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Engi SA, Beebe EJ, Ayvazian VM, Cruz FC, Cheer JF, Wenzel JM, Zlebnik NE. Cocaine-induced increases in motivation require 2-arachidonoylglycerol mobilization and CB1 receptor activation in the ventral tegmental area. Neuropharmacology 2021; 193:108625. [PMID: 34058192 PMCID: PMC8312311 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
A wide body of evidence supports an integral role for mesolimbic dopamine (DA) in motivated behavior. In brief, drugs that increase DA in mesolimbic terminal regions, like cocaine, enhance motivation, while drugs that decrease DA concentration reduce motivation. Data from our laboratory and others shows that phasic activation of mesolimbic DA requires signaling at cannabinoid type-1 (CB1) receptors in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), and systemic delivery of CB1 receptor antagonists reduces DA cell activity and attenuates motivated behaviors. Recent findings demonstrate that cocaine mobilizes the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) in the VTA to cause phasic activation of DA neurons and terminal DA release. It remains unclear, however, if cocaine-induced midbrain 2-AG signaling contributes to the motivation-enhancing effects of cocaine. To examine this, we trained male and female rats on a progressive ratio (PR) task for a food reinforcer. Each rat underwent a series of tests in which they were pretreated with cocaine alone or in combination with systemic or intra-VTA administration of the CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant or the 2-AG synthesis inhibitor tetrahydrolipstatin (THL). Cocaine increased motivation, measured by augmented PR breakpoints, while rimonabant dose-dependently decreased motivation. Importantly, intra-VTA administration of rimonabant or THL, at doses that did not decrease breakpoints on their own, blocked systemic cocaine administration from increasing breakpoints in male and female rats. These data suggest that cocaine-induced increases in motivation require 2-AG signaling at CB1 receptors in the VTA and may provide critical insight into cannabinoid-based pharmacotherapeutic targets for the successful treatment of substance abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheila A Engi
- Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Dept. of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Erin J Beebe
- Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Victoria M Ayvazian
- Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Fabio C Cruz
- Dept. of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Joseph F Cheer
- Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Dept. of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jennifer M Wenzel
- Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Natalie E Zlebnik
- Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Turner BD, Smith NK, Manz KM, Chang BT, Delpire E, Grueter CA, Grueter BA. Cannabinoid type 1 receptors in A2a neurons contribute to cocaine-environment association. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:1121-1131. [PMID: 33454843 PMCID: PMC8386588 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05759-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Cannabinoid type 1 receptors (CB1Rs) are widely expressed within the brain's reward circuits and are implicated in regulating drug induced behavioral adaptations. Understanding how CB1R signaling in discrete circuits and cell types contributes to drug-related behavior provides further insight into the pathology of substance use disorders. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS We sought to determine how cell type-specific expression of CB1Rs within striatal circuits contributes to cocaine-induced behavioral plasticity, hypothesizing that CB1R function in distinct striatal neuron populations would differentially impact behavioral outcomes. We crossed conditional Cnr1fl/fl mice and striatal output pathway cre lines (Drd1a -cre; D1, Adora2a -cre; A2a) to generate cell type-specific CB1R knockout mice and assessed their performance in cocaine locomotor and associative behavioral assays. RESULTS Both knockout lines retained typical locomotor activity at baseline. D1-Cre x Cnr1fl/fl mice did not display hyperlocomotion in response to acute cocaine dosing, and both knockout lines exhibited blunted locomotor activity across repeated cocaine doses. A2a-cre Cnr1fl/fl, mice did not express a preference for cocaine paired environments in a two-choice place preference task. CONCLUSIONS This study aids in mapping CB1R-dependent cocaine-induced behavioral adaptations onto distinct striatal neuron subtypes. A reduction of cocaine-induced locomotor activation in the D1- and A2a-Cnr1 knockout mice supports a role for CB1R function in the motor circuit. Furthermore, a lack of preference for cocaine-associated context in A2a-Cnr1 mice suggests that CB1Rs on A2a-neuron inhibitory terminals are necessary for either reward perception, memory consolidation, or recall. These results direct future investigations into CB1R-dependent adaptations underlying the development and persistence of substance use disorders.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Cocaine-Related Disorders/psychology
- Conditioning, Operant/drug effects
- Corpus Striatum/drug effects
- Environment
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, Knockout
- Motor Activity/drug effects
- Neurons/drug effects
- Receptor, Adenosine A2A/drug effects
- Receptor, Adenosine A2A/genetics
- Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1/drug effects
- Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1/genetics
- Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1/metabolism
- Reward
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon D Turner
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Nicholas K Smith
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Kevin M Manz
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Betty T Chang
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Eric Delpire
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Carrie A Grueter
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Brad A Grueter
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
- Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
- Anesthesiology Research Division, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 2213 Garland Avenue, P435H MRB IV, Nashville, TN, 37232-0413, USA.
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Epigenetic mechanisms associated with addiction-related behavioural effects of nicotine and/or cocaine: implication of the endocannabinoid system. Behav Pharmacol 2018; 28:493-511. [PMID: 28704272 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The addictive use of nicotine (NC) and cocaine (COC) continues to be a major public health problem, and their combined use has been reported, particularly during adolescence. In neural plasticity, commonly induced by NC and COC, as well as behavioural plasticity related to the use of these two drugs, the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms, in which the reversible regulation of gene expression occurs independently of the DNA sequence, has recently been reported. Furthermore, on the basis of intense interactions with the target neurotransmitter systems, the endocannabinoid (ECB) system has been considered pivotal for eliciting the effects of NC or COC. The combined use of marijuana with NC and/or COC has also been reported. This article presents the addiction-related behavioural effects of NC and/or COC, based on the common behavioural/neural plasticity and combined use of NC/COC, and reviews the interacting role of the ECB system. The epigenetic processes inseparable from the effects of NC and/or COC (i.e. DNA methylation, histone modifications and alterations in microRNAs) and the putative therapeutic involvement of the ECB system at the epigenetic level are also discussed.
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Ingebretson AE, Hearing MC, Huffington ED, Thomas MJ. Endogenous dopamine and endocannabinoid signaling mediate cocaine-induced reversal of AMPAR synaptic potentiation in the nucleus accumbens shell. Neuropharmacology 2018; 131:154-165. [PMID: 29225042 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Revised: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Repeated exposure to drugs of abuse alters the structure and function of neural circuits mediating reward, generating maladaptive plasticity in circuits critical for motivated behavior. Within meso-corticolimbic dopamine circuitry, repeated exposure to cocaine induces progressive alterations in AMPAR-mediated glutamatergic synaptic transmission. During a 10-14 day period of abstinence from cocaine, AMPAR signaling is potentiated at synapses on nucleus accumbens (NAc) medium spiny neurons (MSNs), promoting a state of heightened synaptic excitability. Re-exposure to cocaine during abstinence, however, rapidly reverses and depotentiates enhanced AMPAR signaling. To understand how re-exposure to cocaine alters AMPAR synaptic transmission, we investigated the roles of dopamine and endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling in modifying synaptic strength in the NAc shell. Using patch-clamp recordings from NAc slices prepared after 10-14 days of abstinence from repeated cocaine, we found that AMPAR-mediated depotentiation is rapidly induced in the NAc shell within 20 min of cocaine re-exposure ex vivo, and persists for up to five days before synapses return to levels of potentiation observed during abstinence. In cocaine-treated animals, global dopamine receptor activation was both necessary and sufficient for the cocaine-evoked depotentiation of AMPAR synaptic function. Additionally, we identified that CB1 receptors are engaged by endogenous endocannabinoids (eCBs) during re-exposure to cocaine ex vivo. Overall, these results indicate the central role that dopamine and eCB signaling mechanisms play in modulating cocaine-induced AMPAR plasticity in the NAc shell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna E Ingebretson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 321 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Matthew C Hearing
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 321 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, 53233, USA
| | - Ethan D Huffington
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 321 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Mark J Thomas
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 321 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 E River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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Marinho EAV, Oliveira-Lima AJ, Santos R, Hollais AW, Baldaia MA, Wuo-Silva R, Yokoyama TS, Takatsu-Coleman AL, Patti CL, Longo BM, Berro LF, Frussa-Filho R. Effects of rimonabant on the development of single dose-induced behavioral sensitization to ethanol, morphine and cocaine in mice. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2015; 58:22-31. [PMID: 25496830 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2014.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2014] [Revised: 11/01/2014] [Accepted: 11/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The endocannabinoid system has been implicated in the neurobiological mechanism underlying drug addiction, especially the primary rewarding dopamine-dependent processes. Therefore, endocannabinoid receptor antagonists, such as the CB1 cannabinoid antagonist rimonabant, have been proposed as candidates for preventive addiction therapies. OBJECTIVES Investigate the possible involvement of CB1 receptors in the development of behavioral sensitization to ethanol, morphine and cocaine in mice. METHODS We compared the effects of different doses of rimonabant (0.3, 1, 3 and 10mg/kg) on spontaneous locomotor activity in the open-field, hyperlocomotion induced by acute administration of ethanol (1.8g/kg), morphine (20mg/kg) or cocaine (10mg/kg) and on subsequent drug-induced locomotor sensitization using a two-injection protocol in mice. We also investigated a possible depressive-like effect of an acute rimonabant challenge at the highest dose and its potential anxiogenic property. RESULTS At the highest dose, rimonabant abolished ethanol- and cocaine-induced hyperlocomotion and behavioral sensitization without modifying spontaneous and central locomotor activity or inducing depressive-like behavior on the forced swim test in mice. The other doses of rimonabant also selectively blocked acute ethanol-induced central hyperlocomotion. Although rimonabant at 0.3 and 1mg/kg potentiated the central hyperlocomotion induced by acute morphine injection, it was effective in attenuating morphine-induced behavioral sensitization at all doses. CONCLUSIONS Because the neural basis of behavioral sensitization has been proposed to correspond to some components of addiction, our findings indicate that the endocannabinoid system might be involved in ethanol, cocaine and morphine abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo A V Marinho
- Departamento de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz - UESC, Ilhéus, BA, Brazil.
| | | | - Renan Santos
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - André W Hollais
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Marilia A Baldaia
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Raphael Wuo-Silva
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Thais S Yokoyama
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - André L Takatsu-Coleman
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Camilla L Patti
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Beatriz M Longo
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Laís F Berro
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Roberto Frussa-Filho
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Kupferschmidt DA, Klas PG, Erb S. Cannabinoid CB1 receptors mediate the effects of corticotropin-releasing factor on the reinstatement of cocaine seeking and expression of cocaine-induced behavioural sensitization. Br J Pharmacol 2013; 167:196-206. [PMID: 22489809 DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2012.01983.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The endocannabinoid and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) systems have been implicated in several long-lasting behavioural effects of prior cocaine experience. The present experiments were designed to probe functional interactions between endocannabinoids and CRF by testing the role of cannabinoid CB(1) receptors in cocaine-related behaviours induced or mediated by CRF. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH In Experiment 1, rats trained to self-administer cocaine were pretreated with the CB(1) receptor antagonist, AM251 (0, 10, 100 or 200 µg, i.c.v.), before tests for reinstatement in response to CRF (0, 0.5 µg, i.c.v.), intermittent footshock stress (0, 0.9 mA) or cocaine (0, 10 mg·kg(-1) , i.p.). In Experiment 2, rats pre-exposed to cocaine (15-30 mg·kg(-1) , i.p.) or saline for 7 days were pretreated with AM251 (0, 10 or 100 µg, i.c.v.) before tests for locomotion in response to CRF (0.5 µg, i.c.v.), cocaine (15 mg·kg(-1) , i.p.) or saline (i.c.v.). KEY RESULTS Pretreatment with AM251 selectively interfered with CRF-, but not footshock- or cocaine-induced reinstatement. AM251 blocked the expression of behavioural sensitization induced by challenge injections of both CRF and cocaine. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS These findings reveal a mediating role for CB(1) receptor transmission in the effects of CRF on cocaine-related behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- D A Kupferschmidt
- Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Akirav I, Fattore L. Cannabinoid CB1 and Dopamine D1 Receptors Partnership in the Modulation of Emotional Neural Processing. Front Behav Neurosci 2011; 5:67. [PMID: 22016727 PMCID: PMC3192322 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2011.00067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2011] [Accepted: 09/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Irit Akirav
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa Haifa, Israel
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