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Gheidi A, Davidson CJ, Simpson SC, Yahya MA, Sadik N, Mascarin AT, Perrine SA. Norepinephrine depletion in the brain sex-dependently modulates aspects of spatial learning and memory in female and male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:2585-2595. [PMID: 37658879 PMCID: PMC11069163 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06453-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE The contribution of norepinephrine on the different phases of spatial memory processing remains incompletely understood. To address this gap, this study depleted norepinephrine in the brain and then conducted a spatial learning task with multiple phases. METHODS Male and female Wistar rats were administered 50 mg/kg/i.p. of DSP-4 (N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine) to deplete norepinephrine. After 10 days, rats were trained on a 20-hole Barnes maze spatial navigation task for 5 days. On the fifth day, animals were euthanized and HPLC was used to confirm depletion of norepinephrine in select brain regions. In Experiment 2, rats underwent a similar Barnes maze procedure that continued beyond day 5 to investigate memory retrieval and updating via a single probe trial and two reversal learning periods. RESULTS Rats did not differ in Barnes maze acquisition between DSP-4 and saline-injected rats; however, initial acquisition differed between the sexes. HPLC analysis confirmed selective depletion of norepinephrine in dorsal hippocampus and cingulate cortex without impact to other monoamines. When retrieval was tested through a probe trial, DSP-4-improved memory retrieval in males but impaired it in females. Cognitive flexibility was transiently impacted by DSP-4 in males only. CONCLUSIONS Despite significantly reducing levels of norepinephrine, DSP-4 had only a modest impact on spatial learning and behavioral flexibility. Memory retrieval and early reversal learning were most affected and in a sex-specific manner. These data suggest that norepinephrine has sex-specific neuromodulatory effects on memory retrieval with a lesser effect on cognitive flexibility and no impact on acquisition of learned behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Gheidi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Mercer University School of Medicine, 1550 College St., Macon, GA, 31207, USA.
| | - Cameron J Davidson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Serena C Simpson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Majd A Yahya
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Nareen Sadik
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Alixandria T Mascarin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Shane A Perrine
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
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Velazquez-Sanchez C, Muresan L, Marti-Prats L, Belin D. The development of compulsive coping behaviour is associated with a downregulation of Arc in a Locus Coeruleus neuronal ensemble. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:653-663. [PMID: 36635597 PMCID: PMC9938202 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01522-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Some compulsive disorders have been considered to stem from the loss of control over coping strategies, such as displacement. However, the cellular mechanisms involved in the acquisition of coping behaviours and their subsequent compulsive manifestation in vulnerable individuals have not been elucidated. Considering the role of the locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenaline-dependent system in stress and related excessive behaviours, we hypothesised that neuroplastic changes in the LC may be associated with the acquisition of an adjunctive polydipsic water drinking, a prototypical displacement behaviour, and the ensuing development of compulsion in vulnerable individuals. Thus, male Sprague Dawley rats were characterised for their tendency, or not, to develop compulsive polydipsic drinking in a schedule-induced polydipsia (SIP) procedure before their fresh brains were harvested. A new quantification tool for RNAscope assays revealed that the development of compulsive adjunctive behaviour was associated with a low mRNA copy number of the plasticity marker Arc in the LC which appeared to be driven by specific adaptations in an ensemble of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)+, zif268- neurons. This ensemble was specifically engaged by the expression of compulsive adjunctive behaviour, not by stress, because its functional recruitment was not observed in individuals that no longer had access to the water bottle before sacrifice, while it consistently correlated with the levels of polydipsic water drinking only when it had become compulsive. Together these findings suggest that downregulation of Arc mRNA levels in a population of a TH+/zif268- LC neurons represents a signature of the tendency to develop compulsive coping behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Velazquez-Sanchez
- CLIC (Cambridge Laboratory for research on Impulsive/Compulsive disorders), Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Leila Muresan
- Cambridge Advanced Imaging Centre, Department of Physiology Development and Neuroscience of the University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Lucia Marti-Prats
- CLIC (Cambridge Laboratory for research on Impulsive/Compulsive disorders), Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - David Belin
- CLIC (Cambridge Laboratory for research on Impulsive/Compulsive disorders), Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
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Barbee BR, Gourley SL. Brain systems in cocaine abstinence-induced anxiety-like behavior in rodents: A review. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 2:100012. [PMID: 37485439 PMCID: PMC10361393 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2022.100012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is a significant public health issue that generates substantial personal, familial, and economic burdens. Still, there are no FDA-approved pharmacotherapies for CUD. Cocaine-dependent individuals report anxiety during withdrawal, and alleviation of anxiety and other negative affective states may be critical for maintaining drug abstinence. However, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying abstinence-related anxiety in humans or anxiety-like behavior in rodents are not fully understood. This review summarizes investigations regarding anxiety-like behavior in mice and rats undergoing cocaine abstinence, as assessed using four of the most common anxiety-related assays: the elevated plus (or its derivative, the elevated zero) maze, open field test, light-dark transition test, and defensive burying task. We first summarize available evidence that cocaine abstinence generates anxiety-like behavior that persists throughout protracted abstinence. Then, we examine investigations concerning neuropeptide, neurotransmitter, and neuromodulator systems in cocaine abstinence-induced anxiety-like behavior. Throughout, we discuss how differences in sex, rodent strain, cocaine dose and dosing strategy and abstinence duration interact to generate anxiety-like behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Britton R. Barbee
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology,
Emory University
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of
Medicine; Yerkes National Primate Research Center
| | - Shannon L. Gourley
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology,
Emory University
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of
Medicine; Yerkes National Primate Research Center
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l-Menthol increases extracellular dopamine and c-Fos-like immunoreactivity in the dorsal striatum, and promotes ambulatory activity in mice. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260713. [PMID: 34847183 PMCID: PMC8631625 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Similar to psychostimulants, the peripheral administration of menthol promotes mouse motor activity, and the neurotransmitter dopamine has been suggested to be involved in this effect. The present study aimed to elucidate the effects of l-menthol on parts of the central nervous system that are involved in motor effects. The subcutaneous administration of l-menthol significantly increased the number of c-Fos-like immunoreactive nuclei in the dorsal striatum of the mice, and motor activity was promoted. It also increased the extracellular dopamine level in the dorsal striatum of the mice. These observations indicated that after subcutaneous administration, l-menthol enhances dopamine-mediated neurotransmission, and activates neuronal activity in the dorsal striatum, thereby promoting motor activity in mice.
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Repeated cocaine exposure prior to fear conditioning induces persistency of PTSD-like symptoms and enhancement of hippocampal and amygdala cell density in male rats. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:2219-2241. [PMID: 34195855 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02320-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Pre- and post-trauma drug use can interfere with recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the biological underpinnings of this interference are poorly understood. Here we examined the effect of pre-fear conditioning cocaine self-administration on PTSD-like symptoms in male rats, and defined impairment of fear extinction as difficulty to recover from PTSD. We also examined cell density changes in brain regions suspected of being involved in resistance to PTSD recovery. Before footshock stress testing, rats were trained to self-administer cocaine during 20 consecutive days, after which they were exposed to footshocks, while other rats continued to self-administer cocaine until the end of the experiment. Upon assessment of three PTSD-like symptoms (fear during situational reminders, anxiety-like behavior, and impairment of recognition memory) and fear extinction learning and memory, changes in cell density were measured in the medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala. Results show that pre-footshock cocaine exposure did not affect fear during situational reminders. Fear conditioning did not lead to an increase in cocaine consumption. However, in footshock stressed rats, cocaine induced a reduction of anxiety-like behavior, an aggravation of recognition memory decline, and an impairment of extinction memory. These behavioral alterations were associated with increased cell density in the hippocampal CA1, CA2, and CA3 regions and basolateral amygdala, but not in the medial prefrontal cortex. Our findings suggest that enhancement of cell density in the hippocampus and amygdala may be changes associated with drug use, interfering with PTSD recovery.
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Dopamine modulates individual differences in avoidance behavior: A pharmacological, immunohistochemical, neurochemical and volumetric investigation. Neurobiol Stress 2020; 12:100219. [PMID: 32435668 PMCID: PMC7231994 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2020.100219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Avoidance behavior is a hallmark in pathological anxiety disorders and results in impairment of daily activities. Individual differences in avoidance responses are critical in determining vulnerability or resistance to anxiety disorders. Dopaminergic activation is implicated in the processing of avoidance responses; however, the mechanisms underlying these responses are unknown. In this sense, we used a preclinical model of avoidance behavior to investigate the possibility of an intrinsic differential dopaminergic pattern between good and poor performers. The specific goal was to assess the participation of dopamine (DA) through pharmacological manipulation, and we further evaluated the effects of systemic injections of the dopaminergic receptor type 1 (D1 antagonist - SCH23390) and dopaminergic receptor type 2 (D2 antagonist - sulpiride) antagonists in the good performers. Additionally, we evaluated the effects of intra-amygdala microinjection of a D1 antagonist (SCH23390) and a D2 antagonist (sulpiride) in good performers as well as intra-amygdala microinjection of a D1 agonist (SKF38393) and D2 agonist (quinpirole) in poor performers. Furthermore, we quantified the contents of dopamine and metabolites (3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA)) in the amygdala, evaluated the basal levels of tyrosine hydroxylase expression (catecholamine synthesis enzyme) and measured the volume of the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area and locus coeruleus. Our results showed that it could be possible to convert animals from good to poor performers, and vice versa, by intra-amygdala (basolateral and central nucleus) injections of D1 receptor antagonists in good performers or D2 receptor agonists in poor performers. Additionally, the good performers had lower levels of DOPAC and HVA in the amygdala, an increase in the total volume of the amygdala (AMG), substantia nigra (SN), ventral tegmental area (VTA) and locus coeruleus (LC), and an increase in the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells in SN, VTA and LC, which positively correlates with the avoidance behavior. Taken together, our data show evidence for a dopaminergic signature of avoidance performers, emphasizing the role of distinct dopaminergic receptors in individual differences in avoidance behavior based on pharmacological, immunohistochemical, neurochemical and volumetric analyses. Our findings provide a better understanding of the role of the dopaminergic system in the execution of avoidance behavior. The role of dopamine in individual differences in avoidance behavior. Dopamine modulates avoidance behavior. Dopaminergic evidence of individual difference in avoidance behavior. Good and poor avoiders distinction based on dopaminergic signature. Dopaminergic signature of avoidance performers: poor versus good avoiders.
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Nawarawong NN, Olsen CM. Within-animal comparisons of novelty and cocaine neuronal ensemble overlap in the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex. Behav Brain Res 2020; 379:112275. [PMID: 31614186 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Novelty seeking is a personality trait associated with an increased vulnerability for substance abuse. In rodents, elevated novelty seeking has been shown to be a predictor for elevated drug self-administration and compulsive use. While previous studies have shown that both novelty and drugs of abuse have actions within similar mesocorticolimbic regions, little is known as to whether the same neural ensembles are engaged by these two stimuli. Using the TetTag mouse model and Fos immunohistochemistry, we measured neurons engaged by novelty and acute cocaine exposure, respectively in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). While there was no significant impact of novelty exposure on the size of the EGFP+ ensemble, we found that cocaine engaged significantly more Fos+ neurons in the NAc, while stress increased the size of the Fos+ ensemble in the PFC. Analysis of ensemble reactivation was specific to the emotional valence of the second stimuli. We found that a greater proportion of the EGFP+ ensemble was reactivated in the groups that paired novelty with a positive (cocaine) or neutral (saline) experience in the NAc, while the novelty/stress paired groups exhibited significantly less ensemble overlap in the PFC. However, only in the NAc shell was this increase in ensemble overlap specific to those exposed to both novelty and cocaine. This suggests that the NAc shell, but not the NAc core or PFC, may play an important role in general reward processing by engaging a similar network of neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie N Nawarawong
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA; Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Christopher M Olsen
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA; Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
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Lisieski MJ, Karavidha K, Gheidi A, Garibyan RL, Conti AC, Morrow JD, Perrine SA. Divergent effects of repeated cocaine and novel environment exposure on locus coeruleus c-fos expression and brain catecholamine concentrations in rats. Brain Behav 2019; 9:e01222. [PMID: 30790470 PMCID: PMC6422811 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Revised: 11/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Chronic administration of cocaine causes a disinhibited, hyperexploratory response to novel environments. As the norepinephrine (NE) system regulates exploration and is dysregulated following cocaine exposure, we hypothesized that this cocaine-mediated hyperexploratory response is associated with increased locus coeruleus (LC) reactivity. METHODS To test this hypothesis, we used dual fluorescent in situ hybridization immunofluorescence to analyze novelty-induced c-fos and tyrosine hydroxylase expression in the LC and high-pressure liquid chromatography to measure dopamine (DA) and NE concentrations in key catecholamine projection regions following exposure to cocaine. RESULTS Repeated cocaine exposure followed by a 14-day drug-free period increased exploration of novel environments, replicating previous findings. Novelty exposure increased LC c-fos expression, increased anterior cingulate NE, and decreased ventral tegmental area DA. Cocaine exposure decreased amygdala (AMY) DA, but had no effect on LC c-fos expression or NE in any tested brain region. No interactions between cocaine and novelty were found. Open arm exploration was positively correlated with LC c-fos expression and NE concentrations in both the anterior cingulate and nucleus accumbens, and negatively correlated with AMY DA concentration. CONCLUSIONS Our findings confirm that exposure to novel environments increases LC activity and NE in the anterior cingulate cortex, that long-term exposure to cocaine dysregulates AMY DA, and that disinhibited exploration in novel environments correlates with NE and DA in regions that modulate risk-taking and avoidance behavior. Further studies investigating the effects of cocaine on brain catecholamine systems are important in understanding the long-lasting effects of cocaine on brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Lisieski
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Klevis Karavidha
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Ali Gheidi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Rafael L Garibyan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Alana C Conti
- Research and Development Service, John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Jonathan D Morrow
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Shane A Perrine
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.,Research and Development Service, John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
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