351
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352
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Nic Dhonnchadha BÁ, Szalay JJ, Achat-Mendes C, Platt DM, Otto MW, Spealman RD, Kantak KM. D-cycloserine deters reacquisition of cocaine self-administration by augmenting extinction learning. Neuropsychopharmacology 2010; 35:357-67. [PMID: 19741593 PMCID: PMC2928163 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2009.139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Augmentation of cue exposure (extinction) therapy with cognitive-enhancing pharmacotherapy may offer an effective strategy to combat cocaine relapse. To investigate this possibility at the preclinical level, rats and squirrel monkeys were trained to self-administer cocaine paired with a brief visual cue. Lever pressing was subsequently extinguished by withholding cocaine injections while maintaining response-contingent presentations of the cue. The glycine partial agonist D-cycloserine (DCS; 15 and 30 mg/kg in rats, 3 and 10 mg/kg in monkeys) was evaluated for its effects on the rate of extinction and subsequent reacquisition of cocaine self-administration. Compared with vehicle, pretreatment with 30 mg/kg DCS 0.5 h before extinction training reduced the number of responses and latency to reach the extinction criterion in rats, but neither dose of DCS altered these measures in monkeys. In both species, pretreatment with the higher dose of DCS before extinction training significantly attenuated reacquisition of cocaine self-administration compared with either extinction training in the absence of DCS or DCS in the absence of explicit extinction. Furthermore, treatment with 30 mg/kg DCS accompanied by brief handling (a stress induction) immediately after but not 6 h after extinction training attenuated reacquisition of cocaine self-administration in rats. No adverse effects of 10 mg/kg DCS were evident in quantitative observational studies in monkeys. The results suggest that DCS augmented consolidation of extinction learning to deter reacquisition of cocaine self-administration in rats and monkeys. The results suggest that DCS combined with exposure therapy may constitute a rational strategy for the clinical management of cocaine relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Cindy Achat-Mendes
- Division of Behavioral Biology, New England Primate Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Southborough, MA, USA
| | - Donna M Platt
- Division of Behavioral Biology, New England Primate Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Southborough, MA, USA
| | - Michael W Otto
- Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Roger D Spealman
- Division of Behavioral Biology, New England Primate Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Southborough, MA, USA
| | - Kathleen M Kantak
- Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA,Department of Psychology, Boston University, 64 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Tel: 617 353 9201; Fax: 617 353 2894; E-mail:
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353
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Monti MC, Almirón RS, Bignante EA, Ramírez OÁ. Changes in hippocampal arc protein expression and synaptic plasticity by the presentation of contextual cues linked to drug experience. Synapse 2010; 64:39-46. [DOI: 10.1002/syn.20700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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354
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Müller CP, Pum ME, Schumann G, Huston JP. The Role of Serotonin in Drug Addiction. HANDBOOK OF BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/s1569-7339(10)70099-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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355
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Valjent E, Bertran-Gonzalez J, Aubier B, Greengard P, Hervé D, Girault JA. Mechanisms of locomotor sensitization to drugs of abuse in a two-injection protocol. Neuropsychopharmacology 2010; 35:401-15. [PMID: 19759531 PMCID: PMC2794893 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2009.143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
A single exposure to psychostimulants or morphine is sufficient to induce persistent locomotor sensitization, as well as neurochemical and electrophysiological changes in rodents. Although it provides a unique model to study the bases of long-term behavioral plasticity, sensitization mechanisms remain poorly understood. We investigated in the mouse, a species suited for transgenic studies, the mechanisms of locomotor sensitization showed by the increased response to a second injection of drug (two-injection protocol of sensitization, TIPS). The first cocaine injection induced a locomotor sensitization that was completely context-dependent, increased during the first week, and persisted 3 months later. The induction of sensitized responses to cocaine required dopamine D1 and glutamate NMDA receptors. A single injection of the selective dopamine transporter blocker GBR12783 was sufficient to activate extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in the striatum to the same level as cocaine and to induce sensitization to cocaine, but not to itself. The induction of sensitization was sensitive to protein synthesis inhibition by anisomycin after cocaine administration. Morphine induced a pronounced context-dependent sensitization that crossed with cocaine. Sensitization to morphine injection was prevented in knockin mutant mice bearing a Thr-34-Ala mutation of DARPP-32, which suppresses its ability to inhibit protein phosphatase-1 (PP1), but not mutation of Thr-75 or Ser-130. These results combined with previous ones show that TIPS in mouse is a context-dependent response, which involves an increase in extracellular dopamine, stimulation of D1 and NMDA receptors, regulation of the cAMP-dependent and ERK pathways, inhibition of PP1, and protein synthesis. It provides a simple and sensitive paradigm to study the mechanisms of long-term effects of drugs of abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Valjent
- Inserm UMR-S 839, Paris, France,Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC-Paris 6), Paris, France,Institut du Fer à Moulin, Paris, France
| | - Jesus Bertran-Gonzalez
- Inserm UMR-S 839, Paris, France,Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC-Paris 6), Paris, France,Institut du Fer à Moulin, Paris, France
| | - Benjamin Aubier
- Inserm UMR-S 839, Paris, France,Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC-Paris 6), Paris, France,Institut du Fer à Moulin, Paris, France
| | - Paul Greengard
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Denis Hervé
- Inserm UMR-S 839, Paris, France,Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC-Paris 6), Paris, France,Institut du Fer à Moulin, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Antoine Girault
- Inserm UMR-S 839, Paris, France,Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC-Paris 6), Paris, France,Institut du Fer à Moulin, Paris, France,Inserm UMR-S 839, Institut du Fer à Moulin, 17 rue du Fer à Moulin, 75005 Paris, France, Tel: +33 1 45 87 61 52, Fax: +33 1 45 87 61 59, E-mail:
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356
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Meng Z, Liu C, Hu X, Ma Y. Irregular morphine administration affects the retention but not acquisition of conditioned place preference in rats. Brain Res 2010; 1311:86-92. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.11.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2009] [Revised: 11/20/2009] [Accepted: 11/20/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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357
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Flores J, Galan-Rodriguez B, Rojo A, Ramiro-Fuentes S, Cuadrado A, Fernandez-Espejo E. Fibroblast growth factor-1 within the ventral tegmental area participates in motor sensitizing effects of morphine. Neuroscience 2010; 165:198-211. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2009] [Revised: 09/03/2009] [Accepted: 10/03/2009] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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358
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Voluntary exercise and sucrose consumption enhance cannabinoid CB1 receptor sensitivity in the striatum. Neuropsychopharmacology 2010; 35:374-87. [PMID: 19776732 PMCID: PMC3055381 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2009.141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The endogenous cannabinoid system is involved in the regulation of the central reward pathway. Running wheel and sucrose consumption have rewarding and reinforcing properties in rodents, and share many neurochemical and behavioral characteristics with drug addiction. In this study, we investigated whether running wheel or sucrose consumption altered the sensitivity of striatal synapses to the activation of cannabinoid CB1 receptors. We found that cannabinoid CB1 receptor-mediated presynaptic control of striatal inhibitory postsynaptic currents was remarkably potentiated after these environmental manipulations. In contrast, the sensitivity of glutamate synapses to CB1 receptor stimulation was unaltered, as well as that of GABA synapses to the stimulation of presynaptic GABAB receptors. The sensitization of cannabinoid CB1 receptor-mediated responses was slowly reversible after the discontinuation of running wheel or sucrose consumption, and was also detectable following the mobilization of endocannabinoids by metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 stimulation. Finally, we found that the upregulation of cannabinoid transmission induced by wheel running or sucrose had a crucial role in the protective effects of these environmental manipulations against the motor and synaptic consequences of stress.
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359
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Neuroplastic alterations in the limbic system following cocaine or alcohol exposure. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2010; 3:3-27. [PMID: 21161748 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2009_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Neuroplastic changes in the CNS are thought to be a fundamental component of learning and memory. While pioneering studies in the hippocampus and cerebellum have detailed many of the basic mechanisms that can lead to alterations in synaptic transmission based on previous activity, only more recently has synaptic plasticity been monitored after behavioral manipulation or drug exposure. In this chapter, we review evidence that drugs of abuse are powerful modulators of synaptic plasticity. Both the dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area as well medium spiny neurons in nucleus accumbens show enhanced excitatory synaptic strength following passive or active exposure to drugs such as cocaine and alcohol. In the VTA, both the enhancement of excitatory synaptic strength and the acquisition of drug-related behaviors depend on signaling through the N-methyl-D: -aspartate receptors (NMDARs) which are mechanistically thought to lead to increased synaptic insertion of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPARs). Synaptic insertion of AMPARs by drugs of abuse can be long lasting, depending on the route of administration, number of drug exposures, or whether the drugs are received passively or self-administered.
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360
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Nucleus accumbens dopamine mediates amphetamine-induced impairment of social bonding in a monogamous rodent species. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009; 107:1217-22. [PMID: 20080553 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0911998107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) is a socially monogamous rodent species that forms pair bonds after mating, a behavior in which central dopamine (DA) has been implicated. Here, we used male prairie voles to examine the effects of drug exposure on pair bonding and related neural circuitry. In our first experiment, amphetamine (AMPH) motivated behavior was examined using a conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm and was shown to be mediated by activation of D1-like DA receptors. Next, we examined the effects of repeated AMPH exposure on pair bonding. Intact and saline pretreated control males displayed mating-induced partner preferences, whereas males pretreated with AMPH at the doses effective to induce CPP failed to show mating-induced partner preferences. Such AMPH treatment also enhanced D1, but not D2, DA receptor expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Furthermore, pharmacological blockade of D1-like DA receptors in the NAcc rescued mating-induced partner preferences in AMPH-treated males. Together, our data indicate that repeated AMPH exposure may narrow the behavioral repertoire of male prairie voles via a DA receptor-specific mechanism in the NAcc, resulting in the impairment of pair bond formation.
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361
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Camara E, Rodriguez-Fornells A, Ye Z, Münte TF. Reward networks in the brain as captured by connectivity measures. Front Neurosci 2009; 3:350-62. [PMID: 20198152 PMCID: PMC2796919 DOI: 10.3389/neuro.01.034.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2009] [Accepted: 09/05/2009] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
An assortment of human behaviors is thought to be driven by rewards including reinforcement learning, novelty processing, learning, decision making, economic choice, incentive motivation, and addiction. In each case the ventral tegmental area/ventral striatum (nucleus accumbens) (VTA–VS) system has been implicated as a key structure by functional imaging studies, mostly on the basis of standard, univariate analyses. Here we propose that standard functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis needs to be complemented by methods that take into account the differential connectivity of the VTA–VS system in the different behavioral contexts in order to describe reward based processes more appropriately. We first consider the wider network for reward processing as it emerged from animal experimentation. Subsequently, an example for a method to assess functional connectivity is given. Finally, we illustrate the usefulness of such analyses by examples regarding reward valuation, reward expectation and the role of reward in addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estela Camara
- Departament de Ciencies Fisiològiques, University of Barcelona Barcelona, Spain
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362
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Le Merrer J, Becker JAJ, Befort K, Kieffer BL. Reward processing by the opioid system in the brain. Physiol Rev 2009; 89:1379-412. [PMID: 19789384 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00005.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 658] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The opioid system consists of three receptors, mu, delta, and kappa, which are activated by endogenous opioid peptides processed from three protein precursors, proopiomelanocortin, proenkephalin, and prodynorphin. Opioid receptors are recruited in response to natural rewarding stimuli and drugs of abuse, and both endogenous opioids and their receptors are modified as addiction develops. Mechanisms whereby aberrant activation and modifications of the opioid system contribute to drug craving and relapse remain to be clarified. This review summarizes our present knowledge on brain sites where the endogenous opioid system controls hedonic responses and is modified in response to drugs of abuse in the rodent brain. We review 1) the latest data on the anatomy of the opioid system, 2) the consequences of local intracerebral pharmacological manipulation of the opioid system on reinforced behaviors, 3) the consequences of gene knockout on reinforced behaviors and drug dependence, and 4) the consequences of chronic exposure to drugs of abuse on expression levels of opioid system genes. Future studies will establish key molecular actors of the system and neural sites where opioid peptides and receptors contribute to the onset of addictive disorders. Combined with data from human and nonhuman primate (not reviewed here), research in this extremely active field has implications both for our understanding of the biology of addiction and for therapeutic interventions to treat the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Le Merrer
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Département Neurobiologie et Génétique, Illkirch, France
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363
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Ricoy UM, Martinez JL. Local hippocampal methamphetamine-induced reinforcement. Front Behav Neurosci 2009; 3:47. [PMID: 19949457 PMCID: PMC2783399 DOI: 10.3389/neuro.08.047.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2009] [Accepted: 10/29/2009] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug abuse and addiction are major problems in the United States. In particular methamphetamine (METH) use has increased dramatically. A greater understanding of how METH acts on the brain to induce addiction may lead to better therapeutic targets for this problem. The hippocampus is recognized as an important structure in learning and memory, but is not typically associated with drug reinforcement or reward processes. Here, the focus is on the hippocampus which has been largely ignored in the addiction literature as compared to the nucleus accumbens (NAc), ventral tegmental area (VTA), and prefrontal cortex (PFC). The results show that METH administered unilaterally via a microdialysis probe to rats’ right dorsal hippocampus will induce drug-seeking (place preference) and drug-taking (lever-pressing) behavior. Furthermore, both of these responses are dependent on local dopamine (DA) receptor activation, as they are impaired by a selective D1/D5 receptor antagonist. The results suggest that the hippocampus is part of the brain's reward circuit that underlies addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulises M Ricoy
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX, USA.
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364
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Morris G, Schmidt R, Bergman H. Striatal action-learning based on dopamine concentration. Exp Brain Res 2009; 200:307-17. [PMID: 19904530 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-009-2060-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2009] [Accepted: 10/08/2009] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The reinforcement learning hypothesis of dopamine function predicts that dopamine acts as a teaching signal by governing synaptic plasticity in the striatum. Induced changes in synaptic strength enable the cortico-striatal network to learn a mapping between situations and actions that lead to a reward. A review of the relevant neurophysiology of dopamine function in the cortico-striatal network and the machine reinforcement learning hypothesis reveals an apparent mismatch with recent electrophysiological studies. It was found that in addition to the well-described reward-related responses, a subpopulation of dopamine neurons also exhibits phasic responses to aversive stimuli or to cues predicting aversive stimuli. Obviously, actions that lead to aversive events should not be reinforced. However, published data suggest that the phasic responses of dopamine neurons to reward-related stimuli have a higher firing rate and have a longer duration than phasic responses of dopamine neurons to aversion-related stimuli. We propose that based on different dopamine concentrations, the target structures are able to decode reward-related dopamine from aversion-related dopamine responses. Thereby, the learning of actions in the basal-ganglia network integrates information about both costs and benefits. This hypothesis predicts that dopamine concentration should be a crucial parameter for plasticity rules at cortico-striatal synapses. Recent in vitro studies on cortico-striatal synaptic plasticity rules support a striatal action-learning scheme where during reward-related dopamine release dopamine-dependent forms of synaptic plasticity occur, while during aversion-related dopamine release the dopamine concentration only allows dopamine-independent forms of synaptic plasticity to occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genela Morris
- Department of Neurobiology and Ethology, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel
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365
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Aragona BJ, Day JJ, Roitman MF, Cleaveland NA, Wightman RM, Carelli RM. Regional specificity in the real-time development of phasic dopamine transmission patterns during acquisition of a cue-cocaine association in rats. Eur J Neurosci 2009; 30:1889-99. [PMID: 19912327 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.07027.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Drug seeking is significantly regulated by drug-associated cues and associative learning between environmental cues and cocaine reward is mediated by dopamine transmission within the nucleus accumbens (NAc). However, dopamine transmission during early acquisition of a cue-cocaine association has never been assessed because of the technical difficulties associated with resolving cue-evoked and cocaine-evoked dopamine release within the same conditioning trial. Here, we used fast-scan cyclic voltammetry to measure sub-second fluctuations in dopamine concentration within the NAc core and shell during the initial acquisition of a cue-cocaine Pavlovian association. Within the NAc core, cue-evoked dopamine release developed during conditioning. However, within the NAc shell, the predictive cue appeared to cause an unconditioned decrease in dopamine concentration. The pharmacological effects of cocaine also differed between sub-regions, as cocaine increased phasic dopamine release events within the NAc shell but not the core. Thus, real-time measurements not only revealed the initial development of a conditioned neurochemical response but also demonstrated differential phasic dopamine transmission patterns across NAc sub-regions during the acquisition of a cue-cocaine association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon J Aragona
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3290, USA.
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366
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Pascual MM, Pastor V, Bernabeu RO. Nicotine-conditioned place preference induced CREB phosphorylation and Fos expression in the adult rat brain. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2009; 207:57-71. [PMID: 19711055 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-009-1630-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2008] [Accepted: 07/21/2009] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Experimental evidence indicates that nicotine causes long-lasting changes in the brain associated with behavior. Although much has been learned about factors participating in this process, less is known concerning the mechanisms and brain areas involved in nicotine preference. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study is to examine the participation of brain structures during the development of nicotine-conditioned place preference (CPP). METHODS To identify brain regions activated in CPP, we have measured the levels of phosphorylated cyclic AMP response element binding protein (pCREB) and Fos protein using a behavioral CPP and conditioned place aversion (CPA) paradigms. RESULTS Rats developed reliable and robust CPP and also CPA. During nicotine preference and reinstatement behaviors, a significant increase of both pCREB and Fos protein expression occurs in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) and also in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), dorsal striatum (DStr), amygdala, and hippocampus. These increases were abolished by the administration of mecamylamine or by a CPA protocol, showing a specific activation of pCREB in drug preference animals, mediated by nicotinic receptors. Specifically in the VTA, nicotine-induced preference and reinstatement of the preference caused the activation of dopaminergic and GABAergic cells in different proportions. CONCLUSION The results indicate that the phosphorylation of CREB and expression of Fos protein, as indicators of neural activity, accompany the acquisition and maintenance of nicotine-induced CPP but not CPA in mesolimbic areas (NAc, VTA, PFC, and DStr) as well as in memory consolidation structures (hippocampus and amygdala) and nicotinic receptor are involved in this process. Taken together, these studies identify the brain regions where pCREB activity is essential for nicotine preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariano M Pascual
- Department of Physiology and Institute of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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367
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Webb IC, Baltazar RM, Lehman MN, Coolen LM. Bidirectional interactions between the circadian and reward systems: is restricted food access a unique zeitgeber? Eur J Neurosci 2009; 30:1739-48. [PMID: 19878278 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06966.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Reward is mediated by a distributed series of midbrain and basal forebrain structures collectively referred to as the brain reward system. Recent evidence indicates that an additional regulatory system, the circadian system, can modulate reward-related learning. Diurnal or circadian changes in drug self-administration, responsiveness to drugs of abuse and reward to natural stimuli have been reported. These variations are associated with daily rhythms in mesolimbic electrical activity, dopamine synthesis and metabolism, and local clock gene oscillations. Conversely, the presentation of rewards appears capable of influencing circadian timing. Rodents can anticipate a daily mealtime by the entrainment of a series of oscillators that are anatomically distinct from the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Other work has indicated that restricted access to non-nutritive reinforcers (e.g. drugs of abuse, sex) or to palatable food in the absence of an energy deficit is capable of inducing relatively weak anticipatory activity, suggesting that reward alone is sufficient to induce anticipation. Recent attempts to elucidate the neural correlates of anticipation have revealed that both restricted feeding and restricted palatable food access can entrain clock gene expression in many reward-related corticolimbic structures. By contrast, restricted feeding alone can induce or entrain clock gene expression in hypothalamic nuclei involved in energy homeostasis. Thus, under ad libitum feeding conditions, the weak anticipatory activity induced by restricted reward presentation may result from the entrainment of reward-associated corticolimbic structures. The additional induction or entrainment of oscillators in hypothalamic regulatory areas may contribute to the more robust anticipatory activity associated with restricted feeding schedules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian C Webb
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
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368
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Tabakoff B, Saba L, Printz M, Flodman P, Hodgkinson C, Goldman D, Koob G, Richardson HN, Kechris K, Bell RL, Hübner N, Heinig M, Pravenec M, Mangion J, Legault L, Dongier M, Conigrave KM, Whitfield JB, Saunders J, Grant B, Hoffman PL. Genetical genomic determinants of alcohol consumption in rats and humans. BMC Biol 2009; 7:70. [PMID: 19874574 PMCID: PMC2777866 DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-7-70] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2009] [Accepted: 10/27/2009] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We have used a genetical genomic approach, in conjunction with phenotypic analysis of alcohol consumption, to identify candidate genes that predispose to varying levels of alcohol intake by HXB/BXH recombinant inbred rat strains. In addition, in two populations of humans, we assessed genetic polymorphisms associated with alcohol consumption using a custom genotyping array for 1,350 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Our goal was to ascertain whether our approach, which relies on statistical and informatics techniques, and non-human animal models of alcohol drinking behavior, could inform interpretation of genetic association studies with human populations. RESULTS In the HXB/BXH recombinant inbred (RI) rats, correlation analysis of brain gene expression levels with alcohol consumption in a two-bottle choice paradigm, and filtering based on behavioral and gene expression quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses, generated a list of candidate genes. A literature-based, functional analysis of the interactions of the products of these candidate genes defined pathways linked to presynaptic GABA release, activation of dopamine neurons, and postsynaptic GABA receptor trafficking, in brain regions including the hypothalamus, ventral tegmentum and amygdala. The analysis also implicated energy metabolism and caloric intake control as potential influences on alcohol consumption by the recombinant inbred rats. In the human populations, polymorphisms in genes associated with GABA synthesis and GABA receptors, as well as genes related to dopaminergic transmission, were associated with alcohol consumption. CONCLUSION Our results emphasize the importance of the signaling pathways identified using the non-human animal models, rather than single gene products, in identifying factors responsible for complex traits such as alcohol consumption. The results suggest cross-species similarities in pathways that influence predisposition to consume alcohol by rats and humans. The importance of a well-defined phenotype is also illustrated. Our results also suggest that different genetic factors predispose alcohol dependence versus the phenotype of alcohol consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Tabakoff
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado, Denver, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Laura Saba
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado, Denver, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Morton Printz
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Pam Flodman
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Colin Hodgkinson
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - David Goldman
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - George Koob
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Heather N Richardson
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department Psychology-Neuroscience, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Katerina Kechris
- Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Richard L Bell
- Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Norbert Hübner
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Michal Pravenec
- Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jonathan Mangion
- MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, London, UK
- Applied Biosystems, Lingley House, 120 Birchwood Blvd., Warrington, Cheshire, WA3 7QH, UK
| | - Lucie Legault
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Maurice Dongier
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Katherine M Conigrave
- Drug Health Services, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - John Saunders
- School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Bridget Grant
- Division of Epidemiology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Paula L Hoffman
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado, Denver, Aurora, CO, USA
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369
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Abstract
Neuroimaging, especially BOLD fMRI, has begun to identify how variability in brain function contributes to individual differences in complex behavioral traits. In parallel, pharmacological fMRI and multimodal PET/fMRI are identifying how variability in molecular signaling pathways influences individual differences in brain function. Against this background, functional genetic polymorphisms are being utilized to understand the origins of variability in signaling pathways as well as to model efficiently how such emergent variability impacts behaviorally relevant brain function. This article provides an overview of a research strategy seeking to integrate these complementary technologies and utilizes existing empirical data to illustrate its effectiveness in illuminating the neurobiology of individual differences in complex behavioral traits. The article also discusses how such efforts can contribute to the identification of predictive markers that interact with environmental factors to precipitate disease and to develop more effective and individually tailored treatment regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad R Hariri
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA.
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370
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Fasano S, D’Antoni A, Orban PC, Valjent E, Putignano E, Vara H, Pizzorusso T, Giustetto M, Yoon B, Soloway P, Maldonado R, Caboche J, Brambilla R. Ras-guanine nucleotide-releasing factor 1 (Ras-GRF1) controls activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling in the striatum and long-term behavioral responses to cocaine. Biol Psychiatry 2009; 66:758-68. [PMID: 19446794 PMCID: PMC2910545 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2008] [Revised: 03/10/2009] [Accepted: 03/10/2009] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ras-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Ras-ERK) signaling is central to the molecular machinery underlying cognitive functions. In the striatum, ERK1/2 kinases are co-activated by glutamate and dopamine D1/5 receptors, but the mechanisms providing such signaling integration are still unknown. The Ras-guanine nucleotide-releasing factor 1 (Ras-GRF1), a neuronal specific activator of Ras-ERK signaling, is a likely candidate for coupling these neurotransmitter signals to ERK kinases in the striatonigral medium spiny neurons (MSN) and for modulating behavioral responses to drug abuse such as cocaine. METHODS We used genetically modified mouse mutants for Ras-GRF1 as a source of primary MSN cultures and organotypic slices, to perform both immunoblot and immunofluorescence studies in response to glutamate and dopamine receptor agonists. Mice were also subjected to behavioral and immunohistochemical investigations upon treatment with cocaine. RESULTS Phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in response to glutamate, dopamine D1 agonist, or both stimuli simultaneously is impaired in Ras-GRF1-deficient striatal cells and organotypic slices of the striatonigral MSN compartment. Consistently, behavioral responses to cocaine are also affected in mice deficient for Ras-GRF1 or overexpressing it. Both locomotor sensitization and conditioned place preference are significantly attenuated in Ras-GRF1-deficient mice, whereas a robust facilitation is observed in overexpressing transgenic animals. Finally, we found corresponding changes in ERK1/2 activation and in accumulation of FosB/DeltaFosB, a well-characterized marker for long-term responses to cocaine, in MSN from these animals. CONCLUSIONS These results strongly implicate Ras-GRF1 in the integration of the two main neurotransmitter inputs to the striatum and in the maladaptive modulation of striatal networks in response to cocaine.
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371
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Abstract
Both conscious and unconscious memory mechanisms contribute to the rewarding effects of nicotine and other drugs of abuse. In this issue of Neuron, Tang and Dani use in vivo measures of synaptic plasticity in freely moving mice to link nicotine-induced dopamine release in hippocampus to LTP induction and behavioral reinforcement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel S McGehee
- Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland Avenue MC4028, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
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372
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Tang J, Dani JA. Dopamine enables in vivo synaptic plasticity associated with the addictive drug nicotine. Neuron 2009; 63:673-82. [PMID: 19755109 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2009.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2008] [Revised: 05/15/2009] [Accepted: 07/30/2009] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Addictive drugs induce a dopamine signal that contributes to the initiation of addiction, and the dopamine signal influences drug-associated memories that perpetuate drug use. The addiction process shares many commonalities with the synaptic plasticity mechanisms normally attributed to learning and memory. Environmental stimuli repeatedly linked to addictive drugs become learned associations, and those stimuli come to elicit memories or sensations that motivate continued drug use. Applying in vivo recording techniques to freely moving mice, we show that physiologically relevant concentrations of the addictive drug nicotine directly cause in vivo hippocampal synaptic potentiation of the kind that underlies learning and memory. The drug-induced long-term synaptic plasticity required a local hippocampal dopamine signal. Disrupting general dopamine signaling prevented the nicotine-induced synaptic plasticity and conditioned place preference. These results suggest that dopaminergic signaling serves as a functional label of salient events by enabling and scaling synaptic plasticity that underlies drug-induced associative memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianrong Tang
- Department of Neuroscience, Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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373
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Ross HE, Young LJ. Oxytocin and the neural mechanisms regulating social cognition and affiliative behavior. Front Neuroendocrinol 2009; 30:534-547. [PMID: 19481567 PMCID: PMC2748133 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2009.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 535] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2009] [Revised: 05/14/2009] [Accepted: 05/22/2009] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin is produced in the hypothalamus and released into the circulation through the neurohypophyseal system. Peripherally released oxytocin facilitates parturition and milk ejection during nursing. Centrally released oxytocin coordinates the onset of maternal nurturing behavior at parturition and plays a role in mother-infant bonding. More recent studies have revealed a more general role for oxytocin in modulating affiliative behavior in both sexes. Oxytocin regulates alloparental care and pair bonding in female monogamous prairie voles. Social recognition in male and female mice is also modulated by oxytocin. In humans, oxytocin increases gaze to the eye region of human faces and enhances interpersonal trust and the ability to infer the emotions of others from facial cues. While the neurohypopheseal oxytocin system has been well characterized, less is known regarding the nature of oxytocin release within the brain. Here we review the role of oxytocin in the regulation of prosocial interactions, and discuss the neuroanatomy of the central oxytocin system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather E Ross
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta GA, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta GA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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374
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Hosseinmardi N, Fathollahi Y, Naghdi N, Javan M. Theta pulse stimulation: A natural stimulus pattern can trigger long-term depression but fails to reverse long-term potentiation in morphine withdrawn hippocampus area CA1. Brain Res 2009; 1296:1-14. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2009] [Revised: 07/21/2009] [Accepted: 08/03/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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375
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Fasano S, Pittenger C, Brambilla R. Inhibition of CREB activity in the dorsal portion of the striatum potentiates behavioral responses to drugs of abuse. Front Behav Neurosci 2009; 3:29. [PMID: 19826621 PMCID: PMC2759367 DOI: 10.3389/neuro.08.029.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2009] [Accepted: 08/23/2009] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The striatum participates in multiple forms of behavioral adaptation, including habit formation, other forms of procedural memory, and short- and long-term responses to drugs of abuse. The cyclic-AMP response element binding protein (CREB) family of transcription factors has been implicated in various forms of behavioral plasticity, but its role in the dorsal portion of the striatum-has been little explored. We previously showed that in transgenic mice in which CREB function is inhibited in the dorsal striatum, bidirectional synaptic plasticity and certain forms of long-term procedural memory are impaired. Here we show, in startling contrast, that inhibition of striatal CREB facilitates cocaine- and morphine-place conditioning and enhances locomotor sensitization to cocaine. These findings propose CREB as a positive regulator of dorsal striatum-dependent procedural learning but a negative regulator of drug-related learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Fasano
- Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Foundation and University Milano, Italy
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376
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Heinze HJ, Heldmann M, Voges J, Hinrichs H, Marco-Pallares J, Hopf JM, Müller UJ, Galazky I, Sturm V, Bogerts B, Münte TF. Counteracting incentive sensitization in severe alcohol dependence using deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens: clinical and basic science aspects. Front Hum Neurosci 2009; 3:22. [PMID: 19750197 PMCID: PMC2741292 DOI: 10.3389/neuro.09.022.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2009] [Accepted: 08/12/2009] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ventral striatum/nucleus accumbens (NAcc) has been implicated in the craving for drugs and alcohol which is a major reason for relapse of addicted people. Craving might be induced by drug-related cues. This suggests that disruption of craving-related neural activity in the NAcc may significantly reduce craving in alcohol-dependent patients. Here we report on preliminary clinical and neurophysiological evidence in three male patients who were treated with high frequency deep brain stimulation of the NAcc bilaterally. All three had been alcohol-dependent for many years, unable to abstain from drinking, and had experienced repeated relapses prior to the stimulation. After the operation, craving was greatly reduced and all three patients were able to abstain from drinking for extended periods of time. Immediately after the operation but prior to connection of the stimulation electrodes to the stimulator, local field potentials were obtained from the externalized cables in two patients while they performed cognitive tasks addressing action monitoring and incentive salience of drug-related cues. LFPs in the action monitoring task provided further evidence for a role of the NAcc in goal-directed behaviors. Importantly, alcohol-related cue stimuli in the incentive salience task modulated LFPs even though these cues were presented outside of the attentional focus. This implies that cue-related craving involves the NAcc and is highly automatic.
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377
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Corrigall WA. Hypocretin mechanisms in nicotine addiction: evidence and speculation. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2009; 206:23-37. [PMID: 19529922 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-009-1588-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2009] [Accepted: 06/01/2009] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The hypocretin/orexin system has been implicated in arousal mechanisms, sleep, and sleep disorders, including narcolepsy, and more recently in drug addiction. Theoretically, hypocretin (hcrt) mechanisms appear to be potential substrates for nicotine addiction: arousal and attentional mechanisms influence use and withdrawal symptoms, and hcrt systems overlap anatomically with a number of brain regions associated with nicotine addiction. OBJECTIVE This review summarizes the studies that have examined hcrt mechanisms in the effects of nicotine and describes hcrt innervation of, and effects in, several brain regions implicated in nicotine addiction. The review speculates on the possible mechanisms by which hcrt may contribute to nicotine addiction in these regions, with the objective of encouraging research in this area. RESULTS In a small literature, both experimenter-administered and self-administered nicotine have been shown to elicit or depend on hcrt signaling. However, although untested in experimental designs, there is compelling evidence that hcrt mechanisms in the ventral tegmental area, the pontine region, thalamocortical circuits, the prefrontal cortex, and the amygdala could have a broad influence on nicotine addiction. CONCLUSIONS Evidence reviewed leads to the conclusion that hcrt mechanisms could mediate several dimensions of nicotine addiction, including a multi-faceted regulation of mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic function, but beyond dopaminergic mechanisms, hcrt could influence nicotine use and relapse during abstinence through broadly based arousal/attentional effects. These speculative ideas need to be examined experimentally; the potential gains are a more thorough understanding of the pathophysiology of nicotine addiction, and the discovery of novel targets for the development of pharmacotherapeutics.
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378
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Role of Specific Synaptic Plasticity Interfering Peptides in the Expression of Morphine Induced Conditioned Place Preference in Mice. Zool Res 2009. [DOI: 10.3724/sp.j.1141.2009.04389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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379
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Fernandez-Espejo E, Ramiro-Fuentes S, Rodriguez de Fonseca F. The absence of a functional peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha gene in mice enhances motor sensitizing effects of morphine, but not cocaine. Neuroscience 2009; 164:667-75. [PMID: 19698765 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.08.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2009] [Revised: 08/10/2009] [Accepted: 08/12/2009] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Neuroinflammation of the CNS seems to participate in sensitizing effects of drugs of abuse such as psychostimulants and morphine. The nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-alpha) plays a prominent role in several physiological processes including the inflammatory response, and its activation mediates a reduced production of pro-inflammatory factors. The objectives were to examine the involvement of nuclear PPAR-alpha in motor sensitization to morphine and cocaine, by using null mice (PPAR-alpha -/-mice), or the injection of a selective PPAR-alpha agonist, [[4-chloro-6-[(2,3-dimethylphenyl)amino]-2-pyrimidinyl] thio]acetic acid (WY14643), in morphine-treated mice. The findings indicate that PPAR-alpha plays an inhibitory role in the expression (not induction) of motor sensitization to morphine, but it is devoid of effects on sensitization to cocaine, suggesting that this nuclear receptor participates in motor activating effects of opiates but not psychostimulants. Furthermore, brain PPAR-alpha expression is upregulated after the highest dose of repeated morphine, but not chronic cocaine, suggesting that this receptor could play a homeostatic role. In accordance, systemic WY14643 was able to block sensitization to morphine, confirming that PPAR-alpha plays a homeostatic role opposing morphine-induced motor sensitization, likely through a reduction of inflammation-associated changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Fernandez-Espejo
- Departamento de Fisiología Medica, Universidad de Sevilla, 41009 Sevilla, Spain.
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380
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Aragona BJ, Wang Z. Dopamine regulation of social choice in a monogamous rodent species. Front Behav Neurosci 2009; 3:15. [PMID: 19707518 PMCID: PMC2729670 DOI: 10.3389/neuro.08.015.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2009] [Accepted: 07/23/2009] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is growing appreciation that social decision making in humans is strongly influenced by hedonic and emotional processing. The field of social neuroeconomics has shown that neural systems important for reward are associated with social choice and social preferences in humans. Here, we show that the neurobiology of social preferences in a monogamous rodent species, the prairie vole, is also regulated by neural systems involved in reward and emotional processing. Specifically, we describe how mesolimbic dopamine transmission differentially mediates the formation and maintenance of monogamous pair bonds in this species. Thus, reward processing exerts tremendous regulation over social choice behaviors that serve as the foundation of a rather complex social organization. We conclude that prairie voles are an excellent model system for the neuroscience of social choice and that complex social decision-making can be robustly explained by reward and hedonic processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon J Aragona
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
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381
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Huang YH, Lin Y, Mu P, Lee BR, Brown TE, Wayman G, Marie H, Liu W, Yan Z, Sorg BA, Schlüter OM, Zukin RS, Dong Y. In vivo cocaine experience generates silent synapses. Neuron 2009; 63:40-7. [PMID: 19607791 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2009.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 202] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2009] [Revised: 05/03/2009] [Accepted: 06/12/2009] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Studies over the past decade have enunciated silent synapses as prominent cellular substrates for synaptic plasticity in the developing brain. However, little is known about whether silent synapses can be generated postdevelopmentally. Here, we demonstrate that highly salient in vivo experience, such as exposure to cocaine, generates silent synapses in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell, a key brain region mediating addiction-related learning and memory. Furthermore, this cocaine-induced generation of silent synapses is mediated by membrane insertions of new, NR2B-containing N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptors (NMDARs). These results provide evidence that silent synapses can be generated de novo by in vivo experience and thus may act as highly efficient neural substrates for the subsequent experience-dependent synaptic plasticity underlying extremely long-lasting memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanhua H Huang
- Program in Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6520, USA
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382
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Davis JA, Gould TJ. Hippocampal nAChRs mediate nicotine withdrawal-related learning deficits. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2009; 19:551-61. [PMID: 19278836 PMCID: PMC2777542 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2009.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2008] [Revised: 01/30/2009] [Accepted: 02/17/2009] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Nicotine modulation of learning may contribute to its abuse liability. The role of hippocampal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the effects of acute, chronic and withdrawal from chronic nicotine on learning was assessed via intrahippocampal drug infusion in mice. Acute dorsal hippocampal nicotine infusion enhanced contextual fear conditioning. Conversely, chronic intrahippocampal infusion of a matched dose had no effect, and withdrawal from chronic infusion impaired learning. Thus, hippocampal functional adaptation, evidenced by learning deficits during abstinence, occurs with the transition from acute to chronic nicotine exposure. To investigate which hippocampal nAChRs mediate these adaptations, C57BL/6, beta2 nAChR subunit knockout (KO), and wildtype (WT) mice treated chronically with systemic nicotine received intrahippocampal dihydro-beta-erythroidine (a high affinity nAChR antagonist). Intrahippocampal dihydro-beta-erythroidine precipitated learning deficits in all but the KO mice. Therefore, the action of nicotine at hippocampal beta2 nAChRs mediates adaptations in hippocampal function that underlie withdrawal deficits in contextual fear conditioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Davis
- Department of Psychology/Neuroscience Program, Temple University, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
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383
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Lin H, Higgins P, Loh HH, Law PY, Liao D. Bidirectional effects of fentanyl on dendritic spines and AMPA receptors depend upon the internalization of mu opioid receptors. Neuropsychopharmacology 2009; 34:2097-111. [PMID: 19295508 PMCID: PMC2731771 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2009.34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Fentanyl is a frequently used and abused opioid analgesic and can cause internalization of mu opioid receptors (MORs). Receptor internalization modulates the signaling pathways of opioid receptors. As changes in dendritic spines and synaptic AMPA receptors play important roles in addiction and memory loss, we investigated how fentanyl affects dendritic spines and synaptic AMPA receptors in cultured hippocampal neurons. Fentanyl at low concentrations (0.01 and 0.1 microM) caused the collapse of dendritic spines and decreased the number of AMPA receptor clusters. In contrast, fentanyl at high concentrations (1 and 10 microM) had opposite effects, inducing the emergence of new spines and increasing the number of AMPA receptor clusters. These dose-dependent bidirectional effects of fentanyl were blocked by a selective MOR antagonist CTOP at 5 microM. In neurons that had been transfected with HA-tagged or GFP-tagged MORs, fentanyl at high concentrations induced persistent and robust internalization of MORs, whereas fentanyl at lower concentrations induced little or transient receptor internalization. The blockade of receptor internalization with the expression of dominant-negative Dynamin I (the K44E mutant) reversed the effect of fentanyl at high concentrations, supporting a role of receptor internalization in modulating the dose-dependent effects of fentanyl. In contrast to morphine, the effects of fentanyl on dendritic spines are distinctively bidirectional and concentration dependent, probably due to its ability to induce robust internalization of MORs at high concentrations. The characterization of the effects of fentanyl on spines and AMPA receptors may help us understand the roles of MOR internalization in addiction and cognitive deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Lin
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Minnesota, 321 Church St S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455,Department of Neurology, Chengdu General Military Hospital, Chengdu City, 610083, China
| | - Paul Higgins
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Minnesota, 321 Church St S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Horace H. Loh
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of Minnesota, 321 Church St S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Ping-Yee Law
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of Minnesota, 321 Church St S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Dezhi Liao
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Minnesota, 321 Church St S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455
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384
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von der Goltz C, Vengeliene V, Bilbao A, Perreau-Lenz S, Pawlak CR, Kiefer F, Spanagel R. Cue-induced alcohol-seeking behaviour is reduced by disrupting the reconsolidation of alcohol-related memories. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2009; 205:389-97. [PMID: 19418040 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-009-1544-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2008] [Accepted: 04/15/2009] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE In humans, the retrieval of memories associated with an alcohol-related experience frequently evokes alcohol-seeking behaviour. The reconsolidation hypothesis states that a consolidated memory could again become labile and susceptible to disruption after memory retrieval. OBJECTIVES The aim of our study was to examine whether retrieval of alcohol-related memories undergoes a reconsolidation process. METHODS For this purpose, male Wistar rats were trained to self-administer ethanol in the presence of specific conditioned stimuli. Thereafter, animals were left undisturbed in their home cages for the following 21 days. Memory retrieval was performed in a single 5-min exposure to all alcohol-associated stimuli. The protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin, the non-competitive N-methyl-D: -aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK-801 and acamprosate, a clinically used drug known to reduce a hyper-glutamatergic state, were given immediately after retrieval of alcohol-related memories. The impact of drug treatment on cue-induced alcohol-seeking behaviour was measured on the following day and 7 days later. RESULTS Administration of both anisomycin and MK-801 reduced cue-induced alcohol-seeking behaviour, showing that memory reconsolidation was disrupted by these compounds. However, acamprosate had no effect on the reconsolidation process, suggesting that this process is not dependent on a hyper-glutamatergic state but is more related to protein synthesis and NMDA receptor activity. CONCLUSIONS Pharmacological disruption of reconsolidation of alcohol-associated memories can be achieved by the use of NMDA antagonists and protein synthesis inhibitors and may thus provide a potential new therapeutic strategy for the prevention of relapse in alcohol addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph von der Goltz
- Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Central Institute of Mental Health, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
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385
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Webb KJ, Norton WHJ, Trümbach D, Meijer AH, Ninkovic J, Topp S, Heck D, Marr C, Wurst W, Theis FJ, Spaink HP, Bally-Cuif L. Zebrafish reward mutants reveal novel transcripts mediating the behavioral effects of amphetamine. Genome Biol 2009; 10:R81. [PMID: 19646228 PMCID: PMC2728535 DOI: 10.1186/gb-2009-10-7-r81] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2009] [Revised: 06/16/2009] [Accepted: 07/31/2009] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Addiction is a pathological dysregulation of the brain's reward systems, determined by several complex genetic pathways. The conditioned place preference test provides an evaluation of the effects of drugs in animal models, allowing the investigation of substances at a biologically relevant level with respect to reward. Our lab has previously reported the development of a reliable conditioned place preference paradigm for zebrafish. Here, this test was used to isolate a dominant N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)-induced mutant, no addiction (nad(dne3256)), which fails to respond to amphetamine, and which we used as an entry point towards identifying the behaviorally relevant transcriptional response to amphetamine. RESULTS Through the combination of microarray experiments comparing the adult brain transcriptome of mutant and wild-type siblings under normal conditions, as well as their response to amphetamine, we identified genes that correlate with the mutants' altered conditioned place preference behavior. In addition to pathways classically involved in reward, this gene set shows a striking enrichment in transcription factor-encoding genes classically involved in brain development, which later appear to be re-used within the adult brain. We selected a subset of them for validation by quantitative PCR and in situ hybridization, revealing that specific brain areas responding to the drug through these transcription factors include domains of ongoing adult neurogenesis. Finally, network construction revealed functional connections between several of these genes. CONCLUSIONS Together, our results identify a new network of coordinated gene regulation that influences or accompanies amphetamine-triggered conditioned place preference behavior and that may underlie the susceptibility to addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine J Webb
- Department Zebrafish Neurogenetics, Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
- Center for Integrated Protein Science (Munich), Institute of Developmental Genetics, Technical University - Munich, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
| | - William HJ Norton
- Department Zebrafish Neurogenetics, Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
- Center for Integrated Protein Science (Munich), Institute of Developmental Genetics, Technical University - Munich, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
| | - Dietrich Trümbach
- Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
| | - Annemarie H Meijer
- Institute of Biology, University of Leiden, Leiden, 2300 RA The Netherlands
| | - Jovica Ninkovic
- Department Zebrafish Neurogenetics, Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
- Center for Integrated Protein Science (Munich), Institute of Developmental Genetics, Technical University - Munich, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
- Current address: Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
| | - Stefanie Topp
- Department Zebrafish Neurogenetics, Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
- Center for Integrated Protein Science (Munich), Institute of Developmental Genetics, Technical University - Munich, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
| | - Daniel Heck
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
| | - Carsten Marr
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
| | - Wolfgang Wurst
- Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
| | - Fabian J Theis
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
| | - Herman P Spaink
- Institute of Biology, University of Leiden, Leiden, 2300 RA The Netherlands
| | - Laure Bally-Cuif
- Department Zebrafish Neurogenetics, Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
- Center for Integrated Protein Science (Munich), Institute of Developmental Genetics, Technical University - Munich, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
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386
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Abstract
Addiction is associated with neuroplasticity in the corticostriatal brain circuitry that is important for guiding adaptive behaviour. The hierarchy of corticostriatal information processing that normally permits the prefrontal cortex to regulate reinforcement-seeking behaviours is impaired by chronic drug use. A failure of the prefrontal cortex to control drug-seeking behaviours can be linked to an enduring imbalance between synaptic and non-synaptic glutamate, termed glutamate homeostasis. The imbalance in glutamate homeostasis engenders changes in neuroplasticity that impair communication between the prefrontal cortex and the nucleus accumbens. Some of these pathological changes are amenable to new glutamate- and neuroplasticity-based pharmacotherapies for treating addiction.
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387
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Wan L, Su L, Xie Y, Liu Y, Wang Y, Wang Z. Protein receptor for activated C kinase 1 is involved in morphine reward in mice. Neuroscience 2009; 161:734-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.03.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2008] [Revised: 03/17/2009] [Accepted: 03/21/2009] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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388
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Ruby CL, Brager AJ, DePaul MA, Prosser RA, Glass JD. Chronic ethanol attenuates circadian photic phase resetting and alters nocturnal activity patterns in the hamster. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2009; 297:R729-37. [PMID: 19553498 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00268.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Acute ethanol (EtOH) administration impairs circadian clock phase resetting, suggesting a mode for the disruptive effect of alcohol abuse on human circadian rhythms. Here, we extend this research by characterizing the chronobiological effects of chronic alcohol consumption. First, daily profiles of EtOH were measured in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and subcutaneously using microdialysis in hamsters drinking EtOH. In both cases, EtOH peaked near lights-off and declined throughout the dark-phase to low day-time levels. Drinking bouts preceded EtOH peaks by approximately 20 min. Second, hamsters chronically drinking EtOH received a light pulse during the late dark phase [Zeitgeber time (ZT) 18.5] to induce photic phase advances. Water controls had shifts of 1.2 +/- 0.2 h, whereas those drinking 10% and 20% EtOH had much reduced shifts (0.5 +/- 0.1 and 0.3 +/- 0.1 h, respectively; P < 0.001 vs. controls). Third, incremental decreases in light intensity (270 lux to 0.5 lux) were used to explore chronic EtOH effects on photic entrainment and rhythm stability. Activity onset was unaffected by 20% EtOH at all light intensities. Conversely, the 24-h pattern of activity bouts was disrupted by EtOH under all light intensities. Finally, replacement of chronic EtOH with water was used to examine withdrawal effects. Water controls had photic phase advances of 1.1 +/- 0.3 h, while hamsters deprived of EtOH for 2-3 days showed enhanced shifts (2.1 +/- 0.3 h; P < 0.05 vs. controls). Thus, in chronically drinking hamsters, brain EtOH levels are sufficient to inhibit photic phase resetting and disrupt circadian activity. Chronic EtOH did not impair photic entrainment; however, its replacement with water potentiated photic phase resetting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina L Ruby
- Dept. Biological Sciences, Kent State Univ., Kent, OH 44242, USA
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389
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Kasture S, Vinci S, Ibba F, Puddu A, Marongiu M, Murali B, Pisanu A, Lecca D, Zernig G, Acquas E. Withania somnifera prevents morphine withdrawal-induced decrease in spine density in nucleus accumbens shell of rats: a confocal laser scanning microscopy study. Neurotox Res 2009; 16:343-55. [PMID: 19551457 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-009-9069-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2008] [Revised: 03/09/2009] [Accepted: 03/09/2009] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Opiate withdrawal is associated with morphological changes of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area and with reduction of spine density of second-order dendrites of medium size spiny neurons in the nucleus accumbens shell but not core. Withania somnifera has long been used in the Middle East, Africa, and India as a remedy for different conditions and diseases and a growing body of evidence points to its beneficial effects on a number of experimental models of neurological disorders. Recently, many studies focused on the potential neuritic regeneration and synaptic reconstruction properties of its methanolic extract and its constituents (withanolides). This study investigates whether morphine withdrawal-induced spine reduction in the nucleus accumbens is affected by the administration of a Withania somnifera extract. To this end, rats were chronically treated with Withania somnifera extract along with morphine or saline and, upon spontaneous (1 and 3 days) or pharmacologically precipitated withdrawal, their brains were fixed in Golgi-Cox stain for confocal microscopic examination. In a separate group of animals, Withania somnifera extract was administered during three days of spontaneous withdrawal. Withania somnifera extract treatment reduced the severity of the withdrawal syndrome when given during chronic morphine but not during withdrawal. In addition, treatment with Withania somnifera extract during chronic morphine, but not during withdrawal, fully prevented the reduction of spine density in the nucleus accumbens shell in spontaneous and pharmacologically precipitated morphine withdrawal. These results indicate that pretreatment with Withania somnifera extract protects from the structural changes induced by morphine withdrawal potentially providing beneficial effects on the consequences related to this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay Kasture
- Department of Toxicology, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
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390
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Cohen MX, Axmacher N, Lenartz D, Elger CE, Sturm V, Schlaepfer TE. Good vibrations: cross-frequency coupling in the human nucleus accumbens during reward processing. J Cogn Neurosci 2009; 21:875-89. [PMID: 18702577 DOI: 10.1162/jocn.2009.21062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens is critical for reward-guided learning and decision-making. It is thought to "gate" the flow of a diverse range of information (e.g., rewarding, aversive, and novel events) from limbic afferents to basal ganglia outputs. Gating and information encoding may be achieved via cross-frequency coupling, in which bursts of high-frequency activity occur preferentially during specific phases of slower oscillations. We examined whether the human nucleus accumbens engages such a mechanism by recording electrophysiological activity directly from the accumbens of human patients undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery. Oscillatory activity in the gamma (40-80 Hz) frequency range was synchronized with the phase of simultaneous alpha (8-12 Hz) waves. Further, losing and winning small amounts of money elicited relatively increased gamma oscillation power prior to and following alpha troughs, respectively. Gamma-alpha synchronization may reflect an electrophysiological gating mechanism in the human nucleus accumbens, and the phase differences in gamma-alpha coupling may reflect a reward information coding scheme similar to phase coding.
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391
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Afonso VM, King S, Chatterjee D, Fleming AS. Hormones that increase maternal responsiveness affect accumbal dopaminergic responses to pup- and food-stimuli in the female rat. Horm Behav 2009; 56:11-23. [PMID: 19248782 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2008] [Revised: 02/09/2009] [Accepted: 02/11/2009] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigated hormonal mediation of maternal behavior and accumbal dopamine (DA) responses to pup-stimuli, as measured in microdialysis samples collected from the nucleus accumbens shell of female rats in non-homecage environment. In Experiment 1, samples were collected before and after continuous homecage pup experience from either intact postpartum or cycling females. In Experiment 2, samples were collected before and after responding maternally in homecage from ovariectomized females given either parturient-like hormone or sham treatments. After baseline sample collection in the dialysis chamber, pup and food stimuli were individually presented to females. Upon sampling completion, all animals were placed back into their homecage with donor pups for several days, and then the sample collection procedure was repeated. Prior to stimulus presentation, postpartum and hormone-treated females had decreased basal DA release compared to their controls. In response to pup stimuli, only postpartum and hormone-treated females had increased DA release compared to basal release (both sampling days). In response to food stimuli, all females had increased DA responses from basal; although there were group differences on the initial day of sampling. Findings suggest that hormones associated with inducing maternal behavior in the postpartum rat play a significant role in modifying accumbal dopaminergic responses on first exposure to pup stimuli in the rat. However, the postpartum experience provides further modifications to this brain region to promote DA responses to pup stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica M Afonso
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, ON, Canada
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392
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Ball KT, Wellman CL, Fortenberry E, Rebec GV. Sensitizing regimens of (+/-)3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) elicit enduring and differential structural alterations in the brain motive circuit of the rat. Neuroscience 2009; 160:264-74. [PMID: 19236907 PMCID: PMC2669702 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2008] [Revised: 02/05/2009] [Accepted: 02/07/2009] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Repeated, intermittent exposure to the psychomotor stimulants amphetamine and cocaine induces a progressive and enduring augmentation of their locomotor-activating effects, known as behavioral sensitization, which is accompanied by similarly stable adaptations in the dendritic structure of cortico-striatal neurons. We examined whether repeated exposure to the increasingly abused amphetamine derivative 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) also results in long-lasting behavioral and morphological changes in mesocortical (medial prefrontal cortex) and ventral striatal (nucleus accumbens) neurons. Rats received two daily injections of either 5.0 mg/kg (+/-)-MDMA or saline vehicle, approximately 6 h apart, for 3 consecutive days, followed by 4 drug-free days for a total of 3 weeks. Following a 4-week drug-free period, MDMA-pretreated rats displayed behavioral sensitization, as well as large increases in spine density and the number of multiple-headed spines on medium spiny neurons in core and shell subregions of nucleus accumbens. In medial prefrontal cortex, the prelimbic subregion showed increased spine density on distal dendrites of layer V pyramidal neurons, while the anterior cingulate subregion showed a change in the distribution of dendritic material instead. Collectively, our results show that long-lasting locomotor sensitization to MDMA is accompanied by reorganization of synaptic connectivity in limbic-cortico-striatal circuitry. The differential plasticity in cortical subregions, moreover, suggests that drug-induced structural changes are not homogeneous and may be specific to the circuitry underlying long-term changes in drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin T. Ball
- Department of Psychology, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg, PA, USA
| | - Cara L. Wellman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Emma Fortenberry
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - George V. Rebec
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
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393
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Denbleyker M, Nicklous DM, Wagner PJ, Ward HG, Simansky KJ. Activating mu-opioid receptors in the lateral parabrachial nucleus increases c-Fos expression in forebrain areas associated with caloric regulation, reward and cognition. Neuroscience 2009; 162:224-33. [PMID: 19422884 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.04.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2009] [Revised: 04/26/2009] [Accepted: 04/29/2009] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The pontine parabrachial nucleus (PBN) has been implicated in the modulation of ingestion and contains high levels of mu-opioid receptors (MOPRs). In previous work, stimulating MOPRs by infusing the highly selective MOPR agonist [d-Ala2, N-Me-Phe4, Gly5-ol]enkephalin (DAMGO) into the lateral parabrachial region (LPBN) increased food intake. The highly selective MOPR antagonist d-Phe-Cys-Trp-Arg-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2 (CTAP) prevented the hyperphagic action of DAMGO. The present experiments aimed to analyze both the pattern of neural activation and the underlying cellular processes associated with MOPR activation in the LPBN. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received a unilateral microinfusion of a nearly maximal hyperphagic dose of DAMGO into the LPBN. We then determined the level of c-Fos immunoreactivity in regions throughout the brain. MOPR activation in the LPBN increased c-Fos in the LPBN and in the nucleus accumbens, hypothalamic arcuate nucleus, paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus and hippocampus. Pretreatment with CTAP prevented the increase in c-Fos translation in each of these areas. CTAP also prevented the coupling of MOPRs to their G-proteins which was measured by [(35)S] guanosine 5'-O-[gamma-thio]triphosphate ([(35)S]GTPgammaS) autoradiography. Together, these data strongly suggest that increasing the coupling of MOPRs to their G-proteins in the LPBN disinhibits parabrachial neurons which subsequently leads to excitation of neurons in regions associated with caloric regulation, ingestive reward and cognitive processes in feeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Denbleyker
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, 245 N 15th Street, 19 Floor MS 400, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
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394
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Peters J, Kalivas PW, Quirk GJ. Extinction circuits for fear and addiction overlap in prefrontal cortex. Learn Mem 2009; 16:279-88. [PMID: 19380710 DOI: 10.1101/lm.1041309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 567] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Extinction is a form of inhibitory learning that suppresses a previously conditioned response. Both fear and drug seeking are conditioned responses that can lead to maladaptive behavior when expressed inappropriately, manifesting as anxiety disorders and addiction, respectively. Recent evidence indicates that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is critical for the extinction of both fear and drug-seeking behaviors. Moreover, a dorsal-ventral distinction is apparent within the mPFC, such that the prelimbic (PL-mPFC) cortex drives the expression of fear and drug seeking, whereas the infralimbic (IL-mPFC) cortex suppresses these behaviors after extinction. For conditioned fear, the dorsal-ventral dichotomy is accomplished via divergent projections to different subregions of the amygdala, whereas for drug seeking, it is accomplished via divergent projections to the subregions of the nucleus accumbens. Given that the mPFC represents a common node in the extinction circuit for these behaviors, treatments that target this region may help alleviate symptoms of both anxiety and addictive disorders by enhancing extinction memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Peters
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936.
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395
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Gass JT, Olive MF. Positive allosteric modulation of mGluR5 receptors facilitates extinction of a cocaine contextual memory. Biol Psychiatry 2009; 65:717-20. [PMID: 19100966 PMCID: PMC2870714 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2008] [Revised: 10/29/2008] [Accepted: 11/04/2008] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The perseverance of the motivational salience of drug-associated memories is an obstacle to the successful treatment of drug addiction and is often a causative factor in triggering relapse. METHODS This study was intended to determine whether potentiation of type 5 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR5), which are biochemically and structurally coupled to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, would facilitate the extinction of a cocaine-associated contextual memory as assessed by the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm in rats. Following the establishment of a cocaine CPP, rats were treated with the mGluR5 positive allosteric modulator 3-cyano-N-(1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)benzamide (CDPPB; 0.3, 3 and 30 mg/kg) before extinction test sessions. Additional groups of animals received 30 mg/kg CDPPB in combination with the mGluR5 antagonist 3-((2-methyl-1,3-thiazol-4-yl)ethynyl)pyridine (MTEP, 1 mg/kg) or the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 (.1 mg/kg). RESULTS CDPPB dose-dependently facilitated the extinction of cocaine CPP, and these effects were not observed when animals were coadministered MTEP or MK-801. CDPPB failed to produce any evidence of neurotoxicity as assessed by FluoroJade C staining. CONCLUSIONS Positive allosteric modulation of mGluR5 function facilitates the extinction of a cocaine-associated contextual memory, which may represent a novel approach toward enhancing extinction learning in the context of drug addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin T Gass
- Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA
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396
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Differential response to a selective cannabinoid receptor antagonist (SR141716: rimonabant) in female mice from lines selectively bred for high voluntary wheel-running behaviour. Behav Pharmacol 2009; 19:812-20. [PMID: 19020416 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0b013e32831c3b6b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Exercise is a naturally rewarding behaviour in human beings and can be associated with feelings of euphoria and analgesia. The endocannabinoid system may play a role in the perception of neurobiological rewards during and after prolonged exercise. Mice from lines that have been selectively bred for high voluntary wheel running (high runner or HR lines) may have evolved neurobiological mechanisms that increase the incentive salience of endurance-type exercise. Here, we test the hypothesis that endocannabinoid signalling has been altered in the four replicate HR lines as compared with four nonselected control lines. After 18 days of acclimation to cages with attached wheels, we injected mice with rimonabant (SR141716), a selective cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist. During the time of normal peak running, each mouse received, in a randomized order, intraperitoneal injection of rimonabant (0.1 or 3.0 mg/kg) or vehicle, over 9 days. Drug response was quantified as wheel revolutions, time and speed 10-70 min postinjection. Rimonabant decreased running in all mice; however, female HR mice differentially decreased running speed and distance (but not time) as compared with control females. We conclude that altered endocannabinoid signalling plays a role in the high wheel running of female HR mice.
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397
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Prefrontal cortex AMPA receptor plasticity is crucial for cue-induced relapse to heroin-seeking. Nat Neurosci 2009; 11:1053-8. [PMID: 19160503 DOI: 10.1038/nn.2165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Associative learning processes have an important role in the initiation and persistence of heroin-seeking. Here we show in a rat self-administration model that reexposure to cues previously associated with heroin results in downregulation of AMPA receptor subunit GluR2 and concomitant upregulation of clathrin-coat assembly protein AP2ml in synaptic membranes of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Reduced AMPA receptor expression in synaptic membranes was associated with a decreased AMPA/NMDA current ratio and increased rectification index in mPFC pyramidal neurons. Systemic or ventral (but not dorsal) mPFC injections of a peptide inhibiting GluR2 endocytosis attenuated both the rectification index and cue-induced relapse to heroin-seeking, without affecting sucrose-seeking. We conclude that GluR2 receptor endocytosis and the resulting synaptic depression in ventral mPFC are crucial for cue-induced relapse to heroin-seeking. As reexposure to conditioned stimuli is a major cause for heroin relapse, inhibition of GluR2 endocytosis may provide a new target for the treatment of heroin addiction.
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398
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Homayoun H, Moghaddam B. Differential representation of Pavlovian-instrumental transfer by prefrontal cortex subregions and striatum. Eur J Neurosci 2009; 29:1461-76. [PMID: 19309320 PMCID: PMC2871390 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06679.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Environmental cues that once predicted reward can restore extinguished behavior directed toward that reward. This process may be modeled by the Pavlovian-instrumental transfer (PIT) paradigm where a previously learned Pavlovian conditioned stimulus (CS) elicits a representation of the reward associated with that CS, prompts motivation toward the absent reward, and triggers an instrumental action. We recorded in the medial and orbital prefrontal cortex (mPFC and OFC) and dorsal striatum (DS) of freely moving rats during PIT and found that a Pavlovian CS, as compared with neutral or no stimuli, amplified the phasic neuronal responses to instrumental nosepokes ('transfer' event). In mPFC and OFC, but not the DS, representation of the transfer event correlated with the strength of PIT behavior. Neurons in all three regions showed CS-selective amplification of Pavlovian approaches toward the reward delivery site. Whereas striatal neurons represented transfer and approach behavior through mostly segregated neuronal subsets, overlapping subsets represented these events in the mPFC and OFC. These findings suggest that parallel phasic activation of mPFC and OFC neuronal subsets participates in the transfer from Pavlovian incentives to instrumental actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houman Homayoun
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
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399
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Leo D, Adriani W, Cavaliere C, Cirillo G, Marco EM, Romano E, di Porzio U, Papa M, Perrone-Capano C, Laviola G. Methylphenidate to adolescent rats drives enduring changes of accumbal Htr7 expression: implications for impulsive behavior and neuronal morphology. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2009; 8:356-68. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-183x.2009.00486.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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400
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Zhang J, Tan H, Niu HC, Wang JH, Tang XD, Sanford LD, Ma YY. Pentylenetetrazole-induced status epilepticus following training does not impair expression of morphine-induced conditioned place preference. Addict Biol 2009; 14:174-84. [PMID: 18715281 DOI: 10.1111/j.1369-1600.2008.00122.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Learning and memory play an important role in morphine addiction. Status epilepticus (SE) can impair the spatial and emotional learning and memory. However, little is known about the effects of SE on morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). The present study was designed to investigate the effects of SE on morphine CPP, with food CPP being used as a control. The effects of SE on spatial memory in the Morris water maze (MWM) and Y-maze were investigated. SE was induced in adult mice using intraperitoneal injection of pentylenetetrazole; control mice received saline. The data indicated that SE had no effects on the formation of morphine CPP; however, the formation of food CPP was blocked by SE. Meanwhile, spatial memory assayed in the MWM and Y-maze was impaired by SE. In addition, the data demonstrated that SE did not cause a lasting disturbance of motor activity nor a change in the mice's appetite. These results suggested that although SE had no effects on morphine CPP, there was impaired food CPP and spatial memory in both the MWM and the Y-maze. The mechanisms underlying memory process of morphine CPP may be different from other types of memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- Laboratory of Primate Neuroscience Research and Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
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