Axonal branching patterns of nucleus accumbens neurons in the rat

Neurochemistry and circuit organization of the lateral spiriform nucleus of birds: A uniquely nonmammalian direct pathway component of the basal ganglia

We used diverse methods to characterize the role of avian lateral spiriform nucleus (SpL) in basal ganglia motor function. Connectivity analysis showed that SpL receives input from globus pallidus (GP), and the intrapeduncular nucleus (INP) located ventromedial to GP, whose neurons express numerous striatal markers. SpL-projecting GP neurons were large and aspiny, while SpL-projecting INP neurons were medium sized and spiny. Connectivity analysis further showed that SpL receives inputs from subthalamic nucleus (STN) and substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr), and that the SNr also receives inputs from GP, INP, and STN. Neurochemical analysis showed that SpL neurons express ENK, GAD, and a variety of pallidal neuron markers, and receive GABAergic terminals, some of which also contain DARPP32, consistent with GP pallidal and INP striatal inputs. Connectivity and neurochemical analysis showed that the SpL input to tectum prominently ends on GABAA receptor-enriched tectobulbar neurons. Behavioral studies showed that lesions of SpL impair visuomotor behaviors involving tracking and pecking moving targets. Our results suggest that SpL modulates brainstem-projecting tectobulbar neurons in a manner comparable to the demonstrated influence of GP internus on motor thalamus and of SNr on tectobulbar neurons in mammals. Given published data in amphibians and reptiles, it seems likely the SpL circuit represents a major direct pathway-type circuit by which the basal ganglia exerts its motor influence in nonmammalian tetrapods. The present studies also show that avian striatum is divided into three spatially segregated territories with differing connectivity, a medial striato-nigral territory, a dorsolateral striato-GP territory, and the ventrolateral INP motor territory.

The Paraventricular Thalamic Nucleus and Its Projections in Regulating Reward and Context Associations

The paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVT) is a brain region that mediates aversive and reward-related behaviors as shown in animals exposed to fear conditioning, natural rewards, or drugs of abuse. However, it is unknown whether manipulations of the PVT, in the absence of external factors or stimuli (e.g., fear, natural rewards, or drugs of abuse), are sufficient to drive reward-related behaviors. Additionally, it is unknown whether drugs of abuse administered directly into the PVT are sufficient to drive reward-related behaviors. Here, using behavioral as well as pathway and cell-type specific approaches, we manipulate PVT activity as well as the PVT-to-nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) neurocircuit to explore reward phenotypes. First, we show that bath perfusion of morphine (10 µM) caused hyperpolarization of the resting membrane potential, increased rheobase, and decreased intrinsic membrane excitability in PVT neurons that project to the NAcSh. Additionally, we found that direct injections of morphine (50 ng) in the PVT of mice were sufficient to generate conditioned place preference (CPP) for the morphine-paired chamber. Mimicking the inhibitory effect of morphine, we employed a chemogenetic approach to inhibit PVT neurons that projected to the NAcSh and found that pairing the inhibition of these PVT neurons with a specific context evoked the acquisition of CPP. Lastly, using brain slice electrophysiology, we found that bath-perfused morphine (10 µM) significantly reduced PVT excitatory synaptic transmission on both dopamine D1 and D2 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons in the NAcSh, but that inhibiting PVT afferents in the NAcSh was not sufficient to evoke CPP.

Updating the striatal-pallidal wiring diagram

The striatal and pallidal complexes are basal ganglia structures that orchestrate learning and execution of flexible behavior. Models of how the basal ganglia subserve these functions have evolved considerably, and the advent of optogenetic and molecular tools has shed light on the heterogeneity of subcircuits within these pathways. However, a synthesis of how molecularly diverse neurons integrate into existing models of basal ganglia function is lacking. Here, we provide an overview of the neurochemical and molecular diversity of striatal and pallidal neurons and synthesize recent circuit connectivity studies in rodents that takes this diversity into account. We also highlight anatomical organizational principles that distinguish the dorsal and ventral basal ganglia pathways in rodents. Future work integrating the molecular and anatomical properties of striatal and pallidal subpopulations may resolve controversies regarding basal ganglia network function.

Ventral pallidal regulation of motivated behaviors and reinforcement

The interconnected nuclei of the ventral basal ganglia have long been identified as key regulators of motivated behavior, and dysfunction of this circuit is strongly implicated in mood and substance use disorders. The ventral pallidum (VP) is a central node of the ventral basal ganglia, and recent studies have revealed complex VP cellular heterogeneity and cell- and circuit-specific regulation of reward, aversion, motivation, and drug-seeking behaviors. Although the VP is canonically considered a relay and output structure for this circuit, emerging data indicate that the VP is a central hub in an extensive network for reward processing and the regulation of motivation that extends beyond classically defined basal ganglia borders. VP neurons respond temporally faster and show more advanced reward coding and prediction error processing than neurons in the upstream nucleus accumbens, and regulate the activity of the ventral mesencephalon dopamine system. This review will summarize recent findings in the literature and provide an update on the complex cellular heterogeneity and cell- and circuit-specific regulation of motivated behaviors and reinforcement by the VP with a specific focus on mood and substance use disorders. In addition, we will discuss mechanisms by which stress and drug exposure alter the functioning of the VP and produce susceptibility to neuropsychiatric disorders. Lastly, we will outline unanswered questions and identify future directions for studies necessary to further clarify the central role of VP neurons in the regulation of motivated behaviors. Significance: Research in the last decade has revealed a complex cell- and circuit-specific role for the VP in reward processing and the regulation of motivated behaviors. Novel insights obtained using cell- and circuit-specific interrogation strategies have led to a major shift in our understanding of this region. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the VP in which we integrate novel findings with the existing literature and highlight the emerging role of the VP as a linchpin of the neural systems that regulate motivation, reward, and aversion. In addition, we discuss the dysfunction of the VP in animal models of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Potential therapeutic mechanism of deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) (NAc-DBS) is an effective solution to refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, evidence for the neurobiological mechanisms of OCD and the effect of NAc-DBS is still lacking. One hypothesis is that the electrophysiological activities in the NAc are modulated by DBS, and another hypothesis is that the activities of neurotransmitters in the NAc are influenced by DBS. To investigate these potential alterations, rats with quinpirole (QNP)- induced OCD were treated with DBS of the core part of NAc. Then, extracellular spikes (SPK) and local field potentials (LFP) in the NAc were recorded, and the levels of relevant neurotransmitters and related proteins were measured. Analysis of SPK revealed that the firing rate was decreased and the firing pattern was changed after NAc-DBS, and analysis of LFP showed that overall power spectral density (PSD) levels were reduced after NAc-DBS. Additionally, we found that the relative powers of the theta band, alpha band and beta band were increased in OCD status, while the relative powers of the delta band and gamma band were decreased. This pathological pattern of power distribution was reformed by NAc-DBS. Furthermore, we found that the local levels of monoamines [dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT)] and amino acids [glutamate (Glu) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)] in the NAc were increased in OCD status, and that the expression of the two types of DA receptors in the NAc exhibited an opposite change. These abnormalities could be reversed by NAc-DBS. These findings provide a more comprehensive understanding about the function of the NAc in the pathophysiology of OCD and provide more detailed evidence for the potential effect of NAc-DBS.

The role of the nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum in feeding and obesity

Obesity is a growing global epidemic that stems from the increasing availability of highly-palatable foods and the consequent enhanced calorie consumption. Extensive research has shown that brain regions that are central to reward seeking modulate feeding and evidence linking obesity to pathology in such regions have recently started to accumulate. In this review we focus on the contribution of two major interconnected structures central to reward processing, the nucleus accumbens and the ventral pallidum, to obesity. We first review the known literature linking these structures to feeding behavior, then discuss recent advances connecting pathology in the nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum to obesity, and finally examine the similarities and differences between drug addiction and obesity in the context of these two structures. The understanding of how pathology in brain regions involved in reward seeking and consumption may drive obesity and how mechanistically similar obesity and addiction are, is only now starting to be revealed. We hope that future research will advance knowledge in the field and open new avenues to studying and treating obesity.

Silent Synapses in Cocaine-Associated Memory and Beyond

Glutamatergic synapses are key cellular sites where cocaine experience creates memory traces that subsequently promote cocaine craving and seeking. In addition to making across-the-board synaptic adaptations, cocaine experience also generates a discrete population of new synapses that selectively encode cocaine memories. These new synapses are glutamatergic synapses that lack functionally stable AMPARs, often referred to as AMPAR-silent synapses or, simply, silent synapses. They are generated de novo in the NAc by cocaine experience. After drug withdrawal, some of these synapses mature by recruiting AMPARs, contributing to the consolidation of cocaine-associated memory. After cue-induced retrieval of cocaine memories, matured silent synapses alternate between two dynamic states (AMPAR-absent vs AMPAR-containing) that correspond with the behavioral manifestations of destabilization and reconsolidation of these memories. Here, we review the molecular mechanisms underlying silent synapse dynamics during behavior, discuss their contributions to circuit remodeling, and analyze their role in cocaine-memory-driven behaviors. We also propose several mechanisms through which silent synapses can form neuronal ensembles as well as cross-region circuit engrams for cocaine-specific behaviors. These perspectives lead to our hypothesis that cocaine-generated silent synapses stand as a distinct set of synaptic substrates encoding key aspects of cocaine memory that drive cocaine relapse.

Ventral pallidum cellular and pathway specificity in drug seeking

The ventral pallidum (VP) is central to the reinforcing effects across a variety of drugs and relapse to drug seeking. Emerging studies from animal models of reinstatement reveal a complex neurobiology of the VP that contributes to different aspects of relapse to drug seeking. This review builds on classical understanding of the VP as part of the final common pathway of relapse but also discusses the properties of the VP as an independent structure. These include VP neural anatomical subregions, cellular heterogeneity, circuitry, neurotransmitters and peptides. Collectively, this review provides a current understanding of the VP from molecular to circuit level architecture that contributes to both the appetitive and aversive symptoms of drug addiction. We show the complex neurobiology of the VP in drug seeking, emphasizing its critical role in addiction, and review strategic approaches that target the VP to reduce relapse rates.

The Role of Neuropeptide Y in the Nucleus Accumbens

Neuropeptide Y (NPY), an abundant peptide in the central nervous system, is expressed in neurons of various regions throughout the brain. The physiological and behavioral effects of NPY are mainly mediated through Y1, Y2, and Y5 receptor subtypes, which are expressed in regions regulating food intake, fear and anxiety, learning and memory, depression, and posttraumatic stress. In particular, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) has one of the highest NPY concentrations in the brain. In this review, we summarize the role of NPY in the NAc. NPY is expressed principally in medium-sized aspiny neurons, and numerous NPY immunoreactive fibers are observed in the NAc. Alterations in NPY expression under certain conditions through intra-NAc injections of NPY or receptor agonists/antagonists revealed NPY to be involved in the characteristic functions of the NAc, such as alcohol intake and drug addiction. In addition, control of mesolimbic dopaminergic release via NPY receptors may take part in these functions. NPY in the NAc also participates in fat intake and emotional behavior. Accumbal NPY neurons and fibers may exert physiological and pathophysiological actions partly through neuroendocrine mechanisms and the autonomic nervous system.

Circuit selectivity in drug versus natural reward seeking behaviors

Substance use disorder (SUD) is characterized, in part by behavior biased toward drug use and away from natural sources of reward (e.g., social interaction, food, sex). The neurobiological underpinnings of SUDs reveal distinct brain regions where neuronal activity is necessary for the manifestation of SUD-characteristic behaviors. Studies that specifically examine how these regions are involved in behaviors motivated by drug versus natural reward allow determinations of which regions are necessary for regulating seeking of both reward types, and appraisals of novel SUD therapies for off-target effects on behaviors motivated by natural reward. Here, we evaluate studies directly comparing regulatory roles for specific brain regions in drug versus natural reward. While it is clear that many regions drive behaviors motivated by all reward types, based on the literature reviewed we propose a set of interconnected regions that become necessary for behaviors motivated by drug, but not natural rewards. The circuitry is selectively necessary for drug seeking includes an Action/Reward subcircuit, comprising nucleus accumbens, ventral pallidum, and ventral tegmental area, a Prefrontal subcircuit comprising prelimbic, infralimbic, and insular cortices, a Stress subcircuit comprising the central nucleus of the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and a Diencephalon circuit including lateral hypothalamus. Evidence was mixed for nucleus accumbens shell, insular cortex, and ventral pallidum. Studies for all other brain nuclei reviewed supported a necessary role in regulating both drug and natural reward seeking. Finally, we discuss emerging strategies to further disambiguate the necessity of brain regions in drug- versus natural reward-associated behaviors.

Extensive divergence of projections to the forebrain from neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus

Neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) respond to emotionally salient events and project densely to subcortical regions known to mediate adaptive behavioral responses. The areas of the forebrain most densely innervated by the PVT include striatal-like subcortical regions that consist of the shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAcSh), the dorsolateral region of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTDL) and the lateral-capsular division of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeL). A recent tracing experiment demonstrated that the PVT is composed of two intermixed populations of neurons that primarily project to either the dorsomedial (dmNAcSh) or ventromedial region of the NAcSh (vmNAcSh) with many of the vmNAcSh projecting neurons providing collateral innervation of the BSTDL and CeL. The present study used triple injections of the retrograde tracer cholera toxin B to provide a detailed map of the location of PVT neurons that provide collaterals to the vmNAcSh, BSTDL and CeL. These neurons were intermixed throughout the PVT and did not form uniquely localized subpopulations. An intersectional viral anterograde tracing approach was used to demonstrate that regardless of its presumed target of innervation (dmNAcSh, vmNAcSh, BSTDL, or CeL), most neurons in the PVT provide collateral innervation to a common set of forebrain regions. The paper shows that PVT-dmNAcSh projecting neurons provide the most divergent projection system and that these neurons express the immediate early gene product cFos following an aversive incident. We propose that the PVT may regulate a broad range of responses to physiological and psychological challenges by simultaneously influencing functionally diverse regions of the forebrain that include the cortex, striatal-like regions in the basal forebrain and a number of hypothalamic nuclei.

Differential recruitment of ventral pallidal e-types by behaviorally salient stimuli during Pavlovian conditioning

The ventral pallidum (VP) is interfacing striatopallidal and limbic circuits, conveying information about salience and valence crucial to adjusting behavior. However, how VP neuron populations with distinct electrophysiological properties (e-types) represent these variables is not fully understood. Therefore, we trained mice on probabilistic Pavlovian conditioning while recording the activity of VP neurons. Many VP neurons responded to punishment (54%), reward (48%), and outcome-predicting auditory stimuli (32%), increasingly differentiating distinct outcome probabilities through learning. We identified e-types based on the presence of bursts or fast rhythmic discharges and found that non-bursting, non-rhythmic neurons were the most sensitive to reward and punishment. Some neurons exhibited distinct responses of their bursts and single spikes, suggesting a multiplexed coding scheme in the VP. Finally, we demonstrate synchronously firing neuron assemblies, particularly responsive to reinforcing stimuli. These results suggest that electrophysiologically defined e-types of the VP differentially participate in transmitting reinforcement signals during learning.

Role of the nucleus accumbens in functional recovery from spinal cord injury

Post brain damage depression impedes functional recovery. On the other hand, higher motivation facilitates functional recovery after damage to the central nervous system, but the neural mechanism of psychological effects on functional recovery is unclear. The nucleus accumbens (NAcc), a motivation center, has not been considered directly involved in motor function. Recently, it was demonstrated that the NAcc makes a direct contribution to motor performance after spinal cord injury by facilitating motor cortex activity. In this perspective, we first summarize our investigation of role of NAcc in motor control during the recovery course after spinal cord injury, followed by a discussion of the current knowledge regarding the relationship between the recovery and NAcc after neuronal damage.

Deep hypothermia prevents striatal alterations produced by perinatal asphyxia: Implications for the prevention of dyskinesia and psychosis

GABAergic medium spiny neurons are the main neuronal population in the striatum. Calbindin is preferentially expressed in medium spiny neurons involved in the indirect pathway. The aim of the present work is to analyze the effect of perinatal asphyxia on different subpopulations of GABAergic neurons in the striatum and to assess the outcome of deep therapeutic hypothermia. The uterus of pregnant rats was removed by cesarean section and the fetuses were exposed to hypoxia by immersion in water (19 min) at 37°C (perinatal asphyxia). The hypothermic group was exposed to 10°C during 30 min after perinatal asphyxia. The rats were euthanized at the age of one month (adolescent/adult rats), their brains were dissected out and coronal sections were immunolabeled for calbindin, calretinin, NeuN, and reelin. Reelin+ cells showed no staining in the striatum besides subventricular zone. The perinatal asphyxia (PA) group showed a significant decrease in calbindin neurons and a paradoxical increase in neurons estimated by NeuN staining. Moreover, calretinin+ cells, a specific subpopulation of GABAergic neurons, showed an increase caused by PA. Deep hypothermia reversed most of these alterations probably by protecting calbindin neurons. Similarly, there was a reduction of the diameter of the anterior commissure produced by the asphyxia that was prevented by hypothermic treatment.

Δ 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Toxicity and Validation of Cannabidiol on Brain Dopamine Levels: An Assessment on Cannabis Duplicity

Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) of cannabis is the main psychoactive component which is a global significant concern to human health. Evaluation on THC reported its drastic effect on the brain dopaminergic (DAergic) system stimulating mesolimbic DA containing neurons thereby increasing the level of striatal DA. Cannabidiol (CBD), with its anxiolytic and anti-psychotic property, is potent to ameliorate the THC-induced DAergic variations. Legal authorization of cannabis use and its analogs in most countries led to a drastic dispute in the elicitation of cannabis products. With a recent increase in cannabis-induced disorder rates, the present review highlighted the detrimental effects of THC and the effects of CBD on THC induced alterations in DA synthesis and release. Alongside the reported data, uses of cannabis as a therapeutic medium in a number of health complications are also being briefly reviewed. These evaluated reports led to an anticipation of additional research contradictory to the findings of THC and CBD activity in the brain DAergic system and their medical implementations as therapeutics.

The ventral pallidum and relapse in alcohol seeking

Alcohol-use disorders are chronically relapsing conditions characterized by cycles of use, abstinence and relapse. The ventral pallidum (VP) is a key node in the neural circuits controlling relapse to alcohol seeking and a key target of pharmacotherapies for relapse prevention. There has been a significant increase in our understanding of the molecular, anatomical, pharmacological and functional properties of the ventral pallidum, laying foundations for a new understanding of its role in relapse to alcohol seeking and motivation. Here we review these advances, placing special emphasis on how advances in understanding in the cellular and circuit architectures of ventral pallidum contributes to the relapse to alcohol seeking. We show how this knowledge improves mechanistic understanding of current relapse prevention pharmacotherapies, how it may be used to tailor these against different forms of relapse and how it may help provide insights into the mental health problems frequently co-morbid with alcohol-use disorders.

Heterogeneity in striatal dopamine circuits: Form and function in dynamic reward seeking

The striatal dopamine system has long been studied in the context of reward learning, motivation, and movement. Given the prominent role dopamine plays in a variety of adaptive behavioral states, as well as diseases like addiction, it is essential to understand the full complexity of dopamine neurons and the striatal systems they target. A growing number of studies are uncovering details of the heterogeneity in dopamine neuron subpopulations. Here, we review that work to synthesize current understanding of dopamine system heterogeneity across three levels, anatomical organization, functions in behavior, and modes of action, wherein we focus on signaling profiles and local mechanisms for modulation of dopamine release. Together, these studies reveal new and emerging dimensions of the striatal dopamine system, informing its contribution to dynamic motivational and decision-making processes.

Ventral Pallidum Is the Primary Target for Accumbens D1 Projections Driving Cocaine Seeking

Outputs from the nucleus accumbens (NAc) include projections to the ventral pallidum and the ventral tegmental area and subtantia nigra in the ventral mesencephalon. The medium spiny neurons (MSN) that give rise to these pathways are GABAergic and consist of two populations of equal number that are segregated by differentially expressed proteins, including D1- and D2-dopamine receptors. Afferents to the ventral pallidum arise from both D1- and D2-MSNs, whereas the ventral mesencephalon is selectively innervated by D1-MSN. To determine the extent of collateralization of D1-MSN to these axon terminal fields we used retrograde labeling in transgenic mice expressing tdTomato selectively in D1-MSN, and found that a large majority of D1-MSN in either the shell or core subcompartments of the accumbens collateralized to both output structures. Approximately 70% of D1-MSNs projecting to the ventral pallidum collateralized to the ventral mesencephalon, whereas >90% of mesencephalic D1-MSN afferents collateralized to the ventral pallidum. In contrast, <10% of dorsal striatal D1-MSNs collateralized to both the globus pallidus and ventral mesencephalon. D1-MSN activation is required for conditioned cues to induce cocaine seeking. To determine which D1-MSN projection mediates cued cocaine seeking, we selectively transfected D1-MSNs in transgenic rats with an inhibitory Gi-coupled DREADD. Activation of the transfected Gi-DREADD with clozapine-N-oxide administered into the ventral pallidum, but not into the ventral mesencephalon, blocked cue-induced cocaine seeking. These data show that, although accumbens D1-MSNs largely collateralize to both the ventral pallidum and ventral mesencephalon, only D1-MSN innervation of the ventral pallidum is necessary for cue-induced cocaine seeking.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Activity in D1 dopamine receptor-expressing neurons in the NAc is required for rodents to respond to cocaine-conditioned cues and relapse to drug seeking behaviors. The D1-expressing neurons project to both the ventral pallidum and ventral mesencephalon, and we found that a majority of the neurons that innervate the ventral pallidum also collateralize to the ventral mesencephalon. However, despite innervating both structures, only D1 innervation of the ventral pallidum mediates cue-induced cocaine seeking.

Dopamine and addiction: what have we learned from 40 years of research

Among the neurotransmitters involved in addiction, dopamine (DA) is clearly the best known. The critical role of DA in addiction is supported by converging evidence that has been accumulated in the last 40 years. In the present review, first we describe the dopaminergic system in terms of connectivity, functioning and involvement in reward processes. Second, we describe the functional, structural, and molecular changes induced by drugs within the DA system in terms of neuronal activity, synaptic plasticity and transcriptional and molecular adaptations. Third, we describe how genetic mouse models have helped characterizing the role of DA in addiction. Fourth, we describe the involvement of the DA system in the vulnerability to addiction and the interesting case of addiction DA replacement therapy in Parkinson's disease. Finally, we describe how the DA system has been targeted to treat patients suffering from addiction and the result obtained in clinical settings and we discuss how these different lines of evidence have been instrumental in shaping our understanding of the physiopathology of drug addiction.

Ventral pallidal modulation of aversion processing

Responding to aversive and rewarding stimuli is essential to survival. The ventral pallidum (VP) is a critical node in the mesolimbic network, being the primary output of the nucleus accumbens and projecting to the lateral habenula (LHb) and ventral tegmental area (VTA). The VP is thus poised to modulate the habenula-tegmental circuitry and contribute to processing both rewarding and aversive stimuli. Here, we integrate human functional imaging, behavioral pharmacology in rodents, and recent optogenetic circuit dissection studies of the VP with a focus on the role of the neurochemically-distinct subpopulations in aversion processing. These recent results support a model in which glutamatergic VP neurons play a unique role in aversion processing, while canonical GABAergic VP neurons promote reinforcement and encode the hedonic value of reward. Genetic ablation of glutamatergic, but not GABAergic VP neurons abolishes devaluation of natural reward (sucrose) by pairing with an aversive stimulus (lithium chloride injection). Both of these populations modulate activity throughout the LHb and VTA, which is necessary for expression of adaptive behavior in response to rewarding or aversive stimuli. Future work will address how neuromodulators such as endogenous opioids or dopamine shape function and plasticity within these distinct populations of VP neurons, when these subpopulations are engaged during learning responses to rewarding and aversive stimuli, and how their activity is altered in models of reward-related disorders. Answering these questions will be necessary to understand the basis and ultimately develop targeted therapies for disorders of reward/aversion processing, such as affective, chronic pain and substance use disorders.

Neuronal mechanisms mediating pathological reward-related behaviors: A focus on silent synapses in the nucleus accumbens

The compulsive drive to seek drugs despite negative consequences relies heavily on drug-induced alterations that occur within the reward neurocircuit. These alterations include changes in neuromodulator and neurotransmitter systems that ultimately lock behaviors into an inflexible and permanent state. To provide clinicians with improved treatment options, researchers are trying to identify, as potential targets of therapeutic intervention, the neural mechanisms mediating an "addictive-like state". Here, we discuss how drug-induced generation of silent synapses in the nucleus accumbens may be a potential therapeutic target capable of reversing drug-related behaviors.

Mesencephalic dopamine neurons interfacing the shell of nucleus accumbens and the dorsolateral striatum in the rat

Parallel corticostriatonigral circuits have been proposed that separately process motor, cognitive, and emotional‐motivational information. Functional integration requires that interactions exist between neurons participating in these circuits. This makes it imperative to study the complex anatomical substrate underlying corticostriatonigral circuits. It has previously been proposed that dopaminergic neurons in the ventral mesencephalon may play a role in this circuit interaction. Therefore, we studied in rats convergence of basal ganglia circuits by depositing an anterograde neuroanatomical tracer into the ventral striatum together with a retrograde fluorescent tracer ipsilaterally in the dorsolateral striatum. In the mesencephalon, using confocal microscopy, we looked for possible appositions of anterogradely labeled fibers and retrogradely labeled neurons, “enhancing” the latter via intracellular injection of Lucifer Yellow. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunofluorescence served to identify dopaminergic neurons. In neurophysiological experiments, we combined orthodromic stimulation in the medial ventral striatum with recording from ventral mesencephalic neurons characterized by antidromic stimulation from the dorsal striatum. We observed terminal fields of anterogradely labeled fibers that overlap populations of retrogradely labeled nigrostriatal cell bodies in the substantia nigra pars compacta and lateral ventral tegmental area (VTA), with numerous close appositions between boutons of anterogradely labeled fibers and nigrostriatal, TH‐immunopositive neurons. Neurophysiological stimulation in the medial ventral striatum caused inhibition of dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons projecting to the ventrolateral striatal territory. Responding nigrostriatal neurons were located in the medial substantia nigra and adjacent VTA. Our results strongly suggest a functional link between ventromedial, emotional‐motivational striatum, and the sensorimotor dorsal striatum via dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons.

Effect of early embryonic deletion of huntingtin from pyramidal neurons on the development and long-term survival of neurons in cerebral cortex and striatum

We evaluated the impact of early embryonic deletion of huntingtin (htt) from pyramidal neurons on cortical development, cortical neuron survival and motor behavior, using a cre-loxP strategy to inactivate the mouse htt gene (Hdh) in emx1-expressing cell lineages. Western blot confirmed substantial htt reduction in cerebral cortex of these Emx-htt^KO mice, with residual cortical htt in all likelihood restricted to cortical interneurons of the subpallial lineage and/or vascular endothelial cells. Despite the loss of htt early in development, cortical lamination was normal, as revealed by layer-specific markers. Cortical volume and neuron abundance were, however, significantly less than normal, and cortical neurons showed reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and reduced activation of BDNF signaling pathways. Nonetheless, cortical volume and neuron abundance did not show progressive age-related decline in Emx-htt^KO mice out to 24 months. Although striatal neurochemistry was normal, reductions in striatal volume and neuron abundance were seen in Emx-htt^KO mice, which were again not progressive. Weight maintenance was normal in Emx-htt^KO mice, but a slight rotarod deficit and persistent hyperactivity were observed throughout the lifespan. Our results show that embryonic deletion of htt from developing pallium does not substantially alter migration of cortical neurons to their correct laminar destinations, but does yield reduced cortical and striatal size and neuron numbers. The Emx-htt^KO mice were persistently hyperactive, possibly due to defects in corticostriatal development. Importantly, deletion of htt from cortical pyramidal neurons did not yield age-related progressive cortical or striatal pathology.

Cannabidiol Counteracts Amphetamine-Induced Neuronal and Behavioral Sensitization of the Mesolimbic Dopamine Pathway through a Novel mTOR/p70S6 Kinase Signaling Pathway

Schizophrenia-related psychosis is associated with disturbances in mesolimbic dopamine (DA) transmission, characterized by hyperdopaminergic activity in the mesolimbic pathway. Currently, the only clinically effective treatment for schizophrenia involves the use of antipsychotic medications that block DA receptor transmission. However, these medications produce serious side effects leading to poor compliance and treatment outcomes. Emerging evidence points to the involvement of a specific phytochemical component of marijuana called cannabidiol (CBD), which possesses promising therapeutic properties for the treatment of schizophrenia-related psychoses. However, the neuronal and molecular mechanisms through which CBD may exert these effects are entirely unknown. We used amphetamine (AMPH)-induced sensitization and sensorimotor gating in rats, two preclinical procedures relevant to schizophrenia-related psychopathology, combined with in vivo single-unit neuronal electrophysiology recordings in the ventral tegmental area, and molecular analyses to characterize the actions of CBD directly in the nucleus accumbens shell (NASh), a brain region that is the current target of most effective antipsychotics. We demonstrate that Intra-NASh CBD attenuates AMPH-induced sensitization, both in terms of DAergic neuronal activity measured in the ventral tegmental area and psychotomimetic behavioral analyses. We further report that CBD controls downstream phosphorylation of the mTOR/p70S6 kinase signaling pathways directly within the NASh. Our findings demonstrate a novel mechanism for the putative antipsychotic-like properties of CBD in the mesolimbic circuitry. We identify the molecular signaling pathways through which CBD may functionally reduce schizophrenia-like neuropsychopathology.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

The cannabis-derived phytochemical, cannabidiol (CBD), has been shown to have pharmacotherapeutic efficacy for the treatment of schizophrenia. However, the mechanisms by which CBD may produce antipsychotic effects are entirely unknown. Using preclinical behavioral procedures combined with molecular analyses and in vivo neuronal electrophysiology, our findings identify a functional role for the nucleus accumbens as a critical brain region whereby CBD can produce effects similar to antipsychotic medications by triggering molecular signaling pathways associated with the effects of classic antipsychotic medications. Specifically, we report that CBD can attenuate both behavioral and dopaminergic neuronal correlates of mesolimbic dopaminergic sensitization, via a direct interaction with mTOR/p70S6 kinase signaling within the mesolimbic pathway.

Ventral Pallidum Output Pathways in Context-Induced Reinstatement of Alcohol Seeking

Ventral pallidum (VP) is a well-established locus for the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse and reinstatement of drug seeking. However, VP neurons are at the origin of multiple output pathways, with strong projections to ventral tegmental area (VTA), subthalamic nucleus (STN), lateral hypothalamus, among others, and the roles of these VP output pathways in reinstatement of drug seeking remain poorly understood. Here we addressed these issues using a combination of neuroanatomical tracing and chemogenetic approaches. First, using dual-retrograde tracing, we show that VP neurons projecting to either VTA or STN are recruited during context-induced reinstatement of extinguished alcohol seeking in rats. Then, using chemogenetics, we show modulation of context-induced reinstatement and reacquisition of alcohol seeking via designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs excitation or inhibition of the VP. To determine the causal roles of VP → VTA and VP → STN pathways in context-induced reinstatement and reacquisition we used a chemogenetic disconnection approach and show that silencing either the VP → VTA or VP → STN pathways is sufficient to reduce both reinstatement and reacquisition of alcohol seeking. Moreover, these disconnections also each reduced responding and motivation during a progressive ratio test but had no effect on locomotor activity. Together, these results show that multiple ventral pallidal output pathways contribute to relapse to alcohol seeking.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

Ventral pallidum (VP) serves important roles in reward and motivation and is a critical node in the neural circuitry for reinstatement of drug seeking. Despite being a common locus for different forms of reinstatement, fundamental aspects of neural circuitry for these VP contributions to reinstatement of drug seeking remain unknown. Here we used a combination of neuroanatomical tracing and chemogenetic approaches to map the VP output pathways for context-induced reinstatement and reacquisition of alcohol seeking. We show that VP output pathways to the subthalamic nucleus and also to the ventral tegmental area are necessary for these forms of reinstatement.

The Nucleus Accumbens: Mechanisms of Addiction across Drug Classes Reflect the Importance of Glutamate Homeostasis

The nucleus accumbens is a major input structure of the basal ganglia and integrates information from cortical and limbic structures to mediate goal-directed behaviors. Chronic exposure to several classes of drugs of abuse disrupts plasticity in this region, allowing drug-associated cues to engender a pathologic motivation for drug seeking. A number of alterations in glutamatergic transmission occur within the nucleus accumbens after withdrawal from chronic drug exposure. These drug-induced neuroadaptations serve as the molecular basis for relapse vulnerability. In this review, we focus on the role that glutamate signal transduction in the nucleus accumbens plays in addiction-related behaviors. First, we explore the nucleus accumbens, including the cell types and neuronal populations present as well as afferent and efferent connections. Next we discuss rodent models of addiction and assess the viability of these models for testing candidate pharmacotherapies for the prevention of relapse. Then we provide a review of the literature describing how synaptic plasticity in the accumbens is altered after exposure to drugs of abuse and withdrawal and also how pharmacological manipulation of glutamate systems in the accumbens can inhibit drug seeking in the laboratory setting. Finally, we examine results from clinical trials in which pharmacotherapies designed to manipulate glutamate systems have been effective in treating relapse in human patients. Further elucidation of how drugs of abuse alter glutamatergic plasticity within the accumbens will be necessary for the development of new therapeutics for the treatment of addiction across all classes of addictive substances.

The Mesoaccumbens Pathway: A Retrograde Labeling and Single-Cell Axon Tracing Analysis in the Mouse

Neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) that innervate the nucleus accumbens (Acb) constitute the so-called mesoaccumbens system. Increased activity by these neurons is correlated with the expectation and achievement of reward. The mesoaccumbens projection neurons are regarded as a central node in the brain networks that regulate drive and hedonic experience, and their dysregulation is a common pathophysiological step in addictive behaviors as well as major depression. Despite previous anatomical studies that have analyzed the origin of the mesoaccumbens axons within the VTA, regarded as a unit, the exact contributions of the various cytoarchitectural subdivisions of the VTA to this innervation is still unexplored; understanding these contributions would help further our understanding of their precise anatomical organization. With the aim of deciphering the contribution of the various VTA subdivisions to accumbal innervation, the present study has used retrograde tracer microinjections in the Acb to map the location within the various VTA subdivisions of neurons targeting either the shell or core compartments of the Acb in mice. Furthermore, the dopaminergic nature of these projections has also been analyzed using tyrosine-hydroxylase immunohistochemistry. We demonstrate here that small territories of the Acb core and shell are innervated simultaneously by many VTA subdivisions, contributing dopaminergic as well as non-dopaminergic axons to the accumbal innervation. In fact, single VTA subdivisions harbor both dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic neurons that project to the same accumbal territory. The most medial VTA subnuclei, like the caudal linear nucleus, project abundantly to medial aspects of the Acb core, whereas more lateral territories of the Acb are preferentially targeted by neurons located in the parabrachial pigmented and paranigral nuclei. Overall, about half of the mesoaccumbens neurons are putatively dopaminergic in mice. Anterograde single-cell labeling (Sindbis-pal-eGFP vector) of a limited sample of neurons revealed that mesoaccumbens neurons form profuse terminal arborizations to cover large volumes of either the Acb core or shell, and, unlike other VTA projection neuron populations, they do not branch to other striatal or extrastriatal structures. These anatomical observations are consistent with reports of an intense response in many Acb neurons after stimulation of very few VTA cells.

The neurocircuitry involved in oxytocin modulation of methamphetamine addiction

The role of oxytocin in attenuating the abuse of licit and illicit drugs, including the psychostimulant methamphetamine, has been examined with increased ferocity in recent years. This is largely driven by the potential application of oxytocin as a pharmacotherapy. However, the neural mechanisms by which oxytocin modulates methamphetamine abuse are not well understood. Recent research identified an important role for the accumbens core and subthalamic nucleus in this process, which likely involves an interaction with dopamine, glutamate, GABA, and vasopressin. In addition to providing an overview of methamphetamine, the endogenous oxytocin system, and the effects of exogenous oxytocin on drug abuse, we propose a neural circuit through which exogenous oxytocin modulates methamphetamine abuse, focusing on its interaction with neurochemicals within the accumbens core and subthalamic nucleus. A growing understanding of exogenous oxytocin effects at a neurochemical and neurobiological level will assist in its evaluation as a pharmacotherapy for drug addiction.

Ventral Pallidum Neurons Encode Incentive Value and Promote Cue-Elicited Instrumental Actions

The ventral pallidum (VP) is posited to contribute to reward seeking by conveying upstream signals from the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Yet, very little is known about how VP neuron responses contribute to behavioral responses to incentive cues. Here, we recorded activity of VP neurons in a cue-driven reward-seeking task previously shown to require neural activity in the NAc. We find that VP neurons encode both learned cue value and subsequent reward seeking and that activity in VP neurons is required for robust cue-elicited reward seeking. Surprisingly, the onset of VP neuron responses occurs at a shorter latency than cue-elicited responses in NAc neurons. This suggests that this VP encoding is not a passive response to signals generated in the NAc and that VP neurons integrate sensory and motivation-related information received directly from other mesocorticolimbic inputs.

Arborization patterns of amygdalopetal axons from the rat ventral pallidum

We previously analyzed the arborization patterns of rat ventral pallidal (VP) axons that coursed caudally to innervate the thalamus and brainstem (Tripathi et al. in Brain Struct Funct 218:1133-1157, 2013). Here, we have reconstructed 16 previously undetected axons from the same tracer deposits that follow a more lateral trajectory. Virtually all 16 axons emanating from the different VP compartments collateralized in the extended amygdala system (EAS) and amygdaloid complex. The most frequent targets of axons from the lateral and medial (VPm) VP compartments were the rostral sublenticular extended amygdala, the extended amygdala (EA), the central nucleus of the amygdala and the posterior part of the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus. In contrast, axons from the rostral extension of the VP preferentially innervated the anterior amygdaloid area, the magnocellular preoptic nucleus, and the anterior part of the basomedial amygdaloid nucleus. We additionally found and reconstructed a single corticopetal axon arising from the VPm. The new results show that both direct and indirect projections from the basolateral complex and EAS to the ventral striatopallidal system are reciprocated by VP projections, and suggest that the systems can be activated simultaneously. The results additionally suggest that the amygdaloid complex and cortex are innervated separately from the VP. Finally, the combination of new and previous data indicate that approximately 84 % of VP axons (88/105) participate in basal ganglia circuits, 15 % (16/105) target the amygdaloid complex, and less than 1 % innervate the cortex.

The ventral pallidum: Subregion-specific functional anatomy and roles in motivated behaviors

The ventral pallidum (VP) plays a critical role in the processing and execution of motivated behaviors. Yet this brain region is often overlooked in published discussions of the neurobiology of mental health (e.g., addiction, depression). This contributes to a gap in understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of psychiatric disorders. This review is presented to help bridge the gap by providing a resource for current knowledge of VP anatomy, projection patterns and subregional circuits, and how this organization relates to the function of VP neurons and ultimately behavior. For example, ventromedial (VPvm) and dorsolateral (VPdl) VP subregions receive projections from nucleus accumbens shell and core, respectively. Inhibitory GABAergic neurons of the VPvm project to mediodorsal thalamus, lateral hypothalamus, and ventral tegmental area, and this VP subregion helps discriminate the appropriate conditions to acquire natural rewards or drugs of abuse, consume preferred foods, and perform working memory tasks. GABAergic neurons of the VPdl project to subthalamic nucleus and substantia nigra pars reticulata, and this VP subregion is modulated by, and is necessary for, drug-seeking behavior. Additional circuits arise from nonGABAergic neuronal phenotypes that are likely to excite rather than inhibit their targets. These subregional and neuronal phenotypic circuits place the VP in a unique position to process motivationally relevant stimuli and coherent adaptive behaviors.

The ins and outs of the striatum: role in drug addiction

Addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder characterized by the loss of control over drug intake, high motivation to obtain the drug, and a persistent craving for the drug. Accumulating evidence implicates cellular and molecular alterations within cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic circuitry in the development and persistence of this disease. The striatum is a heterogeneous structure that sits at the interface of this circuit, receiving input from a variety of brain regions (e.g., prefrontal cortex, ventral tegmental area) to guide behavioral output, including motor planning, decision-making, motivation and reward. However, the vast interconnectivity of this circuit has made it difficult to isolate how individual projections and cellular subtypes within this circuit modulate each of the facets of addiction. Here, we review the use of new technologies, including optogenetics and DREADDs (Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs), in unraveling the role of the striatum in addiction. In particular, we focus on the role of striatal cell populations (i.e., direct and indirect pathway medium spiny neurons) and striatal dopaminergic and glutamatergic afferents in addiction-related plasticity and behaviors.

Long-range projection neurons of the mouse ventral tegmental area: a single-cell axon tracing analysis

Pathways arising from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) release dopamine and other neurotransmitters during the expectation and achievement of reward, and are regarded as central links of the brain networks that create drive, pleasure, and addiction. While the global pattern of VTA projections is well-known, the actual axonal wiring of individual VTA neurons had never been investigated. Here, we labeled and analyzed the axons of 30 VTA single neurons by means of single-cell transfection with the Sindbis-pal-eGFP vector in mice. These observations were complemented with those obtained by labeling the axons of small populations of VTA cells with iontophoretic microdeposits of biotinylated dextran amine. In the single-cell labeling experiments, each entire axonal tree was reconstructed from serial sections, the length of terminal axonal arbors was estimated by stereology, and the dopaminergic phenotype was tested by double-labeling for tyrosine hydroxylase immunofluorescence. We observed two main, markedly different VTA cell morphologies: neurons with a single main axon targeting only forebrain structures (FPN cells), and neurons with multibranched axons targeting both the forebrain and the brainstem (F + BSPN cells). Dopaminergic phenotype was observed in FPN cells. Moreover, four “subtypes” could be distinguished among the FPN cells based on their projection targets: (1) “Mesocorticolimbic” FPN projecting to both neocortex and basal forebrain; (2) “Mesocortical” FPN innervating the neocortex almost exclusively; (3) “Mesolimbic” FPN projecting to the basal forebrain, accumbens and caudateputamen; and (4) “Mesostriatal” FPN targeting only the caudateputamen. While the F + BSPN cells were scattered within VTA, the mesolimbic neurons were abundant in the paranigral nucleus. The observed diversity in wiring architectures is consistent with the notion that different VTA cell subpopulations modulate the activity of specific sets of prosencephalic and brainstem structures.

Cocaine dysregulates opioid gating of GABA neurotransmission in the ventral pallidum

The ventral pallidum (VP) is a target of dense nucleus accumbens projections. Many of these projections coexpress GABA and the neuropeptide enkephalin, a δ and μ opioid receptor (MOR) ligand. Of these two, the MOR in the VP is known to be involved in reward-related behaviors, such as hedonic responses to palatable food, alcohol intake, and reinstatement of cocaine seeking. Stimulating MORs in the VP decreases extracellular GABA, indicating that the effects of MORs in the VP on cocaine seeking are via modulating GABA neurotransmission. Here, we use whole-cell patch-clamp on a rat model of withdrawal from cocaine self-administration to test the hypothesis that MORs presynaptically regulate GABA transmission in the VP and that cocaine withdrawal changes the interaction between MORs and GABA. We found that in cocaine-extinguished rats pharmacological activation of MORs no longer presynaptically inhibited GABA release, whereas blocking the MORs disinhibited GABA release. Moreover, MOR-dependent long-term depression of GABA neurotransmission in the VP was lost in cocaine-extinguished rats. Last, GABA neurotransmission was found to be tonically suppressed in cocaine-extinguished rats. These substantial synaptic changes indicated that cocaine was increasing tone on MOR receptors. Accordingly, increasing endogenous tone by blocking the enzymatic degradation of enkephalin inhibited GABA neurotransmission in yoked saline rats but not in cocaine-extinguished rats. In conclusion, our results indicate that following withdrawal from cocaine self-administration enkephalin levels in the VP are elevated and the opioid modulation of GABA neurotransmission is impaired. This may contribute to the difficulties withdrawn addicts experience when trying to resist relapse.

New insights into the specificity and plasticity of reward and aversion encoding in the mesolimbic system

The mesocorticolimbic system, consisting, at its core, of the ventral tegmental area, the nucleus accumbens, and medial prefrontal cortex, has historically been investigated primarily for its role in positively motivated behaviors and reinforcement learning, and its dysfunction in addiction, schizophrenia, depression, and other mood disorders. Recently, researchers have undertaken a more comprehensive analysis of this system, including its role in not only reward but also punishment, as well as in both positive and negative reinforcement. This focus has been facilitated by new anatomical, physiological, and behavioral approaches to delineate functional circuits underlying behaviors and to determine how this system flexibly encodes and responds to positive and negative states and events, beyond simple associative learning. This review is a summary of topics covered in a mini-symposium at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting.

The ventral striato-pallidal pathway mediates the effect of predictive learning on choice between goal-directed actions

The nucleus accumbens shell (NAc-S) plays an important role in the way stimuli that predict reward affect the performance of, and choice between, goal-directed actions in tests of outcome-specific Pavlovian-instrumental transfer (PIT). The neural processes involved in PIT downstream of the ventral striatum are, however, unknown. The NAc-S projects prominently to the ventral pallidum (VP), and in the current experiments, we assessed the involvement of the NAc-S to VP projection in specific PIT in rats. We first compared expression of the immediate-early gene c-Fos in the medial (VP-m) and lateral (VP-l) regions of the VP and in addition, used the retrograde tracer Fluoro-gold combined with c-Fos to assess the involvement of these pathways during PIT. Although there was no evidence of differential activation in neurons in the VP-l, the VP-m showed a selective increase in activity in rats tested for PIT compared with appropriate controls, as did NAc-S neurons projecting to the VP-m. To confirm that VP-m activity is important for PIT, we inactivated this region before test and found this inactivation blocked the influence of predictive learning on choice. Finally, to confirm the functional importance of the NAc-S to VP-m pathway we used a disconnection procedure, using asymmetrical inactivation of the NAc-S and either the ipsilateral or contralateral VP-m. Specific PIT was blocked but only by inactivation of the NAc-S and VP-m in contralateral hemispheres. These results suggest that the NAc-S and VP-m form part of a circuit mediating the effects of predictive learning on choice.

Optogenetic evidence that pallidal projections, not nigral projections, from the nucleus accumbens core are necessary for reinstating cocaine seeking

The core subcompartment of the nucleus accumbens (NAcore) contributes significantly to behavioral responses following motivationally relevant stimuli, including drug-induced, stress-induced, and cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking. Projections from NAcore that could carry information necessary to initiate reinstated cocaine seeking include outputs via the indirect pathway to the dorsolateral subcompartment of the ventral pallidum (dlVP) and through the direct pathway to the medial substantia nigra (SN). Here we used an optogenetic strategy to determine whether the dlVP or nigral projections from the NAcore are necessary for cocaine seeking initiated by a cocaine and conditioned cue combination in rats extinguished from cocaine self-administration. Rats were pretreated in the NAcore with an adeno-associated virus expressing the inhibitory opsin archaerhodopsin, and fiber-optic cannulae were implanted above the indirect pathway axon terminal field in the dlVP, or the direct pathway terminal field in the SN. Inhibiting the indirect pathway to the dlVP, but not the direct pathway to the SN, prevented cocaine-plus-cue-induced reinstatement. We also examined projections back to the NAcore from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and dlVP. Inhibiting the dlVP to NAcore projection did not alter, while inhibiting VTA afferents abolished reinstated cocaine seeking. Localization of green fluorescent protein reporter expression and whole-cell patch electrophysiology were used to verify opsin expression. These data reveal a circuit involving activation of VTA inputs to the NAcore and NAcore projections through the indirect pathway to the dlVP as critical for cocaine-plus-cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking.

Dopamine D₂ and acetylcholine α7 nicotinic receptors have subcellular distributions favoring mediation of convergent signaling in the mouse ventral tegmental area

Alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7nAChRs) mediate nicotine-induced burst-firing of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a limbic brain region critically involved in reward and in dopamine D2 receptor (D2R)-related cortical dysfunctions associated with psychosis. The known presence of α7nAChRs and Gi-coupled D2Rs in dopamine neurons of the VTA suggests that these receptors are targeted to at least some of the same neurons in this brain region. To test this hypothesis, we used electron microscopic immunolabeling of antisera against peptide sequences of α7nACh and D2 receptors in the mouse VTA. Dual D2R and α7nAChR labeling was seen in many of the same somata (co-localization over 97%) and dendrites (co-localization over 49%), where immunoreactivity for each of the receptors was localized to endomembranes as well as to non-synaptic or synaptic plasma membranes often near excitatory-type synapses. In comparison with somata and dendrites, many more small axons and axon terminals were separately labeled for each of the receptors. Thus, single-labeled axon terminals were predominant for both α7nAChR (57.9%) and D2R (89.0%). The majority of the immunolabeled axonal profiles contained D2R-immunoreactivity (81.6%) and formed either symmetric or asymmetric synapses consistent with involvement in the release of both inhibitory and excitatory transmitters. Of 160 D2R-labeled terminals, 81.2% were presynaptic to dendrites that expressed α7nAChR alone or together with the D2R. Numerous glial processes inclusive of those enveloping either excitatory- or inhibitory-type synapses also contained single labeling for D2R (n=152) and α7nAChR (n=561). These results suggest that classic antipsychotic drugs, all of which block the D2R, may facilitate α7nAChR-mediated burst-firing by elimination of D2R-dependent inhibition in neurons expressing both receptors as well as by indirect pre-synaptic and glial mechanisms.

Co-localization of hypocretin-1 and leucine-enkephalin in hypothalamic neurons projecting to the nucleus of the solitary tract and their effect on arterial pressure

Experiments were done to investigate whether hypothalamic hypocretin-1 (hcrt-1; orexin-A) neurons that sent axonal projections to cardiovascular responsive sites in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) co-expressed leucine-enkephalin (L-Enk), and to determine the effects of co-administration of hcrt-1 and D-Ala2,D-Leu5-Enkephalin (DADL) into NTS on mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate. In the first series, in the Wistar rat the retrograde tract-tracer fluorogold (FG) was microinjected (50nl) into caudal NTS sites at which L-glutamate (0.25 M; 10 nl) elicited decreases in MAP and where fibers hcrt-1 immunoreactive fibers were observed that also contained L-Enk immunoreactivity. Of the number of hypothalamic hcrt-1 immunoreactive neurons identified ipsilateral to the NTS injection site (1207 ± 78), 32.3 ± 2.3% co-expressed L-Enk immunoreactivity and of these, 2.6 ± 1.1% were retrogradely labeled with FG. Hcrt-1/L-Enk neurons projecting to NTS were found mainly within the perifornical region. In the second series, the region of caudal NTS found to contain axons that co-expressed hcrt-1 and L-Enk immunoreactivity was microinjected with a combination of hcrt-1 and DADL in α-chloralose anesthetized Wistar rats. Microinjection of DADL into NTS elicited depressor and bradycardia responses similar to those elicited by microinjection of hcrt-1. An hcrt-1 injection immediately after the DADL injection elicited an almost twofold increase in the magnitude of the depressor and bradycardia responses compared to those elicited by hcrt-1 alone. Prior injections of the non-specific opioid receptor antagonist naloxone or the specific opioid δ-receptor antagonist ICI 154,129 significantly attenuated the cardiovascular responses to the combined hcrt-1-DADL injections. Taken together, these data suggest that activation of hypothalamic-opioidergic neuronal systems contribute to the NTS hcrt-1 induced cardiovascular responses, and that this descending hypothalamo-medullary pathway may represent the anatomical substrate by which hcrt-1/L-Enk neurons function in the coordination of autonomic-cardiovascular responses during different behavioral states.

Stimulus-specific and differential distribution of activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase in the nucleus accumbens core and shell during Pavlovian-instrumental transfer

The ability of reward-predictive cues to potentiate reward-seeking behavior--a phenomenon termed Pavlovian--instrumental transfer (PIT)--depends on the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Here, we utilized immunohistochemistry to investigate the subregional pattern of ERK activation during PIT, and the contribution of different elements in the PIT condition to the distribution of ERK signaling in the NAc of rats. We found that the occurrence of reward-seeking behavior (lever pressing) did not affect ERK activation in either the core or the shell of the NAc. In contrast, presentation of the reward-predictive cue (auditory conditioned stimulus) caused a significant increase in ERK activation in both subregions of the NAc, with the effect being slightly more robust in the core than the shell. Different from the pattern evoked by the reward-predictive cue, presentation of the reward itself (food pellets) had no effect on ERK activation in the core but caused a pronounced increase in ERK activation in the shell. Taken together, our results demonstrate that ERK signaling in the NAc during PIT involves both the core and the shell and is driven by the conditioned cue irrespective of whether the situation permits engagement in reward-seeking behavior. Furthermore, our results show that the subregional distribution of ERK signaling in the NAc evoked by rewards differs from that evoked by cues that predict them. The stimulus-specific differential pattern of ERK signaling described here may present the molecular complement to stimulus-specific increases in NAc cell firing reported previously.

Differential roles of ventral pallidum subregions during cocaine self-administration behaviors

The ventral pallidum (VP) is necessary for drug-seeking behavior. VP contains ventromedial (VPvm) and dorsolateral (VPdl) subregions, which receive projections from the nucleus accumbens shell and core, respectively. To date no study has investigated the behavioral functions of the VPdl and VPvm subregions. To address this issue, we investigated whether changes in firing rate (FR) differed between VP subregions during four events: approaching toward, responding on, or retreating away from a cocaine-reinforced operandum and a cocaine-associated cue. Baseline FR and waveform characteristics did not differ between subregions. VPdl neurons exhibited a greater change in FR compared with VPvm neurons during approaches toward, as well as responses on, the cocaine-reinforced operandum. VPdl neurons were more likely to exhibit a similar change in FR (direction and magnitude) during approach and response than VPvm neurons. In contrast, VPvm firing patterns were heterogeneous, changing FRs during approach or response alone, or both. VP neurons did not discriminate cued behaviors from uncued behaviors. No differences were found between subregions during the retreat, and no VP neurons exhibited patterned changes in FR in response to the cocaine-associated cue. The stronger, sustained FR changes of VPdl neurons during approach and response may implicate VPdl in the processing of drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior via projections to subthalamic nucleus and substantia nigra pars reticulata. In contrast, the heterogeneous firing patterns of VPvm neurons may implicate VPvm in facilitating mesocortical structures with information related to the sequence of behaviors predicting cocaine self-infusions via projections to mediodorsal thalamus and ventral tegmental area.

The rostral subcommissural ventral pallidum is a mix of ventral pallidal neurons and neurons from adjacent areas: an electrophysiological study

The ventral pallidum (VP) is a part of the ventral striatopallidal system and is involved in reward-related behaviors. The VP is composed of a ventromedial (VPvm) and a dorsolateral (VPdl) subregion, and some rostral-caudal differences are reported. Study of the VP often focuses on the subcommissural VP, typically considered homogenous in spite of known subdivisions. In this work, we used slice electrophysiology combined with immunohistochemistry for marker neuropeptides to test whether the subcommissural VP is functionally homogenous. Using sagittal slices, we show that more lateral levels (2.40 mm) of the subcommissural VP are homogenous but that a more medial slice (1.90 mm) contains two types of neurons. One type, located more caudally, resembles neurons in the lateral subcommissural VP, with long aspiny dendrites, primarily GABAergic input, and characteristic electrophysiological properties, such as depolarized membrane potential and spontaneous action potential discharge. The second type of neuron, located mostly in the rostral subcommissural VP, shows properties that are akin to medium spiny neurons of adjacent regions, including spiny dendrites, major glutamatergic input, hyperpolarized membrane potential, and no spontaneous action potentials. The two types of neurons were present in both the VPvm and VPdl, implying that the mix is not a characteristic of histologically defined subregions. We conclude that at medial levels the rostral subcommissural VP contains a mix of typical ventral pallidal neurons and spiny neurons similar to those in adjacent regions. This observation needs to be considered when interpreting past experiments and designing future experiments in the subcommissural VP.

Axonal branching patterns of ventral pallidal neurons in the rat

The ventral pallidum (VP) is a key component of the cortico-basal ganglia circuits that process motivational and emotional information, and also a crucial site for reward. Although the main targets of the two VP compartments, medial (VPm) and lateral (VPl) have already been established, the collateralization patterns of individual axons have not previously been investigated. Here we have fully traced eighty-four axons from VPm, VPl and the rostral extension of VP into the olfactory tubercle (VPr), using the anterograde tracer biotinylated dextran amine in the rat. Thirty to fifty percent of axons originating from VPm and VPr collateralized in the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus and lateral habenula, indicating a close association between the ventral basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loop and the reward network at the single axon level. Additional collateralization of these axons in diverse components of the extended amygdala and corticopetal system supports a multisystem integration that may take place at the basal forebrain. Remarkably, we did not find evidence for a sharp segregation in the targets of axons arising from the two VP compartments, as VPl axons frequently collateralized in the caudal lateral hypothalamus and ventral tegmental area, the well-known targets of VPm, while VPm axons, in turn, also collateralized in typical VPl targets such as the subthalamic nucleus, substantia nigra pars compacta and reticulata, and retrorubral field. Nevertheless, VPl and VPm displayed collateralization patterns that paralleled those of dorsal pallidal components, confirming at the single axon level the parallel organization of functionally different basal ganglia loops.

Immunohistochemical localization of enkephalin in the human striatum: a postmortem ultrastructural study

Within the basal ganglia, the functionally defined region referred to as the striatum contains a subset of GABAergic medium spiny neurons expressing the neuropeptide enkephalin. Although the major features of ultrastructural enkephalin localization in striatum have been characterized among various species, its ultrastructural organization has never been studied in the human brain. Human striatal tissue was obtained from the Maryland and Alabama Brain Collections from eight normal controls. The brains were received and fixed within 8 h of death allowing for excellent preservation suitable for electron microscopy. Tissue from the dorsal striatum was processed for enkephalin immunoreactivity and prepared for electron microscopy. General morphology of the dorsal striatum was consistent with light microscopy in human. The majority of neurons labeled with enkephalin was medium-sized and had a large nonindented nucleus with a moderate amount of cytoplasm, characteristic of medium spiny neurons. Of the spines receiving synapses in dorsal striatum, 39% were labeled for enkephalin and were of varied morphologies. Small percentages (2%) of synapses were formed by labeled axon terminals. Most (82%) labeled terminals formed symmetric synapses. Enkephalin-labeled terminals showed no preference toward spines or dendrites for postsynaptic targets, whereas in rat and monkey, the vast majority of synapses in the neuropil are formed with dendritic shafts. Thus, there is an increase in the prevalence of axospinous synapses formed by enkephalin-labeled axon terminals in human compared with other species. Quantitative differences in synaptic features were also seen between the caudate nucleus and the putamen in the human tissue.

Slow phasic and tonic activity of ventral pallidal neurons during cocaine self-administration

Ventral pallidal (VP) neurons exhibit rapid phasic firing patterns within seconds of cocaine-reinforced responses. The present investigation examined whether VP neurons exhibited firing rate changes: (1) over minutes during the inter-infusion interval (slow phasic patterns) and/or (2) over the course of the several-hour self-administration session (tonic firing patterns) relative to pre-session firing. Approximately three-quarters (43/54) of VP neurons exhibited slow phasic firing patterns. The most common pattern was a post-infusion decrease in firing followed by a progressive reversal of firing over minutes (51.16%; 22/43). Early reversals were predominantly observed anteriorly whereas progressive and late reversals were observed more posteriorly. Approximately half (51.85%; 28/54) of the neurons exhibited tonic firing patterns consisting of at least a two-fold change in firing. Most cells decreased firing during drug loading, remained low over self-administration maintenance, and reversed following lever removal. Over a whole experiment (tonic) timescale, the majority of neurons exhibited an inverse relationship between calculated drug level and firing rates during loading and post-self-administration behaviors. Fewer neurons exhibited an inverse relationship of calculated drug level and tonic firing rate during self-administration maintenance but, among those that did, nearly all were progressive reversal neurons. The present results show that, similar to its main afferent the nucleus accumbens, VP exhibits both slow phasic and tonic firing patterns during cocaine self-administration. Given that VP neurons are principally GABAergic, the predominant slow phasic decrease and tonic decrease firing patterns within the VP may indicate a disinhibitory influence upon its thalamocortical, mesolimbic, and nigrostriatal targets during cocaine self-administration.