p = 0.001). Yohimbine also significantly increased craving, compared with placebo (p < 0.05), following the cue presentation, and this effect was greater in women than men (gender by treatment interaction; p = 0.006). Yohimbine also increased salivary cortisol (p < 0.001) and dehydroepiandrosterone (p = 0.003) levels, regardless of diagnostic group. Women had a significantly greater heart rate response following yohimbine as compared with men (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Stress may increase the salience of cocaine cues for cocaine-dependent women as compared with men. This suggests gender differences in vulnerability to craving and relapse under stressful conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan M Moran-Santa Maria
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 125 Doughty Street, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA,
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Terry AV, Callahan PM, Schade R, Kille NJ, Plagenhoef M. Alpha 2A adrenergic receptor agonist, guanfacine, attenuates cocaine-related impairments of inhibitory response control and working memory in animal models. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2014; 126:63-72. [PMID: 25242808 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2014.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2014] [Revised: 09/09/2014] [Accepted: 09/13/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
There is considerable evidence that centrally acting α2A adrenergic receptor agonists can attenuate impairments in executive function that result from dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex. Such positive effects resulted in the recent approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the α2A agonists clonidine and guanfacine for the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but also suggest that they could have beneficial effects in substance abuse disorders and other neuropsychiatric conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate guanfacine for its ability to attenuate behavioral alterations associated with acute cocaine exposure in rats trained to perform a task of sustained attention, the five choice serial reaction time task (5C-SRTT) and monkeys trained to perform a task of working/short term memory, the delayed match to sample (DMTS) task. In the rodent 5C-SRTT acute intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of cocaine (3.5-15.0mg/kg) did not affect accuracy, but was associated with dose-dependent increases in premature responses and timeout responses. Guanfacine (0.1-1.0mg/kgi.p.) dose-dependently decreased premature responses and timeout responses associated with cocaine and it attenuated similar deficits in inhibitory response control observed in a variable ITI version of the 5C-SRTT. In the DMTS task in monkeys, acute intramuscular (i.m.) administration of cocaine (4.0mg/kg) was associated with impairments in accuracy at long delay intervals, an effect that was attenuated by guanfacine (0.4mg/kg). These animal studies suggest that guanfacine may have therapeutic potential for treating impairments of executive function that are associated with the abuse of cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvin V Terry
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA 30912, United States; Small Animal Behavior Core, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA 30912, United States.
| | - Patrick M Callahan
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA 30912, United States; Small Animal Behavior Core, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA 30912, United States
| | - Rosann Schade
- Small Animal Behavior Core, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA 30912, United States
| | - Nancy J Kille
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA 30912, United States
| | - Marc Plagenhoef
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA 30912, United States
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α(2A)-adrenergic receptors filter parabrachial inputs to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. J Neurosci 2014; 34:9319-31. [PMID: 25009265 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0822-14.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
α2-adrenergic receptors (AR) within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) reduce stress-reward interactions in rodent models. In addition to their roles as autoreceptors, BNST α(2A)-ARs suppress glutamatergic transmission. One prominent glutamatergic input to the BNST originates from the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) and consists of asymmetric axosomatic synapses containing calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and vGluT2. Here we provide immunoelectron microscopic data showing that many asymmetric axosomatic synapses in the BNST contain α(2A)-ARs. Further, we examined optically evoked glutamate release ex vivo in BNST from mice with virally delivered channelrhodopsin2 (ChR2) expression in PBN. In BNST from these animals, ChR2 partially colocalized with CGRP, and activation generated EPSCs in dorsal anterolateral BNST neurons that elicited two cell-type-specific outcomes: (1) feedforward inhibition or (2) an EPSP that elicited firing. We found that the α(2A)-AR agonist guanfacine selectively inhibited this PBN input to the BNST, preferentially reducing the excitatory response in ex vivo mouse brain slices. To begin to assess the overall impact of α(2A)-AR control of this PBN input on BNST excitatory transmission, we used a Thy1-COP4 mouse line with little postsynaptic ChR2 expression nor colocalization of ChR2 with CGRP in the BNST. In slices from these mice, we found that guanfacine enhanced, rather than suppressed, optogenetically initiated excitatory drive in BNST. Thus, our study reveals distinct actions of PBN afferents within the BNST and suggests that α(2A)-AR agonists may filter excitatory transmission in the BNST by inhibiting a component of the PBN input while enhancing the actions of other inputs.
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Moran-Santa Maria MM, Baker NL, Ramakrishnan V, Brady KT, McRae-Clark A. Impact of acute guanfacine administration on stress and cue reactivity in cocaine-dependent individuals. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE 2014; 41:146-52. [PMID: 25140866 DOI: 10.3109/00952990.2014.945590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stress and drug-paired cues increase drug craving and noradrenergic activity in cocaine-dependent individuals. Thus, medications that attenuate noradrenergic activity may be effective therapeutic treatment options for cocaine-dependent individuals. OBJECTIVES To examine the impact of acute administration of the α2 adrenergic receptor agonist guanfacine on responses to multiple risk factors for relapse in cocaine-dependent individuals. METHODS In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, cocaine-dependent individuals (n = 84), were randomized to receive either 2 mg guanfacine (n = 50) or placebo (n = 34). Within each treatment arm, subjects were randomized to either a stress (guanfacine n = 26; placebo n = 15) or a no-stress (guanfacine n = 24; placebo n = 19) group. Participants in the stress group performed the Trier Social Stress Test. Subjects in each group were exposed to a neutral cue and then to cocaine-related cues. Plasma cortisol and subjective responses were compared between the four groups. RESULTS The no-stress guanfacine group reported greater craving in response to cocaine cues as compared to the neutral cue (p < 0.001). The guanfacine stress group reported greater subjective stress at the neutral cue than at baseline (p = 0.032). The cocaine cue increased subjective stress in the guanfacine (p < 0.001) no-stress group. There were no effects of guanfacine on cortisol levels in either the stress or no stress groups (all p > 0.70). CONCLUSION This study found no effects of a single 2 mg dose of guanfacine on reactivity to stress and cues alone or on the interaction of stress and drug cues. In cocaine-dependent individuals an acute 2 mg dose of guanfacine may not be an effective therapeutic treatment strategy.
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88
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Fox H, Sinha R. The role of guanfacine as a therapeutic agent to address stress-related pathophysiology in cocaine-dependent individuals. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2014; 69:217-65. [PMID: 24484979 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-420118-7.00006-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The pathophysiology of cocaine addiction is linked to changes within neural systems and brain regions that are critical mediators of stress system sensitivity and behavioral processes associated with the regulation of adaptive goal-directed behavior. This is characterized by the upregulation of core adrenergic and corticotropin-releasing factor mechanisms that subserve negative affect and anxiety and impinge upon intracellular pathways in the prefrontal cortex underlying cognitive regulation of stress and negative emotional state. Not only are these mechanisms essential to the severity of cocaine withdrawal symptoms, and hence the trajectory of clinical outcome, but also they may be particularly pertinent to the demography of cocaine dependence. The ability of guanfacine to target overlapping stress, reward, and anxiety pathophysiology suggests that it may be a useful agent for attenuating the stress- and cue-induced craving state not only in women but also in men. This is supported by recent research findings from our own laboratory. Additionally, the ability of guanfacine to improve regulatory mechanisms that are key to exerting cognitive and emotional control over drug-seeking behavior also suggests that guanfacine may be an effective medication for reducing craving and relapse vulnerability in many drugs of abuse. As cocaine-dependent individuals are typically polydrug abusers and women may be at a greater disadvantage for compulsive drug use than men, it is plausible that medications that target catecholaminergic frontostriatal inhibitory circuits and simultaneously reduce stress system arousal may provide added benefits for attenuating cocaine dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Fox
- Yale Stress Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven Connecticut USA.
| | - Rajita Sinha
- Yale Stress Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven Connecticut USA
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