301
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Lupica CR, Hoffman AF. Cannabinoid disruption of learning mechanisms involved in reward processing. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 25:435-445. [PMID: 30115765 PMCID: PMC6097761 DOI: 10.1101/lm.046748.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The increasing use of cannabis, its derivatives, and synthetic cannabinoids for medicinal and recreational purposes has led to burgeoning interest in understanding the addictive potential of this class of molecules. It is estimated that ∼10% of marijuana users will eventually show signs of dependence on the drug, and the diagnosis of cannabis use disorder (CUD) is increasing in the United States. The molecule that sustains the use of cannabis is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), and our knowledge of its effects, and those of other cannabinoids on brain function has expanded rapidly in the past two decades. Additionally, the identification of endogenous cannabinoid (endocannabinoid) systems in brain and their roles in physiology and behavior, demonstrate extensive involvement of these lipid signaling molecules in regulating CNS function. Here, we examine roles for endogenous cannabinoids in shaping synaptic activity in cortical and subcortical brain circuits, and we discuss mechanisms in which exogenous cannabinoids, such as Δ9-THC, interact with endocannabinoid systems to disrupt neuronal network oscillations. We then explore how perturbation of the interaction of this activity within brain reward circuits may lead to impaired learning. Finally, we propose that disruption of cellular plasticity mechanisms by exogenous cannabinoids in cortical and subcortical circuits may explain the difficulty in establishing viable cannabinoid self-administration models in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl R Lupica
- Electrophysiology Research Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA
| | - Alexander F Hoffman
- Electrophysiology Research Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA
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302
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Gibson GD, Millan EZ, McNally GP. The nucleus accumbens shell in reinstatement and extinction of drug seeking. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 50:2014-2022. [PMID: 30044017 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2018] [Revised: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The contexts where drugs are self-administered have important control over relapse and extinction of drug-seeking behavior. The nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh) is essential to this contextual control over drug-seeking behavior. It has been consistently implicated in both the expression of context-induced reinstatement and the expression of extinction, across a variety of drug classes and other rewards. Here, we review the evidence linking AcbSh to the extinction and reinstatement of drug seeking. We consider whether this dual role can be linked to known heterogeneities in AcbSh cell types, their major afferents, and their major efferents. We show that although these heterogeneities are each important and can determine extinction vs. reinstatement, they do not seem adequate to explain the body of findings from the behavioral literature. Rather, we suggest that this functional specialization of AcbSh may be more profitably viewed in terms of the segregation and compartmentalization of AcbSh channels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - E Zayra Millan
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia
| | - Gavan P McNally
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia
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303
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Abstract
Depression and anxiety are the most common mood disorders affecting 300 million sufferers worldwide. Maladaptive changes in the neuroendocrine stress response is cited as the most common underlying cause, though how the circuits underlying this response are controlled at the molecular level, remains largely unknown. Approximately 40% of patients do not respond to current treatments, indicating that untapped mechanisms exist. Here we review recent evidence implicating JNK in the control of anxiety and depressive-like behavior with a particular focus on its action in immature granule cells of the hippocampal neurogenic niche and the potential for therapeutic targeting for affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrik Hollos
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, Åbo Akademi and University of Turku, BioCity, Turku FIN, Finland
| | - Francesca Marchisella
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, Åbo Akademi and University of Turku, BioCity, Turku FIN, Finland
| | - Eleanor T Coffey
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, Åbo Akademi and University of Turku, BioCity, Turku FIN, Finland
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304
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Tonn Eisinger KR, Gross KS, Head BP, Mermelstein PG. Interactions between estrogen receptors and metabotropic glutamate receptors and their impact on drug addiction in females. Horm Behav 2018; 104:130-137. [PMID: 29505763 PMCID: PMC6131090 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2018] [Revised: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 03/01/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Contribution to Special Issue on Fast effects of steroids. Estrogen receptors α and β (ERα and ERβ) have a unique relationship with metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in the female rodent brain such that estradiol is able to recruit intracellular G-protein signaling cascades to influence neuronal physiology, structure, and ultimately behavior. While this association between ERs and mGluRs exists in many cell types and brain regions, its effects are perhaps most striking in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). This review will discuss the original characterization of ER/mGluR signaling and how estradiol activity in the NAc confers increased sensitivity to drugs of abuse in females through this mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine R Tonn Eisinger
- Department of Neuroscience and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Kellie S Gross
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
| | - Brian P Head
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Paul G Mermelstein
- Department of Neuroscience and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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305
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Stamatakis AM, Schachter MJ, Gulati S, Zitelli KT, Malanowski S, Tajik A, Fritz C, Trulson M, Otte SL. Simultaneous Optogenetics and Cellular Resolution Calcium Imaging During Active Behavior Using a Miniaturized Microscope. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:496. [PMID: 30087590 PMCID: PMC6066578 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to precisely monitor and manipulate neural circuits is essential to understand the brain. Advancements over the last decade in optical techniques such as calcium imaging and optogenetics have empowered researchers to gain insight into brain function by systematically manipulating or monitoring defined neural circuits. Combining these cutting-edge techniques enables a more direct mechanism for ascribing neural dynamics to behavior. Here, we developed a miniaturized integrated microscope that allows for simultaneous optogenetic manipulation and cellular-resolution calcium imaging within the same field of view in freely behaving mice. The integrated microscope has two LEDs, one filtered with a 435-460 nm excitation filter for imaging green calcium indicators, and a second LED filtered with a 590-650 nm excitation filter for optogenetic modulation of red-shifted opsins. We developed and tested this technology to minimize biological and optical crosstalk. We observed insignificant amounts of biological and optical crosstalk with regards to the optogenetic LED affecting calcium imaging. We observed some amounts of residual crosstalk of the imaging light on optogenetic manipulation. Despite residual crosstalk, we have demonstrated the utility of this technology by probing the causal relationship between basolateral amygdala (BLA) -to- nucleus accumbens (NAc) circuit function, behavior, and network dynamics. Using this integrated microscope we were able to observe both a significant behavioral and cellular calcium response of the optogenetic modulation on the BLA-to-NAc circuit. This integrated strategy will allow for routine investigation of the causality of circuit manipulation on cellular-resolution network dynamics and behavior.
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306
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Drug Refraining and Seeking Potentiate Synapses on Distinct Populations of Accumbens Medium Spiny Neurons. J Neurosci 2018; 38:7100-7107. [PMID: 29976626 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0791-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Cocaine-associated cues and contexts can precipitate drug seeking in humans and in experimental animals. Glutamatergic synapses in the core subcompartment of the nucleus accumbens (NAcore) undergo transient potentiation in response to presenting drug-associated cues. The NAcore contains two populations of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) that differentially express D1 or D2 dopamine receptors. By recording the ratio of AMPA and NMDA glutamate receptor currents (AMPA/NMDA ratio) from MSNs in NAcore tissue slices, we endeavored to understand which subpopulation of MSNs was undergoing transient potentiation. Transgenic female and male mice differentially expressing fluorescent reporters in D1 or D2 MSNs were withdrawn for 2-3 weeks after being trained to self-administer cocaine. In some mice, discrete cocaine-conditioned cues were isolated from the drug-associated context via extinction training, which causes rodents to refrain from drug seeking in the extinguished context. By measuring AMPA/NMDA ratios in the drug context with or without contextual or discrete cues, and with or without extinction training, we made the following three discoveries: (1) mice refraining from cocaine seeking in the extinguished context showed selective elevation in AMPA/NMDA ratios in D2 MSNs; (2) without extinction training, the drug-associated context selectively increased AMPA/NMDA ratios in D1 MSNs; (3) mice undergoing cue-induced cocaine seeking after extinction training in the drug-associated context showed AMPA/NMDA ratio increases in both D1 and D2 MSNs. These findings reveal that the NAcore codes drug seeking through transient potentiation of D1 MSNs, and that refraining from cocaine seeking in an extinguished context is coded through transient potentiation of D2 MSNs.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Relapse is a primary symptom of addiction that can involve competition between the desire to use drugs and the desire to refrain from using drugs. Drug-associated cues induce relapse, which is correlated with transiently potentiated glutamatergic synapses in the nucleus accumbens core. We determined which of two cell populations in the accumbens core, D1-expressing or D2-expressing neurons, undergo transient synaptic potentiation. After being trained to self-administer cocaine, mice underwent withdrawal, some with and others without extinguishing responding in the drug-associated context. Extinguished mice showed transient potentiation in D2-expressing neurons in the extinguished environment, and all mice engaged in context-induced or cue-induced drug seeking showed transient potentiation of D1-expressing neurons. A simple binary engram in accumbens for seeking drugs and refraining from drugs offers opportunities for cell-specific therapies.
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307
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Pessoa L. Emotion and the Interactive Brain: Insights From Comparative Neuroanatomy and Complex Systems. EMOTION REVIEW 2018; 10:204-216. [PMID: 31537985 PMCID: PMC6752744 DOI: 10.1177/1754073918765675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Although emotion is closely associated with motivation, and interacts with perception, cognition, and action, many conceptualizations still treat emotion as separate from these domains. Here, a comparative/evolutionary anatomy framework is presented to motivate the idea that long-range, distributed circuits involving the midbrain, thalamus, and forebrain are central to emotional processing. It is proposed that emotion can be understood in terms of large-scale network interactions spanning the neuroaxis that form "functionally integrated systems." At the broadest level, the argument is made that we need to move beyond a Newtonian view of causation to one involving complex systems where bidirectional influences and nonlinearities abound. Therefore, understanding interactions between subsystems and signal integration becomes central to unraveling the organization of the emotional brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiz Pessoa
- Department of Psychology and Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, USA
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308
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Silveira MM, Tremblay M, Winstanley CA. Dissociable contributions of dorsal and ventral striatal regions on a rodent cost/benefit decision-making task requiring cognitive effort. Neuropharmacology 2018; 137:322-331. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2018] [Revised: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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309
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Ohene-Nyako M, Persons AL, Napier TC. Region-specific changes in markers of neuroplasticity revealed in HIV-1 transgenic rats by low-dose methamphetamine. Brain Struct Funct 2018; 223:3503-3513. [PMID: 29931627 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-1701-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Methamphetamine abuse co-occurring with HIV infection presents neuropathology in brain regions that mediate reward and motivation. A neuronal signaling cascade altered acutely by meth and some HIV-1 proteins is the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. It remains unknown if chronic co-exposure to meth and HIV-1 proteins converge on MAPK in vivo. To make this determination, we studied young adult Fischer 344 HIV-1 transgenic (Tg) and non-Tg rats that self-administered meth (0.02-0.04 mg/kg/0.05 ml iv infusion, 2 h/day for 21 days) and their saline-yoked controls. One day following the operant task, rats were killed. Brain regions involved in reward-motivation [i.e., nucleus accumbens (NA) and ventral pallidum (VP)], were assayed for a MAPK cascade protein, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and a downstream transcription factor, ΔFosB. In the NA, activated (phosphorylated; p) ERK-to-ERK ratio (pERK/ERK) was increased in meth-exposed Tg rats versus saline Tg controls, and versus meth non-Tg rats. ΔFosB was increased in meth Tg rats versus saline and meth non-Tg rats. Assessment of two targets of ΔFosB-regulated transcription revealed (1) increased dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) immunoreactivity in the NA shell of Tg-meth rats versus saline Tg controls, but (2) no changes in the AMPA receptor subunit, GluA2. No changes related to genotype or meth occurred for ERK, ΔFosB or D1R protein in the VP. Results reveal a region-specific activation of ERK, and increases in ΔFosB and D1R expression induced by HIV-1 proteins and meth. Such effects may contribute to the neuronal and behavioral pathology associated with meth/HIV comorbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Ohene-Nyako
- Department of Pharmacology, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Center for Compulsive Behavior and Addiction, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Amanda L Persons
- Department of Physician Assistant Studies, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Rush University Medical Center, 1735 W. Harrison Street, Cohn Research Building Suite #424, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.,Center for Compulsive Behavior and Addiction, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - T Celeste Napier
- Department of Psychiatry, Rush University Medical Center, 1735 W. Harrison Street, Cohn Research Building Suite #424, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA. .,Center for Compulsive Behavior and Addiction, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA.
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310
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McGarry LM, Carter AG. Prefrontal Cortex Drives Distinct Projection Neurons in the Basolateral Amygdala. Cell Rep 2018; 21:1426-1433. [PMID: 29117549 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.10.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) regulates emotional behavior via top-down control of the basolateral amygdala (BLA). However, the influence of PFC inputs on the different projection pathways within the BLA remains largely unexplored. Here, we combine whole-cell recordings and optogenetics to study these cell-type specific connections in mouse BLA. We characterize PFC inputs onto three distinct populations of BLA neurons that project to the PFC, ventral hippocampus, or nucleus accumbens. We find that PFC-evoked synaptic responses are strongest at amygdala-cortical and amygdala-hippocampal neurons and much weaker at amygdala-striatal neurons. We assess the mechanisms for this targeting and conclude that it reflects fewer connections onto amygdala-striatal neurons. Given the similar intrinsic properties of these cells, this connectivity allows the PFC to preferentially activate amygdala-cortical and amygdala-hippocampal neurons. Together, our findings reveal how PFC inputs to the BLA selectively drive feedback projections to the PFC and feedforward projections to the hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M McGarry
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Adam G Carter
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003, USA.
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311
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Modi ME, Brooks JM, Guilmette ER, Beyna M, Graf R, Reim D, Schmeisser MJ, Boeckers TM, O'Donnell P, Buhl DL. Hyperactivity and Hypermotivation Associated With Increased Striatal mGluR1 Signaling in a Shank2 Rat Model of Autism. Front Mol Neurosci 2018; 11:107. [PMID: 29970986 PMCID: PMC6018399 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the SHANK family of genes have been consistently identified in genetic and genomic screens of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The functional overlap of SHANK with several other ASD-associated genes suggests synaptic dysfunction as a convergent mechanism of pathophysiology in ASD. Although many ASD-related mutations result in alterations to synaptic function, the nature of those dysfunctions and the consequential behavioral manifestations are highly variable when expressed in genetic mouse models. To investigate the phylogenetic conservation of phenotypes resultant of Shank2 loss-of-function in a translationally relevant animal model, we generated and characterized a novel transgenic rat with a targeted mutation of the Shank2 gene, enabling an evaluation of gene-associated phenotypes, the elucidation of complex behavioral phenotypes, and the characterization of potential translational biomarkers. The Shank2 loss-of-function mutation resulted in a notable phenotype of hyperactivity encompassing hypermotivation, increased locomotion, and repetitive behaviors. Mutant rats also expressed deficits in social behavior throughout development and in the acquisition of operant tasks. The hyperactive phenotype was associated with an upregulation of mGluR1 expression, increased dendritic branching, and enhanced long-term depression (LTD) in the striatum but opposing morphological and cellular alterations in the hippocampus (HP). Administration of the mGluR1 antagonist JNJ16259685 selectively normalized the expression of striatally mediated repetitive behaviors and physiology but had no effect on social deficits. Finally, Shank2 mutant animals also exhibited alterations in electroencephalography (EEG) spectral power and event-related potentials, which may serve as translatable EEG biomarkers of synaptopathic alterations. Our results show a novel hypermotivation phenotype that is unique to the rat model of Shank2 dysfunction, in addition to the traditional hyperactive and repetitive behaviors observed in mouse models. The hypermotivated and hyperactive phenotype is associated with striatal dysfunction, which should be explored further as a targetable mechanism for impairment in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meera E Modi
- Pfizer Internal Medicine Research Unit, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Julie M Brooks
- Pfizer Internal Medicine Research Unit, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Edward R Guilmette
- Pfizer Internal Medicine Research Unit, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Mercedes Beyna
- Pfizer Internal Medicine Research Unit, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Radka Graf
- Pfizer Internal Medicine Research Unit, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Dominik Reim
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Michael J Schmeisser
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.,Division of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.,Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Tobias M Boeckers
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Patricio O'Donnell
- Pfizer Internal Medicine Research Unit, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Derek L Buhl
- Pfizer Internal Medicine Research Unit, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, United States
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312
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Ventral striatal dysfunction in cocaine dependence - difference mapping for subregional resting state functional connectivity. Transl Psychiatry 2018; 8:119. [PMID: 29915214 PMCID: PMC6006289 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-018-0164-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Revised: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Research of dopaminergic deficits has focused on the ventral striatum (VS) with many studies elucidating altered resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) in individuals with cocaine dependence (CD). The VS comprises functional subregions and delineation of subregional changes in rsFC requires careful consideration of the differences between addicted and healthy populations. In the current study, we parcellated the VS using whole-brain rsFC differences between CD and non-drug-using controls (HC). Voxels with similar rsFC changes formed functional clusters. The results showed that the VS was divided into 3 subclusters, in the area of the dorsal-anterior VS (daVS), dorsal posterior VS (dpVS), and ventral VS (vVS), each in association with different patterns of rsFC. The three subregions shared reduced rsFC with bilateral hippocampal/parahippocampal gyri (HG/PHG) but also showed distinct changes, including reduced vVS rsFC with ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and increased daVS rsFC with visual cortex in CD as compared to HC. Across CD, daVS visual cortical connectivity was positively correlated with amount of prior-month cocaine use and cocaine craving, and vVS vmPFC connectivity was negatively correlated with the extent of depression and anxiety. These findings suggest a distinct pattern of altered VS subregional rsFC in cocaine dependence, and some of the changes have eluded analyses using the whole VS as a seed region. The findings may provide new insight to delineating VS circuit deficits in cocaine dependence and provide an alternative analytical framework to address functional dysconnectivity in other mental illnesses.
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313
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Altering gain of the infralimbic-to-accumbens shell circuit alters economically dissociable decision-making algorithms. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E6347-E6355. [PMID: 29915034 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1803084115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) is involved in reward valuation. Excitatory projections from infralimbic cortex (IL) to NAcSh undergo synaptic remodeling in rodent models of addiction and enable the extinction of disadvantageous behaviors. However, how the strength of synaptic transmission of the IL-NAcSh circuit affects decision-making information processing and reward valuation remains unknown, particularly because these processes can conflict within a given trial and particularly given recent data suggesting that decisions arise from separable information-processing algorithms. The approach of many neuromodulation studies is to disrupt information flow during on-going behaviors; however, this limits the interpretation of endogenous encoding of computational processes. Furthermore, many studies are limited by the use of simple behavioral tests of value which are unable to dissociate neurally distinct decision-making algorithms. We optogenetically altered the strength of synaptic transmission between glutamatergic IL-NAcSh projections in mice trained on a neuroeconomic task capable of separating multiple valuation processes. We found that induction of long-term depression in these synapses produced lasting changes in foraging processes without disrupting deliberative processes. Mice displayed inflated reevaluations to stay when deciding whether to abandon continued reward-seeking investments but displayed no changes during initial commitment decisions. We also developed an ensemble-level measure of circuit-specific plasticity that revealed individual differences in foraging valuation tendencies. Our results demonstrate that alterations in projection-specific synaptic strength between the IL and the NAcSh are capable of augmenting self-control economic valuations within a particular decision-making modality and suggest that the valuation mechanisms for these multiple decision-making modalities arise from different circuits.
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314
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Klawonn AM, Fritz M, Nilsson A, Bonaventura J, Shionoya K, Mirrasekhian E, Karlsson U, Jaarola M, Granseth B, Blomqvist A, Michaelides M, Engblom D. Motivational valence is determined by striatal melanocortin 4 receptors. J Clin Invest 2018; 128:3160-3170. [PMID: 29911992 DOI: 10.1172/jci97854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
It is critical for survival to assign positive or negative valence to salient stimuli in a correct manner. Accordingly, harmful stimuli and internal states characterized by perturbed homeostasis are accompanied by discomfort, unease, and aversion. Aversive signaling causes extensive suffering during chronic diseases, including inflammatory conditions, cancer, and depression. Here, we investigated the role of melanocortin 4 receptors (MC4Rs) in aversive processing using genetically modified mice and a behavioral test in which mice avoid an environment that they have learned to associate with aversive stimuli. In normal mice, robust aversions were induced by systemic inflammation, nausea, pain, and κ opioid receptor-induced dysphoria. In sharp contrast, mice lacking MC4Rs displayed preference or indifference toward the aversive stimuli. The unusual flip from aversion to reward in mice lacking MC4Rs was dopamine dependent and associated with a change from decreased to increased activity of the dopamine system. The responses to aversive stimuli were normalized when MC4Rs were reexpressed on dopamine D1 receptor-expressing cells or in the striatum of mice otherwise lacking MC4Rs. Furthermore, activation of arcuate nucleus proopiomelanocortin neurons projecting to the ventral striatum increased the activity of striatal neurons in an MC4R-dependent manner and elicited aversion. Our findings demonstrate that melanocortin signaling through striatal MC4Rs is critical for assigning negative motivational valence to harmful stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Mathia Klawonn
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Michael Fritz
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Anna Nilsson
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Jordi Bonaventura
- Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kiseko Shionoya
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Elahe Mirrasekhian
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Urban Karlsson
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Maarit Jaarola
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Björn Granseth
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Anders Blomqvist
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Michael Michaelides
- Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - David Engblom
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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315
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Ebner SR, Larson EB, Hearing MC, Ingebretson AE, Thomas MJ. Extinction and Reinstatement of Cocaine-seeking in Self-administering Mice is Associated with Bidirectional AMPAR-mediated Plasticity in the Nucleus Accumbens Shell. Neuroscience 2018; 384:340-349. [PMID: 29885524 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Experience-dependent synaptic plasticity is an important component of both learning and motivational disturbances found in addicted individuals. Here, we investigated the role of cocaine experience-dependent plasticity at excitatory synapses in the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) in relapse-related behavior in mice with a history of volitional cocaine self-administration. Using an extinction/reinstatement paradigm of cocaine-seeking behavior, we demonstrate that cocaine-experienced mice with extinguished cocaine-seeking behavior show potentiation of synaptic strength at excitatory inputs onto NAcSh medium spiny neurons (MSNs). Conversely, we found that exposure to various distinct types of reinstating stimuli (cocaine, cocaine-associated cues, yohimbine "stress") after extinction can produce a relative depotentiation of NAcSh synapses that is strongly associated with the magnitude of cocaine-seeking behavior exhibited in response to these challenges. Furthermore, we show that these effects are due to α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR)-specific mechanisms that differ depending on the nature and context of the reinstatement-inducing stimuli. Together, our findings identify common themes as well as differential mechanisms that are likely important for the ability of diverse environmental stimuli to drive relapse to addictive-like cocaine-seeking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie R Ebner
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 3-432 McGuire Translational Research Facility 3-432, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Erin B Larson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 3-432 McGuire Translational Research Facility 3-432, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Matthew C Hearing
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 3-432 McGuire Translational Research Facility 3-432, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Anna E Ingebretson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 3-432 McGuire Translational Research Facility 3-432, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Mark J Thomas
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 3-432 McGuire Translational Research Facility 3-432, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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316
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Jayanthi S, Gonzalez B, McCoy MT, Ladenheim B, Bisagno V, Cadet JL. Methamphetamine Induces TET1- and TET3-Dependent DNA Hydroxymethylation of Crh and Avp Genes in the Rat Nucleus Accumbens. Mol Neurobiol 2018; 55:5154-5166. [PMID: 28842817 PMCID: PMC5948251 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-017-0750-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Accepted: 08/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Methamphetamine (METH) addiction is a biopsychosocial disorder that is accompanied by multiple relapses even after prolonged abstinence, suggesting the possibilities of long-lasting maladaptive epigenetic changes in the brain. Here, we show that METH administration produced time-dependent increases in the expression of corticotropin-releasing hormone (Crh/Crf), arginine vasopressin (Avp), and cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript prepropeptide (Cartpt) mRNAs in the rat nucleus accumbens (NAc). Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays revealed that METH increased the abundance of phosphorylated CREB (pCREB) at the promoter of Cartpt but not at Avp or Crh DNA sequences. In contrast, METH produced DNA hypomethylation at sites near the Crh transcription start site (TSS) and at intragenic Avp sequences. METH also increased DNA hydroxymethylation at the Crh TSS and at intragenic Avp sites. In addition, METH increased the protein expression of ten-eleven-translocation enzymes that catalyze DNA hydroxymethylation. Importantly, METH increased TET1 binding at the Crh promoter and increased TET3 binding at Avp intragenic regions. We further tested the role of TET enzymes in METH-induced changes in gene expression by using the TET inhibitor, 1,5-isoquinolinediol (IQD), and found that IQD blocked METH-induced increases in Crh and Avp mRNA expression. Together, these results indicate that METH produced changes in neuropeptide transcription by both activation of the cAMP/CREB pathway and stimulation of TET-dependent DNA hydroxymethylation. These results provide molecular evidence for epigenetic controls of METH-induced changes in the expression of neuropeptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subramaniam Jayanthi
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, NIH/NIDA Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Betina Gonzalez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (Universidad de Buenos Aires-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Michael T McCoy
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, NIH/NIDA Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bruce Ladenheim
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, NIH/NIDA Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Veronica Bisagno
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (Universidad de Buenos Aires-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jean Lud Cadet
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, NIH/NIDA Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, DHHS/NIH/NIDA IRP, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA.
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317
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Cahill ME, Walker DM, Gancarz AM, Wang ZJ, Lardner CK, Bagot RC, Neve RL, Dietz DM, Nestler EJ. The dendritic spine morphogenic effects of repeated cocaine use occur through the regulation of serum response factor signaling. Mol Psychiatry 2018; 23:1474-1486. [PMID: 28555077 PMCID: PMC5709273 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2017.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Revised: 03/23/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a primary brain reward region composed predominantly of medium spiny neurons (MSNs). In response to early withdrawal from repeated cocaine administration, de novo dendritic spine formation occurs in NAc MSNs. Much evidence indicates that this new spine formation facilitates the rewarding properties of cocaine. Early withdrawal from repeated cocaine also produces dramatic alterations in the transcriptome of NAc MSNs, but how such alterations influence cocaine's effects on dendritic spine formation remain unclear. Studies in non-neuronal cells indicate that actin cytoskeletal regulatory pathways in nuclei have a direct role in the regulation of gene transcription in part by controlling the access of co-activators to their transcription factor partners. In particular, actin state dictates the interaction between the serum response factor (SRF) transcription factor and one of its principal co-activators, MAL. Here we show that cocaine induces alterations in nuclear F-actin signaling pathways in the NAc with associated changes in the nuclear subcellular localization of SRF and MAL. Using in vivo optogenetics, the brain region-specific inputs to the NAc that mediate these nuclear changes are investigated. Finally, we demonstrate that regulated SRF expression, in turn, is critical for the effects of cocaine on dendritic spine formation and for cocaine-mediated behavioral sensitization. Collectively, these findings reveal a mechanism by which nuclear-based changes influence the structure of NAc MSNs in response to cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- ME Cahill
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - DM Walker
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - AM Gancarz
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Research Institute on Addictions, Program in Neuroscience, State University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - ZJ Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Research Institute on Addictions, Program in Neuroscience, State University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - CK Lardner
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - RC Bagot
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA,Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - RL Neve
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - DM Dietz
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Research Institute on Addictions, Program in Neuroscience, State University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - EJ Nestler
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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318
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Chemogenetic Activation of Prefrontal Cortex Rescues Synaptic and Behavioral Deficits in a Mouse Model of 16p11.2 Deletion Syndrome. J Neurosci 2018; 38:5939-5948. [PMID: 29853627 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0149-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Revised: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Microdeletion of the human 16p11.2 gene locus has been linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability and confers risk for a number of other neurodevelopmental deficits. Transgenic mice carrying 16p11.2 deletion (16p11+/-) display phenotypes reminiscent of those in human patients with 16p11.2 deletion syndrome, but the molecular mechanisms and treatment strategies for these phenotypes remain unknown. In this study, we have found that both male and female 16p11+/- mice exhibit deficient NMDA receptor (NMDAR) function in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a brain region critical for high-level "executive" functions. Elevating the activity of mPFC pyramidal neurons with a CaMKII-driven Gq-DREADD (Gq-coupled designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs) led to the significant increase of NR2B subunit phosphorylation and the restoration of NMDAR function, as well as the amelioration of cognitive and social impairments in 16p11+/- mice. These results suggest that NMDAR hypofunction in PFC may contribute to the pathophysiology of 16p11.2 deletion syndrome and that restoring PFC activity is sufficient to rescue the behavioral deficits.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The 16p11.2 deletion syndrome is strongly associated with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. Using a mouse model carrying the 16p11.2 deletion, 16p11+/-, we identified NMDA receptor hypofunction in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Elevating the activity of PFC pyramidal neurons with a chemogenetic tool, Gq-DREADD, led to the restoration of NMDA receptor function and the amelioration of cognitive and social impairments in 16p11+/- mice. These results have revealed a novel route for potential therapeutic intervention of 16p11.2 deletion syndrome.
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319
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Sjulson L, Peyrache A, Cumpelik A, Cassataro D, Buzsáki G. Cocaine Place Conditioning Strengthens Location-Specific Hippocampal Coupling to the Nucleus Accumbens. Neuron 2018; 98:926-934.e5. [PMID: 29754750 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Revised: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Conditioned place preference (CPP) is a widely used model of addiction-related behavior whose underlying mechanisms are not understood. In this study, we used dual site silicon probe recordings in freely moving mice to examine interactions between the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens in cocaine CPP. We found that CPP was associated with recruitment of D2-positive nucleus accumbens medium spiny neurons to fire in the cocaine-paired location, and this recruitment was driven predominantly by selective strengthening of coupling with hippocampal place cells that encode the cocaine-paired location. These findings provide in vivo evidence suggesting that the synaptic potentiation in the accumbens caused by repeated cocaine administration preferentially affects inputs that were active at the time of drug exposure. This provides a potential physiological mechanism by which drug use becomes associated with specific environmental contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Sjulson
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; NYU Neuroscience Institute, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
| | - Adrien Peyrache
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Andrea Cumpelik
- NYU Neuroscience Institute, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Daniela Cassataro
- NYU Neuroscience Institute, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - György Buzsáki
- NYU Neuroscience Institute, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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320
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Tonn Eisinger KR, Larson EB, Boulware MI, Thomas MJ, Mermelstein PG. Membrane estrogen receptor signaling impacts the reward circuitry of the female brain to influence motivated behaviors. Steroids 2018; 133:53-59. [PMID: 29195840 PMCID: PMC5864533 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2017.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Within the adult female, estrogen signaling is well-described as an integral component of the physiologically significant hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. In rodents, the timing of ovulation is intrinsically entwined with the display of sexual receptivity. For decades, the importance of estradiol activating intracellular estrogen receptors within the hypothalamus and midbrain/spinal cord lordosis circuits has been appreciated. These signaling pathways primarily account for the ability of the female to reproduce. Yet, often overlooked is that the desire to reproduce is also tightly regulated by estrogen receptor signaling. This lack of emphasis can be attributed to an absence of nuclear estrogen receptors in brain regions associated with reward, such as the nucleus accumbens, which are associated with motivated behaviors. This review outlines how membrane-localized estrogen receptors affect metabotropic glutamate receptor signaling within the rodent nucleus accumbens. In addition, we discuss how, as estrogens drive increased motivation for reproduction, they also produce the untoward side effect of heightening female vulnerability to drug addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine R Tonn Eisinger
- Department of Neuroscience and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Erin B Larson
- Department of Neuroscience and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Marissa I Boulware
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Mark J Thomas
- Department of Neuroscience and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Paul G Mermelstein
- Department of Neuroscience and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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321
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Ingebretson AE, Hearing MC, Huffington ED, Thomas MJ. Endogenous dopamine and endocannabinoid signaling mediate cocaine-induced reversal of AMPAR synaptic potentiation in the nucleus accumbens shell. Neuropharmacology 2018; 131:154-165. [PMID: 29225042 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Revised: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Repeated exposure to drugs of abuse alters the structure and function of neural circuits mediating reward, generating maladaptive plasticity in circuits critical for motivated behavior. Within meso-corticolimbic dopamine circuitry, repeated exposure to cocaine induces progressive alterations in AMPAR-mediated glutamatergic synaptic transmission. During a 10-14 day period of abstinence from cocaine, AMPAR signaling is potentiated at synapses on nucleus accumbens (NAc) medium spiny neurons (MSNs), promoting a state of heightened synaptic excitability. Re-exposure to cocaine during abstinence, however, rapidly reverses and depotentiates enhanced AMPAR signaling. To understand how re-exposure to cocaine alters AMPAR synaptic transmission, we investigated the roles of dopamine and endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling in modifying synaptic strength in the NAc shell. Using patch-clamp recordings from NAc slices prepared after 10-14 days of abstinence from repeated cocaine, we found that AMPAR-mediated depotentiation is rapidly induced in the NAc shell within 20 min of cocaine re-exposure ex vivo, and persists for up to five days before synapses return to levels of potentiation observed during abstinence. In cocaine-treated animals, global dopamine receptor activation was both necessary and sufficient for the cocaine-evoked depotentiation of AMPAR synaptic function. Additionally, we identified that CB1 receptors are engaged by endogenous endocannabinoids (eCBs) during re-exposure to cocaine ex vivo. Overall, these results indicate the central role that dopamine and eCB signaling mechanisms play in modulating cocaine-induced AMPAR plasticity in the NAc shell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna E Ingebretson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 321 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Matthew C Hearing
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 321 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, 53233, USA
| | - Ethan D Huffington
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 321 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Mark J Thomas
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 321 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 E River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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322
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Gallo EF, Meszaros J, Sherman JD, Chohan MO, Teboul E, Choi CS, Moore H, Javitch JA, Kellendonk C. Accumbens dopamine D2 receptors increase motivation by decreasing inhibitory transmission to the ventral pallidum. Nat Commun 2018; 9:1086. [PMID: 29540712 PMCID: PMC5852096 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03272-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Dopamine D2 receptors (D2Rs) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) regulate motivated behavior, but the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain unresolved. Here, we show that selective upregulation of D2Rs in the indirect pathway of the adult NAc enhances the willingness to work for food. Mechanistic studies in brain slices reveal that D2R upregulation attenuates inhibitory transmission at two main output projections of the indirect pathway, the classical long-range projections to the ventral pallidum (VP), as well as local collaterals to direct pathway medium spiny neurons. In vivo physiology confirms the reduction in indirect pathway inhibitory transmission to the VP, and inhibition of indirect pathway terminals to VP is sufficient to enhance motivation. In contrast, D2R upregulation in the indirect pathway does not disinhibit neuronal activity of the direct pathway in vivo. These data suggest that D2Rs in ventral striatal projection neurons promote motivation by weakening the canonical output to the ventral pallidum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo F Gallo
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Jozsef Meszaros
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Jeremy D Sherman
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Muhammad O Chohan
- Division of Integrative Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Eric Teboul
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Claire S Choi
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Holly Moore
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Division of Integrative Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Jonathan A Javitch
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Christoph Kellendonk
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
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323
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Johnson AC, Latorre R, Ligon CO, Greenwood-Van Meerveld B. Visceral hypersensitivity induced by optogenetic activation of the amygdala in conscious rats. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2018; 314:G448-G457. [PMID: 29351398 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00370.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
In vivo optogenetics identifies brain circuits controlling behaviors in conscious animals by using light to alter neuronal function and offers a novel tool to study the brain-gut axis. Using adenoviral-mediated expression, we aimed to investigate whether photoactivation with channelrhodopsin (ChR2) or photoinhibition with halorhodopsin (HR3.0) of fibers originating from the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) at the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) had any effect on colonic sensitivity. We also investigated whether there was any deleterious effect of the adenovirus on the neuronal population or the neuronal phenotype within the CeA-BNST circuitry activated during the optogenetic stimulation. In male rats, the CeA was infected with vectors expressing ChR2 or HR3.0 and fiber optic cannulae were implanted on the BNST. After 8-10 wk, the response to graded, isobaric colonic distension was measured with and without laser stimulation of CeA fibers at the BNST. Immunohistochemistry and histology were used to evaluate vector expression, neuronal integrity, and neurochemical phenotype. Photoactivation of CeA fibers at the BNST with ChR2 induced colonic hypersensitivity, whereas photoinhibition of CeA fibers at the BNST with HR3.0 had no effect on colonic sensitivity. Control groups treated with virus expressing reporter proteins showed no abnormalities in neuronal morphology, neuronal number, or neurochemical phenotype following laser stimulation. Our experimental findings reveal that optogenetic activation of discrete brain nuclei can be used to advance our understanding of complex visceral nociceptive circuitry in a freely moving rat model. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our findings reveal that optogenetic technology can be employed as a tool to advance understanding of the brain-gut axis. Using adenoviral-mediated expression of opsins, which were activated by laser light and targeted by fiber optic cannulae, we examined central nociceptive circuits mediating visceral pain in a freely moving rat. Photoactivation of amygdala fibers in the stria terminalis with channelrhodopsin induced colonic hypersensitivity, whereas inhibition of the same fibers with halorhodopsin did not alter colonic sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rocco Latorre
- Oklahoma Center for Neuroscience , Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
| | - Casey O Ligon
- Oklahoma Center for Neuroscience , Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
| | - Beverley Greenwood-Van Meerveld
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center , Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.,Oklahoma Center for Neuroscience , Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.,Department of Physiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center , Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
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324
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Lum JS, Millard SJ, Huang XF, Ooi L, Newell KA. A postmortem analysis of NMDA ionotropic and group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors in the nucleus accumbens in schizophrenia. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2018; 43. [PMID: 29481317 PMCID: PMC5837882 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.170077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The nucleus accumbens (NAcc) has been implicated in the pathology and treatment of schizophrenia. Recent postmortem evidence suggests a hyperglutamatergic state in the NAcc. With the present study we aimed to explore possible glutamatergic alterations in the NAcc of a large schizophrenia cohort. METHODS We performed immunoblots on postmortem NAcc samples from 30 individuals who had schizophrenia and 30 matched controls. We examined the protein expression of primary glutamatergic receptors, including the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (NR1, NR2A and NR2B subunits) and the group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR1 and mGluR5; dimeric and monomeric forms). In addition, we measured the group 1 mGluR endogenous regulators, neurochondrin and Homer1b/c, which have recently been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. RESULTS Protein levels of glutamatergic receptors and endogenous regulators were not significantly different between the controls and individuals who had schizophrenia. Furthermore, mGluR5, but not mGluR1, showed a positive association with NMDA receptor subunits, suggesting differential interactions between these receptors in this brain region. LIMITATIONS Investigation of these proteins in antipsychotic-naive individuals, in addition to the subregions of the NAcc and subcellular fractions, will strengthen future studies. CONCLUSION The present study does not provide evidence for glutamatergic abnormalities within the NAcc of individuals with schizophrenia. Taken together with the results of previous studies, these findings suggest NMDA receptors and group 1 mGluRs are altered in a brain region-dependent manner in individuals with schizophrenia. The differential associations between mGluR1, mGluR5 and NMDA receptors observed in this study warrant further research into the interactions of these proteins and the implications for the therapeutic and adverse effect profile of glutamatergic-based novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy S Lum
- From the School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Lum, Millard, Huang, Newell); the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Lum, Millard, Huang, Ooi, Newell); the Schizophrenia Research Institute, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia (Lum); and the School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Ooi)
| | - Samuel J Millard
- From the School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Lum, Millard, Huang, Newell); the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Lum, Millard, Huang, Ooi, Newell); the Schizophrenia Research Institute, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia (Lum); and the School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Ooi)
| | - Xu-Feng Huang
- From the School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Lum, Millard, Huang, Newell); the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Lum, Millard, Huang, Ooi, Newell); the Schizophrenia Research Institute, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia (Lum); and the School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Ooi)
| | - Lezanne Ooi
- From the School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Lum, Millard, Huang, Newell); the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Lum, Millard, Huang, Ooi, Newell); the Schizophrenia Research Institute, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia (Lum); and the School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Ooi)
| | - Kelly A Newell
- From the School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Lum, Millard, Huang, Newell); the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Lum, Millard, Huang, Ooi, Newell); the Schizophrenia Research Institute, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia (Lum); and the School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Ooi)
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325
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Bulin SE, Mendoza ML, Richardson DR, Song KH, Solberg TD, Yun S, Eisch AJ. Dentate gyrus neurogenesis ablation via cranial irradiation enhances morphine self-administration and locomotor sensitization. Addict Biol 2018. [PMID: 28626932 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Adult dentate gyrus (DG) neurogenesis is important for hippocampal-dependent learning and memory, but the role of new neurons in addiction-relevant learning and memory is unclear. To test the hypothesis that neurogenesis is involved in the vulnerability to morphine addiction, we ablated adult DG neurogenesis and examined morphine self-administration (MSA) and locomotor sensitization. Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent hippocampal-focused, image-guided X-ray irradiation (IRR) to eliminate new DG neurons or sham treatment (Sham). Six weeks later, rats underwent either MSA (Sham = 16, IRR = 15) or locomotor sensitization (Sham = 12, IRR = 12). Over 21 days of MSA, IRR rats self-administered ~70 percent more morphine than Sham rats. After 28 days of withdrawal, IRR rats pressed the active lever 40 percent more than Sham during extinction. This was not a general enhancement of learning or locomotion, as IRR and Sham groups had similar operant learning and inactive lever presses. For locomotor sensitization, both IRR and Sham rats sensitized, but IRR rats sensitized faster and to a greater extent. Furthermore, dose-response revealed that IRR rats were more sensitive at a lower dose. Importantly, these increases in locomotor activity were not apparent after acute morphine administration and were not a byproduct of irradiation or post-irradiation recovery time. Therefore, these data, along with other previously published data, indicate that reduced hippocampal neurogenesis confers vulnerability for multiple classes of drugs. Thus, therapeutics to specifically increase or stabilize hippocampal neurogenesis could aid in preventing initial addiction as well as future relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E. Bulin
- Department of Psychiatry; University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas TX USA
- Department of Pharmacology; University of Texas Health Science Center; San Antonio TX USA
| | - Matthew L. Mendoza
- Department of Psychiatry; University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas TX USA
| | - Devon R. Richardson
- Department of Psychiatry; University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas TX USA
| | - Kwang H. Song
- Department of Radiology Oncology; University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas TX USA
- Texas Oncology PA; Fort Worth TX USA
| | - Timothy D. Solberg
- Department of Radiology Oncology; University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas TX USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology; University of California; San Francisco CA USA
| | - Sanghee Yun
- Mahoney Institute of Neurosciences; University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine; Philadelphia PA USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine; Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Philadelphia PA USA
| | - Amelia J. Eisch
- Department of Psychiatry; University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas TX USA
- Mahoney Institute of Neurosciences; University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine; Philadelphia PA USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine; Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Philadelphia PA USA
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326
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Drive and Reinforcement Circuitry in the Brain: Origins, Neurotransmitters, and Projection Fields. Neuropsychopharmacology 2018; 43:680-689. [PMID: 28984293 PMCID: PMC5809792 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2017.228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2017] [Revised: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Brain stimulation has identified two central subsets of stimulation sites with motivational relevance. First, there is a large and disperse set of sites where stimulation is reinforcing, increasing the frequency of the responses it follows, and second, a much more restricted set of sites where-along with reinforcement-stimulation also has drive-like effects, instigating feeding, copulation, predation, and other motivated acts in otherwise sated or peaceful animals. From this work a dispersed but synaptically interconnected network of reinforcement circuitry is emerging: it includes afferents to the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra; the dopamine systems themselves; glutamatergic afferents to the striatum; and one of two dopamine-receptor-expressing efferent pathways of the striatum. Stimulation of a limited subset of these sites, including descending inhibitory medial forebrain bundle fibers, induces both feeding and reinforcement, and suggests the possibility of a subset of fibers where stimulation has both drive-like and reinforcing effects. This review stresses the common findings of sites and connectivity between electrical and optogenetic studies of core drive and reinforcement sites. By doing so, it suggests the biological importance of optogenetic follow-up of less-publicized electrical stimulation findings. Such studies promise not only information about origins, neurotransmitters, and connectivity of related networks, by covering more sensory and at least one putative motor component they also promote a much deeper understanding of the breadth of motivational function.
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327
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Jimenez JC, Su K, Goldberg AR, Luna VM, Biane JS, Ordek G, Zhou P, Ong SK, Wright MA, Zweifel L, Paninski L, Hen R, Kheirbek MA. Anxiety Cells in a Hippocampal-Hypothalamic Circuit. Neuron 2018; 97:670-683.e6. [PMID: 29397273 PMCID: PMC5877404 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 344] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Revised: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The hippocampus is traditionally thought to transmit contextual information to limbic structures where it acquires valence. Using freely moving calcium imaging and optogenetics, we show that while the dorsal CA1 subregion of the hippocampus is enriched in place cells, ventral CA1 (vCA1) is enriched in anxiety cells that are activated by anxiogenic environments and required for avoidance behavior. Imaging cells defined by their projection target revealed that anxiety cells were enriched in the vCA1 population projecting to the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) but not to the basal amygdala (BA). Consistent with this selectivity, optogenetic activation of vCA1 terminals in LHA but not BA increased anxiety and avoidance, while activation of terminals in BA but not LHA impaired contextual fear memory. Thus, the hippocampus encodes not only neutral but also valence-related contextual information, and the vCA1-LHA pathway is a direct route by which the hippocampus can rapidly influence innate anxiety behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica C Jimenez
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry & Pharmacology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Division of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Katy Su
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry & Pharmacology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Division of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alexander R Goldberg
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry & Pharmacology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Division of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Victor M Luna
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry & Pharmacology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Division of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jeremy S Biane
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gokhan Ordek
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry & Pharmacology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Division of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Pengcheng Zhou
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition and Machine Learning Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Departments of Statistics and Neuroscience, Grossman Center for the Statistics of Mind, Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Brain Science, and NeuroTechnology Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Samantha K Ong
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry & Pharmacology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Division of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Matthew A Wright
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Larry Zweifel
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
| | - Liam Paninski
- Departments of Statistics and Neuroscience, Grossman Center for the Statistics of Mind, Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Brain Science, and NeuroTechnology Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - René Hen
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry & Pharmacology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Division of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Mazen A Kheirbek
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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328
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Peng SY, Li B, Xi K, Wang JJ, Zhu JN. Presynaptic α 2-adrenoceptor modulates glutamatergic synaptic transmission in rat nucleus accumbens in vitro. Neurosci Lett 2018; 665:117-122. [PMID: 29195907 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.11.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Revised: 11/25/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc), integrating information from the prefrontal cortex and limbic structures, plays a critical role in reward and emotion regulation. Previous studies have reported that the NAc shell receives direct noradrenergic projections, and activation of α2-adrenoceptor (α2-AR) in the NAc shell decreases the fear or anxiety level of rats. However, the underlying mechanism is still little known. Intriguingly, glutamatergic neurotransmission in the NAc shell is closely related to reward and emotion. Here, using brain slice preparations and whole-cell patch clamp recordings, we examined the effect of activation of α2-AR on glutamatergic neurotransmission in the NAc shell. Perfusing slice with α2-AR selective agonist clonidine (CLON) reduced the evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) on the NAc shell neurons. This inhibitory effect on AMPA-mediated glutamatergic EPSCs was blocked by the α2-AR selective antagonist yohimbine (YOH). Notably, CLON reduced the frequency but not the amplitude of miniature EPSCs. Furthermore, CLON decreased the first EPSC amplitude but increased the paired-pulse facilitation on the NAc shell neurons, and it did not affect postsynaptic AMPA/NMDA ratio, revealing a presynaptic mechanism of α2-AR-mediated inhibition on glutamatergic transmission. In addition, the modulation on glutamatergic transmission by α2-AR was independent of presynaptic NMDA receptor. These results suggest that noradrenergic afferent inputs may suppress glutamatergic synaptic transmission via presynaptic α2-AR in the NAc shell, and actively participate in rewarding and emotional processes via the NAc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi-Yu Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Bin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Kang Xi
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Jian-Jun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Jing-Ning Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, China.
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329
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Kerfoot EC, Williams CL. Contributions of the Nucleus Accumbens Shell in Mediating the Enhancement in Memory Following Noradrenergic Activation of Either the Amygdala or Hippocampus. Front Pharmacol 2018; 9:47. [PMID: 29472857 PMCID: PMC5810250 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2017] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens shell is a site of converging inputs during memory processing for emotional events. The accumbens receives input from the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) regarding changes in peripheral autonomic functioning following emotional arousal. The shell also receives input from the amygdala and hippocampus regarding affective and contextual attributes of new learning experiences. The successful encoding of affect or context is facilitated by activating noradrenergic systems in either the amygdala or hippocampus. Recent findings indicate that memory enhancement produced by activating NTS neurons, is attenuated by suppressing accumbens functioning after learning. This finding illustrates the significance of the shell in integrating information from the periphery to modulate memory for arousing events. However, it is not known if the accumbens shell plays an equally important role in consolidating information that is initially processed in the amygdala and hippocampus. The present study determined if the convergence of inputs from these limbic regions within the nucleus accumbens contributes to successful encoding of emotional events into memory. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received bilateral cannula implants 2 mm above the accumbens shell and a second bilateral implant 2 mm above either the amygdala or hippocampus. The subjects were trained for 6 days to drink from a water spout. On day 7, a 0.35 mA footshock was initiated as the rat approached the spout and was terminated once the rat escaped into a white compartment. Subjects were then given intra-amygdala or hippocampal infusions of PBS or a dose of norepinephrine (0.2 μg) previously shown to enhance memory. Later, all subjects were given intra-accumbens infusion of muscimol to functionally inactivate the shell. Muscimol inactivation of the accumbens shell was delayed to allow sufficient time for norepinephrine to activate intracellular cascades that lead to long-term synaptic modifications involved in forming new memories. Results show that memory improvement produced by infusing norepinephrine in either the amygdala or hippocampus is attenuated by interrupting neuronal activity in the shell 1 or 7 7 h following amygdala or hippocampus activation. These findings suggest that the accumbens shell plays an integral role modulating information initially processed by the amygdala and hippocampus following exposure to emotionally arousing events. Additionally, results demonstrate that the accumbens is involved in the long-term consolidation processes lasting over 7 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin C Kerfoot
- Division of Neuroscience and Behavior, Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Cedric L Williams
- Division of Neuroscience and Behavior, Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
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330
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The role of dopaminergic midbrain in Alzheimer's disease: Translating basic science into clinical practice. Pharmacol Res 2018; 130:414-419. [PMID: 29391234 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2018.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Revised: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian brain cortical functions, from executive and motor functioning to memory and emotional regulation, are strictly regulated by subcortical projections. These projections terminate in cortical areas that are continuously influenced by released neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. Among the subcortical structures, the dopaminergic midbrain plays a pivotal role in tuning cortical functions that commonly result altered in many neurological and psychiatric disorders. Incidentally, extensive neuropathological observations support a strong link between structural alterations of the dopaminergic midbrain and significant behavioural symptomatology observed in patients suffering from Alzheimer 's disease(AD). Here, we will review recent progress on the involvement of the dopaminergic system in the pathophysiology of AD as well as the current therapeutic strategies targeting this system.
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331
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Beyeler A, Chang CJ, Silvestre M, Lévêque C, Namburi P, Wildes CP, Tye KM. Organization of Valence-Encoding and Projection-Defined Neurons in the Basolateral Amygdala. Cell Rep 2018; 22:905-918. [PMID: 29386133 PMCID: PMC5891824 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.12.097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Revised: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) mediates associative learning for both
fear and reward. Accumulating evidence supports the notion that different BLA
projections distinctly alter motivated behavior, including projections to the
nucleus accumbens (NAc), medial aspect of the central amygdala (CeM), and
ventral hippocampus (vHPC). Although there is consensus regarding the existence
of distinct subsets of BLA neurons encoding positive or negative valence,
controversy remains regarding the anatomical arrangement of these populations.
First, we map the location of more than 1,000 neurons distributed across the BLA
and recorded during a Pavlovian discrimination task. Next, we determine the
location of projection-defined neurons labeled with retrograde tracers and use
CLARITY to reveal the axonal path in 3-dimensional space. Finally, we examine
the local influence of each projection-defined populations within the BLA.
Understanding the functional and topographical organization of circuits
underlying valence assignment could reveal fundamental principles about
emotional processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Beyeler
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Neurocentre Magendie, INSERM, U1215, University of Bordeaux, 146 rue Léo Saignat, 33077 Bordeaux Cedex, France.
| | - Chia-Jung Chang
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Margaux Silvestre
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Clémentine Lévêque
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Praneeth Namburi
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Craig P Wildes
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Kay M Tye
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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332
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Willett JA, Johnson AG, Vogel AR, Patisaul HB, McGraw LA, Meitzen J. Nucleus accumbens core medium spiny neuron electrophysiological properties and partner preference behavior in the adult male prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster. J Neurophysiol 2018; 119:1576-1588. [PMID: 29361665 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00737.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the nucleus accumbens have long been implicated in the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie numerous social and motivated behaviors as studied in rodents such as rats. Recently, the prairie vole has emerged as an important model animal for studying social behaviors, particularly regarding monogamy because of its ability to form pair bonds. However, to our knowledge, no study has assessed intrinsic vole MSN electrophysiological properties or tested how these properties vary with the strength of the pair bond between partnered voles. Here we performed whole cell patch-clamp recordings of MSNs in acute brain slices of the nucleus accumbens core (NAc) of adult male voles exhibiting strong and weak preferences for their respective partnered females. We first document vole MSN electrophysiological properties and provide comparison to rat MSNs. Vole MSNs demonstrated many canonical electrophysiological attributes shared across species but exhibited notable differences in excitability compared with rat MSNs. Second, we assessed male vole partner preference behavior and tested whether MSN electrophysiological properties varied with partner preference strength. Male vole partner preference showed extensive variability. We found that decreases in miniature excitatory postsynaptic current amplitude and the slope of the evoked action potential firing rate to depolarizing current injection weakly associated with increased preference for the partnered female. This suggests that excitatory synaptic strength and neuronal excitability may be decreased in MSNs in males exhibiting stronger preference for a partnered female. Overall, these data provide extensive documentation of MSN electrophysiological characteristics and their relationship to social behavior in the prairie vole. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This research represents the first assessment of prairie vole nucleus accumbens core medium spiny neuron intrinsic electrophysiological properties and probes the relationship between cellular excitability and social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime A Willett
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina.,W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina.,Graduate Program in Physiology, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - Ashlyn G Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina.,W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - Andrea R Vogel
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina.,W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina.,Graduate Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - Heather B Patisaul
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina.,W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina.,Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - Lisa A McGraw
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina.,W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina.,Graduate Program in Genetics, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - John Meitzen
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina.,W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina.,Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina.,Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University , Raleigh, North Carolina
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333
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Caruso MJ, Crowley NA, Reiss DE, Caulfield JI, Luscher B, Cavigelli SA, Kamens HM. Adolescent Social Stress Increases Anxiety-like Behavior and Alters Synaptic Transmission, Without Influencing Nicotine Responses, in a Sex-Dependent Manner. Neuroscience 2018; 373:182-198. [PMID: 29343455 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Revised: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Early-life stress is a risk factor for comorbid anxiety and nicotine use. Because little is known about the factors underlying this comorbidity, we investigated the effects of adolescent stress on anxiety-like behavior and nicotine responses within individual animals. Adolescent male and female C57BL/6J mice were exposed to chronic variable social stress (CVSS; repeated cycles of social isolation + social reorganization) or control conditions from postnatal days (PND) 25-59. Anxiety-like behavior and social avoidance were measured in the elevated plus-maze (PND 61-65) and social approach-avoidance test (Experiment 1: PND 140-144; Experiment 2: 95-97), respectively. Acute nicotine-induced locomotor, hypothermic, corticosterone responses, (Experiment 1: PND 56-59; Experiment 2: PND 65-70) and voluntary oral nicotine consumption (Experiment 1: PND 116-135; Experiment 2: 73-92) were also examined. Finally, we assessed prefrontal cortex (PFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAC) synaptic transmission (PND 64-80); brain regions that are implicated in anxiety and addiction. Mice exposed to adolescent CVSS displayed increased anxiety-like behavior relative to controls. Further, CVSS altered synaptic excitability in PFC and NAC neurons in a sex-specific manner. For males, CVSS decreased the amplitude and frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents in the PFC and NAC, respectively. In females, CVSS decreased the amplitude of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents in the NAC. Adolescent CVSS did not affect social avoidance or nicotine responses and anxiety-like behavior was not reliably associated with nicotine responses within individual animals. Taken together, complex interactions between PFC and NAC function may contribute to adolescent stress-induced anxiety-like behavior without influencing nicotine responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Caruso
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Nicole A Crowley
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Dana E Reiss
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Jasmine I Caulfield
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; The Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16892, USA
| | - Bernhard Luscher
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Center for Molecular Investigation of Neurological Disorders (CMIND), Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Sonia A Cavigelli
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Center for Molecular Investigation of Neurological Disorders (CMIND), Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Helen M Kamens
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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334
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Hearing M, Graziane N, Dong Y, Thomas MJ. Opioid and Psychostimulant Plasticity: Targeting Overlap in Nucleus Accumbens Glutamate Signaling. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2018; 39:276-294. [PMID: 29338873 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2017.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2017] [Revised: 11/11/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Commonalities in addictive behavior, such as craving, stimuli-driven drug seeking, and a high propensity for relapse following abstinence, have pushed for a unified theory of addiction that encompasses most abused substances. This unitary theory has recently been challenged - citing distinctions in structural neural plasticity, biochemical signaling, and neural circuitry to argue that addiction to opioids and psychostimulants is behaviorally and neurobiologically distinct. Recent more selective examination of drug-induced plasticity has highlighted that these two drug classes promote an overall reward circuitry signaling overlap through modifying excitatory synapses in the nucleus accumbens - a key constituent of the reward system. We discuss adaptations in presynaptic/postsynaptic and extrasynaptic glutamate signaling produced by opioids and psychostimulants, and their relevance to circuit remodeling and addiction-related behavior - arguing that these core neural adaptations are important targets for developing pharmacotherapies to treat addiction to multiple drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Hearing
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53233, USA.
| | - Nicholas Graziane
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA; Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Yan Dong
- Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Mark J Thomas
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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335
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Abstract
Ionotropic glutamate receptors (AMPA, NMDA, and kainate receptors) play a central role in excitatory glutamatergic signaling throughout the brain. As a result, functional changes, especially long-lasting forms of plasticity, have the potential to profoundly alter neuronal function and the expression of adaptive and pathological behaviors. Thus, alcohol-related adaptations in ionotropic glutamate receptors are of great interest, since they could promote excessive alcohol consumption, even after long-term abstinence. Alcohol- and drug-related adaptations in NMDARs have been recently reviewed, while less is known about kainate receptor adaptations. Thus, we focus here on functional changes in AMPARs, tetramers composed of GluA1-4 subunits. Long-lasting increases or decreases in AMPAR function, the so-called long-term potentiation or depression, have widely been considered to contribute to normal and pathological memory states. In addition, a great deal has been learned about the acute regulation of AMPARs by signaling pathways, scaffolding and auxiliary proteins, intracellular trafficking, and other mechanisms. One important common adaptation is a shift in AMPAR subunit composition from GluA2-containing, calcium-impermeable AMPARs (CIARs) to GluA2-lacking, calcium-permeable AMPARs (CPARs), which is observed under a broad range of conditions including intoxicant exposure or intake, stress, novelty, food deprivation, and ischemia. This shift has the potential to facilitate AMPAR currents, since CPARs have much greater single-channel currents than CIARs, as well as faster AMPAR activation kinetics (although with faster inactivation) and calcium-related activity. Many tools have been developed to interrogate particular aspects of AMPAR signaling, including compounds that selectively inhibit CPARs, raising exciting translational possibilities. In addition, recent studies have used transgenic animals and/or optogenetics to identify AMPAR adaptations in particular cell types and glutamatergic projections, which will provide critical information about the specific circuits that CPARs act within. Also, less is known about the specific nature of alcohol-related AMPAR adaptations, and thus we use other examples that illustrate more fully how particular AMPAR changes might influence intoxicant-related behavior. Thus, by identifying alcohol-related AMPAR adaptations, the specific molecular events that underlie them, and the cells and projections in which they occur, we hope to better inform the development of new therapeutic interventions for addiction.
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336
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Cuzon Carlson VC. GABA and Glutamate Synaptic Coadaptations to Chronic Ethanol in the Striatum. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2018; 248:79-112. [PMID: 29460153 DOI: 10.1007/164_2018_98] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol (ethanol) is a widely used and abused drug with approximately 90% of adults over the age of 18 consuming alcohol at some point in their lifetime. Alcohol exerts its actions through multiple neurotransmitter systems within the brain, most notably the GABAergic and glutamatergic systems. Alcohol's actions on GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission have been suggested to underlie the acute behavioral effects of ethanol. The striatum is the primary input nucleus of the basal ganglia that plays a role in motor and reward systems. The effect of ethanol on GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission within striatal circuitry has been thought to underlie ethanol taking, seeking, withdrawal and relapse. This chapter reviews the effects of ethanol on GABAergic and glutamatergic transmission, highlighting the dynamic changes in striatal circuitry from acute to chronic exposure and withdrawal.
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Cao J, Willett JA, Dorris DM, Meitzen J. Sex Differences in Medium Spiny Neuron Excitability and Glutamatergic Synaptic Input: Heterogeneity Across Striatal Regions and Evidence for Estradiol-Dependent Sexual Differentiation. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2018; 9:173. [PMID: 29720962 PMCID: PMC5915472 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2018.00173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Steroid sex hormones and biological sex influence how the brain regulates motivated behavior, reward, and sensorimotor function in both normal and pathological contexts. Investigations into the underlying neural mechanisms have targeted the striatal brain regions, including the caudate-putamen, nucleus accumbens core (AcbC), and shell. These brain regions are of particular interest to neuroendocrinologists given that they express membrane-associated but not nuclear estrogen receptors, and also the well-established role of the sex steroid hormone 17β-estradiol (estradiol) in modulating striatal dopamine systems. Indeed, output neurons of the striatum, the medium spiny neurons (MSNs), exhibit estradiol sensitivity and sex differences in electrophysiological properties. Here, we review sex differences in rat MSN glutamatergic synaptic input and intrinsic excitability across striatal regions, including evidence for estradiol-mediated sexual differentiation in the nucleus AcbC. In prepubertal animals, female MSNs in the caudate-putamen exhibit a greater intrinsic excitability relative to male MSNs, but no sex differences are detected in excitatory synaptic input. Alternatively, female MSNs in the nucleus AcbC exhibit increased excitatory synaptic input relative to male MSNs, but no sex differences in intrinsic excitability were detected. Increased excitatory synaptic input onto female MSNs in the nucleus AcbC is abolished after masculinizing estradiol or testosterone exposure during the neonatal critical period. No sex differences are detected in MSNs in prepubertal nucleus accumbens shell. Thus, despite possessing the same neuron type, striatal regions exhibit heterogeneity in sex differences in MSN electrophysiological properties, which likely contribute to the sex differences observed in striatal function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyan Cao
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Jaime A. Willett
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Graduate Program in Physiology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - David M. Dorris
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - John Meitzen
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- *Correspondence: John Meitzen,
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338
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Mateo Y, Johnson KA, Covey DP, Atwood BK, Wang HL, Zhang S, Gildish I, Cachope R, Bellocchio L, Guzmán M, Morales M, Cheer JF, Lovinger DM. Endocannabinoid Actions on Cortical Terminals Orchestrate Local Modulation of Dopamine Release in the Nucleus Accumbens. Neuron 2017; 96:1112-1126.e5. [PMID: 29216450 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Revised: 04/08/2017] [Accepted: 11/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Dopamine (DA) transmission mediates numerous aspects of behavior. Although DA release is strongly linked to firing of DA neurons, recent developments indicate the importance of presynaptic modulation at striatal dopaminergic terminals. The endocannabinoid (eCB) system regulates DA release and is a canonical gatekeeper of goal-directed behavior. Here we report that extracellular DA increases induced by selective optogenetic activation of cholinergic neurons in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) are inhibited by CB1 agonists and eCBs. This modulation requires CB1 receptors on cortical glutamatergic afferents. Dopamine increases driven by optogenetic activation of prefrontal cortex (PFC) terminals in the NAc are similarly modulated by activation of these CB1 receptors. We further demonstrate that this same population of CB1 receptors modulates optical self-stimulation sustained by activation of PFC afferents in the NAc. These results establish local eCB actions on PFC terminals within the NAc that inhibit mesolimbic DA release and constrain reward-driven behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yolanda Mateo
- Section on Synaptic Pharmacology, Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, US National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Kari A Johnson
- Section on Synaptic Pharmacology, Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, US National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Dan P Covey
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Brady K Atwood
- Section on Synaptic Pharmacology, Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, US National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Hui-Ling Wang
- Neuronal Networks Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse, US National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shiliang Zhang
- Neuronal Networks Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse, US National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Iness Gildish
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Roger Cachope
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Luigi Bellocchio
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS) and Instituto Universitario de Investigación Neuroquímica (IUIN), Complutense University, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Guzmán
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS) and Instituto Universitario de Investigación Neuroquímica (IUIN), Complutense University, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marisela Morales
- Neuronal Networks Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse, US National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Joseph F Cheer
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - David M Lovinger
- Section on Synaptic Pharmacology, Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, US National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA.
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339
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Zhang Z, Liu Q, Wen P, Zhang J, Rao X, Zhou Z, Zhang H, He X, Li J, Zhou Z, Xu X, Zhang X, Luo R, Lv G, Li H, Cao P, Wang L, Xu F. Activation of the dopaminergic pathway from VTA to the medial olfactory tubercle generates odor-preference and reward. eLife 2017; 6:25423. [PMID: 29251597 PMCID: PMC5777817 DOI: 10.7554/elife.25423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 12/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Odor-preferences are usually influenced by life experiences. However, the neural circuit mechanisms remain unclear. The medial olfactory tubercle (mOT) is involved in both reward and olfaction, whereas the ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons are considered to be engaged in reward and motivation. Here, we found that the VTA (DAergic)-mOT pathway could be activated by different types of naturalistic rewards as well as odors in DAT-cre mice. Optogenetic activation of the VTA-mOT DAergic fibers was able to elicit preferences for space, location and neutral odor, while pharmacological blockade of the dopamine receptors in the mOT fully prevented the odor-preference formation. Furthermore, inactivation of the mOT-projecting VTA DAergic neurons eliminated the previously formed odor-preference and strongly affected the Go-no go learning efficiency. In summary, our results revealed that the VTA (DAergic)-mOT pathway mediates a variety of naturalistic reward processes and different types of preferences including odor-preference in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhijian Zhang
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.,Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Wuhan, China
| | - Qing Liu
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Pengjie Wen
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiaozhen Zhang
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaoping Rao
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Ziming Zhou
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Hongruo Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaobin He
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Juan Li
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Zheng Zhou
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiaoran Xu
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xueyi Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Rui Luo
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Guanghui Lv
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Wuhan, China
| | - Haohong Li
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Wuhan, China
| | - Pei Cao
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Liping Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Fuqiang Xu
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.,Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Wuhan, China
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340
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Combined Social and Spatial Coding in a Descending Projection from the Prefrontal Cortex. Cell 2017; 171:1663-1677.e16. [PMID: 29224779 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Revised: 09/03/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Social behaviors are crucial to all mammals. Although the prelimbic cortex (PL, part of medial prefrontal cortex) has been implicated in social behavior, it is not clear which neurons are relevant or how they contribute. We found that PL contains anatomically and molecularly distinct subpopulations that target three downstream regions that have been implicated in social behavior: the nucleus accumbens (NAc), amygdala, and ventral tegmental area. Activation of NAc-projecting PL neurons (PL-NAc), but not the other subpopulations, decreased the preference for a social target. To determine what information PL-NAc neurons convey, we selectively recorded from them and found that individual neurons were active during social investigation, but only in specific spatial locations. Spatially specific manipulation of these neurons bidirectionally regulated the formation of a social-spatial association. Thus, the unexpected combination of social and spatial information within the PL-NAc may contribute to social behavior by supporting social-spatial learning.
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341
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Shakra MA, Leyton M, Moghnieh H, Pruessner J, Dagher A, Pihl R. Neurobiological Correlates and Predictors of Two Distinct Personality Trait Pathways to Escalated Alcohol Use. EBioMedicine 2017; 27:86-93. [PMID: 29292030 PMCID: PMC5828056 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2017.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Revised: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The delineation of the behavioral neurobiological mechanisms underlying the heterogeneous pathways for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) is ostensibly imperative for the development of more cost-effective treatments predicated on better understanding of this complex psychopathology. METHODS 1) Forty-eight high anxiety sensitive (HAS) and high sensation seeking (HSS) psychopathology-free emerging adults (mean (SD) age: 20.4 (1.9) years) completed a Face Emotion Processing Task and a social stress paradigm (Montreal Imaging Stress Task) during functional magnetic resonance imaging sessions with and without alcohol ingestion (1ml/kg of 95% USP alcohol, p.o.). Drug and alcohol use was reassessed during follow-up interviews 2-3years later. OUTCOMES The effects of alcohol (versus placebo) ingestion depended upon the task and risk group. In response to negative (versus neutral) faces, alcohol diminished amygdala (AMYG) activations in HAS but not HSS subjects. In response to psychosocial evaluative stress, alcohol enhanced activations of the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC), perigenual anterior cingulate cortex, and nucleus accumbens in HAS male subjects (HASMS), but decreased mOFC activity in HSS male subjects (HSSMS). At follow-up, a greater alcohol versus placebo differential for threat-related AMYG activations predicted escalating drinking and/or illicit drug use among HAS but not HSS participants, whereas a greater differential for mOFC activations during acute social stress predicted escalating substance use among HSS but not HAS participants. INTERPRETATION This double dissociation provides evidence of distinct neurobiological profiles in a priori identified personality trait-based risk groups for AUDs, and links these signatures to clinically relevant substance use outcomes at follow-up. AUD subtypes might benefit from motivationally and personality-specific ameliorative and preventative interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malak Abu Shakra
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Marco Leyton
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Hussein Moghnieh
- FastPay Financial Institution, Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jens Pruessner
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
| | - Alain Dagher
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Robert Pihl
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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342
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Melchior JR, Jones SR. Chronic ethanol exposure increases inhibition of optically targeted phasic dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens core and medial shell ex vivo. Mol Cell Neurosci 2017; 85:93-104. [PMID: 28942046 PMCID: PMC5698100 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2017.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Revised: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Dopamine signaling encodes reward learning and motivated behavior through modulation of synaptic signaling in the nucleus accumbens, and aberrations in these processes are thought to underlie obsessive behaviors associated with alcohol abuse. The nucleus accumbens is divided into core and shell sub-regions with overlapping but also divergent contributions to behavior. Here we optogenetically targeted dopamine projections to the accumbens allowing us to isolate stimulation of dopamine terminals ex vivo. We applied 5 pulse (phasic) light stimulations to probe intrinsic differences in dopamine release parameters across regions. Also, we exposed animals to 4weeks of chronic intermittent ethanol vapor and measured phasic release. We found that initial release probability, uptake rate and autoreceptor inhibition were greater in the accumbens core compared to the shell, yet the shell showed greater phasic release ratios. Following chronic ethanol, uptake rates were increased in the core but not the shell, suggesting region-specific neuronal adaptations. Conversely, kappa opioid receptor function was upregulated in both regions to a similar extent, suggesting a local mechanism of kappa opioid receptor regulation that is generalized across the nucleus accumbens. These data suggest that dopamine axons in the nucleus accumbens core and shell display differences in intrinsic release parameters, and that ethanol-induced adaptations to dopamine neuron terminal fields may not be homogeneous. Also, chronic ethanol exposure induces an upregulation in kappa opioid receptor function, providing a mechanism for potential over-inhibition of accumbens dopamine signaling which may negatively impact downstream synaptic function and ultimately bias choice towards previously reinforced alcohol use behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- James R Melchior
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States
| | - Sara R Jones
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, United States.
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343
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Bath KG, Russo SJ, Pleil KE, Wohleb ES, Duman RS, Radley JJ. Circuit and synaptic mechanisms of repeated stress: Perspectives from differing contexts, duration, and development. Neurobiol Stress 2017; 7:137-151. [PMID: 29276735 PMCID: PMC5736942 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2017.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 03/03/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The current review is meant to synthesize research presented as part of a symposium at the 2016 Neurobiology of Stress workshop in Irvine California. The focus of the symposium was "Stress and the Synapse: New Concepts and Methods" and featured the work of several junior investigators. The presentations focused on the impact of various forms of stress (altered maternal care, binge alcohol drinking, chronic social defeat, and chronic unpredictable stress) on synaptic function, neurodevelopment, and behavioral outcomes. One of the goals of the symposium was to highlight the mechanisms accounting for how the nervous system responds to stress and their impact on outcome measures with converging effects on the development of pathological behavior. Dr. Kevin Bath's presentation focused on the impact of disruptions in early maternal care and its impact on the timing of hippocampus maturation in mice, finding that this form of stress drove accelerated synaptic and behavioral maturation, and contributed to the later emergence of risk for cognitive and emotional disturbance. Dr. Scott Russo highlighted the impact of chronic social defeat stress in adolescent mice on the development and plasticity of reward circuity, with a focus on glutamatergic development in the nucleus accumbens and mesolimbic dopamine system, and the implications of these changes for disruptions in social and hedonic response, key processes disturbed in depressive pathology. Dr. Kristen Pleil described synaptic changes in the bed nuclei of the stria terminalis that underlie the behavioral consequences of allostatic load produced by repeated cycles of alcohol binge drinking and withdrawal. Dr. Eric Wohleb and Dr. Ron Duman provided new data associating decreased mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling and neurobiological changes in the synapses in response to chronic unpredictable stress, and highlighted the potential for the novel antidepressant ketamine to rescue synaptic and behavioral effects. In aggregate, these presentations showcased how divergent perspectives provide new insights into the ways in which stress impacts circuit development and function, with implications for understanding emergence of affective pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin G. Bath
- Department of Cognitive Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, United States
| | - Scott J. Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States
| | - Kristen E. Pleil
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, United States
| | - Eric S. Wohleb
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45237, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06508, United States
| | - Ronald S. Duman
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06508, United States
| | - Jason J. Radley
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
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344
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Beloate LN, Coolen LM. Influences of social reward experience on behavioral responses to drugs of abuse: Review of shared and divergent neural plasticity mechanisms for sexual reward and drugs of abuse. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 83:356-372. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Revised: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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345
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Behavioral changes after nicotine challenge are associated with α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-stimulated glutamate release in the rat dorsal striatum. Sci Rep 2017; 7:15009. [PMID: 29118361 PMCID: PMC5678080 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15161-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurochemical alterations associated with behavioral responses induced by re-exposure to nicotine have not been sufficiently characterized in the dorsal striatum. Herein, we report on changes in glutamate concentrations in the rat dorsal striatum associated with behavioral alterations after nicotine challenge. Nicotine challenge (0.4 mg/kg/day, subcutaneous) significantly increased extracellular glutamate concentrations up to the level observed with repeated nicotine administration. This increase occurred in parallel with an increase in behavioral changes in locomotor and rearing activities. In contrast, acute nicotine administration and nicotine withdrawal on days 1 and 6 did not alter glutamate levels or behavioral changes. Blockade of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) significantly decreased the nicotine challenge-induced increases in extracellular glutamate concentrations and locomotor and rearing activities. These findings suggest that behavioral changes in locomotor and rearing activities after re-exposure to nicotine are closely associated with hyperactivation of the glutamate response by stimulating α7 nAChRs in the rat dorsal striatum.
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346
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Crane NA, Gorka SM, Weafer J, Langenecker SA, de Wit H, Phan KL. Preliminary Evidence for Disrupted Nucleus Accumbens Reactivity and Connectivity to Reward in Binge Drinkers. Alcohol Alcohol 2017; 52:647-654. [PMID: 29016710 PMCID: PMC5860287 DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agx062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Revised: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 08/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS Dysfunctional brain reward circuitry, particularly in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), has been proposed as a risk factor for alcohol use disorder (AUD). This risk factor may be evident in binge drinkers (BD), who are at high risk for developing AUD. We examined whole-brain and NAcc reactivity to reward in BD compared to non-binge drinkers (NBD), hypothesizing that groups would differ in their neural reactivity and connectivity. METHODS Healthy BD (N = 27) and NBD (N = 23)-none meeting AUD criteria-completed a reward-guessing game, the 'Doors' task, during functional magnetic resonance imaging. We conducted an exploratory whole-brain search for group differences, but given our a priori hypotheses, we also extracted activation from the NAcc to examine reactivity during reward (Win > Loss) and functional connectivity (FC) to the prefrontal cortex. RESULTS Compared to NBD, BD exhibited greater activation in both the right and left NAcc during reward relative to loss. Additionally, NBD drinkers exhibited positive FC between the NAcc and dorsal anterior cingulate (dACC) whereas the BD showed negative FC between these regions. Furthermore, less NAcc-dACC FC was related to more past month alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide preliminary evidence that BD exhibit greater NAcc activation during reward receipt relative to loss. This is consistent with the broader AUD literature and suggests aberrant neural reactivity may precede disorder onset. In addition, BD exhibited less NAcc-dACC FC, perhaps reflecting deficient regulation of activation to rewards compared to losses. This profile of reward brain circuitry could represent neural correlates of vulnerability for AUD. SHORT SUMMARY Healthy binge drinkers, at risk for alcohol use disorder, exhibited greater nucleus accumbens activation during reward relative to loss. In addition, binge drinkers exhibited reduced connectivity between the nucleus accumbens and dorsal anterior cingulate, which was associated with more past month alcohol use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natania A Crane
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1747 W Roosevelt Rd Chicago, IL 60608, USA
| | - Stephanie M Gorka
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1747 W Roosevelt Rd Chicago, IL 60608, USA
| | - Jessica Weafer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, 5841 S Maryland Ave Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Scott A Langenecker
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1747 W Roosevelt Rd Chicago, IL 60608, USA
| | - Harriet de Wit
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, 5841 S Maryland Ave Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - K. Luan Phan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1747 W Roosevelt Rd Chicago, IL 60608, USA
- Mental Health Service Line, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, 820 S Damen Ave Chicago, IL 60612, USA
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347
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Yang Y, Wang JZ. From Structure to Behavior in Basolateral Amygdala-Hippocampus Circuits. Front Neural Circuits 2017; 11:86. [PMID: 29163066 PMCID: PMC5671506 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2017.00086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Emotion influences various cognitive processes, including learning and memory. The amygdala is specialized for input and processing of emotion, while the hippocampus is essential for declarative or episodic memory. During emotional reactions, these two brain regions interact to translate the emotion into particular outcomes. Here, we briefly introduce the anatomy and functions of amygdala and hippocampus, and then present behavioral, electrophysiological, optogenetic and biochemical evidence from recent studies to illustrate how amygdala and hippocampus work synergistically to form long-term memory. With recent technological advances, the causal investigations of specific neural circuit between amygdala and hippocampus will help us understand the brain mechanisms of emotion-regulated memories and improve clinical treatment of emotion-associated memory disorders in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Yang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education of China for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jian-Zhi Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education of China for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Burke DA, Rotstein HG, Alvarez VA. Striatal Local Circuitry: A New Framework for Lateral Inhibition. Neuron 2017; 96:267-284. [PMID: 29024654 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Revised: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
This Perspective will examine the organization of intrastriatal circuitry, review recent findings in this area, and discuss how the pattern of connectivity between striatal neurons might give rise to the behaviorally observed synergism between the direct/indirect pathway neurons. The emphasis of this Perspective is on the underappreciated role of lateral inhibition between striatal projection cells in controlling neuronal firing and shaping the output of this circuit. We review some classic studies in combination with more recent anatomical and functional findings to lay out a framework for an updated model of the intrastriatal lateral inhibition, where we explore its contribution to the formation of functional units of processing and the integration and filtering of inputs to generate motor patterns and learned behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis A Burke
- Laboratory on Neurobiology of Compulsive Behaviors, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Horacio G Rotstein
- Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, USA; Institute for Brain and Neuroscience Research, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Veronica A Alvarez
- Laboratory on Neurobiology of Compulsive Behaviors, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
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349
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Villaruel FR, Lacroix F, Sanio C, Sparks DW, Chapman CA, Chaudhri N. Optogenetic Activation of the Infralimbic Cortex Suppresses the Return of Appetitive Pavlovian-Conditioned Responding Following Extinction. Cereb Cortex 2017; 28:4210-4221. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Franz R Villaruel
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology/FRQS Groupe de Recherche en Neurobiologie Comportementale, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Franca Lacroix
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology/FRQS Groupe de Recherche en Neurobiologie Comportementale, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Christian Sanio
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology/FRQS Groupe de Recherche en Neurobiologie Comportementale, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Daniel W Sparks
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology/FRQS Groupe de Recherche en Neurobiologie Comportementale, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - C Andrew Chapman
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology/FRQS Groupe de Recherche en Neurobiologie Comportementale, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nadia Chaudhri
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology/FRQS Groupe de Recherche en Neurobiologie Comportementale, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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350
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Distinctive Modulation of Dopamine Release in the Nucleus Accumbens Shell Mediated by Dopamine and Acetylcholine Receptors. J Neurosci 2017; 37:11166-11180. [PMID: 29030431 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0596-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Revised: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell shows unique dopamine (DA) signals in vivo and plays a unique role in DA-dependent behaviors such as reward-motivated learning and the response to drugs of abuse. A disynaptic mechanism for DA release was reported and shown to require synchronized firing of cholinergic interneurons (CINs) and activation of nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptors (nAChRs) in DA neuron (DAN) axons. The properties of this disynaptic mechanism of DA transmission are not well understood in the NAc shell. In this study, in vitro fast-scan cyclic voltammetry was used to examine the modulation of DA transmission evoked by CINs firing in the shell of mice and compared with other striatal regions. We found that DA signals in the shell displayed significant degree of summation in response to train stimulation of CINs, contrary to core and dorsal striatum. The summation was amplified by a D2-like receptor antagonist and experiments with mice with targeted deletion of D2 receptors to DANs or CINs revealed that D2 receptors in CINs mediate a fast inhibition observed within 100 ms of the first pulse, whereas D2 autoreceptors in DAN terminals are engaged in a slower inhibition that peaks at ∼500 ms. ACh also contributes to the use-dependent inhibition of DA release through muscarinic receptors only in the shell, where higher activity of acetylcholinesterase minimizes nAChR desensitization and promotes summation. These findings show that DA signals are modulated differentially by endogenous DA and ACh in the shell, which may underlie the unique features of shell DA signals in vivoSIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The present study reports that dopamine (DA) release evoked by activation of cholinergic interneurons displays a high degree of summation in the shell and shows unique modulation by endogenous DA and acetylcholine. Desensitization of nicotinic receptors, which is a prevailing mechanism for use-dependent inhibition in the nucleus accumbens core and dorsal striatum, is also minimal in the shell in part due to elevated acetylcholinesterase activity. This distinctive modulation of DA transmission in the shell may have functional implications in the acquisition of reward-motivated behaviors and reward seeking.
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