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Lalonde R, Strazielle C. The neuropharmacological profile of interval responding during operant tasks. NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERG'S ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY 2024:10.1007/s00210-024-03155-y. [PMID: 38814460 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-024-03155-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Responses occurring during intervals of operant tasks have been subdivided as interim, facultative, and terminal, depending on the time between response onset and reward. Although interval responses, also known as adjunctive responses, have been described in pigeons, rats, mice, monkeys, and humans, most experiments have been conducted in rats. We review the neurochemical basis of interval responses and examine the hypothesis that these responses modulate operant performance. Preliminary experiments indicate the involvement of biogenic amines, acetylcholine, and GABA during interval responding associated with operant tasks. In particular, catecholaminergic deafferentation of the basal ganglia modulated interval responses as did the peripheral injection of catecholamine reuptake blockers. Under the influence of amphetamine, interval responding may either increase or decrease, so that a wide range of responses must be selected to gauge drug effects. In non-drugged pigeons and rats, the expression of interval responses facilitates operant training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Lalonde
- Laboratoire "Stress, Immunité, Pathogènes" EA 7300, Université de Lorraine, Campus Santé, 9 avenue de la Forêt de Haye, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, 54500, France.
| | - Catherine Strazielle
- Laboratoire "Stress, Immunité, Pathogènes" EA 7300, Université de Lorraine, Campus Santé, 9 avenue de la Forêt de Haye, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, 54500, France
- CHRU Nancy, allée du Morvan, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, 54500, France
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Mortazavi L, Hynes TJ, Chernoff CS, Ramaiah S, Brodie HG, Russell B, Hathaway BA, Kaur S, Winstanley CA. D 2/3 Agonist during Learning Potentiates Cued Risky Choice. J Neurosci 2023; 43:979-992. [PMID: 36623876 PMCID: PMC9908318 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1459-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Impulse control and/or gambling disorders can be triggered by dopamine agonist therapies used to treat Parkinson's disease, but the cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms underlying these adverse effects are unknown. Recent data show that adding win-paired sound and light cues to the rat gambling task (rGT) potentiates risky decision-making and impulsivity via the dopamine system, and that changing dopaminergic tone has a greater influence on behavior while subjects are learning task contingencies. Dopamine agonist therapy may therefore be potentiating risk-taking by amplifying the behavioral impact of gambling-related cues on novel behavior. Here, we show that ropinirole treatment in male rats transiently increased motor impulsivity but robustly and progressively increased choice of the high-risk/high-reward options when administered during acquisition of the cued but not uncued rGT. Early in training, ropinirole increased win-stay behavior after large unlikely wins on the cued rGT, indicative of enhanced model-free learning, which mediated the drug's effect on later risk preference. Ex vivo cFos imaging showed that both chronic ropinirole and the addition of win-paired cues suppressed the activity of dopaminergic midbrain neurons. The ratio of midbrain:prefrontal cFos+ neurons was lower in animals with suboptimal choice patterns and tended to predict risk preference across all rats. Network analyses further suggested that ropinirole induced decoupling of the dopaminergic cells of the VTA and nucleus accumbens but only when win-paired cues were present. Frontostriatal activity uninformed by the endogenous dopaminergic teaching signal therefore appeared to perpetuate risky choice, and ropinirole exaggerated this disconnect in synergy with reward-paired cues.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT D2/3 receptor agonists, used to treat Parkinson's disease, can cause gambling disorder through an unknown mechanism. Ropinirole increased risky decision-making in rats, but only when wins were paired with casino-inspired sounds and lights. This was mediated by increased win-stay behavior after large unlikely wins early in learning, indicating enhanced model-free learning. cFos imaging showed that ropinirole suppressed activity of midbrain dopamine neurons, an effect that was mimicked by the addition of win-paired cues. The degree of risky choice rats exhibited was uniquely predicted by the ratio of midbrain dopamine:PFC activity. Depriving the PFC of the endogenous dopaminergic teaching signal may therefore drive risky decision-making on-task, and ropinirole acts synergistically with win-paired cues to amplify this.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leili Mortazavi
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Tristan J Hynes
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Chloe S Chernoff
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Shrishti Ramaiah
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Hannah G Brodie
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Brittney Russell
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Brett A Hathaway
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Sukhbir Kaur
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Catharine A Winstanley
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
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Sanchez EO, Bangasser DA. The effects of early life stress on impulsivity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 137:104638. [PMID: 35341796 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Elevated impulsivity is a symptom shared by various psychiatric disorders such as substance use disorder, bipolar disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. However, impulsivity is not a unitary construct and impulsive behaviors fall into two subcategories: impulsive action and impulsive choice. Impulsive choice refers to the tendency to prefer immediate, small rewards over delayed, large rewards, whereas impulsive action involves difficulty inhibiting rash, premature, or mistimed behaviors. These behaviors are mediated by the mesocorticolimbic dopamine (DA) system, which consists of projections from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex. Early life stress (ELS) alters both impulsive choice and impulsive action in rodents. ELS also changes DA receptor expression, transmission, and activity within the mesocorticolimbic system. This review integrates the dopamine, impulsivity, and ELS literature to provide evidence that ELS alters impulsivity via inducing changes in the mesocorticolimbic DA system. Understanding how ELS affects brain circuits associated with impulsivity can help advance treatments aimed towards reducing impulsivity symptoms in a variety of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn Ordoñes Sanchez
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.
| | - Debra A Bangasser
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.
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Hynes TJ, Hrelja KM, Hathaway BA, Hounjet CD, Chernoff CS, Ebsary SA, Betts GD, Russell B, Ma L, Kaur S, Winstanley CA. Dopamine neurons gate the intersection of cocaine use, decision making, and impulsivity. Addict Biol 2021; 26:e13022. [PMID: 33559379 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Gambling and substance use disorders are highly comorbid. Both clinical populations are impulsive and exhibit risky decision-making. Drug-associated cues have long been known to facilitate habitual drug-seeking, and the salient audiovisual cues embedded within modern gambling products may likewise encourage problem gambling. The dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are exquisitely sensitive to drugs of abuse, uncertain rewards, and reward-paired cues and may therefore be the common neural substrate mediating synergistic features of both disorders. To test this hypothesis, we first gained specific inhibitory control over VTA dopamine neurons by transducing a floxed inhibitory DREADD (AAV5-hSyn-DIO-hM4D(Gi)-mCherry) in rats expressing Cre recombinase in tyrosine hydroxylase neurons. We then trained rats in our cued rat gambling task (crGT), inhibiting dopamine neurons throughout task acquisition and performance, before allowing them to self-administer cocaine in the same diurnal period as crGT sessions. The trajectories of addiction differ in women and men, and the dopamine system may differ functionally across the sexes; therefore, we used male and female rats here. We found that inhibition of VTA dopamine neurons decreased cue-induced risky choice and reduced motor impulsivity in males, but surprisingly, enhanced risky decision making in females. Inhibiting VTA dopamine neurons also prevented cocaine-induced changes in decision making in both sexes, but nevertheless drove all animals to consume more cocaine. These findings show that chronic dampening of dopamine signalling can have both protective and deleterious effects on addiction-relevant behaviours, depending on biological sex and dependent variable of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tristan J. Hynes
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Kelly M. Hrelja
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Brett A. Hathaway
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Celine D. Hounjet
- UBC School of Medicine University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Chloe S. Chernoff
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Sophie A. Ebsary
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Graeme D. Betts
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Brittney Russell
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Lawrence Ma
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Sukhbir Kaur
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Catharine A. Winstanley
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
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Noradrenergic contributions to cue-driven risk-taking and impulsivity. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:1765-1779. [PMID: 33649970 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05806-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE The flashing lights and sounds of modern casinos are alluring and may contribute to the addictive nature of gambling. Such cues can have a profound impact on the noradrenaline (NA) system, which could therefore be a viable therapeutic target for gambling disorder (GD). While there is substantial evidence to support the involvement of NA in the impulsive symptoms of GD, its function in mediating the "pro-addictive" impact of cues is less understood. OBJECTIVE We wished to investigate the role of NA in our rodent assay of decision making and impulsivity, the cued rat gambling task (crGT). Given that sex differences are prominent in addiction disorders, and increasingly reported in the monoaminergic regulation of behaviour, we also prioritised evaluating noradrenergic drugs in both sexes. METHODS Female and male rats were trained to stability on the crGT and then given intraperitoneal injections of the noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor atomoxetine, the α2A receptor agonist guanfacine, the beta receptor antagonist propranolol, and the α2 receptor antagonist yohimbine. RESULTS Atomoxetine dose-dependently improved decision-making score. Guanfacine selectively enhanced decision making in risk-preferring males and optimal performing females. Propranolol and yohimbine did not influence decision making. Atomoxetine and guanfacine reduced premature responses, while yohimbine bi-phasically affected this index of motor impulsivity. CONCLUSIONS These results support the hypothesis that NA is an important neuromodulator of the cue-induced deficits in decision making observed in laboratory-based gambling paradigms, and suggest that NAergic drugs like atomoxetine and guanfacine may be useful in treating GD.
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Betts GD, Hynes TJ, Winstanley CA. Pharmacological evidence of a cholinergic contribution to elevated impulsivity and risky decision-making caused by adding win-paired cues to a rat gambling task. J Psychopharmacol 2021; 35:701-712. [PMID: 33573446 DOI: 10.1177/0269881120972421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pairing rewards with sensory stimulation, in the form of auditory and visual cues, increases risky decision-making in both rats and humans. Understanding the neurobiological basis of this effect could help explain why electronic gambling machines are so addictive, and inform treatment development for compulsive gambling and gaming. Numerous studies implicate the dopamine system in mediating the motivational influence of reward-paired cues; recent data suggest the cholinergic system also plays a critical role. Previous work also indicates that cholinergic drugs alter decision-making under uncertainty. AIMS We investigated whether the addition of reward-concurrent cues to the rat gambling task (crGT) altered the effects of peripherally administered cholinergic compounds. METHODS Muscarinic and nicotinic agonists and antagonists were administered to 16 male, Long-Evans rats trained on the crGT. Measures of optimal/risky decision-making and motor impulsivity were the main dependent variables of interest. RESULTS The muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine improved decision-making overall, decreasing selection of one of the risky options while increasing choice of the more advantageous options. The muscarinic agonist oxotremorine increased choice latency but did not significantly affect option preference. Neither the nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine nor the agonist nicotine affected choice patterns, but mecamylamine decreased premature responding, an index of motor impulsivity. CONCLUSIONS These results contrast sharply from those obtained previously using the uncued rGT, and suggest that the deleterious effects of win-paired cues on decision-making and impulse control may result from elevated cholinergic tone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graeme D Betts
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Tristan J Hynes
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Augustine A, Winstanley CA, Krishnan V. Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson's Disease: From Bench to Bedside. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:654238. [PMID: 33790738 PMCID: PMC8006437 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.654238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by symptoms that impact both motor and non-motor domains. Outside of motor impairments, PD patients are at risk for impulse control disorders (ICDs), which include excessively disabling impulsive and compulsive behaviors. ICD symptoms in PD (PD + ICD) can be broadly conceptualized as a synergistic interaction between dopamine agonist therapy and the many molecular and circuit-level changes intrinsic to PD. Aside from discontinuing dopamine agonist treatment, there remains a lack of consensus on how to best address ICD symptoms in PD. In this review, we explore recent advances in the molecular and neuroanatomical mechanisms underlying ICD symptoms in PD by summarizing a rapidly accumulating body of clinical and preclinical studies, with a special focus on the utility of rodent models in gaining new insights into the neurochemical basis of PD + ICD. We also discuss the relevance of these findings to the broader problem of impulsive and compulsive behaviors that impact a range of neuropsychiatric syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Augustine
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Catharine A Winstanley
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Vaishnav Krishnan
- Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
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Freeland CM, Knes AS, Robinson MJF. Translating concepts of risk and loss in rodent models of gambling and the limitations for clinical applications. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2020; 31:76-82. [PMID: 32864399 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Gambling involves placing something of value at risk in exchange for the opportunity to potentially gain something of greater value in return. A variety of gambling paradigms have been designed to study the maladaptive decision-making that underlies problematic gambling. Central to these gambling models are the definitions of "risk" and "loss", especially when translating the results from rodent studies to clinical applications. Risk and loss are not mutually exclusive but rather share some overlap. With careful interpretation and consideration of the limitations of these behavioral paradigms, results from rodent models may provide insights into the neurobiology of risky decision-making that leads to problematic gambling in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M Freeland
- Neuroscience & Behavior Program, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, 06459, USA.,Department of Biology, Wesleyan University, 52 Lawn Avenue, Middletown, CT, 06459, USA
| | - A S Knes
- Neuroscience & Behavior Program, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, 06459, USA.,Department of Psychology, Wesleyan University, 207 High Street, Middletown, CT, 06459, USA
| | - M J F Robinson
- Neuroscience & Behavior Program, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, 06459, USA.,Department of Psychology, Wesleyan University, 207 High Street, Middletown, CT, 06459, USA
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Abstract
In the past several years, there has been an explosion of interest in animal models of risk-based decision-making, a fundamental process associated with gambling disorder. While early work focused on establishing various tasks for assaying decision-making, current studies are determining the (subtle and not-so-subtle) influence of cues in driving risky decisions to better understand problem gambling. In addition, these decision-making paradigms are now being used to investigate comorbid conditions such as substance dependence or brain injury and replicating observations from human patients. These animal models have now developed to a point where therapeutic interventions may be assessed for not just gambling disorder, but also a number of other conditions which engender risky decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cole Vonder Haar
- Injury and Recovery Laboratory.,Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
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Abstract
Substance use is strongly associated with gambling, but the nature of this association can be difficult to determine. Rodents offer the opportunity to test causal models of these relationships through isolation of individual variables of interest. This review describes recent research in rodents showing: a) predisposing factors for both gambling-like behavior and substance use; b) exposure to drugs of abuse increasing gambling-like behavior; c) experience with gambling-like behavior increasing substance use; and d) links between gambling-like behavior and substance use in models of Parkinson's disease therapies. These findings reveal novel relationships between gambling and substance use, and highlight the utility of rodent models for future work in this area.
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Vonder Haar C, O'Hearn CM, Winstanley CA. Exposure to uncertainty mediates the effects of traumatic brain injury on probabilistic decision-making in rats. Brain Inj 2019; 34:140-148. [PMID: 31532706 DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2019.1669073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Primary Objective: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with numerous psychiatric comorbidities, and subclinical psychiatric symptoms. While many symptoms have been replicated in animal models of brain injury, a vast majority of studies utilize naïve rats as subjects, which fail to mimic the complex learning history of human patients.Methods and Procedures: In the current study, we evaluated the effects of a brain injury in animals with early exposure to uncertainty on post-injury decision-making in a probabilistic task, the rodent gambling task (RGT).Main Outcomes and Results: Exposure to uncertainty resulted in a heterogeneous sample relative to prior publications, and brain-injured rats showed no deficits in choice behavior compared to shams which contrasts with large, pervasive deficits in previously published work. However, TBI increased impulsivity and caused transient changes in behavioral variables indicative of initial motivational deficits (pellets earned, omitted responses). Notably, effects of amphetamine were similar on this heterogeneous sample of rats relative to a number of other published reports, suggesting consistent effects of gross monoaminergic manipulations on choice behavior, independent of experience.Conclusions: Going forward, translational studies need to consider the heterogeneity that exists at the clinical level and account for these problems when modeling diseases in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cole Vonder Haar
- Injury and Recovery Laboratory, Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.,Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Christopher M O'Hearn
- Injury and Recovery Laboratory, Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
| | - Catharine A Winstanley
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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