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Hall KT, Loscalzo J, Kaptchuk TJ. Systems pharmacogenomics - gene, disease, drug and placebo interactions: a case study in COMT. Pharmacogenomics 2019; 20:529-551. [PMID: 31124409 PMCID: PMC6563236 DOI: 10.2217/pgs-2019-0001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Disease, drugs and the placebos used as comparators are inextricably linked in the methodology of the double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Nonetheless, pharmacogenomics, the study of how individuals respond to drugs based on genetic substrate, focuses primarily on the link between genes and drugs, while the link between genes and disease is often overlooked and the link between genes and placebos is largely ignored. Herein, we use the example of the enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase to examine the hypothesis that genes can function as pharmacogenomic hubs across system-wide regulatory processes that, if perturbed in andomized controlled trials, can have primary and combinatorial effects on drug and placebo responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn T Hall
- Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Joseph Loscalzo
- Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ted J Kaptchuk
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Program in Placebo Studies, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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Torrisi SA, Leggio GM, Drago F, Salomone S. Therapeutic Challenges of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Focus on the Dopaminergic System. Front Pharmacol 2019; 10:404. [PMID: 31057408 PMCID: PMC6478703 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental illness developed by vulnerable individuals exposed to life-threatening events. The pharmacological unresponsiveness displayed by the vast majority of PTSD patients has raised considerable interest in understanding the poorly known pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this disorder. Most studies in the field focused, so far, on noradrenergic mechanisms, because of their well-established role in either tuning arousal or in encoding emotional memories. However, less attention has been paid to other neural systems. Manipulations of the dopaminergic system alter behavioral responses to stressful situations and recent findings suggest that dopaminergic dysfunction might play an overriding role in the pathophysiology of PTSD. In the present review, dopaminergic mechanisms relevant for the pathogenesis of PTSD, as well as potential dopaminergic-based pharmacotherapies are discussed in the context of addressing the unmet medical need for new and effective drugs for treatment of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gian Marco Leggio
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Filippo Drago
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Salvatore Salomone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
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Kokhan VS, Lebedeva-Georgievskaya KB, Kudrin VS, Bazyan AS, Maltsev AV, Shtemberg AS. An investigation of the single and combined effects of hypogravity and ionizing radiation on brain monoamine metabolism and rats' behavior. LIFE SCIENCES IN SPACE RESEARCH 2019; 20:12-19. [PMID: 30797429 DOI: 10.1016/j.lssr.2018.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2018] [Revised: 11/23/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ionizing radiation and hypogravity can cause central nervous system (CNS) dysfunctions. This is a key limiting factor for deep space missions. Up until now, the mechanisms through which they affect the neural tissue are not completely understood. OBJECTIVES We studied how the combination of hypogravity (antiorthostatic suspension model, AS) and ionizing radiations (γ-quanta and 1H+ together, R) affects the CNS. METHODS We applied separately and in combination AS and R to determine the influence of these factors on behavior and metabolism of monoamines in Wistar rat's brain. RESULTS We found out that R has a slight effect on both the behavior and metabolism of monoamines. However, when applied in combination with AS the former was able to reduce the negative effects of the latter. The combined effect of ionizing radiation and hypogravity led to the recovery of locomotor activity, orientation and exploratory behavior, and long-term context memory impaired under the impact of hypogravity only. These changes came together with an increase in the serotonin and dopamine turnover in all of the brain structures that were studied. CONCLUSIONS We received the first evidence of interferential interaction between the effects of ionizing radiation and hypogravity factors with regard to a behavior and monoamine turnover in the brain. Further studies with heavy nuclei at relevant doses (<0.5 Gy) are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor S Kokhan
- Laboratory of Radiation and Extreme Neurophysiology, Institute of Biomedical Problems RAS, Khoroshevskoe shosse 76A, Moscow 123007, Russia.
| | - Kseniya B Lebedeva-Georgievskaya
- Laboratory of Radiation and Extreme Neurophysiology, Institute of Biomedical Problems RAS, Khoroshevskoe shosse 76A, Moscow 123007, Russia
| | - Vladimir S Kudrin
- Laboratory of Radiation and Extreme Neurophysiology, Institute of Biomedical Problems RAS, Khoroshevskoe shosse 76A, Moscow 123007, Russia
| | - Ara S Bazyan
- Laboratory of Radiation and Extreme Neurophysiology, Institute of Biomedical Problems RAS, Khoroshevskoe shosse 76A, Moscow 123007, Russia; Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology RAS, Moscow, Russia
| | - Andrey V Maltsev
- Institute of Physiologically Active Compounds RAS, Chernogolovka, Russia
| | - Andrey S Shtemberg
- Laboratory of Radiation and Extreme Neurophysiology, Institute of Biomedical Problems RAS, Khoroshevskoe shosse 76A, Moscow 123007, Russia
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Koppel J, Jimenez H, Adrien L, Chang EH, Malhotra AK, Davies P. Increased tau phosphorylation follows impeded dopamine clearance in a P301L and novel P301L/COMT-deleted (DM) tau mouse model. J Neurochem 2019; 148:127-135. [PMID: 30238463 PMCID: PMC6758923 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Revised: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
In Alzheimer's disease, the phosphorylation of tau is a critical event preceding the formation of neurofibrillary tangles. Previous work exploring the impact of a dopamine blocking antipsychotic on tau phosphorylation in a tau transgenic model suggested that extracellular dopamine may play a regulatory role in the phosphorylation state of tau. In order to test this hypothesis, and in order to develop a mouse model of impaired dopamine metabolism and tauopathy, an extant P301L transgenic tau model of Alzheimer's disease and a novel P301L/catechol-O-methyltransferase deleted model (DM mouse) were treated with the norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor reboxetine, and prefrontal dopamine concentrations and the phosphorylated state of tau was quantified. In two experiments, male and female P301L+/+//COMT+/+ and P301L+/+//COMT-/- (DM) mice were treated with reboxetine 20 mg/kg IP. In one experiment, acutely following reboxetine injection, the prefrontal cortex of mice were microdialyzed for dopamine, and its metabolites, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid, utilizing the MetaQuant technique. In another experiment, acutely following reboxetine injections, tau phosphorylation was quantified in the frontal cortex, striatum, and hippocampus of the mice. Reboxetine injections were followed by significant increases from baseline in extracellular dopamine concentrations in P301L and DM mice, with significantly higher peak levels in the DM mice. Treatment was also followed by increases in tau phosphorylation spread throughout brain regions, with a larger impact on female mice. Extracellular dopamine concentrations exert an influence on the phosphorylation state of tau, with surges in dopamine associating with acute increases in tau phosphorylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Koppel
- The Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer’s Disease, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Manhasset, New York, USA
- The Zucker Hillside Hospital, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Great Neck, New York, USA
| | - Heidy Jimenez
- The Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer’s Disease, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Manhasset, New York, USA
| | - Leslie Adrien
- The Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer’s Disease, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Manhasset, New York, USA
| | - Eric H. Chang
- The Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer’s Disease, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Manhasset, New York, USA
| | - Anil K. Malhotra
- The Zucker Hillside Hospital, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Great Neck, New York, USA
| | - Peter Davies
- The Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer’s Disease, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Manhasset, New York, USA
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Buchler I, Akuma D, Au V, Carr G, de León P, DePasquale M, Ernst G, Huang Y, Kimos M, Kolobova A, Poslusney M, Wei H, Swinnen D, Montel F, Moureau F, Jigorel E, Schulze MSED, Wood M, Barrow JC. Optimization of 8-Hydroxyquinolines as Inhibitors of Catechol O-Methyltransferase. J Med Chem 2018; 61:9647-9665. [PMID: 30272964 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
A series of 8-hydroxy quinolines were identified as potent inhibitors of catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) with selectivity for the membrane-bound form of the enzyme. Small substituents at the 7-position of the quinoline were found to increase metabolic stability without sacrificing potency. Compounds with good pharmacokinetics and brain penetration were identified and demonstrated in vivo modulation of dopamine metabolites in the brain. An X-ray cocrystal structure of compound 21 in the S-COMT active site shows chelation of the active site magnesium similar to catechol-based inhibitors. These compounds should prove useful for treatment of many neurological and psychiatric conditions associated with compromised cortical dopamine signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Buchler
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development , 855 North Wolfe Street , Baltimore , Maryland 21205 , United States
| | - Daniel Akuma
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development , 855 North Wolfe Street , Baltimore , Maryland 21205 , United States
| | - Vinh Au
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development , 855 North Wolfe Street , Baltimore , Maryland 21205 , United States
| | - Gregory Carr
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development , 855 North Wolfe Street , Baltimore , Maryland 21205 , United States.,Department of Pharmacology , Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , 855 North Wolfe Street , Baltimore , Maryland 21287 , United States
| | - Pablo de León
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development , 855 North Wolfe Street , Baltimore , Maryland 21205 , United States
| | - Michael DePasquale
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development , 855 North Wolfe Street , Baltimore , Maryland 21205 , United States
| | - Glen Ernst
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development , 855 North Wolfe Street , Baltimore , Maryland 21205 , United States
| | - Yifang Huang
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development , 855 North Wolfe Street , Baltimore , Maryland 21205 , United States
| | - Martha Kimos
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development , 855 North Wolfe Street , Baltimore , Maryland 21205 , United States
| | - Anna Kolobova
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development , 855 North Wolfe Street , Baltimore , Maryland 21205 , United States
| | - Michael Poslusney
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development , 855 North Wolfe Street , Baltimore , Maryland 21205 , United States
| | - Huijun Wei
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development , 855 North Wolfe Street , Baltimore , Maryland 21205 , United States.,Department of Pharmacology , Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , 855 North Wolfe Street , Baltimore , Maryland 21287 , United States
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Martyn Wood
- UCB Biopharma SPRL , B-1420 Braine-l'Alleud , Belgium
| | - James C Barrow
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development , 855 North Wolfe Street , Baltimore , Maryland 21205 , United States.,Department of Pharmacology , Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , 855 North Wolfe Street , Baltimore , Maryland 21287 , United States
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56
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Povroznik JM, Ozga JE, Haar CV, Engler-Chiurazzi EB. Executive (dys)function after stroke: special considerations for behavioral pharmacology. Behav Pharmacol 2018; 29:638-653. [PMID: 30215622 PMCID: PMC6152929 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Stroke is a worldwide leading cause of death and long-term disability with concurrent secondary consequences that are largely comprised of mood dysfunction, as well as sensory, motor, and cognitive deficits. This review focuses on the cognitive deficits associated with stroke specific to executive dysfunction (including decision making, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) in humans, nonhuman primates, and additional animal models. Further, we review some of the cellular and molecular underpinnings of the individual components of executive dysfunction and their neuroanatomical substrates after stroke, with an emphasis on the changes that occur during biogenic monoamine neurotransmission. We concentrate primarily on changes in the catecholaminergic (dopaminergic and noradrenergic) and serotonergic systems at the levels of neurotransmitter synthesis, distribution, reuptake, and degradation. We also discuss potential secondary stroke-related behavioral deficits (specifically, poststroke depression as well as drug-abuse potential and addiction) and their relationship with stroke-induced deficits in executive function, an especially important consideration given that the average age of the human stroke population is decreasing. In the final sections, we address pharmacological considerations for the treatment of ischemia and the subsequent functional impairment, as well as current limitations in the field of stroke and executive function research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica M. Povroznik
- Center for Basic and Translational Stroke Research, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
- Department of Physiology, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
- Rodent Behavior Core, Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Jenny E. Ozga
- Injury and Recovery Laboratory, Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Cole Vonder Haar
- Injury and Recovery Laboratory, Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Elizabeth B. Engler-Chiurazzi
- Center for Basic and Translational Stroke Research, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
- Department of Physiology, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
- Rodent Behavior Core, Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
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Associations of catechol-O-methyltransferase (rs4680) single nucleotide polymorphisms with opioid use and dose among adults with chronic pain. Pain 2018; 160:263-268. [DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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58
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Gertler J, Tollefson S, Jordan R, Himes ML, Mason NS, Frankle WG, Narendran R. Failure to detect amphetamine-induced dopamine release in the cortex with [ 11 C]FLB 457 positron emission tomography (PET): Methodological considerations. Synapse 2018; 72:e22037. [PMID: 29876970 PMCID: PMC6230264 DOI: 10.1002/syn.22037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Revised: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Studies in nonhuman primates and humans have demonstrated that amphetamine-induced dopamine release in the cortex can be measured with [11 C]FLB 457 and PET imaging. This technique has been successfully used in recent clinical studies to show decreased dopamine transmission in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia and alcohol dependence. Here, we present data from a cohort of twelve healthy controls in whom an oral amphetamine challenge (0.5 mg kg-1 ) did not lead to a significant reduction in [11 C]FLB 457 BPND (i.e., binding potential relative to non-displaceable uptake). Two factors that likely contributed to the inability to displace [11 C]FLB 457 BPND in this cohort relative to successful cohorts are: (a) the acquisition of the baseline and post-amphetamine scans on different days as opposed to the same day and (b) the initiation of the post-amphetamine [11 C]FLB 457 scan at ∼5 hours as opposed to ∼3 hours following oral amphetamine. Furthermore, we show [11 C]FLB 457 reproducibility data from a legacy dataset to support greater variability in cortical BPND when the test and retest scans are acquired on different days as compared to the same day. These results highlight the methodological challenges that continue to plague the field with respect to imaging dopamine release in the cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Gertler
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Savannah Tollefson
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Rehima Jordan
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Michael L Himes
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - N Scott Mason
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - W Gordon Frankle
- Department of Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - Rajesh Narendran
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Renko JM, Bäck S, Voutilainen MH, Piepponen TP, Reenilä I, Saarma M, Tuominen RK. Mesencephalic Astrocyte-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (MANF) Elevates Stimulus-Evoked Release of Dopamine in Freely-Moving Rats. Mol Neurobiol 2018; 55:6755-6768. [PMID: 29349573 PMCID: PMC6061195 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-018-0872-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 01/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Neurotrophic factors (NTFs) hold potential as disease-modifying therapies for neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's disease. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF), and mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) have shown neuroprotective and restorative effects on nigral dopaminergic neurons in various animal models of Parkinson's disease. To date, however, their effects on brain neurochemistry have not been compared using in vivo microdialysis. We measured extracellular concentration of dopamine and activity of dopamine neurochemistry-regulating enzymes in the nigrostriatal system of rat brain. NTFs were unilaterally injected into the striatum of intact Wistar rats. Brain microdialysis experiments were performed 1 and 3 weeks later in freely-moving animals. One week after the treatment, we observed enhanced stimulus-evoked release of dopamine in the striatum of MANF-treated rats, but not in rats treated with GDNF or CDNF. MANF also increased dopamine turnover. Although GDNF did not affect the extracellular level of dopamine, we found significantly elevated tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) activity and decreased monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) activity in striatal tissue samples 1 week after GDNF injection. The results show that GDNF, CDNF, and MANF have divergent effects on dopaminergic neurotransmission, as well as on dopamine synthetizing and metabolizing enzymes. Although the cellular mechanisms remain to be clarified, knowing the biological effects of exogenously administrated NTFs in intact brain is an important step towards developing novel neurotrophic treatments for degenerative brain diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juho-Matti Renko
- Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5E, P.O. Box 56, 00014, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Susanne Bäck
- Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5E, P.O. Box 56, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Merja H Voutilainen
- Institute of Biotechnology, Research Program in Developmental Biology, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5D, P.O. Box 56, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - T Petteri Piepponen
- Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5E, P.O. Box 56, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ilkka Reenilä
- Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5E, P.O. Box 56, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mart Saarma
- Institute of Biotechnology, Research Program in Developmental Biology, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5D, P.O. Box 56, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Raimo K Tuominen
- Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5E, P.O. Box 56, 00014, Helsinki, Finland
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Lee YH, Song GG. BDNF 196 G/A and COMT Val158Met Polymorphisms and Susceptibility to ADHD: A Meta-Analysis. J Atten Disord 2018; 22:872-877. [PMID: 25691534 DOI: 10.1177/1087054715570389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine whether the brain-derived neurotrophic factor ( BDNF) 196 G/A or catechol- O-methyltransferase ( COMT) Val158Met polymorphisms is associated with susceptibility to ADHD. METHOD We conducted a meta-analysis of the associations between the BDNF 196 G/A and COMT Val158Met polymorphisms and ADHD. RESULTS Sixteen studies consisting of 3,594 patients with ADHD and 4,040 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Our results showed no association between ADHD and the BDNF 196A allele in all participants (odds ratio [OR] = 0.958, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.800, 1.146], p = .638), European or Asian population. Meta-analysis indicated no association between ADHD and the COMT G allele in all study participants (OR = 1.078, 95% CI = [0.962, 1.207], p = .196), European or Asian population. CONCLUSION This meta-analysis showed a lack of association between the BDNF 196 G/A and COMT Val158Met polymorphisms and ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Ho Lee
- 1 Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Gwan Gyu Song
- 1 Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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Peripheral biomarkers of major depression and antidepressant treatment response: Current knowledge and future outlooks. J Affect Disord 2018; 233:3-14. [PMID: 28709695 PMCID: PMC5815949 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Revised: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In recent years, we have accomplished a deeper understanding about the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). Nevertheless, this improved comprehension has not translated to improved treatment outcome, as identification of specific biologic markers of disease may still be crucial to facilitate a more rapid, successful treatment. Ongoing research explores the importance of screening biomarkers using neuroimaging, neurophysiology, genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics measures. RESULTS In the present review, we highlight the biomarkers that are differentially expressed in MDD and treatment response and place a particular emphasis on the most recent progress in advancing technology which will continue the search for blood-based biomarkers. LIMITATIONS Due to space constraints, we are unable to detail all biomarker platforms, such as neurophysiological and neuroimaging markers, although their contributions are certainly applicable to a biomarker review and valuable to the field. CONCLUSIONS Although the search for reliable biomarkers of depression and/or treatment outcome is ongoing, the rapidly-expanding field of research along with promising new technologies may provide the foundation for identifying key factors which will ultimately help direct patients toward a quicker and more effective treatment for MDD.
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Choi SJ, Mukai J, Kvajo M, Xu B, Diamantopoulou A, Pitychoutis PM, Gou B, Gogos JA, Zhang H. A Schizophrenia-Related Deletion Leads to KCNQ2-Dependent Abnormal Dopaminergic Modulation of Prefrontal Cortical Interneuron Activity. Cereb Cortex 2018; 28:2175-2191. [PMID: 28525574 PMCID: PMC6018968 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2016] [Revised: 03/25/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Altered prefrontal cortex function is implicated in schizophrenia (SCZ) pathophysiology and could arise from imbalance between excitation and inhibition (E/I) in local circuits. It remains unclear whether and how such imbalances relate to genetic etiologies. We used a mouse model of the SCZ-predisposing 22q11.2 deletion (Df(16)A+/- mice) to evaluate how this genetic lesion affects the excitability of layer V prefrontal pyramidal neurons and its modulation by dopamine (DA). Df(16)A+/- mice have normal balance between E/I at baseline but are unable to maintain it upon dopaminergic challenge. Specifically, in wild-type mice, D1 receptor (D1R) activation enhances excitability of layer V prefrontal pyramidal neurons and D2 receptor (D2R) activation reduces it. Whereas the excitatory effect upon D1R activation is enhanced in Df(16)A+/- mice, the inhibitory effect upon D2R activation is reduced. The latter is partly due to the inability of mutant mice to activate GABAergic parvalbumin (PV)+ interneurons through D2Rs. We further demonstrate that reduced KCNQ2 channel function in PV+ interneurons in Df(16)A+/- mice renders them less capable of inhibiting pyramidal neurons upon D2 modulation. Thus, DA modulation of PV+ interneurons and control of E/I are altered in Df(16)A+/- mice with a higher excitation and lower inhibition during dopaminergic modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Se Joon Choi
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY10032, USA
| | - Jun Mukai
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Mirna Kvajo
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Bin Xu
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Anastasia Diamantopoulou
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Pothitos M Pitychoutis
- Department of Biology, Center for Tissue Regeneration and Engineering (TREND), University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469, USA
| | - Bin Gou
- Department of Neuroscience, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Joseph A Gogos
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Hui Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY10032, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
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Effects of COMT genotype and tolcapone on lapses of sustained attention after sleep deprivation in healthy young men. Neuropsychopharmacology 2018; 43:1599-1607. [PMID: 29472644 PMCID: PMC5983551 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0018-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Revised: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Tolcapone, a brain penetrant selective inhibitor of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) devoid of psychostimulant properties, improves cognition and cortical information processing in rested volunteers, depending on the genotype of the functional Val158Met polymorphism of COMT. The impact of this common genetic variant on behavioral and neurophysiological markers of increased sleep need after sleep loss is controversial. Here we investigated the potential usefulness of tolcapone to mitigate consequences of sleep deprivation on lapses of sustained attention, and tested the hypothesis that dopamine signaling in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) causally contributes to neurobehavioral and neurophysiological markers of sleep homeostasis in humans. We first quantified in 73 young male volunteers the impact of COMT genotype on the evolution of attentional lapses during 40 h of extended wakefulness. Subsequently, we tested in an independent group of 30 young men whether selective inhibition of COMT activity with tolcapone counteracts attentional and neurophysiological markers of elevated sleep need in a genotype-dependent manner. Neither COMT genotype nor tolcapone affected brain electrical activity in wakefulness and sleep. By contrast, COMT genotype and tolcapone modulated the sleep loss-induced impairment of vigilant attention. More specifically, Val/Met heterozygotes produced twice as many lapses after a night without sleep than Met/Met homozygotes. Unexpectedly, tolcapone further deteriorated the sleep loss-induced performance deficits when compared to placebo, particularly in Val/Met and Met/Met genotypes. The findings suggest that PFC dopaminergic tone regulates sustained attention after sleep loss according to an inverse U-shape relationship, independently of neurophysiological markers of elevated sleep need.
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McCane AM, DeLory MJ, Timm MM, Janetsian-Fritz SS, Lapish CC, Czachowski CL. Differential COMT expression and behavioral effects of COMT inhibition in male and female Wistar and alcohol preferring rats. Alcohol 2018; 67:15-22. [PMID: 29310047 PMCID: PMC5818329 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2017.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2017] [Revised: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 08/15/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Polymorphisms of the catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) gene have been associated with alcoholism, suggesting that alterations in the metabolism of catecholamines may be a critical component of the neuropathology of alcoholism. In the current experiments, the COMT inhibitor tolcapone was utilized in an operant behavioral model of reinforcer-seeking and drinking to determine if this compound was capable of remediating the excessive seeking and drinking phenotype of the alcohol-preferring P rat. Tolcapone was administered to male and female alcohol-reinforced P and Wistar rats. Additionally, tolcapone was administered to male sucrose-reinforced P and Wistar rats to determine if its effects also extended to a natural reinforcer. Animals were trained to make an operant response that resulted in 20 min uninterrupted access to the reinforcer solutions. Tolcapone had no effect in female rats on either seeking or consumption of ethanol. However, reductions of both reinforcer seeking and consumption were observed in male P rats, but only of seeking in Wistars. In separate experiments, using reinforcer naïve male and female animals, COMT expression was assessed via Western Blot analysis. Sex differences in COMT expression were also observed, where male P rats exhibited a marked reduction in protein expression relative to females in the PFC. Sex differences were not observed for Wistars or in the striatum and hippocampus. These data complement our previous findings in which tolcapone reduced cue-evoked responses in P rats and further suggest clinical utility of COMT inhibitors in the treatment of addiction disorders, specifically in male high drinkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aqilah M McCane
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
| | - Michael J DeLory
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Maureen M Timm
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Sarine S Janetsian-Fritz
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Christopher C Lapish
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; Institute for Mathematical Modeling and Computational Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Cristine L Czachowski
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
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Fakhoury M. Imaging genetics in autism spectrum disorders: Linking genetics and brain imaging in the pursuit of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2018; 80:101-114. [PMID: 28322981 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Revised: 02/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) include a wide range of heterogeneous neurodevelopmental conditions that affect an individual in several aspects of social communication and behavior. Recent advances in molecular genetic technologies have dramatically increased our understanding of ASD etiology through the identification of several autism risk genes, most of which serve important functions in synaptic plasticity and protein synthesis. However, despite significant progress in this field of research, the characterization of the neurobiological mechanisms by which common genetic risk variants might operate to give rise to ASD symptomatology has proven to be far more difficult than expected. The imaging genetics approach holds great promise for advancing our understanding of ASD etiology by bridging the gap between genetic variations and their resultant biological effects on the brain. This paper provides a conceptual overview of the contribution of genetics in ASD and discusses key findings from the emerging field of imaging genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Fakhoury
- Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7, Canada.
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66
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Gutleb DR, Roos C, Noll A, Ostner J, Schülke O. COMT Val 158 Met moderates the link between rank and aggression in a non-human primate. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2017; 17:e12443. [PMID: 29194954 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Revised: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The COMT Val158 Met polymorphism is one of the most widely studied genetic polymorphisms in humans implicated in aggression and the moderation of stressful life event effects. We screened a wild primate population for polymorphisms at the COMT Val158 Met site and phenotyped them for aggression to test whether the human polymorphism exists and is associated with variation in aggressive behavior. Subjects were all adults from 4 study groups (37 males, 40 females) of Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) in their natural habitat (Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand). We collected focal animal behavioral data (27 males, 36 females, 5964 focal hours) and fecal samples for non-invasive DNA analysis. We identified the human COMT Val158 Met polymorphism (14 Met/Met, 41 Val/Met and 22 Val/Val). Preliminary results suggest that COMT genotype and dominance rank interact to influence aggression rates. Aggression rates increased with rank in Val/Val, but decreased in Met/Met and Val/Met individuals, with no significant main effect of COMT genotype on aggression. Further support for the interaction effect comes from time series analyses revealing that when changing from lower to higher rank position Val/Val individuals decreased, whereas Met/Met individuals increased their aggression rate. Contradicting the interpretation of earlier studies, we show that the widely studied Val158 Met polymorphism in COMT is not unique to humans and yields similar behavioral phenotypes in a non-human primate. This study represents an important step towards understanding individual variation in aggression in a wild primate population and may inform human behavioral geneticists about the evolutionary roots of inter-individual variation in aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- D R Gutleb
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany.,Research Group Social Evolution in Primates, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany.,Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Göttingen, Germany
| | - C Roos
- Gene Bank of Primates, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany.,Primate Genetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - A Noll
- Primate Genetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - J Ostner
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany.,Research Group Social Evolution in Primates, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany.,Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Göttingen, Germany
| | - O Schülke
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany.,Research Group Social Evolution in Primates, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany.,Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Göttingen, Germany
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67
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Luo YLL, Welker KM, Way B, DeWall N, Bushman BJ, Wildschut T, Sedikides C. 5-HTTLPR polymorphism is associated with nostalgia proneness: The role of neuroticism. Soc Neurosci 2017; 14:183-190. [PMID: 29210327 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2017.1414717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for the past, is a self-relevant and social emotion. Nostalgia proneness is associated with alleviation of distress or instability (e.g., neuroticism). Although nostalgia proneness is heritable, the specific molecular contributors to this heritability are unknown. We focused on a polymorphism in the promoter of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) as a possible biological basis of nostalgia proneness, because the serotonin system has been associated with sensitivity to negative experience. Participants (N = 397 adults) who had reported levels of nostalgia proneness were genotyped. A subsample also completed a measure of neuroticism. Participants with the 5-HTTLPR short allele were higher on nostalgia proneness than those without this allele. Neuroticism mediated the relation between 5-HTTLPR and nostalgia proneness. These findings enrich our understanding of the genetic and personality underpinnings of nostalgia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu L L Luo
- a CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science , Institute of Psychology , Beijing , China
| | - Keith M Welker
- b Department of Psychology , University of Massachusetts Boston , Boston , MA , USA
| | - Baldwin Way
- c Department of Psychology , The Ohio State University , Columbus , OH , USA
| | - Nathan DeWall
- d Department of Psychology , University of Kentucky , Lexington , KY , USA
| | - Brad J Bushman
- e School of Communication and Department of Psychology , The Ohio State University , Columbus , OH , USA
| | - Tim Wildschut
- f Center for Research on Self and Identity, Psychology Department , University of Southampton , Southampton , UK
| | - Constantine Sedikides
- f Center for Research on Self and Identity, Psychology Department , University of Southampton , Southampton , UK
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68
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Semenova S, Rozov S, Panula P. Distribution, properties, and inhibitor sensitivity of zebrafish catechol-O-methyl transferases (COMT). Biochem Pharmacol 2017; 145:147-157. [PMID: 28844929 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2017.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT; EC 2.1.1.6) is an enzyme with multiple functions in vertebrates. COMT methylates and thus inactivates catecholamine neurotransmitters and metabolizes xenobiotic catechols. Gene polymorphism rs4680 that influences the enzymatic activity of COMT affects cognition and behavior in humans. The zebrafish is widely used as an experimental animal in many areas of biomedical research, but most aspects of COMT function in this species have remained uncharacterized. We hypothesized that both comt genes play essential roles in zebrafish. Both comt-a and comt-b were widely expressed in zebrafish tissues, but their relative abundance varied considerably. Homogenates of zebrafish organs, including the brain, showed enzymatic COMT activity that was the highest in the liver and kidney. Treatment of larval zebrafish with the COMT inhibitor Ro41-0960 shifted the balance of catecholamine metabolic pathways towards increased oxidative metabolism. Whole-body concentrations of dioxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), a product of dopamine oxidation, were increased in the inhibitor-treated larvae, although the dopamine levels were unchanged. Thus, COMT is likely to participate in the processing of catecholamine neurotransmitters in the zebrafish, but the inhibition of COMT in larval fish is compensated efficiently and does not have pronounced effects on dopamine levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana Semenova
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Stanislav Rozov
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pertti Panula
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland.
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69
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Quan J, Ong ML, Bureau JF, Sim LW, Sanmugam S, Abdul Malik AB, Wong E, Wong J, Chong YS, Saw SM, Kwek K, Qiu A, Holbrook JD, Rifkin-Graboi A. The influence of CHRNA4, COMT, and maternal sensitivity on orienting and executive attention in 6-month-old infants. Brain Cogn 2017; 116:17-28. [PMID: 28582665 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2017.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2016] [Revised: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Despite claims concerning biological mechanisms sub-serving infant attention, little experimental work examines its underpinnings. This study examines how candidate polymorphisms from the cholinergic (CHRNA4 rs1044396) and dopaminergic (COMT rs4680) systems, respectively indicative of parietal and prefrontal/anterior cingulate involvement, are related to 6-month-olds' (n=217) performance during a visual expectation eye-tracking paradigm. As previous studies suggest that both cholinergic and dopaminergic genes may influence susceptibility to the influence of other genetic and environmental factors, we further examined whether these candidate genes interact with one another and/or with early caregiving experience in predicting infants' visual attention. We detected an interaction between CHRNA4 genotype and observed maternal sensitivity upon infants' orienting to random stimuli and a CHRNA4-COMT interaction effect upon infants' orienting to patterned stimuli. Consistent with adult research, we observed a direct effect of COMT genotype on anticipatory looking to patterned stimuli. Findings suggest that CHRNA4 genotype may influence susceptibility to other attention-related factors in infancy. These interactions may account for the inability to establish a link between CHRNA4 and orienting in infant research to date, despite developmental theorizing suggesting otherwise. Moreover, findings suggest that by 6months, dopamine, and relatedly, the prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate, may be important to infant attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffry Quan
- University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques-Lussier Private, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada; Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609, Singapore
| | - Mei-Lyn Ong
- University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques-Lussier Private, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Jean-Francois Bureau
- University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques-Lussier Private, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Lit Wee Sim
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609, Singapore
| | - Shamini Sanmugam
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609, Singapore
| | - Adam B Abdul Malik
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609, Singapore
| | - Eric Wong
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609, Singapore
| | - Johnny Wong
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609, Singapore
| | - Yap-Seng Chong
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609, Singapore; National University Health System, 1E Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119228, Singapore
| | - Seang Mei Saw
- National University Health System, 1E Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119228, Singapore; Singapore Eye Research Institute, 11 Third Hospital Avenue, Singapore 168751, Singapore; Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, 8 College Road, Singapore 169857, Singapore
| | - Kenneth Kwek
- KK Women's & Children's Hospital, 100 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 229899, Singapore
| | - Anqi Qiu
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609, Singapore; National University of Singapore, 1 Engineering Drive 2, Singapore 117576, Singapore
| | - Joanna D Holbrook
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609, Singapore
| | - Anne Rifkin-Graboi
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609, Singapore.
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70
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Brodnik ZD, Double M, España RA, Jaskiw GE. L-Tyrosine availability affects basal and stimulated catecholamine indices in prefrontal cortex and striatum of the rat. Neuropharmacology 2017; 123:159-174. [PMID: 28571714 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Revised: 05/22/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
We previously found that L-tyrosine (L-TYR) but not D-TYR administered by reverse dialysis elevated catecholamine synthesis in vivo in medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and striatum of the rat (Brodnik et al., 2012). We now report L-TYR effects on extracellular levels of catecholamines and their metabolites. In MPFC, reverse dialysis of L-TYR elevated in vivo levels of dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) (L-TYR 250-1000 μM), homovanillic acid (HVA) (L-TYR 1000 μM) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) (L-TYR 500-1000 μM). In striatum L-TYR 250 μM elevated DOPAC. We also examined L-TYR effects on extracellular dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) levels during two 30 min pulses (P2 and P1) of K+ (37.5 mM) separated by t = 2.0 h. L-TYR significantly elevated the ratio P2/P1 for DA (L-TYR 125 μM) and NE (L-TYR 125-250 μM) in MPFC but lowered P2/P1 for DA (L-TYR 250 μM) in striatum. Finally, we measured DA levels in brain slices using ex-vivo voltammetry. Perfusion with L-TYR (12.5-50 μM) dose-dependently elevated stimulated DA levels in striatum. In all the above studies, D-TYR had no effect. We conclude that acute increases within the physiological range of L-TYR levels can increase catecholamine metabolism and efflux in MPFC and striatum. Chronically, such repeated increases in L-TYR availability could induce adaptive changes in catecholamine transmission while amplifying the metabolic cost of catecholamine synthesis and degradation. This has implications for neuropsychiatric conditions in which neurotoxicity and/or disordered L-TYR transport have been implicated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary D Brodnik
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, 2900 W. Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129, United States
| | - Manda Double
- Medical Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland DVAMC, 10701 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106, United States
| | - Rodrigo A España
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, 2900 W. Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129, United States
| | - George E Jaskiw
- Medical Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland DVAMC, 10701 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106, United States; Dept. of Psychiatry, Case Western University Medical Center at W.O. Walker 10524 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44133, United States.
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71
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Adolescence is the starting point of sex-dichotomous COMT genetic effects. Transl Psychiatry 2017; 7:e1141. [PMID: 28556830 PMCID: PMC5584523 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2017.109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Revised: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) genetic variations produce pleiotropic behavioral/neuroanatomical effects. Some of these effects may vary among sexes. However, the developmental trajectories of COMT-by-sex interactions are unclear. Here we found that extreme COMT reduction, in both humans (22q11.2 deletion syndrome COMT Met) and mice (COMT-/-), was associated to cortical thinning only after puberty and only in females. Molecular biomarkers, such as tyrosine hydroxylase, Akt and neuronal/cellular counting, confirmed that COMT-by-sex divergent effects started to appear at the cortical level during puberty. These biochemical differences were absent in infancy. Finally, developmental cognitive assessment in 22q11DS and COMT knockout mice established that COMT-by-sex-dichotomous effects in executive functions were already apparent in adolescence. These findings uncover that genetic variations severely reducing COMT result in detrimental cortical and cognitive development selectively in females after their sexual maturity. This highlights the importance of taking into account the combined effect of genetics, sex and developmental stage.
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Binge-Like Alcohol Exposure During Adolescence Disrupts Dopaminergic Neurotransmission in the Adult Prelimbic Cortex. Neuropsychopharmacology 2017; 42:1024-1036. [PMID: 27620551 PMCID: PMC5506791 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2016.190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2016] [Revised: 08/05/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Repeated binge-like exposure to alcohol during adolescence has been reported to perturb prefrontal cortical development, yet the mechanisms underlying these effects are unknown. Here we report that adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure induces cellular and dopaminergic abnormalities in the adult prelimbic cortex (PrL-C). Exposing rats to alcohol during early-mid adolescence (PD28-42) increased the density of long/thin dendritic spines of layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the adult PrL-C. Interestingly, although AIE exposure did not alter the expression of glutamatergic proteins in the adult PrL-C, there was a pronounced reduction in dopamine (DA) D1 receptor modulation of both intrinsic firing and evoked NMDA currents in pyramidal cells, whereas D2 receptor function was unaltered. Recordings from fast-spiking interneurons also revealed that AIE reduced intrinsic excitability, glutamatergic signaling, and D1 receptor modulation of these cells. Analysis of PrL-C tissue of AIE-exposed rats further revealed persistent changes in the expression of DA-related proteins, including reductions in the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). AIE exposure was associated with hypermethylation of the COMT promoter at a conserved CpG site in exon II. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that AIE exposure disrupts DA and GABAergic transmission in the adult medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). As DA and GABA work in concert to shape and synchronize neuronal ensembles in the PFC, these alterations could contribute to deficits in behavioral control and decision-making in adults who abused alcohol during adolescence.
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73
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Nesbit MO, Dias C, Phillips AG. The effects of d -govadine on conditioned place preference with d -amphetamine or food reward. Behav Brain Res 2017; 321:223-231. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.12.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Revised: 12/29/2016] [Accepted: 12/31/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Wiegand A, Nieratschker V, Plewnia C. Genetic Modulation of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Effects on Cognition. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:651. [PMID: 28066217 PMCID: PMC5177633 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
High inter-individual variability substantially challenges the explanatory power of studies on the modulation of cognitive functions with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). These differences in responsivity have been linked with a critical state-dependency of stimulation effects. In general, genetic diversity is a decisive biological basis of variations in neuronal network functioning. Therefore, it is most likely that inter-individual variability of tDCS-induced changes in cognitive functions is due to specific interactions between genetically determined network properties and the specific type of stimulation. In this context, predominantly the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met and the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val108/158Met polymorphisms have been investigated. The studies on the interaction between the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and the effect of brain stimulation indicate a critical but yet heterogeneous interaction. But up to now, data on the interplay between this polymorphism and tDCS on cognitive functioning are not available. However, recently, the functional Val(108/158)Met polymorphism in the COMT gene, that is particularly involved in the regulation of executive functions by means of the dopaminergic tone in frontal brain areas, has been demonstrated to specifically predict the effect of tDCS on cognitive control. Following an inverted U-shaped function, the high dopaminergic activity in Met allele homozygous individuals has been shown to be associated with a reduction of executive functioning by anodal tDCS to the prefrontal cortex. Consistently, Val homozygous individuals with lower dopaminergic tone show a clear reduction of response inhibition with cathodal tDCS. These findings exemplify the notion of a complex but neurophysiologically consistent interaction between genetically determined variations of neuronal activity and tDCS, particularly in the cognitive domain. Consequently, a systematic analysis and consideration of genetic modulators of tDCS effects will be helpful to improve the efficacy of brain stimulation and particularly tDCS in the investigation and treatment of cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariane Wiegand
- Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen Tübingen, Germany
| | - Vanessa Nieratschker
- Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christian Plewnia
- Neurophysiology and Interventional Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen Tübingen, Germany
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Prolyl Oligopeptidase Regulates Dopamine Transporter Phosphorylation in the Nigrostriatal Pathway of Mouse. Mol Neurobiol 2016; 55:470-482. [PMID: 27966077 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-016-0339-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Alpha-synuclein is the main component of Lewy bodies, a histopathological finding of Parkinson's disease. Prolyl oligopeptidase (PREP) is a serine protease that binds to α-synuclein and accelerates its aggregation in vitro. PREP enzyme inhibitors have been shown to block the α-synuclein aggregation process in vitro and in cellular models, and also to enhance the clearance of α-synuclein aggregates in transgenic mouse models. Moreover, PREP inhibitors have induced alterations in dopamine and metabolite levels, and dopamine transporter immunoreactivity in the nigrostriatal tissue. In this study, we characterized the role of PREP in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic and GABAergic systems of wild-type C57Bl/6 and PREP knockout mice, and the effects of PREP overexpression on these systems. Extracellular concentrations of dopamine and protein levels of phosphorylated dopamine transporter were increased and dopamine reuptake was decreased in the striatum of PREP knockout mice, suggesting increased internalization of dopamine transporter from the presynaptic membrane. Furthermore, PREP overexpression increased the level of dopamine transporters in the nigrostriatal tissue but decreased phosphorylated dopamine transporters in the striatum in wild-type mice. Our results suggest that PREP regulates the function of dopamine transporter, possibly by controlling the phosphorylation and transport of dopamine transporter into the striatum or synaptic membrane.
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Svarcbahs R, Julku UH, Myöhänen TT. Inhibition of Prolyl Oligopeptidase Restores Spontaneous Motor Behavior in the α-Synuclein Virus Vector-Based Parkinson's Disease Mouse Model by Decreasing α-Synuclein Oligomeric Species in Mouse Brain. J Neurosci 2016; 36:12485-12497. [PMID: 27927963 PMCID: PMC6601975 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2309-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Revised: 10/19/2016] [Accepted: 10/21/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Decreased clearance of α-synuclein (aSyn) and aSyn protein misfolding and aggregation are seen as major factors in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other synucleinopathies that leads to disruption in neuronal function and eventually to cell death. Prolyl oligopeptidase (PREP) can accelerate the aSyn aggregation process, while inhibition of PREP by a small molecule inhibitor decreases aSyn oligomer formation and enhances its clearance via autophagy in different aSyn overexpressing cell types and in transgenic PD animal models. In this study, we investigated the impact of chronic PREP inhibition by a small molecule inhibitor, 4-phenylbutanoyl-l-prolyl-2(S)-cyanopyrrolidine (KYP-2047), on aSyn oligomerization, clearance, and underlying spontaneous motor behavior in a virus vector-based aSyn overexpression mouse model 4 weeks after aSyn microinjections and after the onset of symptomatic forepaw bias. Following 4 weeks of PREP inhibition, we saw an improved spontaneous forelimb use in mice that correlated with a decreased immunoreactivity against oligomer-specific forms of aSyn. Additionally, KYP-2047 had a trend to enhance dopaminergic systems activity. Our results suggest that PREP inhibition exhibits a beneficial effect on the aSyn clearance and aggregation in a virus mediated aSyn overexpression PD mouse model and that PREP inhibitors could be a novel therapeutic strategy for synucleinopathies. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Alpha-synuclein (aSyn) has been implicated in Parkinson's disease, with aSyn aggregates believed to exert toxic effects on neurons, while prolyl oligopeptidase (PREP) has been shown to interact with aSyn both in cells and cell free conditions, thus enhancing its aggregation. We demonstrate the possibility to abolish motor imbalance caused by aSyn viral vector injection with chronic 4 week PREP inhibition by a potent small-molecule PREP inhibitor, 4-phenylbutanoyl-l-prolyl-2(S)-cyanopyrrolidine (KYP-2047). Treatment was initiated postsymptomatically, 4 weeks after aSyn injection. KYP-2047-treated animals had a significantly decreased amount of oligomeric aSyn particles and improved dopamine system activity compared to control animals. To our knowledge, this is the first time viral overexpression of aSyn has been countered and movement impairments abolished after their onset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reinis Svarcbahs
- Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ulrika H Julku
- Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Timo T Myöhänen
- Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
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77
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Genotype-Dependent Effects of COMT Inhibition on Cognitive Function in a Highly Specific, Novel Mouse Model of Altered COMT Activity. Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:3060-3069. [PMID: 27388330 PMCID: PMC5101554 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2016.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Revised: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) modulates dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex. The human gene contains a polymorphism (Val158Met) that alters enzyme activity and influences PFC function. It has also been linked with cognition and anxiety, but the findings are mixed. We therefore developed a novel mouse model of altered COMT activity. The human Met allele was introduced into the native mouse COMT gene to produce COMT-Met mice, which were compared with their wild-type littermates. The model proved highly specific: COMT-Met mice had reductions in COMT abundance and activity, compared with wild-type mice, explicitly in the absence of off-target changes in the expression of other genes. Despite robust alterations in dopamine metabolism, we found only subtle changes on certain cognitive tasks under baseline conditions (eg, increased spatial novelty preference in COMT-Met mice vs wild-type mice). However, genotype differences emerged after administration of the COMT inhibitor tolcapone: performance of wild-type mice, but not COMT-Met mice, was improved on the 5-choice serial reaction time task after tolcapone administration. There were no changes in anxiety-related behaviors in the tests that we used. Our findings are convergent with human studies of the Val158Met polymorphism, and suggest that COMT's effects are most prominent when the dopamine system is challenged. Finally, they demonstrate the importance of considering COMT genotype when examining the therapeutic potential of COMT inhibitors.
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Modelling ADHD: A review of ADHD theories through their predictions for computational models of decision-making and reinforcement learning. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 71:633-656. [PMID: 27608958 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2015] [Revised: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 09/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by altered decision-making (DM) and reinforcement learning (RL), for which competing theories propose alternative explanations. Computational modelling contributes to understanding DM and RL by integrating behavioural and neurobiological findings, and could elucidate pathogenic mechanisms behind ADHD. This review of neurobiological theories of ADHD describes predictions for the effect of ADHD on DM and RL as described by the drift-diffusion model of DM (DDM) and a basic RL model. Empirical studies employing these models are also reviewed. While theories often agree on how ADHD should be reflected in model parameters, each theory implies a unique combination of predictions. Empirical studies agree with the theories' assumptions of a lowered DDM drift rate in ADHD, while findings are less conclusive for boundary separation. The few studies employing RL models support a lower choice sensitivity in ADHD, but not an altered learning rate. The discussion outlines research areas for further theoretical refinement in the ADHD field.
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79
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Diversity of Dopaminergic Neural Circuits in Response to Drug Exposure. Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:2424-46. [PMID: 26934955 PMCID: PMC4987841 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2016.32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2015] [Revised: 02/05/2016] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Addictive substances are known to increase dopaminergic signaling in the mesocorticolimbic system. The origin of this dopamine (DA) signaling originates in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which sends afferents to various targets, including the nucleus accumbens, the medial prefrontal cortex, and the basolateral amygdala. VTA DA neurons mediate stimuli saliency and goal-directed behaviors. These neurons undergo robust drug-induced intrinsic and extrinsic synaptic mechanisms following acute and chronic drug exposure, which are part of brain-wide adaptations that ultimately lead to the transition into a drug-dependent state. Interestingly, recent investigations of the differential subpopulations of VTA DA neurons have revealed projection-specific functional roles in mediating reward, aversion, and stress. It is now critical to view drug-induced neuroadaptations from a circuit-level perspective to gain insight into how differential dopaminergic adaptations and signaling to targets of the mesocorticolimbic system mediates drug reward. This review hopes to describe the projection-specific intrinsic characteristics of these subpopulations, the differential afferent inputs onto these VTA DA neuron subpopulations, and consolidate findings of drug-induced plasticity of VTA DA neurons and highlight the importance of future projection-based studies of this system.
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80
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Liao YH, Lee HJ, Huang WJ, Fan PC, Chiou LC. Hispidulin alleviated methamphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion by acting at α6 subunit-containing GABAA receptors in the cerebellum. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2016; 233:3187-99. [PMID: 27385415 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-016-4365-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Accepted: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Hispidulin is a flavonoid we isolated from Clerodendrum inerme, an herb that effectively remitted a case of intractable motor tic disorders. Hispidulin was shown to be a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of GABAA receptors, including the α6 subunit-containing subtype (α6GABAAR) that is predominantly expressed in cerebellar granule cells and insensitive to diazepam. OBJECTIVES We explored the action mechanism(s) of hispidulin using hyperdopaminergic mouse models induced by methamphetamine and apomorphine, based on the hyperdopaminergic nature of tic disorders. RESULTS Hispidulin significantly inhibited methamphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion (MIH) at i.p. doses without affecting apomorphine-induced hyperlocomotion and stereotypy behaviors or having significant benzodiazepine-like effects (BZLE), including sedation, anxiety, and motor impairment. When given by intracerebellar (i.c.b.) microinjection, hispidulin also alleviated MIH and this effect was prevented by i.c.b. coadministration of furosemide, an α6GABAAR antagonist, and mimicked by i.c.b. Ro 15-4513, an α6GABAAR PAM. Conversely, i.c.b. diazepam did not affect MIH while it reduced MIH at i.p. doses having significant BZLE. In a screening assay for 92 neurotransmitter receptors/degradation enzymes/transporters, hispidulin displayed significant (>50 % inhibition of radiolabeled ligand binding at 10 μM) binding affinity only at the benzodiazepine binding site of GABAARs (IC50 0.73∼1.78 μM) and catecholamine-o-methyl-transferase (COMT) (IC50 1.32 μM). OR-486, a more potent COMT inhibitor than hispidulin, did not affect MIH. CONCLUSIONS It is suggested that hispidulin alleviates MIH via acting as a PAM of cerebellar α6GABAARs, but not through COMT inhibition or affecting dopamine receptor responsiveness. Thus, selective α6GABAAR PAMs may have the potential to be a novel treatment for hyperdopaminergic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Hsiang Liao
- Graduate Institute of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Jung Lee
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Jen-Ai Rd., Section 1, Taipei, 100, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Jan Huang
- Graduate Institute of Pharmacognosy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Pi-Chuan Fan
- Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Lih-Chu Chiou
- Graduate Institute of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. .,Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Jen-Ai Rd., Section 1, Taipei, 100, Taiwan. .,Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. .,Research Center for Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
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81
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Shukla AA, Jha M, Birchfield T, Mukherjee S, Gleason K, Abdisalaam S, Asaithamby A, Adams-Huet B, Tamminga CA, Ghose S. COMT val158met polymorphism and molecular alterations in the human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex: Differences in controls and in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2016; 173:94-100. [PMID: 27021555 PMCID: PMC4836991 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2016.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Revised: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The single nucleotide val158met polymorphism in catechol o-methyltransferase (COMT) influences prefrontal cortex function. Working memory, dependent on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), has been repeatedly shown to be influenced by this COMT polymorphism. The high activity COMT val isoform is associated with lower synaptic dopamine levels. Altered synaptic dopamine levels are expected to lead to molecular adaptations within the synapse and within DLPFC neural circuitry. In this human post mortem study using high quality DLPFC tissue, we first examined the influence of the COMT val158met polymorphism on markers of dopamine neurotransmission, N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunits and glutamatic acid decarboxylase 67 (GAD67), all known to be critical to DLPFC circuitry and function. Next, we compared target gene expression profiles in a cohort of control and schizophrenia cases, each characterized by COMT genotype. We find that the COMT val allele in control subjects is associated with significant upregulation of GluN2A and GAD67 mRNA levels compared to met carriers. Comparisons between control and schizophrenia groups reveal that GluN2A, GAD67 and DRD2 are differentially regulated between diagnostic groups in a genotype specific manner. Chronic antipsychotic treatment in rodents did not explain these differences. These data demonstrate an association between COMTval158met genotype and gene expression profile in the DLPFC of controls, possibly adaptations to maintain DLPFC function. In schizophrenia val homozygotes, these adaptations are not seen and could reflect pathophysiologic mechanisms related to the known poorer performance of these subjects on DLPFC-dependent tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhay A. Shukla
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Manish Jha
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Thomas Birchfield
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Shibani Mukherjee
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Kelly Gleason
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Salim Abdisalaam
- Department of Radiation Oncology/Division of Molecular Radiation Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Aroumougame Asaithamby
- Department of Radiation Oncology/Division of Molecular Radiation Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Beverley Adams-Huet
- Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Carol A. Tamminga
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Subroto Ghose
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75390, United States.
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82
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Kasanova Z, Hernaus D, Vaessen T, van Amelsvoort T, Winz O, Heinzel A, Pruessner J, Mottaghy FM, Collip D, Myin-Germeys I. Early-Life Stress Affects Stress-Related Prefrontal Dopamine Activity in Healthy Adults, but Not in Individuals with Psychotic Disorder. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0150746. [PMID: 27007554 PMCID: PMC4805207 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2015] [Accepted: 02/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Early life stress may have a lasting impact on the developmental programming of the dopamine (DA) system implicated in psychosis. Early adversity could promote resilience by calibrating the prefrontal stress-regulatory dopaminergic neurotransmission to improve the individual's fit with the predicted stressful environment. Aberrant reactivity to such match between proximal and distal environments may, however, enhance psychosis disease risk. We explored the combined effects of childhood adversity and adult stress by exposing 12 unmedicated individuals with a diagnosis of non-affective psychotic disorder (NAPD) and 12 healthy controls (HC) to psychosocial stress during an [18F]fallypride positron emission tomography. Childhood trauma divided into early (ages 0-11 years) and late (12-18 years) was assessed retrospectively using a questionnaire. A significant group x childhood trauma interaction on the spatial extent of stress-related [18F]fallypride displacement was observed in the mPFC for early (b = -8.45, t(1,23) = -3.35, p = .004) and late childhood trauma (b = -7.86, t(1,23) = -2.48, p = .023). In healthy individuals, the spatial extent of mPFC DA activity under acute psychosocial stress was positively associated with the severity of early (b = 7.23, t(11) = 3.06, p = .016) as well as late childhood trauma (b = -7.86, t(1,23) = -2.48, p = .023). Additionally, a trend-level main effect of early childhood trauma on subjective stress response emerged within this group (b = -.7, t(11) = -2, p = .07), where higher early trauma correlated with lower subjective stress response to the task. In the NAPD group, childhood trauma was not associated with the spatial extent of the tracer displacement in mPFC (b = -1.22, t(11) = -0.67), nor was there a main effect of trauma on the subjective perception of stress within this group (b = .004, t(11) = .01, p = .99). These findings reveal a potential mechanism of neuroadaptation of prefrontal DA transmission to early life stress and suggest its role in resilience and vulnerability to psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Kasanova
- Department of Neuroscience, KU Leuven–University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dennis Hernaus
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, School for Mental Health and NeuroScience MHeNS Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Vaessen
- Department of Neuroscience, KU Leuven–University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Thérèse van Amelsvoort
- Department of Neuroscience, KU Leuven–University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Oliver Winz
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Alexander Heinzel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Jens Pruessner
- Department of Psychiatry, Douglas Mental Health Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Felix M. Mottaghy
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Hospital, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Dina Collip
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, School for Mental Health and NeuroScience MHeNS Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Inez Myin-Germeys
- Department of Neuroscience, KU Leuven–University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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83
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Smith CT, Wallace DL, Dang LC, Aarts E, Jagust WJ, D'Esposito M, Boettiger CA. Modulation of impulsivity and reward sensitivity in intertemporal choice by striatal and midbrain dopamine synthesis in healthy adults. J Neurophysiol 2016; 115:1146-56. [PMID: 26683066 PMCID: PMC4808128 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00261.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Converging evidence links individual differences in mesolimbic and mesocortical dopamine (DA) to variation in the tendency to choose immediate rewards ("Now") over larger, delayed rewards ("Later"), or "Now bias." However, to date, no study of healthy young adults has evaluated the relationship between Now bias and DA with positron emission tomography (PET). Sixteen healthy adults (ages 24-34 yr; 50% women) completed a delay-discounting task that quantified aspects of intertemporal reward choice, including Now bias and reward magnitude sensitivity. Participants also underwent PET scanning with 6-[(18)F]fluoro-l-m-tyrosine (FMT), a radiotracer that measures DA synthesis capacity. Lower putamen FMT signal predicted elevated Now bias, a more rapidly declining discount rate with increasing delay time, and reduced willingness to accept low-interest-rate delayed rewards. In contrast, lower FMT signal in the midbrain predicted greater sensitivity to increasing magnitude of the Later reward. These data demonstrate that intertemporal reward choice in healthy humans varies with region-specific measures of DA processing, with regionally distinct associations with sensitivity to delay and to reward magnitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher T. Smith
- 1Neurobiology Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina;
| | - Deanna L. Wallace
- 2Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California;
| | - Linh C. Dang
- 2Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California; ,3Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California;
| | - Esther Aarts
- 2Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California; ,4Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; and
| | - William J. Jagust
- 2Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California; ,3Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California;
| | - Mark D'Esposito
- 2Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California;
| | - Charlotte A. Boettiger
- 1Neurobiology Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; ,5Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, and Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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84
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Ihne JL, Gallagher NM, Sullivan M, Callicott JH, Green AE. Is less really more: Does a prefrontal efficiency genotype actually confer better performance when working memory becomes difficult? Cortex 2015; 74:79-95. [PMID: 26649915 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2015.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2015] [Revised: 09/24/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Perhaps the most widely studied effect to emerge from the combination of neuroimaging and human genetics is the association of the COMT-Val(108/158)Met polymorphism with prefrontal activity during working memory. COMT-Val is a putative risk factor in schizophrenia, which is characterized by disordered prefrontal function. Work in healthy populations has sought to characterize mechanisms by which the valine (Val) allele may lead to disadvantaged prefrontal cognition. Lower activity in methionine (Met) carriers has been interpreted as advantageous neural efficiency. Notably, however, studies reporting COMT effects on neural efficiency have generally not reported working memory performance effects. Those studies have employed relatively low/easy working memory loads. Higher loads are known to elicit individual differences in working memory performance that are not visible at lower loads. If COMT-Met confers greater neural efficiency when working memory is easy, a reasonable prediction is that Met carriers will be better able to cope with increasing demand for neural resources when working memory becomes difficult. To our knowledge, this prediction has thus far gone untested. Here, we tested performance on three working memory tasks. Performance on each task was measured at multiple levels of load/difficulty, including loads more demanding than those used in prior studies. We found no genotype-by-load interactions or main effects of COMT genotype on accuracy or reaction time. Indeed, even testing for performance differences at each load of each task failed to find a single significant effect of COMT genotype. Thus, even if COMT genotype has the effects on prefrontal efficiency that prior work has suggested, such effects may not directly impact high-load working memory ability. The present findings accord with previous evidence that behavioral effects of COMT are small or nonexistent and, more broadly, with a growing consensus that substantial effects on phenotype will not emerge from candidate gene studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Ihne
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, United States
| | | | - Marie Sullivan
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, United States
| | - Joseph H Callicott
- Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, United States
| | - Adam E Green
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, United States.
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85
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MacKillop J, Gray JC, Bidwell LC, Bickel WK, Sheffer CE, McGeary JE. Genetic influences on delay discounting in smokers: examination of a priori candidates and exploration of dopamine-related haplotypes. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232. [PMID: 26220612 PMCID: PMC4845660 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-015-4029-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Delay discounting is a behavioral economic index of impulsivity that reflects a person's relative preference for small immediate rewards versus larger delayed rewards. Elevated delay discounting is robustly linked to addictive disorders and has been increasingly investigated as a viable endophenotype for genetic influences on addiction. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to examine associations between delay discounting and two a priori loci, rs4680 in COMT and rs1800497 in ANKK1, and three exploratory haplotypes proximal to rs1800497 in a sample of daily smokers. METHODS Participants were 713 (60.2 % male) daily smokers of European ancestry who completed a delay discounting assessment and provided a DNA sample. RESULTS Significant associations were detected between greater discounting of medium magnitude rewards (~$55) and the G allele of rs4680, as well as the T allele of rs1800497. Exploratory haplotype analyses identified two haplotypes (rs1160467/rs1800497; rs6277/rs1079597) significantly associated with delay discounting rates. However, the rs1160467/rs1800497 haplotype associations appeared to be entirely attributable to variation in rs1800497, suggesting that the association of rs1800497 with discounting is best understood at the individual SNP level. Similarly, the rs6277/rs1079597 haplotype findings suggested that the association was specific to rs1079597. CONCLUSIONS This study provides further evidence that rs4680 and rs1800497 genotypes are significantly associated with delay discounting preferences and does so among smokers for the first time. The study also provides evidence of specificity for the rs1800497 association and identifies a novel locus, rs1079597, as a genetic contributor to higher delay discounting rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- James MacKillop
- Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University/St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON, Canada,
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86
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Schmack K, Rössler H, Sekutowicz M, Brandl EJ, Müller DJ, Petrovic P, Sterzer P. Linking unfounded beliefs to genetic dopamine availability. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:521. [PMID: 26483654 PMCID: PMC4588007 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2015] [Accepted: 09/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Unfounded convictions involving beliefs in the paranormal, grandiosity ideas or suspicious thoughts are endorsed at varying degrees among the general population. Here, we investigated the neurobiopsychological basis of the observed inter-individual variability in the propensity toward unfounded beliefs. One hundred two healthy individuals were genotyped for four polymorphisms in the COMT gene (rs6269, rs4633, rs4818, and rs4680, also known as val158met) that define common functional haplotypes with substantial impact on synaptic dopamine degradation, completed a questionnaire measuring unfounded beliefs, and took part in a behavioral experiment assessing perceptual inference. We found that greater dopamine availability was associated with a stronger propensity toward unfounded beliefs, and that this effect was statistically mediated by an enhanced influence of expectations on perceptual inference. Our results indicate that genetic differences in dopaminergic neurotransmission account for inter-individual differences in perceptual inference linked to the formation and maintenance of unfounded beliefs. Thus, dopamine might be critically involved in the processes underlying one's interpretation of the relationship between the self and the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Schmack
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin, Germany
| | - Hannes Rössler
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin, Germany
| | - Maria Sekutowicz
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin, Germany
| | - Eva J Brandl
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin, Germany
| | - Daniel J Müller
- Neurogenetics Section, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Predrag Petrovic
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Philipp Sterzer
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin, Germany
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87
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Rooney KE, Wallace LJ. Computational modeling of extracellular dopamine kinetics suggests low probability of neurotransmitter release. Synapse 2015; 69:515-25. [PMID: 26248886 DOI: 10.1002/syn.21845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2015] [Revised: 06/25/2015] [Accepted: 07/11/2015] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Dopamine in the striatum signals the saliency of current environmental input and is involved in learned formation of appropriate responses. The regular baseline-firing rate of dopaminergic neurons suggests that baseline dopamine is essential for proper brain function. The first goal of the study was to estimate the likelihood of full exocytotic dopamine release associated with each firing event under baseline conditions. A computer model of extracellular space associated with a single varicosity was developed using the program MCell to estimate kinetics of extracellular dopamine. Because the literature provides multiple kinetic values for dopamine uptake depending on the system tested, simulations were run using different kinetic parameters. With all sets of kinetic parameters evaluated, at most, 25% of a single vesicle per varicosity would need to be released per firing event to maintain a 5-10 nM extracellular dopamine concentration, the level reported by multiple microdialysis experiments. The second goal was to estimate the fraction of total amount of stored dopamine released during a highly stimulated condition. This was done using the same model system to simulate published measurements of extracellular dopamine following electrical stimulation of striatal slices in vitro. The results suggest the amount of dopamine release induced by a single electrical stimulation may be as large as the contents of two vesicles per varicosity. We conclude that dopamine release probability at any particular varicosity is low. This suggests that factors capable of increasing release probability could have a powerful effect on sculpting dopamine signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine E Rooney
- Division of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, the Ohio State University, 500 W. 12th Avenue Columbus, Ohio, 43210
| | - Lane J Wallace
- Division of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, the Ohio State University, 500 W. 12th Avenue Columbus, Ohio, 43210.,500 West 12th Avenue Columbus, Ohio, 43210
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88
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Blanco NJ, Love BC, Cooper JA, McGeary JE, Knopik VS, Maddox WT. A frontal dopamine system for reflective exploratory behavior. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2015; 123:84-91. [PMID: 26004676 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2015.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2015] [Revised: 05/10/2015] [Accepted: 05/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The COMT gene modulates dopamine levels in prefrontal cortex with Met allele carriers having lower COMT enzyme activity and, therefore, higher dopamine levels compared to Val/Val homozygotes. Concordantly, Val/Val homozygotes tend to perform worse and display increased (interpreted as inefficient) frontal activation in certain cognitive tasks. In a sample of 209 participants, we test the hypothesis that Met carriers will be advantaged in a decision-making task that demands sequencing exploratory and exploitive choices to minimize uncertainty about the reward structure in the environment. Previous work suggests that optimal performance depends on limited cognitive resources supported by prefrontal systems. If so, Met carriers should outperform Val/Val homozygotes, particularly under dual-task conditions that tax limited cognitive resources. In accord with these a priori predictions, Met carriers were more resilient in the face of cognitive load, continuing to explore in a sophisticated manner. We fit computational models that embody sophisticated reflective and simple reflexive strategies to further evaluate participants' exploration behavior. The Ideal Actor model reflectively updates beliefs and plans ahead, taking into account the information gained by each choice and making choices that maximize long-term payoffs. In contrast, the Naïve Reinforcement Learning (RL) model instantiates the reflexive account of choice, in which the values of actions are based only on the rewards experienced so far. Its beliefs are updated reflexively in response to observed changes in rewards. Converging with standard analyses, Met carriers were best characterized by the Ideal Actor model, whereas Val/Val homozygotes were best characterized by the Naive RL model, particularly under dual-task conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel J Blanco
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 78712, United States.
| | - Bradley C Love
- Experimental Psychology, University College London, WC1H OAP, UK
| | - Jessica A Cooper
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 78712, United States
| | - John E McGeary
- Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 02903, United States; Division of Behavioral Genetics, Rhode Island Hospital, 02903, United States
| | - Valerie S Knopik
- Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 02903, United States; Division of Behavioral Genetics, Rhode Island Hospital, 02903, United States
| | - W Todd Maddox
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 78712, United States
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89
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Harrison S, Poslusney MS, Mulhearn JJ, Zhao Z, Kett N, Schubert JW, Melamed JY, Allison TJ, Patel SB, Sanders JM, Sharma S, Smith RF, Hall DL, Robinson RG, Sachs NA, Hutson PH, Wolkenberg SE, Barrow JC. Synthesis and Evaluation of Heterocyclic Catechol Mimics as Inhibitors of Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). ACS Med Chem Lett 2015; 6:318-23. [PMID: 25815153 PMCID: PMC4360154 DOI: 10.1021/ml500502d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2014] [Accepted: 01/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
3-Hydroxy-4-pyridinones and 5-hydroxy-4-pyrimidinones were identified as inhibitors of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) in a high-throughput screen. These heterocyclic catechol mimics exhibit potent inhibition of the enzyme and an improved toxicity profile versus the marketed nitrocatechol inhibitors tolcapone and entacapone. Optimization of the series was aided by X-ray cocrystal structures of the novel inhibitors in complex with COMT and cofactors SAM and Mg(2+). The crystal structures suggest a mechanism of inhibition for these heterocyclic inhibitors distinct from previously disclosed COMT inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott
T. Harrison
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Michael S. Poslusney
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - James J. Mulhearn
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Zhijian Zhao
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Nathan
R. Kett
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Jeffrey W. Schubert
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Jeffrey Y. Melamed
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Timothy J. Allison
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Sangita B. Patel
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - John M. Sanders
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Sujata Sharma
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Robert F. Smith
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Dawn L. Hall
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Ronald G. Robinson
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Nancy A. Sachs
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Pete H. Hutson
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Scott E. Wolkenberg
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - James C. Barrow
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Global Structural Biology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, and Department of
Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories, Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
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90
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Dopamine bioavailability in the mPFC modulates operant learning performance in rats: an experimental study with a computational interpretation. Behav Brain Res 2015; 280:92-100. [PMID: 25435314 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.11.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2014] [Revised: 11/12/2014] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Dopamine encodes reward and its prediction in reinforcement learning. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been shown to influence cognitive abilities by modifying dopamine clearance. Nevertheless, it is unknown how COMT in the mPFC influences operant learning. Systemic entacapone (50mg/kg), as well as local entacapone (3 pg) and recombinant COMT (17 μg) in the mPFC were administered to male Long Evans rats prior to training in an operant conditioning task. We found that systemic and local administration of the COMT inhibitor entacapone significantly improves learning performance. Conversely, recombinant COMT administration totally impaired learning. These data have been interpreted through a computational model where the phasic firing of dopaminergic neurons was computed by means of a temporal difference algorithm and dopamine bioavailability in the mPFC was simulated with a gating window. The duration of this window was selected to simulate the effects of inhibited or enhanced COMT activity (by entacapone or recombinant COMT respectively). The model accounts for an improved performance reproducing the entacapone effects, and a detrimental impact on learning when the clearance is increased reproducing the recombinant COMT effects. The experimental and computational results show that learning performance can be deeply influenced by COMT manipulations in the mPFC.
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91
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Vena AA, Gonzales RA. Temporal profiles dissociate regional extracellular ethanol versus dopamine concentrations. ACS Chem Neurosci 2015; 6:37-47. [PMID: 25537116 PMCID: PMC4304481 DOI: 10.1021/cn500278b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In vivo monitoring of dopamine via microdialysis has demonstrated that acute, systemic ethanol increases extracellular dopamine in regions innervated by dopaminergic neurons originating in the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra. Simultaneous measurement of dialysate dopamine and ethanol allows comparison of the time courses of their extracellular concentrations. Early studies demonstrated dissociations between the time courses of brain ethanol concentrations and dopaminergic responses in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) elicited by acute ethanol administration. Both brain ethanol and extracellular dopamine levels peak during the first 5 min following systemic ethanol administration, but the dopamine response returns to baseline while brain ethanol concentrations remain elevated. Post hoc analyses examined ratios of the dopamine response (represented as a percent above baseline) to tissue concentrations of ethanol at different time points within the first 25-30 min in the prefrontal cortex, NAc core and shell, and dorsomedial striatum following a single intravenous infusion of ethanol (1 g/kg). The temporal patterns of these "response ratios" differed across brain regions, possibly due to regional differences in the mechanisms underlying the decline of the dopamine signal associated with acute intravenous ethanol administration and/or to the differential effects of acute ethanol on the properties of subpopulations of midbrain dopamine neurons. This Review draws on neurochemical, physiological, and molecular studies to summarize the effects of acute ethanol administration on dopamine activity in the prefrontal cortex and striatal regions, to explore the potential reasons for the regional differences observed in the decline of ethanol-induced dopamine signals, and to suggest directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley A. Vena
- College
of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmacology and
Toxicology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Rueben A. Gonzales
- College
of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmacology and
Toxicology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
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92
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive enhancement or neuroenhancement describes the increase in cognitive performance in humans by means of psychotropic drugs or brain stimulation methods, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). PROBLEM This article discusses the potential of pharmacological cognitive enhancement with some of the most common drugs. METHODS A selective literature search was performed taking into account the most important groups of substances (i.e. caffeine, nicotine, stimulants including modafinil, and acetylcholine esterase inhibitors) for which studies on the pharmacological elevation of cognitive performance in healthy subjects are available. RESULTS The extent of the effects that can be pharmacologically achieved is essentially genetically determined. Some of the best-characterized polymorphisms are described here. Pharmacological enhancement of cognitive performance is currently possible with all of the compounds described here and caffeine and nicotine are used by millions of people without the explicit intention of most consumers of cognitive enhancement. DISCUSSION Clinical neuroscientists are required to share their expertise to a greater extent in the social discourse on cognitive enhancement in the future in order to influence opinion-forming and decision-making processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Gründer
- Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Deutschland,
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93
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McCane AM, Czachowski CL, Lapish CC. Tolcapone suppresses ethanol intake in alcohol-preferring rats performing a novel cued access protocol. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2014; 38:2468-78. [PMID: 25257296 PMCID: PMC4260468 DOI: 10.1111/acer.12515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2013] [Accepted: 06/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dopamine (DA) has been shown to play a central role in regulating motivated behavior and encoding reward. Chronic drug abuse elicits a state of hypodopaminergia in the mesocorticolimbic (MCL) system in both humans and preclinical rodent models of addiction, including those modeling alcohol use disorders (AUD). METHODS Working under the hypothesis that reductions in the bioavailability of DA play an integral role in the expression of the excessive drinking phenotype, the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor tolcapone was used as a means to amplify cortical DA concentration and drinking behaviors were then assessed. Sucrose and ethanol (EtOH) consumption were measured in P and Wistar rats in both a free choice drinking protocol and a novel cued access protocol. RESULTS Tolcapone attenuated the consumption of EtOH, and to a lesser extent sucrose, in P rats in the cued access protocol, while no effect was observed in the free choice drinking protocol. Tolcapone also decreased EtOH consumption in high drinking Wistar rats. A follow-up experiment using the indirect DA agonist d-amphetamine showed no change in EtOH consumption. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these data suggest that COMT inhibitors may be capable of alleviating the extremely motivating or salient nature of stimuli associated with alcohol. The hypothesis is put forth that the relative specificity of tolcapone for cortical DA systems may mediate the suppression of the high seeking/drinking phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aqilah M. McCane
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, LD 124, 402 N. Blackford St., Indianapolis, IN 46202-3275
| | - Cristine L. Czachowski
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, LD 124, 402 N. Blackford St., Indianapolis, IN 46202-3275
- Stark Neuroscience Institute, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, LD 124, 402 N. Blackford St., Indianapolis, IN 46202-3275
| | - Christopher C. Lapish
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, LD 124, 402 N. Blackford St., Indianapolis, IN 46202-3275
- Stark Neuroscience Institute, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, LD 124, 402 N. Blackford St., Indianapolis, IN 46202-3275
- Institute for Mathematical Modeling and Computational Sciences, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, LD 124, 402 N. Blackford St., Indianapolis, IN 46202-3275
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94
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Htun NC, Miyaki K, Zhao C, Muramatsu M, Sato N. Epistasis effects of COMT and MTHFR on inter-individual differences in mental health: Under the inverted U-shaped prefrontal dopamine model. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2014; 451:574-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2014.08.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2014] [Accepted: 08/05/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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95
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Marquie M, Locascio JJ, Rentz DM, Becker JA, Hedden T, Johnson KA, Growdon JH, Gomperts SN. Striatal and extrastriatal dopamine transporter levels relate to cognition in Lewy body diseases: an (11)C altropane positron emission tomography study. ALZHEIMERS RESEARCH & THERAPY 2014; 6:52. [PMID: 25429309 PMCID: PMC4245149 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-014-0052-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2014] [Accepted: 07/25/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Introduction The biological basis of cognitive impairment in parkinsonian diseases is believed to be multifactorial. We investigated the contribution of dopamine deficiency to cognition in Parkinson disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) with dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging. Methods We acquired 11C altropane PET, magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive testing in 19 nondemented subjects with PD, 10 DLB and 17 healthy control subjects (HCS). We analyzed DAT concentration in putamen, caudate, anterior cingulate (AC), orbitofrontal and prefrontal regions, using the Standardized Uptake Volume Ratio with partial volume correction, and we related DAT concentration and global cortical thickness to neuropsychological performance. Results DAT concentration in putamen and in caudate were similar in PD and DLB groups and significantly lower than in HCS. Reduced caudate DAT concentration was associated with worse Clinical Dementia Rating Scale–sum of boxes (CDR-SB) scores and visuospatial skills in DLB but not in PD or HCS groups. Adjusting for putamen DAT concentration, as a measure of severity of motor disease, caudate DAT concentration was lower in DLB than in PD. Higher AC DAT concentration was associated with lower putamen DAT concentration in DLB and with higher putamen DAT concentration in PD. Higher AC DAT concentration in DLB correlated with greater impairment in semantic memory and language. Conclusions Caudate and AC dopamine dysfunction contribute in opposing directions to cognitive impairment in DLB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Marquie
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 15 Parkman St., Boston, MA 02114 USA ; MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, 16th St., Building 114, Charlestown Navy Yard, Charlestown, MA 02129 USA ; Autonomous University of Barcelona, Medicine Doctoral Studies, Doctoral School, U Building, Autonomous University of Barcelona Campus, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Valles), 08193 Spain
| | - Joseph J Locascio
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 15 Parkman St., Boston, MA 02114 USA
| | - Dorene M Rentz
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 15 Parkman St., Boston, MA 02114 USA ; Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 221 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115 USA
| | - J Alex Becker
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St., Boston, MA 02114 USA
| | - Trey Hedden
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St., Boston, MA 02114 USA ; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, 13th St., Building 149, Charlestown Navy Yard, Charlestown, MA 02129 USA
| | - Keith A Johnson
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 15 Parkman St., Boston, MA 02114 USA ; Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St., Boston, MA 02114 USA
| | - John H Growdon
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 15 Parkman St., Boston, MA 02114 USA
| | - Stephen N Gomperts
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 15 Parkman St., Boston, MA 02114 USA ; MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, 16th St., Building 114, Charlestown Navy Yard, Charlestown, MA 02129 USA
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96
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Lee YH, Kim JH, Song GG. Association between the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and fibromyalgia susceptibility and fibromyalgia impact questionnaire score: a meta-analysis. Rheumatol Int 2014; 35:159-66. [PMID: 24951880 DOI: 10.1007/s00296-014-3075-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2014] [Accepted: 06/12/2014] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore whether the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to fibromyalgia and fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ) score in fibromyalgia patients. We conducted a meta-analysis of the associations of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism with fibromyalgia risk as well as FIQ score in fibromyalgia patients. A total of 993 fibromyalgia patients and 778 controls from 10 studies on the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and 538 fibromyalgia patients from 5 studies on the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and FIQ score were included in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed an association between fibromyalgia and the COMT Met/Met + Val/Met genotype in all study subjects (odds ratio (OR) 1.635, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.029-2.597, p = 0.037). However, stratification by ethnicity indicated no association between the Met/Met + Val/Met genotype and fibromyalgia in the European and Turkish populations (OR 1.202, 95 % CI 0.876-1.649, p = 0.255; OR 2.132, 95 % CI 0.764-5.949, p = 0.148, respectively). Analysis using other genetic models showed no association between the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and fibromyalgia. The meta-analysis also revealed that the FIQ score was significantly higher in individuals with the COMT Met/Met genotype than in those with the Val/Val genotype [weighted mean difference (WMD) = 14.39, 95 % CI 3.316-25.48, p = 0.011] and the Val/Met genotype (WMD = 5.108, 95 % CI 2.212-4.891, p = 0.021). This meta-analysis identified an association between fibromyalgia risk and the COMT Val158Met polymorphism as well as the FIQ score in fibromyalgia patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Ho Lee
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, 126-1, Anam-dong 5-ga, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 136-705, Korea,
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97
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Abstract
A variety of evidence suggests that, among humans, the individual tendency to choose immediate rewards ("Now") over larger, delayed rewards ("Later"), or Now bias, varies with frontal dopamine (DA) levels. As cyclic elevations in estradiol (E+) modulate other frontal DA-dependent behaviors, we tested ovarian cycle effects on Now bias, and whether any such effects are E+ mediated. To do so, we quantified Now/Later choice behavior in naturally cycling adult females (n = 87; ages 18-40 years) during both the menstrual phase (MP; cycle day 1-2; low E+), and the follicular phase (FP; cycle day 11-12; high E+). Now bias decreased an average of 3.6% from MP to FP (p = 0.006). Measures of salivary E+ levels at each visit were available in a subsample of participants (n = 34). Participants with a verified E+ rise from MP to FP showed significantly greater decreases in Now bias at mid-cycle (n = 23) than those without a rise (n = 11; p = 0.03); Now bias decreased an average of 10.2% in the E+ rise group but increased an average of 7.9% in the no E+ rise group. The change in Now bias from MP to FP inversely correlated with the change in E+ (ρ = -0.39; p = 0.023), an effect driven by individuals with putatively lower frontal DA based on genotype at the Val(158)Met polymorphism in the COMT gene. This is the first demonstration that intertemporal choice varies across the ovarian cycle, with Now bias declining at mid-cycle, when fertility peaks. Moreover, our data suggest that the interacting effects of estradiol and frontal DA mediate this cycle effect on decision making.
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98
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Catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met polymorphism and altered COMT gene expression in the prefrontal cortex of suicide brains. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2014; 50:178-83. [PMID: 24389396 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2013.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2013] [Revised: 12/06/2013] [Accepted: 12/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) plays a key role in the degradation of catecholamine neurotransmitters within the brain. A functional polymorphism COMT Val158Met has been associated with psychiatric disorders including suicidal behavior. In the present study we examined whether this polymorphism was related to COMT mRNA expression in frontal cortical regions, and whether the expression of COMT differed between depressed suicide victims and psychiatric healthy controls. The Val158Met polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. The levels of COMT mRNA expression in the frontopolar cortex (FPC; 29 suicides vs. 27 controls) and orbital frontal cortex (OFC; 19 suicides vs. 15 controls) were significantly increased among depressed individuals that died by suicide relative to those of controls, being up-regulated by approximately 60% and 65% in the FPC and OFC, respectively. Furthermore, among individuals with the Met allele (Met/Met and Met/Val genotypes) who died by suicide COMT mRNA expression was elevated relative to that of the nondepressed Met allele carriers. However, significant differences were not detected between suicides (n=49) and controls (n=72) with respect to the Val158Met genotypic distribution and allelic frequencies. These results are consistent with the perspective that altered COMT mRNA expression in frontal cortical brain regions might contribute to suicide and/or depression, further supporting the role of dysregulation of catecholaminergic pathway genes in the pathophysiology of suicide behaviors.
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99
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Shnitko TA, Robinson DL. Anatomical and pharmacological characterization of catecholamine transients in the medial prefrontal cortex evoked by ventral tegmental area stimulation. Synapse 2014; 68:131-43. [PMID: 24285555 PMCID: PMC4060446 DOI: 10.1002/syn.21723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2013] [Revised: 08/30/2013] [Accepted: 10/11/2013] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Voltammetric measurements of catecholamines in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are infrequent because of lack of chemical selectivity between dopamine and norepinephrine and their overlapping anatomical inputs. Here, we examined the contribution of norepinephrine to the catecholamine release in the mPFC evoked by electrical stimulation of the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Initially, electrical stimulation was delivered in the midbrain at incremental depths of -5 to -9.4 mm from bregma while catecholamine release was monitored in the mPFC. Although catecholamine release was observed at dorsal stimulation sites that may correspond to the dorsal noradrenergic bundle (DNB, containing noradrenergic axonal projections to the mPFC), maximal release was evoked by stimulation of the VTA (the source of dopaminergic input to the mPFC). Next, VTA-evoked catecholamine release was monitored in the mPFC before and after knife incision of the DNB, and no significant changes in the evoked catecholamine signals were found. These data indicated that DNB fibers did not contribute to the VTA-evoked catecholamine release observed in the mPFC. Finally, while the D2-receptor antagonist raclopride significantly altered VTA-evoked catecholamine release, the α₂-adrenergic receptor antagonist idazoxan did not. Specifically, raclopride reduced catecholamine release in the mPFC, opposite to that observed in the striatum, indicating differential autoreceptor regulation of mesocortical and mesostriatal neurons. Together, these findings suggest that the catecholamine release in the mPFC arising from VTA stimulation was predominately dopaminergic rather than noradrenergic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana A. Shnitko
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Donita L. Robinson
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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100
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Sannino S, Gozzi A, Cerasa A, Piras F, Scheggia D, Managò F, Damiano M, Galbusera A, Erickson LC, De Pietri Tonelli D, Bifone A, Tsaftaris SA, Caltagirone C, Weinberger DR, Spalletta G, Papaleo F. COMT Genetic Reduction Produces Sexually Divergent Effects on Cortical Anatomy and Working Memory in Mice and Humans. Cereb Cortex 2014; 25:2529-41. [PMID: 24658585 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhu053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic variations in catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) that modulate cortical dopamine have been associated with pleiotropic behavioral effects in humans and mice. Recent data suggest that some of these effects may vary among sexes. However, the specific brain substrates underlying COMT sexual dimorphisms remain unknown. Here, we report that genetically driven reduction in COMT enzyme activity increased cortical thickness in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and postero-parieto-temporal cortex of male, but not female adult mice and humans. Dichotomous changes in PFC cytoarchitecture were also observed: reduced COMT increased a measure of neuronal density in males, while reducing it in female mice. Consistent with the neuroanatomical findings, COMT-dependent sex-specific morphological brain changes were paralleled by divergent effects on PFC-dependent working memory in both mice and humans. These findings emphasize a specific sex-gene interaction that can modulate brain morphological substrates with influence on behavioral outcomes in healthy subjects and, potentially, in neuropsychiatric populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Sannino
- Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Alessandro Gozzi
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Science @UNITN, 38068, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Antonio Cerasa
- IBFM Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), 88100, Germaneto (CZ), Italy
| | | | - Diego Scheggia
- Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Francesca Managò
- Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Mario Damiano
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Science @UNITN, 38068, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Alberto Galbusera
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Science @UNITN, 38068, Rovereto, Italy
| | | | - Davide De Pietri Tonelli
- Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Angelo Bifone
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Science @UNITN, 38068, Rovereto, Italy
| | | | | | - Daniel R Weinberger
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins University Medical Campus, 21205, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Francesco Papaleo
- Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco, Università Degli Studi di Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
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