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Claypool SM, Reiner DJ, Behdin S, Orihuel J, Batista A, Caldwell KE, Chow JJ, Bossert JM, Rubio FJ, Hope BT, Shaham Y. Role of Piriform Cortex and Its Afferent Projections in Relapse to Fentanyl Seeking after Food Choice-Induced Voluntary Abstinence. J Neurosci 2023; 43:2597-2614. [PMID: 36898838 PMCID: PMC10082459 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0034-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
We previously demonstrated a role of piriform cortex (Pir) in relapse to fentanyl seeking after food choice-induced voluntary abstinence. Here, we used this model to further study the role of Pir and its afferent projections in fentanyl relapse. We trained male and female rats to self-administer palatable food pellets for 6 d (6 h/day) and fentanyl (2.5 µg/kg/infusion, i.v.) for 12 d (6 h/day). We assessed relapse to fentanyl seeking after 12 voluntary abstinence sessions, achieved through a discrete choice procedure between fentanyl and palatable food (20 trials/session). We determined projection-specific activation of Pir afferents during fentanyl relapse with Fos plus the retrograde tracer cholera toxin B (injected into Pir). Fentanyl relapse was associated with increased Fos expression in anterior insular cortex (AI) and prelimbic cortex (PL) neurons projecting to Pir. We next used an anatomical disconnection procedure to determine the causal role of these two projections (AI→Pir and PL→Pir) in fentanyl relapse. Contralateral but not ipsilateral disconnection of AI→Pir projections decreased fentanyl relapse but not reacquisition of fentanyl self-administration. In contrast, contralateral but not ipsilateral disconnection of PL→Pir projections modestly decreased reacquisition but not relapse. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting and quantitative PCR data showed molecular changes within Pir Fos-expressing neurons associated with fentanyl relapse. Finally, we found minimal or no sex differences in fentanyl self-administration, fentanyl versus food choice, and fentanyl relapse. Our results indicate that AI→Pir and PL→Pir projections play dissociable roles in nonreinforced relapse to fentanyl seeking versus reacquisition of fentanyl self-administration after food choice-induced voluntary abstinence.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We previously showed a role of Pir in fentanyl relapse after food choice-induced voluntary abstinence in rats, a procedure mimicking human abstinence or a significant reduction in drug self-administration because of the availability of alternative nondrug rewards. Here, we aimed to further characterize the role of Pir in fentanyl relapse by investigating the role of Pir afferent projections and analyzing molecular changes in relapse-activated Pir neurons. We identified dissociable roles of two Pir afferent projections (AI→Pir and PL→Pir) in relapse to fentanyl seeking versus reacquisition of fentanyl self-administration after voluntary abstinence. We also characterized molecular changes within Pir Fos-expressing neurons associated with fentanyl relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Claypool
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - David J Reiner
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Sana Behdin
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Javier Orihuel
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Ashley Batista
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Kiera E Caldwell
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Jonathan J Chow
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Jennifer M Bossert
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - F Javier Rubio
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Bruce T Hope
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
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Armstrong A, Rosenthal H, Stout N, Richard JM. Reinstatement of Pavlovian responses to alcohol cues by stress. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:531-545. [PMID: 36227353 PMCID: PMC9931652 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06255-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Stress may contribute to relapse to alcohol use in part by enhancing reactivity to cues previously paired with alcohol. Yet, standard models of stress-induced reinstatement generally use contingent presentations of alcohol-paired cues to reinforce instrumental behaviors, making it difficult to isolate the ability of cues to invigorate alcohol-seeking. OBJECTIVE Here we sought to test the impact of stress on behavioral responses to alcohol-paired cues, using a model of stress-induced reinstatement of Pavlovian conditioned approach, inspired by Nadia Chaudhri's work on context-induced reinstatement. METHODS Long Evans rats were trained to associate one auditory cue with delivery of alcohol or sucrose and an alternative auditory cue with no reward. Following extinction training, rats were exposed to a stressor prior to being re-exposed to the cues under extinction conditions. We assessed the effects of yohimbine, intermittent footshock and olfactory cues paired with social defeat on responses to alcohol-paired cues and the effects of yohimbine on responses to sucrose-paired cues. RESULTS The pharmacological stressor, yohimbine, enhanced alcohol seeking in a Pavlovian setting, but not in a cue-selective manner. Intermittent footshock and social defeat cues did not enhance alcohol seeking in this paradigm. CONCLUSIONS While yohimbine elicited reinstatement of reward-seeking in a Pavlovian setting, these effects may be unrelated to activation of stress systems or to interactions with specific cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Armstrong
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Hailey Rosenthal
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Nakura Stout
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Jocelyn M Richard
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55415, USA.
- Medical Discovery Team On Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55415, USA.
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Tabbara RI, Rahbarnia A, Lê AD, Fletcher PJ. The pharmacological stressor yohimbine, but not U50,488, increases responding for conditioned reinforcers paired with ethanol or sucrose. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:3689-3702. [PMID: 32840668 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05647-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Environmental stimuli paired with alcohol can function as conditioned reinforcers (CRfs) and trigger relapse to alcohol-seeking. In animal models, pharmacological stressors can enhance alcohol consumption and reinstate alcohol-seeking, but it is unknown whether stress can potentiate the conditioned reinforcing properties of alcohol-paired stimuli. OBJECTIVES We examined whether the pharmacological stressors, the α-2 adrenoreceptor antagonist yohimbine (vehicle, 1.25, 2.5 mg/kg; IP) and the K-opioid receptor agonist U50,488 (vehicle, 1.25, 2.5 mg/kg; SC), increase responding for conditioned reinforcement, and if their effects interact with the nature of the reward (alcohol vs. sucrose). We subsequently examined the effects of yohimbine (vehicle, 1.25, 2.5 mg/kg; IP) on responding for sensory reinforcement. METHODS Male Long-Evans underwent Pavlovian conditioning, wherein a tone-light conditioned stimulus (CS) was repeatedly paired with 12% EtOH or 21.7% sucrose. Next, tests of responding for a CRf were conducted. Responding on the CRf lever delivered the CS, whereas responding on the other lever had no consequences. In a separate cohort of rats, the effects of yohimbine on responding just for the sensory reinforcer were examined. RESULTS Both doses of yohimbine, but not U50,488, increased responding for conditioned reinforcement. This enhancement occurred independently of the nature of the reward used during Pavlovian conditioning. Yohimbine-enhanced responding for a CRf was reproducible and stable over five tests; it even persisted when the CS was omitted. Both doses of yohimbine also increased responding for sensory reinforcement. CONCLUSIONS Yohimbine increases operant responding for a variety of sensory and conditioned reinforcers. This enhancement may be independent of its stress-like effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rayane I Tabbara
- Section of Biopsychology, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada. .,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Arya Rahbarnia
- Section of Biopsychology, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Anh D Lê
- Neurobiology of Alcohol Laboratory, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Paul J Fletcher
- Section of Biopsychology, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Kochli DE, Keefer SE, Gyawali U, Calu DJ. Basolateral Amygdala to Nucleus Accumbens Communication Differentially Mediates Devaluation Sensitivity of Sign- and Goal-Tracking Rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:593645. [PMID: 33324182 PMCID: PMC7723965 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.593645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Rats rely on communication between the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) to express lever directed approach in a Pavlovian lever autoshaping (PLA) task that distinguishes sign- and goal-tracking rats. During PLA, sign-tracking rats preferentially approach an insertable lever cue, while goal-tracking rats approach a foodcup where rewards are delivered. While sign-tracking rats inflexibly respond to cues even after the associated reward is devalued, goal-tracking rats flexibly reduce responding to cues during outcome devaluation. Here, we sought to determine whether BLA-NAc communication, which is necessary for sign, but not goal-tracking, drives a rigid appetitive approach of sign-tracking rats that are insensitive to manipulations of outcome value. Using a contralateral chemogenetic inactivation design, we injected contralateral BLA and NAc core with inhibitory DREADD (hm4Di-mCherry) or control (mCherry) constructs. To determine sign- and goal-tracking groups, we trained rats in five PLA sessions in which brief lever insertion predicts food pellet delivery. We sated rats on training pellets (devalued condition) or chow (valued condition) before systemic clozapine injections (0.1 mg/kg) to inactivate BLA and contralateral NAc during two outcome devaluation probe tests, in which we measured lever and foodcup approach. Contralateral BLA-NAc chemogenetic inactivation promoted a flexible lever approach in sign-tracking rats but disrupted the flexible foodcup approach in goal-tracking rats. Consistent with a prior BLA-NAc disconnection lesion study, we find contralateral chemogenetic inactivation of BLA and NAc core reduces lever, but not the foodcup approach in PLA. Together these findings suggest rigid appetitive associative encoding in BLA-NAc of sign-tracking rats hinders the expression of flexible behavior when outcome value changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E. Kochli
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Sara E. Keefer
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Utsav Gyawali
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Donna J. Calu
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Sex-dependent effects of chronic stress on reinstatement of palatable food seeking and involvement of dopamine D 1-like receptors. Behav Brain Res 2020; 396:112921. [PMID: 32950608 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Recent work in our lab has shown that chronic stress exposure causes sex-dependent changes in subsequent relapse-like behavior in rats with a history of palatable food self-administration. Although these effects are mediated by dopamine D1-like receptors in male rats, such dopaminergic mechanisms have not been investigated in female animals. Thus, male and female rats were trained to respond for highly palatable food reinforcers in daily sessions. During subsequent extinction training, stress was manipulated (0 or 3 h restraint/day for 7 days). To assess dopaminergic involvement, we administered either SCH-23390 (10.0 μg/kg), a dopamine D1-like receptor antagonist, or vehicle prior to daily treatments. Rats were then tested for cue- and pellet priming-induced reinstatement. Results showed that a history of chronic stress caused an increase in pellet priming-induced reinstatement in males and a decrease in cue-induced reinstatement in females. SCH-23390 combined with stress prevented those effects in males, but not in females. In females, a history of SCH-23390 administration caused an overall increase in responding that was apparent during cue-, but not pellet priming-, induced reinstatement testing. These results establish that both the effects of chronic stress on reinstatement of food seeking and the involvement of dopamine in those effects are dependent on biological sex. Such findings should inform the development of sex-specific interventions for dietary relapse and other stress-related health problems.
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Wargent ET, Martin-Gronert MS, Cripps RL, Heisler LK, Yeo GSH, Ozanne SE, Arch JRS, Stocker CJ. Developmental programming of appetite and growth in male rats increases hypothalamic serotonin (5-HT)5A receptor expression and sensitivity. Int J Obes (Lond) 2020; 44:1946-1957. [PMID: 32719434 DOI: 10.1038/s41366-020-0643-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Though it is well established that neonatal nutrition plays a major role in lifelong offspring health, the mechanisms underpinning this have not been well defined. Early postnatal accelerated growth resulting from maternal nutritional status is associated with increased appetite and body weight. Likewise, slow growth correlates with decreased appetite and body weight. Food consumption and food-seeking behaviour are directly modulated by central serotonergic (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) pathways. This study examined the effect of a rat maternal postnatal low protein (PLP) diet on 5-HT receptor mediated food intake in offspring. METHODS Microarray analyses, in situ hybridization or laser capture microdissection of the ARC followed by RT-PCR were used to identify genes up- or down-regulated in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARC) of 3-month-old male PLP rats. Third ventricle cannulation was used to identify altered sensitivity to serotonin receptor agonists and antagonists with respect to food intake. RESULTS Male PLP offspring consumed less food and had lower growth rates up to 3 months of age compared with Control offspring from dams fed a normal diet. In total, 97 genes were upregulated including the 5-HT5A receptor (5-HT5AR) and 149 downregulated genes in PLP rats compared with Controls. The former obesity medication fenfluramine and the 5-HT receptor agonist 5-Carboxamidotryptamine (5-CT) significantly suppressed food intake in both groups, but the PLP offspring were more sensitive to d-fenfluramine and 5-CT compared with Controls. The effect of 5-CT was antagonized by the 5-HT5AR antagonist SB699551. 5-CT also reduced NPY-induced hyperphagia in both Control and PLP rats but was more effective in PLP offspring. CONCLUSIONS Postnatal low protein programming of growth in rats enhances the central effects of serotonin on appetite by increasing hypothalamic 5-HT5AR expression and sensitivity. These findings provide insight into the possible mechanisms through which a maternal low protein diet during lactation programs reduced growth and appetite in offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward T Wargent
- Buckingham Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Buckingham, Hunter Street, Buckingham, MK18 1EG, UK
| | - Malgorzata S Martin-Gronert
- Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Roselle L Cripps
- Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Lora K Heisler
- The Rowett, Institute, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Giles S H Yeo
- Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Susan E Ozanne
- Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Jonathan R S Arch
- Buckingham Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Buckingham, Hunter Street, Buckingham, MK18 1EG, UK
| | - Claire J Stocker
- Buckingham Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Buckingham, Hunter Street, Buckingham, MK18 1EG, UK.
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Ball KT, Best O, Hagan E, Pressimone C, Tosh L. Effects of chronic stress on reinstatement of palatable food seeking: Sex differences and relationship to trait anxiety. Physiol Behav 2020; 221:112900. [PMID: 32259598 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.112900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Previous research in our lab has established a causal role for chronic stress exposure in subsequent increases in relapse-like behaviors in male rats with a history of palatable food self-administration. Given that many of the neurobehavioral consequences of stress are sex dependent, we aimed to determine whether sex differences exist with regard to the effects of chronic stress on relapse. Additionally, because high trait anxiety confers vulnerability to stress-related disorders, we examined whether individual differences in trait anxiety were related to differences in relapse-like behavior after chronic stress exposure. Following elevated plus maze testing for classification into high- or low-anxiety phenotypes, male and female rats responded for highly palatable food pellets. During subsequent extinction training, stress was manipulated (0 or 90 min restraint/day for 7 days). Rats were then tested for cue- and pellet priming-induced reinstatement of palatable food seeking. Results showed that female rats displayed higher levels of responding during cue-induced reinstatement tests compared to males, and that a history of chronic stress caused an attenuation of cue-induced reinstatement in female, but not male, rats. Regarding pellet priming-induced reinstatement, there was a three-way interaction such that neither stress history nor anxiety phenotype was related to reinstatement in females, but a history of stress in males caused increased and decreased responding in low- and high-anxiety rats, respectively. These results suggest that biological sex and trait anxiety level may help to explain differences in vulnerability to relapse among individuals exposed to chronic stress. Such information may be useful in designing more personalized and effective treatments for obesity and eating disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin T Ball
- Department of Psychology, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 400 E. 2nd St., Bloomsburg, PA 17815, USA.
| | - Olivia Best
- Department of Psychology, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 400 E. 2nd St., Bloomsburg, PA 17815, USA
| | - Erin Hagan
- Department of Psychology, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 400 E. 2nd St., Bloomsburg, PA 17815, USA
| | - Claire Pressimone
- Department of Psychology, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 400 E. 2nd St., Bloomsburg, PA 17815, USA
| | - Lindsay Tosh
- Department of Psychology, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 400 E. 2nd St., Bloomsburg, PA 17815, USA
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Role of Projections between Piriform Cortex and Orbitofrontal Cortex in Relapse to Fentanyl Seeking after Palatable Food Choice-Induced Voluntary Abstinence. J Neurosci 2020; 40:2485-2497. [PMID: 32051327 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2693-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Revised: 12/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
We recently developed a rat model of relapse to drug seeking after food choice-induced voluntary abstinence. Here, we used this model to study the role of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and its afferent projections in relapse to fentanyl seeking. We trained male and female rats to self-administer palatable food pellets for 6 d (6 h/d) and intravenous fentanyl (2.5 μg/kg/infusion) for 12 d (6 h/d). We assessed relapse to fentanyl seeking after 13-14 voluntary abstinence days, achieved through a discrete choice procedure between fentanyl infusions and palatable food (20 trials/d). In both sexes, relapse after food choice-induced abstinence was associated with increased expression of the activity marker Fos in the OFC. Pharmacological inactivation of the OFC with muscimol plus baclofen (50 + 50 ng/side) decreased relapse to fentanyl seeking. We then determined projection-specific activation of OFC afferents during the relapse test by using Fos plus the retrograde tracer cholera toxin B (injected into the OFC). Relapse to fentanyl seeking was associated with increased Fos expression in the piriform cortex (Pir) neurons projecting to the OFC, but not in projections from the basolateral amygdala and thalamus. Pharmacological inactivation of the Pir with muscimol plus baclofen decreased relapse to fentanyl seeking after voluntary abstinence. Next, we used an anatomical disconnection procedure to determine whether projections between the Pir and OFC are critical for relapse to fentanyl seeking. Unilateral muscimol plus baclofen injections into the Pir in one hemisphere plus unilateral muscimol plus baclofen injections into the OFC in the contralateral, but not ipsilateral, hemisphere decreased relapse. Our results identify Pir-OFC projections as a new motivation-related pathway critical to relapse to opioid seeking after voluntary abstinence.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT There are few preclinical studies of fentanyl relapse, and these studies have used experimenter-imposed extinction or forced abstinence procedures. In humans, however, abstinence is often voluntary, with drug available in the drug environment but forgone in favor of nondrug alternative reinforcers. We recently developed a rat model of drug relapse after palatable food choice-induced voluntary abstinence. Here, we used classical pharmacology, immunohistochemistry, and retrograde tracing to demonstrate a critical role of the piriform and orbitofrontal cortices in relapse to opioid seeking after voluntary abstinence.
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Vulnerability to diet-induced obesity is associated with greater food priming-induced reinstatement of palatable food seeking. Physiol Behav 2019; 213:112730. [PMID: 31678197 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.112730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
We examined whether individual differences in weight gain during exposure to a "junk-food" diet were related to differences in later relapse-like behavior in a rat model. Following free access to a junk-food diet for 7 weeks, rats were trained to press a lever for palatable food pellets. Following extinction training, rats were tested for cue- and pellet priming-induced reinstatement. Results showed that rats prone to obesity while on the junk-food diet displayed greater pellet priming-, but not cue-, induced reinstatement relative to obesity-resistant rats, suggesting that obesity vulnerability is a factor determining one's chances for some types of relapse.
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Nucleus Accumbens Drd1-Expressing Neurons Control Aggression Self-Administration and Aggression Seeking in Mice. J Neurosci 2019; 39:2482-2496. [PMID: 30655356 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2409-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
We recently developed a mouse model of appetitive operant aggression and reported that adult male outbred CD-1 mice lever-press for the opportunity to attack subordinate male mice and relapse to aggression seeking during abstinence. Here we studied the role of nucleus accumbens (NAc) dopamine receptor (Drd)1- and Drd2-expressing neurons in aggression self-administration and aggression seeking. We trained CD-1 mice to self-administer intruders (9 d, 12 trials/d) and tested them for aggression self-administration and aggression seeking on abstinence Day 1. We used immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization to measure the neuronal activity marker Fos in the NAc, and cell-type-specific colocalization of Fos with Drd1- and Drd2-expressing neurons. To test the causal role of Drd1- and Drd2-expressing neurons, we validated a transgenic hybrid breeding strategy crossing inbred Drd1-Cre and Drd2-Cre transgenic mice with outbred CD-1 mice and used cell-type-specific Cre-DREADD (hM4Di) to inhibit NAc Drd1- and Drd2-expressing neuron activity. We found that aggression self-administration and aggression seeking induced higher Fos expression in NAc shell than in core, that Fos colocalized with Drd1 and Drd2 in both subregions, and that chemogenetic inhibition of Drd1-, but not Drd2-, expressing neurons decreased aggression self-administration and aggression seeking. Results indicate a cell-type-specific role of Drd1-expressing neurons that is critical for both aggression self-administration and aggression seeking. Our study also validates a simple breeding strategy between outbred CD-1 mice and inbred C57-based Cre lines that can be used to study cell-type and circuit mechanisms of aggression reward and relapse.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Aggression is often comorbid with neuropsychiatric diseases, including drug addiction. One form, appetitive aggression, exhibits symptomatology that mimics that of drug addiction and is hypothesized to be due to dysregulation of addiction-related reward circuits. However, our mechanistic understanding of the circuitry modulating appetitive operant aggression is limited. Here we used a novel mouse model of aggression self-administration and relapse, in combination with immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and chemogenetic manipulations to examine how cell types in the nucleus accumbens are recruited for, and control, operant aggression self-administration and aggression seeking on abstinence Day 1. We found that one population, dopamine receptor 1-expressing neurons, act as a critical modulator of operant aggression reward and aggression seeking.
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Foltin RW, Evans SM. Sex differences in the anorexigenic effects of dexfenfluramine and amphetamine in baboons. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 2018; 26:335-340. [PMID: 29792471 PMCID: PMC6072584 DOI: 10.1037/pha0000201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The anorexigenic effects of intramuscular d-amphetamine HCl (0.06-0.50 mg/kg) and dexfenfluramine HCl (0.25-2.0 mg/kg) were determined in experimentally naïve baboons. A group of 8 adult male baboons was tested prior to a group of 7 adult female baboons. A 120-min session occurred at 9:00 a.m. during which baboons could respond for food pellets. Drug was given 30 min prior to the 9:00 a.m. morning session. Beginning at 11:00 a.m., baboons had a 6-hr multiple-meal session during which they could have up to 4 food pellet meals. Food was not available overnight, but food was available for 90 min upon awakening such that drug effects were evaluated in non-food-deprived animals. Under baseline conditions baboons earned between 30 and 70 pellets during the morning session and another 175-225 pellets during the remainder of the day. Amphetamine and dexfenfluramine produced dose-dependent decreases in food pellet intake during both the morning food session and the later multiple-meal session. Whereas there were minimal sex differences in the effects of dexfenfluramine, many of the amphetamine doses produced greater decreases in pellet intake in males than females. These results are discordant with much of the rodent literature on abuse-related drug effects that generally reports greater effects of amphetamine in females than males. Additional work is needed to replicate the current findings in nonhuman primates. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard W Foltin
- Division on Substance Use Disorders, New York State Psychiatric Institute
| | - Suzette M Evans
- Division on Substance Use Disorders, New York State Psychiatric Institute
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12
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Venniro M, Caprioli D, Zhang M, Whitaker LR, Zhang S, Warren BL, Cifani C, Marchant NJ, Yizhar O, Bossert JM, Chiamulera C, Morales M, Shaham Y. The Anterior Insular Cortex→Central Amygdala Glutamatergic Pathway Is Critical to Relapse after Contingency Management. Neuron 2017; 96:414-427.e8. [PMID: 29024664 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.09.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2017] [Revised: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Despite decades of research on neurobiological mechanisms of psychostimulant addiction, the only effective treatment for many addicts is contingency management, a behavioral treatment that uses alternative non-drug reward to maintain abstinence. However, when contingency management is discontinued, most addicts relapse to drug use. The brain mechanisms underlying relapse after cessation of contingency management are largely unknown, and, until recently, an animal model of this human condition did not exist. Here we used a novel rat model, in which the availability of a mutually exclusive palatable food maintains prolonged voluntary abstinence from intravenous methamphetamine self-administration, to demonstrate that the activation of monosynaptic glutamatergic projections from anterior insular cortex to central amygdala is critical to relapse after the cessation of contingency management. We identified the anterior insular cortex-to-central amygdala projection as a new addiction- and motivation-related projection and a potential target for relapse prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Venniro
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Daniele Caprioli
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer" Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Michelle Zhang
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Leslie R Whitaker
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shiliang Zhang
- Electron Microscopy Core, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Brandon L Warren
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Carlo Cifani
- University of Camerino School of Pharmacy, Pharmacology Unit, Camerino, Italy
| | - Nathan J Marchant
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ofer Yizhar
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Jennifer M Bossert
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Marisela Morales
- Integrative Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore USA
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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13
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Venniro M, Zhang M, Shaham Y, Caprioli D. Incubation of Methamphetamine but not Heroin Craving After Voluntary Abstinence in Male and Female Rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2017; 42:1126-1135. [PMID: 28025975 PMCID: PMC5506794 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2016.287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2016] [Revised: 12/12/2016] [Accepted: 12/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
We recently introduced an animal model of incubation of methamphetamine craving after choice-based voluntary abstinence in male rats. Here we studied the generality of this phenomenon to (1) female rats, and (2) male and female rats with a history of heroin self-administration. We first trained rats to self-administer palatable food pellets for 6 days (6 h per day) for either methamphetamine (0.1 mg/kg/infusion) or heroin (0.1 mg/kg/infusion) for 12 days (6 h/day). We then assessed relapse to drug seeking under extinction conditions after 1 and 21 abstinence days. Between tests, the rats underwent either voluntary abstinence (achieved via a discrete choice procedure between drug and palatable food; 20 trials/day) or home-cage forced abstinence. We found no sex differences in methamphetamine self-administration or in the strong preference for the palatable food over methamphetamine during the choice-based voluntary abstinence. In both sexes, methamphetamine seeking in the relapse tests was higher after 21 days of either voluntary or forced abstinence than after 1 day (incubation of methamphetamine craving). We also found no sex differences in heroin self-administration or the strong preference for the palatable food over heroin during the choice-based voluntary abstinence. However, male and female rats with a history of heroin self-administration showed incubation of heroin craving after forced but not voluntary abstinence. Our results show that incubation of methamphetamine craving after voluntary abstinence generalizes to female rats. Unexpectedly, prolonged voluntary abstinence prevented the emergence of incubation of heroin craving in both sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Venniro
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michelle Zhang
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA,Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, IRP, NIDA, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21044, USA, Tel: 443 740 2723, Fax: 443 740 2727, E-mail: or
| | - Daniele Caprioli
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA,Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, IRP, NIDA, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21044, USA, Tel: 443 740 2723, Fax: 443 740 2727, E-mail: or
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14
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Ball KT, Best O, Luo J, Miller LR. Chronic restraint stress causes a delayed increase in responding for palatable food cues during forced abstinence via a dopamine D 1-like receptor-mediated mechanism. Behav Brain Res 2016; 319:1-8. [PMID: 27845229 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Revised: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Relapse to unhealthy eating habits in dieters is often triggered by stress. Animal models, moreover, have confirmed a causal role for acute stress in relapse. The role of chronic stress in relapse vulnerability, however, has received relatively little attention. Therefore, in the present study, we used an abstinence-based relapse model in rats to test the hypothesis that exposure to chronic stress increases subsequent relapse vulnerability. Rats were trained to press a lever for highly palatable food reinforcers in daily 3-h sessions and then tested for food seeking (i.e., responding for food associated cues) both before and after an acute or chronic restraint stress procedure (3h/day×1day or 10days, respectively) or control procedure (unstressed). The second food seeking test was conducted either 1day or 7days after the last restraint. Because chronic stress causes dopamine D1-like receptor-mediated alterations in prefrontal cortex (a relapse node), we also assessed dopaminergic involvement by administering either SCH-23390 (10.0μg/kg; i.p.), a dopamine D1-like receptor antagonist, or vehicle prior to daily treatments. Results showed that chronically, but not acutely, stressed rats displayed increased food seeking 7days, but not 1day, after the last restraint. Importantly, SCH-23390 combined with chronic stress reversed this effect. These results suggest that drugs targeting D1-like receptors during chronic stress may help to prevent future relapse in dieters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin T Ball
- Department of Psychology, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 400 E. 2nd St., Bloomsburg, PA 17815, USA.
| | - Olivia Best
- Department of Psychology, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 400 E. 2nd St., Bloomsburg, PA 17815, USA
| | - Jonathan Luo
- Department of Psychology, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 400 E. 2nd St., Bloomsburg, PA 17815, USA
| | - Leah R Miller
- Department of Psychology, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 400 E. 2nd St., Bloomsburg, PA 17815, USA
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15
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Ball KT, Miller L, Sullivan C, Wells A, Best O, Cavanaugh B, Copus T, Corrigan N, Hawkins S, Kobbe K, Schoener A, Steiger J, Vieweg L. Effects of repeated yohimbine administration on reinstatement of palatable food seeking: involvement of dopamine D 1 -like receptors and food-associated cues. Addict Biol 2016. [PMID: 26223161 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Acute exposure to the pharmacological stressor yohimbine induces relapse to both food and drug seeking in a rat model. However, no systematic studies on the effects of chronic stress on relapse have been conducted. Because chronic stress causes changes in dopamine D1 -like receptor-mediated transmission in prefrontal cortex (a relapse node), we tested the hypothesis that chronic exposure to stress increases vulnerability to relapse via dopamine-mediated mechanisms. Additionally, to determine the role of food-conditioned cues in reinstatement of food seeking, we made discrete food-paired cues either available (CS Present) or not available (CS Absent) during extinction and reinstatement testing. Rats responded for palatable food reinforcers in daily 3-hour sessions, and the behavior was extinguished. To model chronic stress, rats were injected daily with yohimbine (0.0, 2.5, or 5.0 mg/kg; i.p.) during the first 7 days of extinction. Injections were combined with SCH-23390 (0.0, 5.0, or 10.0 µg/kg; i.p.), a D1 -like receptor antagonist. Rats were then tested for reinstatement of food seeking triggered by acute yohimbine (0.0, 1.0, or 2.0 mg/kg; i.p.) and pellet priming. Rats treated previously with chronic yohimbine displayed increased responding following acute yohimbine priming relative to non-chronically stressed rats, but in the CS Absent condition only. Conversely, the lower dose of chronic yohimbine caused an increase in pellet-primed reinstatement, but this effect was more pronounced in the CS Present condition. Importantly, SCH-23390 combined with repeated yohimbine injections attenuated these effects. Thus, chronic stress may increase vulnerability to relapse under specific circumstances via a dopamine D1 -like receptor-mediated mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin T. Ball
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Leah Miller
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Christopher Sullivan
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Ashleigh Wells
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Olivia Best
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Brittany Cavanaugh
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Taylor Copus
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Nathan Corrigan
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Shaina Hawkins
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Krista Kobbe
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Ashley Schoener
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Johnathan Steiger
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Lauren Vieweg
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
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16
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Carroll ME, Lynch WJ. How to study sex differences in addiction using animal models. Addict Biol 2016; 21:1007-29. [PMID: 27345022 PMCID: PMC4970981 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2016] [Revised: 02/17/2016] [Accepted: 02/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The importance of studying sex as a biological variable in biomedical research is becoming increasingly apparent. There is a particular need in preclinical studies of addiction to include both sexes, as female animals are often excluded from studies, leaving large gaps in our knowledge of not only sex differences and potential prevention and treatment strategies but also with regard to the basic neurobiology of addiction. This review focuses on methodology that has been developed in preclinical studies to examine sex differences in the behavioral aspects and neurobiological mechanisms related to addiction across the full range of the addiction process, including initiation (acquisition), maintenance, escalation, withdrawal, relapse to drug seeking and treatment. This review also discusses strategic and technical issues that need to be considered when comparing females and males, including the role of ovarian hormones and how sex differences interact with other major vulnerability factors in addiction, such as impulsivity, compulsivity and age (adolescent versus adult). Novel treatments for addiction are also discussed, such as competing non-drug rewards, repurposed medications such as progesterone and treatment combinations. Practical aspects of conducting research comparing female and male animals are also considered. Making sex differences a point of examination requires additional effort and consideration; however, such studies are necessary given mounting evidence demonstrating that the addiction process occurs differently in males and females. These studies should lead to a better understanding of individual differences in the development of addiction and effective treatments for males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilyn E. Carroll
- Marilyn E. Carroll, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, MMC 392, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Wendy J. Lynch
- Wendy J. Lynch, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia, PO Box 801402, Charlottesville, VA
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17
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Higgins GA, Silenieks LB, Altherr EB, MacMillan C, Fletcher PJ, Pratt WE. Lorcaserin and CP-809101 reduce motor impulsivity and reinstatement of food seeking behavior in male rats: Implications for understanding the anti-obesity property of 5-HT2C receptor agonists. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2016; 233:2841-56. [PMID: 27241709 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-016-4329-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The 5-HT2C receptor agonist lorcaserin (Belviq®) has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of obesity. Impulsivity is a contributory feature of some eating disorders. OBJECTIVE Experiments investigated the effect of lorcaserin and the highly selective 5-HT2C agonist CP-809101 on measures of impulsivity and on reinstatement of food-seeking behaviour, a model of dietary relapse. The effect of both drugs on 22-h deprivation-induced feeding was also examined, as was the effect of prefeeding in each impulsivity test. RESULTS Lorcaserin (0.3-0.6 mg/kg SC) and CP-809101 (0.6-1 mg/kg SC) reduced premature responding in rats trained on the 5-CSRTT and improved accuracy in a Go-NoGo task by reducing false alarms. At equivalent doses, both drugs also reduced reinstatement for food-seeking behaviour. Neither drug altered impulsive choice measured in a delay-discounting task. Lorcaserin (1-3 mg/kg SC) and CP-809101 (3-6 mg/kg SC) reduced deprivation-induced feeding but only at higher doses. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that in addition to previously reported effects on satiety and reward, altered impulse control may represent a contributory factor to the anti-obesity property of 5-HT2C receptor agonists. Lorcaserin may promote weight loss by improving adherence to dietary regimens in individuals otherwise prone to relapse and may be beneficial in cases where obesity is associated with eating disorders tied to impulsive traits, such as binge eating disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy A Higgins
- InterVivo Solutions Inc., 120 Carlton Street, Toronto, ON, M5A 4K2, Canada. .,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 4K2, Canada.
| | - Leo B Silenieks
- InterVivo Solutions Inc., 120 Carlton Street, Toronto, ON, M5A 4K2, Canada
| | - Everett B Altherr
- Department of Psychology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA
| | - Cam MacMillan
- Vivocore, 120 Carlton Street, Toronto, ON, M5A 4K2, Canada
| | - Paul J Fletcher
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G3, Canada.,Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Wayne E Pratt
- Department of Psychology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA
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18
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Mantsch JR, Baker DA, Funk D, Lê AD, Shaham Y. Stress-Induced Reinstatement of Drug Seeking: 20 Years of Progress. Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:335-56. [PMID: 25976297 PMCID: PMC4677117 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 319] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2015] [Revised: 05/01/2015] [Accepted: 05/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
In human addicts, drug relapse and craving are often provoked by stress. Since 1995, this clinical scenario has been studied using a rat model of stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. Here, we first discuss the generality of stress-induced reinstatement to different drugs of abuse, different stressors, and different behavioral procedures. We also discuss neuropharmacological mechanisms, and brain areas and circuits controlling stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. We conclude by discussing results from translational human laboratory studies and clinical trials that were inspired by results from rat studies on stress-induced reinstatement. Our main conclusions are (1) The phenomenon of stress-induced reinstatement, first shown with an intermittent footshock stressor in rats trained to self-administer heroin, generalizes to other abused drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, nicotine, and alcohol, and is also observed in the conditioned place preference model in rats and mice. This phenomenon, however, is stressor specific and not all stressors induce reinstatement of drug seeking. (2) Neuropharmacological studies indicate the involvement of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), noradrenaline, dopamine, glutamate, kappa/dynorphin, and several other peptide and neurotransmitter systems in stress-induced reinstatement. Neuropharmacology and circuitry studies indicate the involvement of CRF and noradrenaline transmission in bed nucleus of stria terminalis and central amygdala, and dopamine, CRF, kappa/dynorphin, and glutamate transmission in other components of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system (ventral tegmental area, medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens). (3) Translational human laboratory studies and a recent clinical trial study show the efficacy of alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonists in decreasing stress-induced drug craving and stress-induced initial heroin lapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Mantsch
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - David A Baker
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Douglas Funk
- Center for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Anh D Lê
- Center for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Intramural Research Program, NIDA-NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
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19
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Caprioli D, Zeric T, Thorndike EB, Venniro M. Persistent palatable food preference in rats with a history of limited and extended access to methamphetamine self-administration. Addict Biol 2015; 20:913-26. [PMID: 25582886 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that when given a mutually exclusive choice between cocaine and palatable foods, most rats prefer the non-drug rewards over cocaine. Here, we used a discrete choice procedure to assess whether palatable food preference generalizes to rats with a history of limited (3 hours/day) or extended (6 or 9 hours/day) access to methamphetamine self-administration. On different daily sessions, we trained rats to lever-press for either methamphetamine (0.1-0.2 mg/kg/infusion) or palatable food (five pellets per reward delivery) for several weeks; regular food was freely available. We then assessed food-methamphetamine preference either during training, after priming methamphetamine injections (0.5-1.0 mg/kg), following a satiety manipulation (palatable food exposure in the home cage) or after 21 days of withdrawal from methamphetamine. We also assessed progressive ratio responding for palatable food and methamphetamine. We found that independent of the daily drug access conditions and the withdrawal period, the rats strongly preferred the palatable food over methamphetamine, even when they were given free access to the palatable food in the home cage. Intake of methamphetamine and progressive ratio responding for the drug, both of which increased or escalated over time, did not predict preference in the discrete choice test. Results demonstrate that most rats strongly prefer palatable food pellets over intravenous methamphetamine, confirming previous studies using discrete choice procedures with intravenous cocaine. Results also demonstrate that escalation of drug self-administration, a popular model of compulsive drug use, is not associated with a cardinal feature of human addiction of reduced behavioral responding for non-drug rewards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Caprioli
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch; Intramural Research Program; NIH; DHHS; National Institute on Drug Abuse; Baltimore MD USA
| | - Tamara Zeric
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch; Intramural Research Program; NIH; DHHS; National Institute on Drug Abuse; Baltimore MD USA
| | - Eric B. Thorndike
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch; Intramural Research Program; NIH; DHHS; National Institute on Drug Abuse; Baltimore MD USA
| | - Marco Venniro
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch; Intramural Research Program; NIH; DHHS; National Institute on Drug Abuse; Baltimore MD USA
- Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory; Section Pharmacology; Department Public Health and Community Medicine; University of Verona; Italy
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE Palatable foods are frequently high in energy density. Chronic consumption of high-energy density foods can contribute to the development of cardiometabolic pathology including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. This article reviews the contributions of extrinsic and intrinsic factors that influence the reward components of food intake. METHODS A narrative review was conducted to determine the behavioral and central nervous system (CNS) related processes involved in the reward components of high-energy density food intake. RESULTS The rewarding aspects of food, particularly palatable and preferred foods, are regulated by CNS circuitry. Overlaying this regulation is modulation by intrinsic endocrine systems and metabolic hormones relating to energy homeostasis, developmental stage, or gender. It is now recognized that extrinsic or environmental factors, including ambient diet composition and the provocation of stress or anxiety, also contribute substantially to the expression of food reward behaviors such as motivation for, and seeking of, preferred foods. CONCLUSIONS High-energy density food intake is influenced by both physiological and pathophysiological processes. Contextual, behavioral, and psychological factors and CNS-related processes represent potential targets for multiple types of therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dianne P Figlewicz
- From the BSR&D Program, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington; and the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington
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21
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Chen YW, Fiscella KA, Bacharach SZ, Tanda G, Shaham Y, Calu DJ. Effect of yohimbine on reinstatement of operant responding in rats is dependent on cue contingency but not food reward history. Addict Biol 2015; 20:690-700. [PMID: 25065697 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Yohimbine is an alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist that has been used in numerous studies as a pharmacological stressor in rodents, monkeys and humans. Recently, yohimbine has become the most common stress manipulation in studies on reinstatement of drug and food seeking. However, the wide range of conditions under which yohimbine promotes reward seeking is significantly greater than that of stressors like intermittent footshock. Here, we addressed two fundamental questions regarding yohimbine's effect on reinstatement of reward seeking: (1) whether the drug's effect on operant responding is dependent on previous reward history or cue contingency, and (2) whether yohimbine is aversive or rewarding under conditions typically used in reinstatement studies. We also used in vivo microdialysis to determine yohimbine's effect on dopamine levels in nucleus accumbens (NAc) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). We found that the magnitude of yohimbine-induced (0.5, 1.0, 2.0 mg/kg) operant responding during the reinstatement tests was critically dependent on the contingency between lever pressing and discrete tone-light cue delivery but not the previous history with food reward during training. We also found that yohimbine (2 mg/kg) did not cause conditioned place aversion. Finally, we found that yohimbine modestly increased dopamine levels in mPFC but not NAc. Results suggest that yohimbine's effects on operant responding in reinstatement studies are likely independent of the history of contingent self-administration of food or drug rewards and may not be related to the commonly assumed stress-like effects of yohimbine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Wei Chen
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch; NIDA, NIH, DHHS; Baltimore MD USA
| | | | | | - Gianluigi Tanda
- Medication Development Program; Intramural Research Program; NIDA, NIH, DHHS; Baltimore MD USA
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch; NIDA, NIH, DHHS; Baltimore MD USA
| | - Donna J. Calu
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch; NIDA, NIH, DHHS; Baltimore MD USA
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22
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Liu X. Enhanced motivation for food reward induced by stress and attenuation by corticotrophin-releasing factor receptor antagonism in rats: implications for overeating and obesity. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:2049-60. [PMID: 25510859 PMCID: PMC4433618 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3838-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2014] [Accepted: 12/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Overeating beyond individuals' homeostatic needs critically contributes to obesity. The neurobehavioral mechanisms underlying the motivation to consume excessive foods with high calories are not fully understood. OBJECTIVE The present study examined whether a pharmacological stressor, yohimbine, enhances the motivation to procure food reward with an emphasis on comparisons between standard lab chow and high-fat foods. The effects of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptor blockade by a CRF1-selective antagonist NBI on the stress-enhanced motivation for food reward were also assessed. METHODS Male Sprague-Dawley rats with chow available ad libitum in their home cages were trained to press a lever under a progressive ratio schedule for deliveries of either standard or high-fat food pellets. For testing yohimbine stress effects, rats received an intraperitoneal administration of yohimbine 10 min before start of the test sessions. For testing effects of CRF1 receptor blockade on stress responses, NBI was administered 20 min prior to yohimbine challenge. RESULTS The rats emitted higher levels of lever responses to procure the high-fat food pellets compared with their counterparts on standard food pellets. Yohimbine challenge facilitated lever responses for the reward in all of the rats, whereas the effect was more robust in the rats on high-fat food pellets compared with their counterparts on standard food pellets. An inhibitory effect of pretreatment with NBI was observed on the enhancing effect of yohimbine challenge but not on the responses under baseline condition without yohimbine administration. CONCLUSIONS Stress challenge significantly enhanced the motivation of satiated rats to procure extra food reward, especially the high-fat food pellets. Activation of CRF1 receptors is required for the stress-enhanced motivation for food reward. These results may have implications for our better understanding of the biobehavioral mechanisms of overeating and obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiu Liu
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS, 39216, USA,
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23
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Abstract
Noribogaine, a polypharmacological drug with activities at opioid receptors, ionotropic nicotinic receptors, and serotonin reuptake transporters, has been investigated for treatment of substance abuse-related disorders. Smoking cessation has major benefits for both individuals and society, therefore the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of noribogaine for use as a treatment for nicotine dependence. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to self-administer nicotine intravenous. After initial food pellet training, followed by 26 sessions of nicotine self-administration training, the rats were administered noribogaine (12.5, 25 or 50 mg/kg orally), noribogaine vehicle, varenicline or saline using a within-subject design with a Latin square test schedule. Noribogaine dose-dependently decreased nicotine self-administration by up to 64% of saline-treated rats' levels and was equi-effective to 1.7 mg/kg intraperitoneal varenicline. Noribogaine was less efficient at reducing food pellets self-administration than at nicotine self-administration, inhibiting the nondrug reinforcing effects of palatable pellets by 23% at the highest dose. These results suggest that noribogaine dose-dependently attenuates drug-taking behavior for nicotine, attenuates the reinforcing effects of nicotine and is comparable to varenicline power in that regard. The findings from the present study hold promise for a new therapy to aid smoking cessation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Chang
- Behavioral Pharmacology, PsychoGenics Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Taleen Hanania
- Behavioral Pharmacology, PsychoGenics Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Deborah C Mash
- R&D Laboratory, DemeRx, Inc., Miami, FL, USA Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
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Chen YW, Fiscella KA, Bacharach SZ, Calu DJ. Effect of cafeteria diet history on cue-, pellet-priming-, and stress-induced reinstatement of food seeking in female rats. PLoS One 2014; 9:e102213. [PMID: 25025329 PMCID: PMC4099011 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2014] [Accepted: 06/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Relapse to unhealthy eating habits is a major problem in human dietary treatment. The individuals most commonly seeking dietary treatment are overweight or obese women, yet the commonly used rat reinstatement model to study relapse to palatable food seeking during dieting primarily uses normal-weight male rats. To increase the clinical relevance of the relapse to palatable food seeking model, here we pre-expose female rats to a calorically-dense cafeteria diet in the home-cage to make them overweight prior to examining the effect of this diet history on cue-, pellet-priming- and footshock-induced reinstatement of food seeking. METHODS Post-natal day 32 female Long-Evans rats had seven weeks of home-cage access to either chow only or daily or intermittent cafeteria diet alongside chow. Next, they were trained to self-administer normally preferred 45 mg food pellets accompanied by a tone-light cue. After extinction, all rats were tested for reinstatement induced by discrete cue, pellet-priming, and intermittent footshock under extinction conditions. RESULTS Access to daily cafeteria diet and to a lesser degree access to intermittent cafeteria diet decreased food pellet self-administration compared to chow-only. Prior history of these cafeteria diets also reduced extinction responding, cue- and pellet-priming-induced reinstatement. In contrast, modest stress-induced reinstatement was only observed in rats with a history of daily cafeteria diet. CONCLUSION A history of cafeteria diet does not increase the propensity for cue- and pellet-priming-induced relapse in the rat reinstatement model but does appear to make rats more susceptible to footshock stress-induced reinstatement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Wei Chen
- Intramural Research Program, NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kimberly A. Fiscella
- Intramural Research Program, NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Samuel Z. Bacharach
- Intramural Research Program, NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Donna J. Calu
- Intramural Research Program, NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
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Incubation of methamphetamine and palatable food craving after punishment-induced abstinence. Neuropsychopharmacology 2014; 39:2008-16. [PMID: 24584329 PMCID: PMC4059911 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2014.50] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2013] [Revised: 02/26/2014] [Accepted: 02/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In a rat model of drug craving and relapse, cue-induced drug seeking progressively increases after withdrawal from methamphetamine and other drugs, a phenomenon termed 'incubation of drug craving'. However, current experimental procedures used to study incubation of drug craving do not incorporate negative consequences of drug use, which is a common factor promoting abstinence in humans. Here, we studied whether incubation of methamphetamine craving is observed after suppression of drug seeking by adverse consequences (punishment). We trained rats to self-administer methamphetamine or palatable food for 9 h per day for 14 days; reward delivery was paired with a tone-light cue. Subsequently, for one group within each reward type, 50% of the lever-presses were punished by mild footshock for 9-10 days, whereas for the other group lever-presses were not punished. Shock intensity was gradually increased over time. Next, we assessed cue-induced reward seeking in 1-h extinction sessions on withdrawal days 2 and 21. Response-contingent punishment suppressed extended-access methamphetamine or food self-administration; surprisingly, food-trained rats showed greater resistance to punishment than methamphetamine-trained rats. During the relapse tests, both punished and unpunished methamphetamine- and food-trained rats showed significantly higher cue-induced reward seeking on withdrawal day 21 than on day 2. These results demonstrate that incubation of both methamphetamine and food craving occur after punishment-induced suppression of methamphetamine or palatable food self-administration. Our procedure can be used to investigate mechanisms of relapse to drug and palatable food seeking under conditions that more closely approximate the human condition.
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Calu DJ, Chen YW, Kawa AB, Nair SG, Shaham Y. The use of the reinstatement model to study relapse to palatable food seeking during dieting. Neuropharmacology 2014; 76 Pt B:395-406. [PMID: 23660229 PMCID: PMC3785569 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2013.04.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2013] [Revised: 03/29/2013] [Accepted: 04/16/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Excessive consumption of unhealthy foods is a major public health problem. While many people attempt to control their food intake through dieting, many relapse to unhealthy eating habits within a few months. We have begun to study this clinical condition in rats by adapting the reinstatement model, which has been used extensively to study relapse to drug seeking. In our adaptation of the relapse model, reinstatement of palatable food seeking by exposure to food-pellet priming, food-associated cues, or stress is assessed in food-restricted (to mimic dieting) rats after operant food-pellet self-administration training and subsequent extinction of the food-reinforced responding. In this review, we first outline the clinical problem and discuss a recent study in which we assessed the predictive validity of the reinstatement model for studying relapse to food seeking during dieting by using the anorexigenic drug fenfluramine. Next, we summarize results from our initial studies on the role of several stress- and feeding-related peptides (corticotropin-releasing factor, hypocretin, melanin-concentrating hormone, peptide YY3-36) in reinstatement of palatable food seeking. We then present results from our studies on the role of dopamine and medial prefrontal cortex in stress-induced reinstatement of food seeking. We conclude by discussing potential clinical implications. We offer two main conclusions: (1) the food reinstatement model is a simple, reliable, and valid model to study mechanisms of relapse to palatable food seeking during dieting, and to identify medications to prevent this relapse; (2) mechanisms of relapse to food seeking are often dissociable from mechanisms of ongoing food intake. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'NIDA 40th Anniversary Issue'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donna J Calu
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, NIDA/NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Pratt WE, Ford RT. Systemic treatment with D-fenfluramine, but not sibutramine, blocks cue-induced reinstatement of food-seeking behavior in the rat. Neurosci Lett 2013; 556:232-7. [PMID: 24157852 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2013.10.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2013] [Revised: 10/09/2013] [Accepted: 10/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Individuals struggling with obesity often have difficulty maintaining dietary regimens. One source of dietary relapse is the reinstatement of previous feeding behaviors following the presentation of cues indicating the availability of palatable but highly caloric food reward. The drugs fenfluramine and sibutramine have previously been prescribed because they enhance satiety mechanisms and decrease meal size. However, it is unclear whether these anorectic agents are also effective in blocking the cue-induced reinstatement of food-seeking behaviors. In these three experiments, we compared the effects of systemic treatment of d-fenfluramine (3mg/kg; N=10) and sibutramine (3mg/kg; N=11) with that of the D1 antagonist SCH 23390 (6μg/kg; N=11) at a dose that has previously been shown to attenuate cue-induced reinstatement. d-Fenfluramine treatment blocked the cue's ability to reinstate lever pressing as compared to the saline injection day. In contrast, sibutramine had no effect on cue-induced reinstatement; all animals reinstated their lever pressing during the first reinstatement test, and this was unaffected by sibutramine treatment. SCH 23390 treatment did not significantly reduce cue-induced reinstatement in this set of experiments. The results suggest that the motivational effects of d-fenfluramine is not limited to the promotion of satiety once a meal has been initiated, and demonstrate that some anorectic treatments may inhibit the effectiveness of conditioned cues to elicit relapse of food-seeking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wayne E Pratt
- Department of Psychology, Wake Forest University, United States.
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28
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Theberge FR, Li X, Kambhampati S, Pickens CL, St Laurent R, Bossert JM, Baumann MH, Hutchinson MR, Rice KC, Watkins LR, Shaham Y. Effect of chronic delivery of the Toll-like receptor 4 antagonist (+)-naltrexone on incubation of heroin craving. Biol Psychiatry 2013; 73:729-37. [PMID: 23384483 PMCID: PMC3615146 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2012] [Revised: 12/10/2012] [Accepted: 12/27/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent evidence implicates toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in opioid analgesia, tolerance, conditioned place preference, and self-administration. Here, we determined the effect of the TLR4 antagonist (+)-naltrexone (a μ-opioid receptor inactive isomer) on the time-dependent increases in cue-induced heroin seeking after withdrawal (incubation of heroin craving). METHODS In an initial experiment, we trained rats for 9 hours per day to self-administer heroin (.1 mg/kg/infusion) for 9 days; lever presses were paired with a 5-second tone-light cue. We then assessed cue-induced heroin seeking in 30-minute extinction sessions on withdrawal day 1; immediately after testing, we surgically implanted rats with Alzet minipumps delivering (+)-naltrexone (0, 7.5, 15, 30 mg/kg/day, subcutaneous) for 14 days. We then tested the rats for incubated cue-induced heroin seeking in 3-hour extinction tests on withdrawal day 13. RESULTS We found that chronic delivery of (+)-naltrexone via minipumps during the withdrawal phase decreased incubated cue-induced heroin seeking. In follow-up experiments, we found that acute injections of (+)-naltrexone immediately before withdrawal day 13 extinction tests had no effect on incubated cue-induced heroin seeking. Furthermore, chronic delivery of (+)-naltrexone (15 or 30 mg/kg/day) or acute systemic injections (15 or 30 mg/kg) had no effect on ongoing extended access heroin self-administration. Finally, in rats trained to self-administer methamphetamine (.1 mg/kg/infusion, 9 hours/day, 9 days), chronic delivery of (+)-naltrexone (30 mg/kg/day) during the withdrawal phase had no effect on incubated cue-induced methamphetamine seeking. CONCLUSIONS The present results suggest a critical role of TLR4 in the development of incubation of heroin, but not methamphetamine, craving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florence R Theberge
- Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
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Optogenetic inhibition of dorsal medial prefrontal cortex attenuates stress-induced reinstatement of palatable food seeking in female rats. J Neurosci 2013; 33:214-26. [PMID: 23283335 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2016-12.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Relapse to maladaptive eating habits during dieting is often provoked by stress. Recently, we identified a role of dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neurons in stress-induced reinstatement of palatable food seeking in male rats. It is unknown whether endogenous neural activity in dorsal mPFC drives stress-induced reinstatement in female rats. Here, we used an optogenetic approach, in which female rats received bilateral dorsal mPFC microinjections of viral constructs coding light-sensitive eNpHR3.0-eYFP or control eYFP protein and intracranial fiber optic implants. Rats were food restricted and trained to lever press for palatable food pellets. Subsequently, pellets were removed, and lever pressing was extinguished; then the effect of bilateral dorsal mPFC light delivery on reinstatement of food seeking was assessed after injections of the pharmacological stressor yohimbine (an α-2 andrenoceptor antagonist) or pellet priming, a manipulation known to provoke food seeking in hungry rats. Dorsal mPFC light delivery attenuated yohimbine-induced reinstatement of food seeking in eNpHR3.0-injected but not eYFP-injected rats. This optical manipulation had no effect on pellet-priming-induced reinstatement or ongoing food-reinforced responding. Dorsal mPFC light delivery attenuated yohimbine-induced Fos immunoreactivity and disrupted neural activity during in vivo electrophysiological recording in awake rats. Optical stimulation caused significant outward currents and blocked electrically evoked action potentials in eNpHR3.0-injected but not eYFP-injected mPFC hemispheres. Light delivery alone caused no significant inflammatory response in mPFC. These findings indicate that intracranial light delivery in eNpHR3.0 rats disrupts endogenous dorsal mPFC neural activity that plays a role in stress-induced relapse to food seeking in female rats.
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Marchant NJ, Khuc TN, Pickens CL, Bonci A, Shaham Y. Context-induced relapse to alcohol seeking after punishment in a rat model. Biol Psychiatry 2013; 73:256-62. [PMID: 22883434 PMCID: PMC3517691 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2012] [Revised: 06/15/2012] [Accepted: 07/05/2012] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rat studies have demonstrated that exposure to environments associated with alcohol intake reinstates alcohol seeking after extinction of alcohol-reinforced responding in a different context. However, extinction is limited as an abstinence model, because humans typically abstain because of negative consequences associated with excessive drinking. It is currently unknown whether alcohol-associated contexts can provoke relapse to alcohol seeking after alcohol-taking behavior is suppressed by adverse consequences in a different context. METHODS Alcohol-preferring P rats were first given home-cage access to 20% ethanol. Next, they were trained to self-administer 20% ethanol in one context (context A). Subsequently, all rats continued to self-administer alcohol in a different context (context B). For one group, 50% of alcohol-reinforced responses were punished by mild footshock; two other groups either received noncontingent shocks or no shock. A fourth group was given extinction training in context B. All rats were then tested for relapse to alcohol seeking under extinction conditions in contexts A and B. RESULTS In Context B, alcohol-taking behavior was suppressed by contingent shock (punishment) and extinction training but not by noncontingent shock. In Context A, relapse to alcohol seeking was reliably observed in the punished and extinction groups; a context switch had no effect on alcohol seeking in the no-shock or noncontingent shock groups. CONCLUSIONS Our data indicate that punishment-induced suppression of alcohol-taking behavior is context-dependent. We propose that our procedure can be used to explore mechanisms of context-induced relapse to alcohol seeking after alcohol-taking behavior is suppressed by adverse consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan J Marchant
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Stice E, Figlewicz DP, Gosnell BA, Levine AS, Pratt WE. The contribution of brain reward circuits to the obesity epidemic. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2012; 37:2047-58. [PMID: 23237885 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2012.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2012] [Revised: 11/21/2012] [Accepted: 12/03/2012] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
One of the defining characteristics of the research of Ann E. Kelley was her recognition that the neuroscience underlying basic learning and motivation processes also shed significant light upon mechanisms underlying drug addiction and maladaptive eating patterns. In this review, we examine the parallels that exist in the neural pathways that process both food and drug reward, as determined by recent studies in animal models and human neuroimaging experiments. We discuss contemporary research that suggests that hyperphagia leading to obesity is associated with substantial neurochemical changes in the brain. These findings verify the relevance of reward pathways for promoting consumption of palatable, calorically dense foods, and lead to the important question of whether changes in reward circuitry in response to intake of such foods serve a causal role in the development and maintenance of some cases of obesity. Finally, we discuss the potential value for future studies at the intersection of the obesity epidemic and the neuroscience of motivation, as well as the potential concerns that arise from viewing excessive food intake as an "addiction". We suggest that it might be more useful to focus on overeating that results in frank obesity, and multiple health, interpersonal, and occupational negative consequences as a form of food "abuse".
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Stice
- Oregon Research Institute, 1776 Millrace Drive, Eugene, OR 97403, United States.
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Role of orbitofrontal cortex neuronal ensembles in the expression of incubation of heroin craving. J Neurosci 2012; 32:11600-9. [PMID: 22915104 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1914-12.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In humans, exposure to cues previously associated with heroin use often provokes relapse after prolonged withdrawal periods. In rats, cue-induced heroin seeking progressively increases after withdrawal (incubation of heroin craving). Here, we examined the role of orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) neuronal ensembles in the enhanced response to heroin cues after prolonged withdrawal or the expression of incubation of heroin craving. We trained rats to self-administer heroin (6 h/d for 10 d) and assessed cue-induced heroin seeking in extinction tests after 1 or 14 withdrawal days. Cue-induced heroin seeking increased from 1 to 14 d and was accompanied by increased Fos expression in ∼12% of OFC neurons. Nonselective inactivation of OFC neurons with the GABA agonists baclofen + muscimol decreased cue-induced heroin seeking on withdrawal day 14 but not day 1. We then used the Daun02 inactivation procedure to assess a causal role of the minority of selectively activated Fos-expressing OFC neurons (that presumably form cue-encoding neuronal ensembles) in cue-induced heroin seeking after 14 withdrawal days. We trained c-fos-lacZ transgenic rats to self-administer heroin and 11 d later reexposed them to heroin-associated cues or novel cues for 15 min (induction day), followed by OFC Daun02 or vehicle injections 90 min later; we then tested the rats in extinction tests 3 d later. Daun02 selectively decreased cue-induced heroin seeking in rats previously reexposed to the heroin-associated cues on induction day but not in rats exposed previously to novel cues. Results suggest that heroin-cue-activated OFC neuronal ensembles contribute to the expression of incubation of heroin craving.
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The drive to eat: comparisons and distinctions between mechanisms of food reward and drug addiction. Nat Neurosci 2012; 15:1330-5. [PMID: 23007187 DOI: 10.1038/nn.3202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The growing rates of obesity have prompted comparisons between the uncontrolled intake of food and drugs; however, an evaluation of the equivalence of food- and drug-related behaviors requires a thorough understanding of the underlying neural circuits driving each behavior. Although it has been attractive to borrow neurobiological concepts from addiction to explore compulsive food seeking, a more integrated model is needed to understand how food and drugs differ in their ability to drive behavior. In this Review, we will examine the commonalities and differences in the systems-level and behavioral responses to food and to drugs of abuse, with the goal of identifying areas of research that would address gaps in our understanding and ultimately identify new treatments for obesity or drug addiction.
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Medial prefrontal cortex neuronal activation and synaptic alterations after stress-induced reinstatement of palatable food seeking: a study using c-fos-GFP transgenic female rats. J Neurosci 2012; 32:8480-90. [PMID: 22723688 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5895-11.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Relapse to maladaptive eating habits during dieting is often provoked by stress and there is evidence for a role of ovarian hormones in stress responses and feeding. We studied the role of these hormones in stress-induced reinstatement of food seeking and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neuronal activation in c-fos-GFP transgenic female rats, which express GFP in strongly activated neurons. Food-restricted ovariectomized or sham-operated c-fos-GFP rats were trained to lever-press for palatable food pellets. Subsequently, lever-pressing was extinguished and reinstatement of food seeking and mPFC neuronal activation was assessed after injections of the pharmacological stressor yohimbine (0.5-2 mg/kg) or pellet priming (1-4 noncontingent pellets). Estrous cycle effects on reinstatement were also assessed in wild-type rats. Yohimbine- and pellet-priming-induced reinstatement was associated with Fos and GFP induction in mPFC; both reinstatement and neuronal activation were minimally affected by ovarian hormones in both c-fos-GFP and wild-type rats. c-fos-GFP transgenic rats were then used to assess glutamatergic synaptic alterations within activated GFP-positive and nonactivated GFP-negative mPFC neurons following yohimbine-induced reinstatement of food seeking. This reinstatement was associated with reduced AMPA receptor/NMDA receptor current ratios and increased paired-pulse facilitation in activated GFP-positive but not GFP-negative neurons. While ovarian hormones do not appear to play a role in stress-induced relapse of food seeking in our rat model, this reinstatement was associated with unique synaptic alterations in strongly activated mPFC neurons. Our paper introduces the c-fos-GFP transgenic rat as a new tool to study unique synaptic changes in activated neurons during behavior.
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