251
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Adrián-Ventura J, Costumero V, Parcet MA, Ávila C. Linking personality and brain anatomy: a structural MRI approach to Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 14:329-338. [PMID: 30753654 PMCID: PMC6399605 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Revised: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) proposes a widely used taxonomy of human personality linked to individual differences at both behavioral and neuropsychological levels that describe a predisposition to psychopathology. However, the body of RST research was based on animal findings, and little is known about their anatomical correspondence in humans. Here we set out to investigate MRI structural correlates (i.e. voxel-based morphometry) of the main personality dimensions proposed by the RST in a group of 400 healthy young adults who completed the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ). Sensitivity to punishment scores correlated positively with the gray matter volume in the amygdala, whereas sensitivity to reward scores correlated negatively with the volume in the left lateral and medial prefrontal cortex. Moreover, a negative relationship was found between the striatal volume and the reward sensitivity trait, but only for male participants. The present results support the neuropsychological basis of the RST by linking punishment and reward sensitivity to anatomical differences in limbic and frontostriatal regions, respectively. These results are interpreted based on previous literature related to externalizing and internalizing disorders, and they highlight the possible role of SPSRQ as a measure of proneness to these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Adrián-Ventura
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging, Jaume I University, Castellón, Spain
| | - Víctor Costumero
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging, Jaume I University, Castellón, Spain.,Center for Brain and Cognition, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain.,ERI Lectura, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Maria Antònia Parcet
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging, Jaume I University, Castellón, Spain
| | - César Ávila
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging, Jaume I University, Castellón, Spain
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252
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Jiménez-Romero F, Bis-Humbert C, García-Fuster MJ. Adolescent morphine induces emotional signs of withdrawal paired with neurotoxicity selectively in male rats: Female resilience. Neurosci Lett 2020; 715:134625. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.134625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Revised: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/09/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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253
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Gegenhuber B, Tollkuhn J. Signatures of sex: Sex differences in gene expression in the vertebrate brain. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2020; 9:e348. [PMID: 31106965 PMCID: PMC6864223 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Women and men differ in disease prevalence, symptoms, and progression rates for many psychiatric and neurological disorders. As more preclinical studies include both sexes in experimental design, an increasing number of sex differences in physiology and behavior have been reported. In the brain, sex-typical behaviors are thought to result from sex-specific patterns of neural activity in response to the same sensory stimulus or context. These differential firing patterns likely arise as a consequence of underlying anatomic or molecular sex differences. Accordingly, gene expression in the brains of females and males has been extensively investigated, with the goal of identifying biological pathways that specify or modulate sex differences in brain function. However, there is surprisingly little consensus on sex-biased genes across studies and only a handful of robust candidates have been pursued in the follow-up experiments. Furthermore, it is not known how or when sex-biased gene expression originates, as few studies have been performed in the developing brain. Here we integrate molecular genetic and neural circuit perspectives to provide a conceptual framework of how sex differences in gene expression can arise in the brain. We detail mechanisms of gene regulation by steroid hormones, highlight landmark studies in rodents and humans, identify emerging themes, and offer recommendations for future research. This article is categorized under: Nervous System Development > Vertebrates: General Principles Gene Expression and Transcriptional Hierarchies > Regulatory Mechanisms Gene Expression and Transcriptional Hierarchies > Sex Determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Gegenhuber
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York
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254
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Stress-induced plasticity and functioning of ventral tegmental dopamine neurons. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 108:48-77. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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255
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Icick R, Moggi F, Slobodin O, Dom G, Mathys F, van den Brink W, Levin FR, Blankers M, Kaye S, Demetrovics Z, van de Glind G, Velez-Pastrana MC, Schellekens ASA. Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Global Severity Profiles in Treatment-Seeking Patients with Substance Use Disorders. Eur Addict Res 2020; 26:201-210. [PMID: 32570249 DOI: 10.1159/000508546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is present in 15-25% of all patients seeking treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs). Some studies suggest that comorbid ADHD increases clinical severity related to SUDs, other psychiatric comorbidities, and social impairment, but could not disentangle their respective influences. OBJECTIVES To investigate whether comorbid adult ADHD in treatment-seeking SUD patients is associated with more severe clinical profiles in these domains assessed altogether. METHODS Treatment-seeking SUD patients from 8 countries (N = 1,294: 26% females, mean age 40 years [SD = 11 years]) were assessed for their history of DSM-IV ADHD, SUDs, and other psychiatric conditions and sociodemographic data. SUD patients with and without comorbid ADHD were compared on indicators of severity across 3 domains: addiction (number of SUD criteria and diagnoses), psychopathological complexity (mood disorders, borderline personality disorder, lifetime suicidal thoughts, or behavior), and social status (education level, occupational and marital status, and living arrangements). Regression models were built to account for confounders for each severity indicator. RESULTS Adult ADHD was present in 19% of the SUD patients. It was significantly associated with higher SUD severity, more frequent comorbid mood or borderline personality disorder, and less frequent "married" or "divorced" status, as compared with the absence of comorbid ADHD. ADHD comorbidity was independently associated with a higher number of dependence diagnoses (OR = 1.97) and more psychopathology (OR = 1.5), but not marital status. CONCLUSIONS In treatment-seeking SUD patients, comorbid ADHD is associated with polysubstance dependence, psychopathological complexity, and social risks, which substantiates the clinical relevance of screening, diagnosing, and treating ADHD in patients with SUDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain Icick
- Integrative Neurobiology of Cholinergic Systems, CNRS UMR 3571, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France, .,Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, University Hospital Saint-Louis - Lariboisière - Fernand Widal, Paris, France, .,INSERM UMR-S1144, Paris, France, .,Paris University, Paris, France,
| | - Franz Moggi
- University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ortal Slobodin
- Department of Education, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Geert Dom
- Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI), Antwerp University (UA), Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Frieda Mathys
- Department of Psychiatry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Wim van den Brink
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Institute for Addiction Research - Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Frances R Levin
- Division on Substance Use Disorders, New York State Psychiatric Institute - Columbia University Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Matthijs Blankers
- Trimbos, Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sharlene Kaye
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Zsolt Demetrovics
- Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Geurt van de Glind
- Psychiater Radboudumc, Donders Centre for Neuroscience, Afdeling Psychiatrie Wetenschappelijk, Nijmegen Institute for Scientist Practitioners in Addiction (NISPA), Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Arnt S A Schellekens
- Psychiater Radboudumc, Donders Centre for Neuroscience, Afdeling Psychiatrie Wetenschappelijk, Nijmegen Institute for Scientist Practitioners in Addiction (NISPA), Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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256
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Egenrieder L, Mitricheva E, Spanagel R, Noori HR. No basal or drug‐induced sex differences in striatal dopaminergic levels: a cluster and meta‐analysis of rat microdialysis studies. J Neurochem 2019; 152:482-492. [DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lisamon Egenrieder
- Institute of Psychopharmacology Central Institute of Mental Health Medical Faculty Mannheim University of Heidelberg Mannheim Germany
| | | | - Rainer Spanagel
- Institute of Psychopharmacology Central Institute of Mental Health Medical Faculty Mannheim University of Heidelberg Mannheim Germany
| | - Hamid R. Noori
- Institute of Psychopharmacology Central Institute of Mental Health Medical Faculty Mannheim University of Heidelberg Mannheim Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Tübingen Germany
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257
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Konanur VR, Hsu TM, Kanoski SE, Hayes MR, Roitman MF. Phasic dopamine responses to a food-predictive cue are suppressed by the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist Exendin-4. Physiol Behav 2019; 215:112771. [PMID: 31821815 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.112771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Phasic dopamine activity is evoked by reliable predictors of food reward and plays a role in cue-triggered, goal-directed behavior. While this important signal is modulated by physiological state (e.g. hunger, satiety), the mechanisms by which physiological state is integrated by dopamine neurons is only beginning to be elucidated. Activation of central receptors for glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1R) via long-acting agonists (e.g., Exendin-4) suppresses food intake and food-directed motivated behavior, in part, through action in regions with dopamine cell bodies, terminals, and/or neural populations that directly target the mesolimbic dopamine system. However, the effects of GLP-1R activation on cue-evoked, phasic dopamine signaling remain unknown. Here, in vivo fiber photometry was used to capture real-time signaling dynamics selectively from dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area of male and female transgenic (tyrosine hydroxylase-Cre; TH:Cre+) rats trained to associate an audio cue with the brief availability of a sucrose solution. Cue presentation evoked a brief spike in dopamine activity. Administration of Exendin-4 (Ex4; 0, 0.05, 0.1 μg) to the lateral ventricle both dose-dependently suppressed sucrose-directed behaviors and the magnitude of cue-evoked dopamine activity. Moreover, the amplitude of cue evoked dopamine activity was significantly correlated with subsequent sucrose-directed behaviors. While female rats exhibited overall reduced dopamine responses to the sucrose-paired cue relative to males, there was no significant interaction with Ex4. Together, these findings support a role for central GLP-1Rs in modulating a form of dopamine signaling that influences approach behavior and provide a potential mechanism whereby GLP-1 suppresses food-directed behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaibhav R Konanur
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Ted M Hsu
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007W. Harrison St., Chicago, IL 60607-7137, United States
| | - Scott E Kanoski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Human and Evolutionary Biology Section, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Matthew R Hayes
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Mitchell F Roitman
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007W. Harrison St., Chicago, IL 60607-7137, United States.
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258
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Beltz AM, Beery AK, Becker JB. Analysis of sex differences in pre-clinical and clinical data sets. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:2155-2158. [PMID: 31527863 PMCID: PMC6898365 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0524-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adriene M. Beltz
- 0000000086837370grid.214458.eDepartment of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA
| | - Annaliese K. Beery
- 0000 0001 1945 4190grid.263724.6Department of Psychology, Department of Biology, Neuroscience Program, Smith College, Northampton, MA USA ,Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA USA
| | - Jill B. Becker
- 0000000086837370grid.214458.eDepartment of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA ,0000000086837370grid.214458.eMolecular & Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 USA
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259
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Dwyer JB, Cardenas A, Franke RM, Chen Y, Bai Y, Belluzzi JD, Lotfipour S, Leslie FM. Prenatal nicotine sex-dependently alters adolescent dopamine system development. Transl Psychiatry 2019; 9:304. [PMID: 31740669 PMCID: PMC6861272 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-019-0640-1] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite persistent public health initiatives, many women continue to smoke during pregnancy. Since maternal smoking has been linked to persisting sex-dependent neurobehavioral deficits in offspring, some consider nicotine to be a safer alternative to tobacco during pregnancy, and the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems is on the rise. We presently show, however, that sustained exposure to low doses of nicotine during fetal development, approximating plasma levels seen clinically with the nicotine patch, produces substantial changes in developing corticostriatal dopamine systems in adolescence. Briefly, pregnant dams were implanted on gestational day 4 with an osmotic minipump that delivered either saline (GS) or nicotine (3 mg/kg/day) (GN) for two weeks. At birth, pups were cross-fostered with treatment naïve dams and were handled daily. Biochemical analyses, signaling assays, and behavioral responses to cocaine were assessed on postnatal day 32, representative of adolescence in the rodent. GN treatment had both sex-dependent and sex-independent effects on prefrontal dopamine systems, altering Catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT)-dependent dopamine turnover in males and norepinephrine transporter (NET) binding expression in both sexes. GN enhanced cocaine-induced locomotor activity in females, concomitant with GN-induced reductions in striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) binding. GN enhanced ventral striatal D2-like receptor expression and G-protein coupling, while altering the roles of D2 and D3 receptors in cocaine-induced behaviors. These data show that low-dose prenatal nicotine treatment sex-dependently alters corticostriatal dopamine system development, which may underlie clinical deficits seen in adolescents exposed to tobacco or nicotine in utero.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer B. Dwyer
- 0000 0001 0668 7243grid.266093.8Department of Pharmacology, University of California, 360 Med Surge II, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Anjelica Cardenas
- 0000 0001 0668 7243grid.266093.8Department of Pharmacology, University of California, 360 Med Surge II, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Ryan M. Franke
- 0000 0001 0668 7243grid.266093.8Department of Pharmacology, University of California, 360 Med Surge II, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - YiLing Chen
- 0000 0001 0668 7243grid.266093.8Department of Pharmacology, University of California, 360 Med Surge II, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Yu Bai
- 0000 0001 0668 7243grid.266093.8Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - James D. Belluzzi
- 0000 0001 0668 7243grid.266093.8Department of Pharmacology, University of California, 360 Med Surge II, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Shahrdad Lotfipour
- 0000 0001 0668 7243grid.266093.8Department of Pharmacology, University of California, 360 Med Surge II, Irvine, CA 92697 USA ,0000 0001 0668 7243grid.266093.8Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Frances M. Leslie
- 0000 0001 0668 7243grid.266093.8Department of Pharmacology, University of California, 360 Med Surge II, Irvine, CA 92697 USA ,0000 0001 0668 7243grid.266093.8Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
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260
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Berner LA, Brown TA, Lavender JM, Lopez E, Wierenga CE, Kaye WH. Neuroendocrinology of reward in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: Beyond leptin and ghrelin. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2019; 497:110320. [PMID: 30395874 PMCID: PMC6497565 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2018.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Revised: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The pathophysiology of anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are still poorly understood, but psychobiological models have proposed a key role for disturbances in the neuroendocrines that signal hunger and satiety and maintain energy homeostasis. Mounting evidence suggests that many neuroendocrines involved in the regulation of homeostasis and body weight also play integral roles in food reward valuation and learning via their interactions with the mesolimbic dopamine system. Neuroimaging data have associated altered brain reward responses in this system with the dietary restriction and binge eating and purging characteristic of AN and BN. Thus, neuroendocrine dysfunction may contribute to or perpetuate eating disorder symptoms via effects on reward circuitry. This narrative review focuses on reward-related neuroendocrines that are altered in eating disorder populations, including peptide YY, insulin, stress and gonadal hormones, and orexins. We provide an overview of the animal and human literature implicating these neuroendocrines in dopaminergic reward processes and discuss their potential relevance to eating disorder symptomatology and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Berner
- University of California, San Diego, Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research, Department of Psychiatry, United States.
| | - Tiffany A Brown
- University of California, San Diego, Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research, Department of Psychiatry, United States
| | - Jason M Lavender
- University of California, San Diego, Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research, Department of Psychiatry, United States
| | - Emily Lopez
- University of California, San Diego, Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research, Department of Psychiatry, United States
| | - Christina E Wierenga
- University of California, San Diego, Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research, Department of Psychiatry, United States
| | - Walter H Kaye
- University of California, San Diego, Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research, Department of Psychiatry, United States
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261
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Schuckit MA, Smith TL, Clarke D, Mendoza LA, Kawamura M, Schoen L. Predictors of Increases in Alcohol Problems and Alcohol Use Disorders in Offspring in the San Diego Prospective Study. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2019; 43:2232-2241. [PMID: 31454095 PMCID: PMC6779494 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The 35-year-long San Diego Prospective Study documented 2-fold increases in alcohol problems and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in young-adult drinking offspring compared to rates in their fathers, the original probands. The current analyses use the same interviews and questionnaires at about the same age in members of the 2 generations to explore multiple potential contributors to the generational differences in adverse alcohol outcomes. METHODS Using data from recent offspring interviews, multiple cross-generation differences in characteristics potentially related to alcohol problems were evaluated in 3 steps: first through direct comparisons across probands and offspring at about age 30; second by backward linear regression analyses of predictors of alcohol problems within each generation; and finally third through R-based bootstrapped linear regressions of differences in alcohol problems in randomly matched probands and offspring. RESULTS The analyses across the analytical approaches revealed 3 consistent predictors of higher alcohol problems in the second generation. These included the following: (i) a more robust relationship to alcohol problems for offspring with a low level of response to alcohol; (ii) higher offspring values for alcohol expectancies; and (iii) higher offspring impulsivity. CONCLUSIONS The availability of data across generations offered a unique perspective for studying characteristics that may have contributed to a general finding in the literature of substantial increases in alcohol problems and AUDs in recent generations. If replicated, these results could suggest approaches to be used by parents, healthcare workers, insurance companies, and industry in their efforts to mitigate the increasing rates of alcohol problems in younger generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc A. Schuckit
- University of California, San Diego - Department of Psychiatry, 8950 Villa La Jolla Dr Suite B-218, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
| | - Tom L. Smith
- University of California, San Diego - Department of Psychiatry, 8950 Villa La Jolla Dr Suite B-218, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
| | - Dennis Clarke
- University of California, San Diego - Department of Psychiatry, 8950 Villa La Jolla Dr Suite B-218, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
| | - Lee Anne Mendoza
- University of California, San Diego - Department of Psychiatry, 8950 Villa La Jolla Dr Suite B-218, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
| | - Mari Kawamura
- University of California, San Diego - Department of Psychiatry, 8950 Villa La Jolla Dr Suite B-218, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
| | - Lara Schoen
- University of California, San Diego - Department of Psychiatry, 8950 Villa La Jolla Dr Suite B-218, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
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262
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Daiwile AP, Jayanthi S, Ladenheim B, McCoy MT, Brannock C, Schroeder J, Cadet JL. Sex Differences in Escalated Methamphetamine Self-Administration and Altered Gene Expression Associated With Incubation of Methamphetamine Seeking. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2019; 22:710-723. [PMID: 31562746 PMCID: PMC6902093 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyz050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Revised: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Methamphetamine (METH) use disorder is prevalent worldwide. There are reports of sex differences in quantities of drug used and relapses to drug use among individuals with METH use disorder. However, the molecular neurobiology of these potential sex differences remains unknown. METHODS We trained rats to self-administer METH (0. 1 mg/kg/infusion, i.v.) on an fixed-ratio-1 schedule for 20 days using two 3-hour daily METH sessions separated by 30-minute breaks. At the end of self-administration training, rats underwent tests of cue-induced METH seeking on withdrawal days 3 and 30. Twenty-four hours later, nucleus accumbens was dissected and then used to measure neuropeptide mRNA levels. RESULTS Behavioral results show that male rats increased the number of METH infusions earlier during self-administration training and took more METH than females. Both male and female rats could be further divided into 2 phenotypes labeled high and low takers based on the degree of escalation that they exhibited during the course of the METH self-administration experiment. Both males and females exhibited incubation of METH seeking after 30 days of forced withdrawal. Females had higher basal mRNA levels of dynorphin and hypocretin/orexin receptors than males, whereas males expressed higher vasopressin mRNA levels than females under saline and METH conditions. Unexpectedly, only males showed increased expression of nucleus accumbens dynorphin after METH self-administration. Moreover, there were significant correlations between nucleus accumbens Hcrtr1, Hcrtr2, Crhr2, and Avpr1b mRNA levels and cue-induced METH seeking only in female rats. CONCLUSION Our results identify some behavioral and molecular differences between male and female rats that had self-administered METH. Sexual dimorphism in responses to METH exposure should be considered when developing potential therapeutic agents against METH use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atul P Daiwile
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, NIDA Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD
| | - Subramaniam Jayanthi
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, NIDA Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD
| | - Bruce Ladenheim
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, NIDA Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD
| | - Michael T McCoy
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, NIDA Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD
| | - Christie Brannock
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, NIDA Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jennifer Schroeder
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, NIDA Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jean Lud Cadet
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, NIDA Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD,Correspondence: Jean Lud Cadet, MD, Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, NIDA IRP, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224 ()
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263
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Tronson NC, Keiser AA. A Dynamic Memory Systems Framework for Sex Differences in Fear Memory. Trends Neurosci 2019; 42:680-692. [PMID: 31473031 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2019.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2019] [Revised: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Emerging research demonstrates that a pattern of overlapping but distinct molecular and circuit mechanisms are engaged by males and females during memory tasks. Importantly, sex differences in neural mechanisms and behavioral strategies are evident even when performance on a memory task is similar between females and males. We propose that sex differences in memory may be best understood within a dynamic memory systems framework. Specifically, sex differences in hormonal influences and neural circuit development result in biases in the circuits engaged and the information preferentially stored or retrieved in males and females. By using animal models to understand the neural networks and molecular mechanisms required for memory in both sexes, we can gain crucial insights into sex and gender biases in disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie C Tronson
- Psychology Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - Ashley A Keiser
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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264
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Burunat E. Love is a physiological motivation (like hunger, thirst, sleep or sex). Med Hypotheses 2019; 129:109225. [PMID: 31371074 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2019.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/12/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The multitude of terms associated with love has given rise to a false perception of love. In this paper, only maternal and romantic love are considered. Love is usually regarded as a feeling, motivation, addiction, passion, and, above all, an emotion. This confusion has consequences in the lives of human beings, leading not only to divorces, suicides, femicides but possibly also to a number of mental illnesses and suffering. Therefore, it is crucial to first clarify what is meant by emotion, motivation and love. This work aims to finally place love within the category of physiological motivations, such as hunger, thirst, sleep, or sex, on the basis that love is also essential for human survival, especially in childhood. Love is presented from an evolutionary perspective. Some other similarities between love and other physiological motivations are pointed out, such as its importance for appropriate human development, both its ontogeny and its permanence, and the long-lasting consequences of abuse and neglect. There are summarized reasons that account for this, such as the fact that physiological motivations are essential for survival and that love is an essential motivation for the survival of human offspring. Other reasons are that minimum changes in the quantity and quality of love alters development, that there can be a variety of neurophysiological and behavioural states within a motivation, and that motivations (also love) appear and change throughout development. Also, motivations and love sometimes may lead to an addictive behaviour. Finally, it is recognized that once physiological motivations (and love) appear, they become permanent. In a third section, some potential social, cultural, clinical and scientific consequences of the proposed consideration of love as a motivation are discussed. Accordingly, love's recognition as a motivation in the clinical field would imply a better understanding of its disorders and its inclusion in classifications manuals such as The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), or in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Considering love as a motivation rather than an emotion could also impact the results of scientific research (an example is included). A comprehensive understanding of these questions could potentially allow for a new therapeutic approach in the treatment of mental illness, while offering an all-inclusive evolutionary explanation of cultural phenomena such as the origin and diffusion of both language and art. Love should be understood as a physiological motivation, like hunger, sleep or sex, and not as an emotion as it is commonly considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrique Burunat
- School of Health Sciences/School of Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychobiology and Methodology, University of La Laguna, P.O. Box 456, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
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265
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Stringfield SJ, Madayag AC, Boettiger CA, Robinson DL. Sex differences in nicotine-enhanced Pavlovian conditioned approach in rats. Biol Sex Differ 2019; 10:37. [PMID: 31315660 PMCID: PMC6637589 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-019-0244-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Nicotine exposure enhances Pavlovian conditioned approach (PCA), or the learned approach to reward-predictive cues. While females show elevated approach to conditioned stimuli compared to males, potentially indicating heightened addiction vulnerability, it is unknown how sex may interact with nicotine to influence approach behavior. Additionally, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels can be altered significantly after repeated nicotine exposure, suggesting a potential mechanism contributing to nicotine-induced behavioral phenotypes. The present study investigated the role of sex on nicotine-induced changes to stimulus-response behavior and associated BDNF protein levels. Methods Male and female rats were exposed to nicotine (0.4 mg/kg, subcutaneously) or saline 15 min prior to each PCA session. PCA training consisted of 29 sessions of 15 trials, in which a 30-s cue presentation ended concurrently with a sucrose reward (20% w/v in water, 100 μL), and a 120-s variable intertrial interval occurred between trials. Approach behavior to the cue and reward receptacle was recorded. Preference toward the reward receptacle indicated a goal-tracking phenotype, and preference toward the cue indicated a sign-tracking phenotype, demonstrating that the cue had gained incentive salience. Twenty-four hours after the last PCA session, brain tissue was collected and BDNF levels were measured in the basolateral amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens using Western blot analysis. Results Nicotine exposure enhanced both sign- and goal-tracking conditioned approach, and females showed elevated sign-tracking compared to males. There were no sex-by-drug interactions on conditioned approach. Day-to-day variability in conditioned approach was similar between sexes. In contrast to prior studies, neither repeated exposure to nicotine nor sex significantly affected BDNF expression. Conclusions Drug-naïve females exhibited heightened sign-tracking compared to males, and nicotine enhanced conditioned approach similarly in males and females. Further, non-significant changes to BDNF expression in brain regions highly associated with PCA indicate that BDNF is unlikely to drive nicotine-enhanced conditioned behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sierra J Stringfield
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, CB #7178, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7178, USA.,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Aric C Madayag
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, CB #7178, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7178, USA
| | - Charlotte A Boettiger
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, CB #7178, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7178, USA.,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Donita L Robinson
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, CB #7178, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7178, USA. .,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. .,Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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266
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Agabio R, Sinclair JMA. ‘Mother’s Ruin’—Why Sex and Gender Differences in the Field of Alcohol Research Need Consideration. Alcohol Alcohol 2019; 54:342-344. [DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agz053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Agabio
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Cagliari, Italy
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267
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Urquhart MA, Ross JA, Reyes BAS, Nitikman M, Thomas SA, Mackie K, Van Bockstaele EJ. Noradrenergic depletion causes sex specific alterations in the endocannabinoid system in the Murine prefrontal cortex. Neurobiol Stress 2019; 10:100164. [PMID: 31193575 PMCID: PMC6535650 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2019.100164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain endocannabinoids (eCB), acting primarily via the cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1r), are involved in the regulation of many physiological processes, including behavioral responses to stress. A significant neural target of eCB action is the stress-responsive norepinephrine (NE) system, whose dysregulation is implicated in myriad psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Using Western blot analysis, the protein expression levels of a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of the eCB 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), diacylglycerol lipase-α (DGL-α), and two eCB degrading enzymes monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) were examined in a mouse model that lacks the NE-synthesizing enzyme, dopamine β-hydroxylase (DβH-knockout, KO) and in rats treated with N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine hydrochloride (DSP-4). In the prefrontal cortex (PFC), DGL-α protein expression was significantly increased in male and female DβH-KO mice (P < 0.05) compared to wild-type (WT) mice. DβH-KO male mice showed significant decreases in FAAH protein expression compared to WT male mice. Consistent with the DβH-KO results, DGL-α protein expression was significantly increased in male DSP-4-treated rats (P < 0.05) when compared to saline-treated controls. MGL and FAAH protein expression levels were significantly increased in male DSP-4 treated rats compared to male saline controls. Finally, we investigated the anatomical distribution of MGL and FAAH in the NE containing axon terminals of the PFC using immunoelectron microscopy. MGL was predominantly within presynaptic terminals while FAAH was localized to postsynaptic sites. These results suggest that the eCB system may be more responsive in males than females under conditions of NE perturbation, thus having potential implications for sex-specific treatment strategies of stress-related psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Urquhart
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19102, USA
| | - J A Ross
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19102, USA
| | - B A S Reyes
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19102, USA
| | - M Nitikman
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19102, USA
| | - S A Thomas
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - K Mackie
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405-2204, USA
| | - E J Van Bockstaele
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19102, USA
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268
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Gegenhuber B, Tollkuhn J. Sex Differences in the Epigenome: A Cause or Consequence of Sexual Differentiation of the Brain? Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10060432. [PMID: 31181654 PMCID: PMC6627918 DOI: 10.3390/genes10060432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2019] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Females and males display differences in neural activity patterns, behavioral responses, and incidence of psychiatric and neurological diseases. Sex differences in the brain appear throughout the animal kingdom and are largely a consequence of the physiological requirements necessary for the distinct roles of the two sexes in reproduction. As with the rest of the body, gonadal steroid hormones act to specify and regulate many of these differences. It is thought that transient hormonal signaling during brain development gives rise to persistent sex differences in gene expression via an epigenetic mechanism, leading to divergent neurodevelopmental trajectories that may underlie sex differences in disease susceptibility. However, few genes with a persistent sex difference in expression have been identified, and only a handful of studies have employed genome-wide approaches to assess sex differences in epigenomic modifications. To date, there are no confirmed examples of gene regulatory elements that direct sex differences in gene expression in the brain. Here, we review foundational studies in this field, describe transcriptional mechanisms that could act downstream of hormone receptors in the brain, and suggest future approaches for identification and validation of sex-typical gene programs. We propose that sexual differentiation of the brain involves self-perpetuating transcriptional states that canalize sex-specific development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Gegenhuber
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.
| | - Jessica Tollkuhn
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.
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269
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Male and female mice develop escalation of heroin intake and dependence following extended access. Neuropharmacology 2019; 151:189-194. [PMID: 30880124 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Revised: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Opioid use disorder is a serious public health issue in the United States. Animal models of opioid dependence are fundamental for studying the etiology of addictive behaviors. We tested the hypothesis that extended access to heroin self-administration leads to increases in heroin intake and produces somatic signs of opioid dependence in both male and female mice. Adult C57BL/6J mice were trained to nosepoke (fixed-ratio 1) to obtain intravenous heroin in six daily 1-h sessions (30-60 μg/kg/infusion). The mice were divided into short access (ShA; 1 h) and long access (LgA; 6 h) groups. Immediately after the 10th escalation session, the mice received a challenge dose of naloxone (1 mg/kg), and somatic signs of withdrawal were recorded. The mice readily acquired intravenous heroin self-administration. LgA mice escalated their drug intake in the first hour across sessions and had significantly higher scores of somatic signs of naloxone-precipitated opioid withdrawal compared with ShA mice. Female mice exhibited increases in heroin intake compared with male mice. Male and female mice exhibited similar levels of somatic signs of withdrawal. Because of the wide availability of genetically modified mouse lines, the present mouse model may be particularly useful for better understanding genetic and sex differences that underlie the transition to compulsive-like opioid taking and seeking.
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270
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Electrophysiological Properties of Medium Spiny Neuron Subtypes in the Caudate-Putamen of Prepubertal Male and Female Drd1a-tdTomato Line 6 BAC Transgenic Mice. eNeuro 2019; 6:eN-CFN-0016-19. [PMID: 30899778 PMCID: PMC6426437 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0016-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The caudate-putamen is a striatal brain region essential for sensorimotor behaviors, habit learning, and other cognitive and premotor functions. The output and predominant neuron of the caudate-putamen is the medium spiny neuron (MSN). MSNs present discrete cellular subtypes that show differences in neurochemistry, dopamine receptor expression, efferent targets, gene expression, functional roles, and most importantly for this study, electrophysiological properties. MSN subtypes include the striatonigral and the striatopallidal groups. Most studies identify the striatopallidal MSN subtype as being more excitable than the striatonigral MSN subtype. However, there is some divergence between studies regarding the exact differences in electrophysiological properties. Furthermore, MSN subtype electrophysiological properties have not been reported disaggregated by biological sex. We addressed these questions using prepubertal male and female Drd1a-tdTomato line 6 BAC transgenic mice, an important transgenic line that has not yet received extensive electrophysiological analysis. We made acute caudate-putamen brain slices and assessed a robust battery of 16 relevant electrophysiological properties using whole-cell patch-clamp recording, including intrinsic membrane, action potential, and miniature EPSC (mEPSC) properties. We found that: (1) MSN subtypes exhibited multiple differential electrophysiological properties in both sexes, including rheobase, action potential threshold and width, input resistance in both the linear and rectified ranges, and mEPSC amplitude; (2) select electrophysiological properties showed interactions between MSN subtype and sex. These findings provide a comprehensive evaluation of mouse caudate-putamen MSN subtype electrophysiological properties across females and males, both confirming and extending previous studies.
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271
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Reiner DJ, Fredriksson I, Lofaro OM, Bossert JM, Shaham Y. Relapse to opioid seeking in rat models: behavior, pharmacology and circuits. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:465-477. [PMID: 30293087 PMCID: PMC6333846 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0234-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2018] [Revised: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Lifetime relapse rates remain a major obstacle in addressing the current opioid crisis. Relapse to opioid use can be modeled in rodent studies where drug self-administration is followed by a period of abstinence and a subsequent test for drug seeking. Abstinence can be achieved through extinction training, forced abstinence, or voluntary abstinence. Voluntary abstinence can be accomplished by introducing adverse consequences of continued drug self-administration (e.g., punishment or electric barrier) or by introducing an alternative nondrug reward in a discrete choice procedure (drug versus palatable food or social interaction). In this review, we first discuss pharmacological and circuit mechanisms of opioid seeking, as assessed in the classical extinction-reinstatement model, where reinstatement is induced by reexposure to the self-administered drug (drug priming), discrete cues, discriminative cues, drug-associated contexts, different forms of stress, or withdrawal states. Next, we discuss pharmacological and circuit mechanisms of relapse after forced or voluntary abstinence, including the phenomenon of "incubation of heroin craving" (the time-dependent increases in heroin seeking during abstinence). We conclude by discussing future directions of preclinical relapse-related studies using opioid drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J. Reiner
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, IRP-NIDA-NIH, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Ida Fredriksson
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, IRP-NIDA-NIH, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Olivia M. Lofaro
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, IRP-NIDA-NIH, Baltimore, MD USA
| | | | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, IRP-NIDA-NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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272
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Becker JB, Mazure CM. The federal plan for health science and technology's response to the opioid crisis: understanding sex and gender differences as part of the solution is overlooked. Biol Sex Differ 2019; 10:3. [PMID: 30616693 PMCID: PMC6322277 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-018-0215-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The Fast-Track Action Committee on (the) Health Science and Technology Response to the Opioid Crisis recently released their draft report for public comment. This report provides the "roadmap" for a coordinated federal research and development response to the opioid crisis. Other than noting the important concerns regarding maternal and neonatal exposure to opioids, the report overlooks the laboratory, clinical, and epidemiological data that inform the need for further research on sex and gender differences in opioid addiction that have critical gender-based treatment and prevention implications. As we embark on research and development, investigations into the neurobiology of pain, opioid use, and addiction must include both females and males in model systems and, similarly, psychological and sociocultural investigations must study women and men. All data should be reported by sex and gender so that gender-specific treatment and prevention strategies derived from this research are provided to practitioners and the public. We encourage biomedical researchers and clinical care providers, as well as the public, to insist that a successful response to the opioid crisis should highlight the importance of understanding sex and gender differences in the current opioid epidemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill B Becker
- Department of Psychology and the Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
| | - Carolyn M Mazure
- Department of Psychiatry and Women's Health Research at Yale, Yale University School of Medicine, 135 College Street, Suite, New Haven, CT, 220, USA
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274
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Females are less sensitive than males to the motivational- and dopamine-suppressing effects of kappa opioid receptor activation. Neuropharmacology 2018; 146:231-241. [PMID: 30528327 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The neuropeptide dynorphin (DYN) activates kappa opioid receptors (KORs) in the brain to produce depressive-like states and decrease motivation. KOR-mediated suppression of dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is considered one underlying mechanism. We previously showed that, regardless of estrous cycle stage, female rats are less sensitive than males to KOR agonist-mediated decreases in motivation to respond for brain stimulation reward, measured with intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS). However, the explicit roles of KORs, circulating gonadal hormones, and their interaction with dopamine signaling in motivated behavior are not known. As such, we measured the effects of the KOR agonist U50,488 on ICSS stimulation thresholds before and after gonadectomy (or sham surgery). We found that ovariectomized females remained less sensitive than sham or castrated males to KOR-mediated decreases in brain stimulation reward, indicating that circulating gonadal hormones do not play a role. We used qRT-PCR to examine whether sex differences in gene expression in limbic brain regions are associated with behavioral sex differences. We found no sex differences in Pdyn or Oprk1 mRNA in the NAc and ventral tegmental area (VTA), but tyrosine hydroxylase (Th) mRNA was significantly higher in female compared to male VTA. To further explore sex-differences in KOR-mediated suppression of dopamine, we used fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) and demonstrated that U50,488 was less effective in suppressing evoked NAc dopamine release in females compared to males. These data raise the possibility that females are protected from KOR-mediated decreases in motivation by an increased capacity to produce and release dopamine.
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275
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Varlinskaya EI, Spear LP, Diaz MR. Stress alters social behavior and sensitivity to pharmacological activation of kappa opioid receptors in an age-specific manner in Sprague Dawley rats. Neurobiol Stress 2018; 9:124-132. [PMID: 30450378 PMCID: PMC6234253 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2018.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor (DYN/KOR) system has been identified as a primary target of stress due to behavioral effects, such as dysphoria, aversion, and anxiety-like alterations that result from activation of this system. Numerous adaptations in the DYN/KOR system have also been identified in response to stress. However, whereas most studies examining the function of the DYN/KOR system have been conducted in adult rodents, there is growing evidence suggesting that this system is ontogenetically regulated. Likewise, the outcome of exposure to stress also differs across ontogeny. Based on these developmental similarities, the objective of this study was to systematically test effects of a selective KOR agonist, U-62066, on various aspects of social behavior across ontogeny in non-stressed male and female rats as well as in males and females with a prior history of repeated exposure to restraint (90 min/day, 5 exposures). We found that the social consequences of repeated restraint differed as a function of age: juvenile stress produced substantial increases in play fighting, whereas adolescent and adult stress resulted in decreases in social investigation and social preference. The KOR agonist U-62066 dose-dependently reduced social behaviors in non-stressed adults, producing social avoidance at the highest dose tested, while younger animals displayed reduced sensitivity to this socially suppressing effect of U-62066. Interestingly, in stressed animals, the socially suppressing effects of the KOR agonist were blunted at all ages, with juveniles and adolescents exhibiting increased social preference in response to certain doses of U-62066. Taken together, these findings support the hypothesis that the DYN/KOR system changes with age and differentially responds and adapts to stress across development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena I Varlinskaya
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY13902, United States
| | - Linda Patia Spear
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY13902, United States
| | - Marvin R Diaz
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY13902, United States
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276
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Fullerton EF, Doyle HH, Murphy AZ. Impact of sex on pain and opioid analgesia: a review. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2018; 23:183-190. [PMID: 30906823 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that impacts tens of millions each year, resulting in lost wages for workers and exacting considerable costs in health care and rehabilitation. A thorough understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying pain and analgesia is critical to facilitate the development of therapeutic strategies and personalized medicine. Clinical and epidemiological studies report that women experience greater levels of pain than men and have higher rates of pain-related disorders. Studies in both rodents and humans report sex differences in the anatomical and physiologic properties of the descending antinociceptive circuit, mu opioid receptor (MOR) expression and binding, morphine metabolism, and immune system activation, all of which likely contribute to the observed sex differences in pain and opioid analgesia. Although more research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms, these sex differences present potential therapeutic targets to optimize pain management strategies for both sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan F Fullerton
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta GA, 30303
| | - Hillary H Doyle
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta GA, 30303
| | - Anne Z Murphy
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta GA, 30303
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