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Nguyen D, Nesarajah Y, Erb S, Ito R. Repeated Cocaine Exposure Attenuates the Desire to Actively Avoid: A Novel Active Avoidance Runway Task. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:108. [PMID: 29910714 PMCID: PMC5992269 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug addiction is a disorder in which drug seeking persists despite aversive consequences. While it is well documented in animal models of drug sensitization that repeated drug exposure enhances positive incentive motivation for drug and natural reinforcers, its effect on negative incentive motivation, defined here as the motivation to avoid a cued aversive outcome, remains an open question. In the present study, we designed a novel active avoidance (AA) runway paradigm to assess the effects of repeated cocaine exposure on the motivation to avoid an aversive outcome. Cocaine and saline pre-exposed rats were first trained to perform a conditioned AA lever press response to prevent the occurrence of foot shock administrations. The rats were subsequently tested in a runway apparatus, wherein they were required to traverse the length of a straight alley maze to reach the lever and emit a conditioned AA response. Run times were measured as an indication of negative incentive motivation. Cocaine pre-exposed rats demonstrated longer latencies to emit the conditioned AA response but showed no differences in latency to initiate runway behavior, nor in their acquisition of the AA response compared to the saline pre-exposed controls. Subsequent testing in an elevated plus maze revealed no differences in the expression of anxiety in cocaine pre-exposed rats compared to saline pre-exposed controls. Our results indicate that prior repeated cocaine exposure attenuated cued negative incentive motivation, which suggests that drug addiction may be attributable to a decrease in motivation to avoid aversive consequences associated with drug use.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Nguyen
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yasika Nesarajah
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Suzanne Erb
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Rutsuko Ito
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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2
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AnkG hemizygous mice present cognitive impairment and elevated anxiety/depressive-like traits associated with decreased expression of GABA receptors and postsynaptic density protein. Exp Brain Res 2017; 235:3375-3390. [PMID: 28821923 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-017-5056-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2016] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of patient populations and genetic linkage assessments have demonstrated that the ankyrin-G (AnkG) gene is involved in neuropsychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease, but it remains unclear how the genetic variants of AnkG contribute to neuropsychiatric disorders. Here, we generated AnkG hemizygous mice using the gene trapping approach. Homozygous AnkG was embryonically lethal. Western blotting and real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assessments of wild type (WT) and AnkG +/- mutant mice demonstrated a 50% reduction of ANKG levels, at the gene and protein levels, in AnkG hemizygous mice. In behavioral tests, AnkG hemizygous mice exhibited elevated anxiety- and depression-like traits, as well as cognitive impairment. Moreover, the expression levels of cognitive-related proteins (including metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype-1, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, postsynaptic density-95, GABA-B receptor, and GABA-A receptor alpha-1) were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), suggesting a possible role for AnkG in cognition. It is possible that the loss of AnkG in the brain disrupts the excitation/inhibition balance of neurotransmitters, hindering the synaptic plasticity of neurons, and consequently leading to abnormal behavioral symptoms. Therefore, AnkG possibly contributes to neuroprotection and normal brain function, and may constitute a new target for treating neuropsychiatric diseases, especially cognitive dysfunction.
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3
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Adolescent Exposure to the Synthetic Cannabinoid WIN 55212-2 Modifies Cocaine Withdrawal Symptoms in Adult Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2017. [PMID: 28635664 PMCID: PMC5486147 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18061326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic cannabinoid consumption is an increasingly common behavior among teenagers and has been shown to cause long-lasting neurobehavioral alterations. Besides, it has been demonstrated that cocaine addiction in adulthood is highly correlated with cannabis abuse during adolescence. Cocaine consumption and subsequent abstinence from it can cause psychiatric symptoms, such as psychosis, cognitive impairment, anxiety, and depression. The aim of the present research was to study the consequences of adolescent exposure to cannabis on the psychiatric-like effects promoted by cocaine withdrawal in adult mice. We pre-treated juvenile mice with the cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonist WIN 55212-2 (WIN) and then subjected them to a chronic cocaine treatment during adulthood. Following these treatments, animals were tested under cocaine withdrawal in the following paradigms: pre-pulse inhibition, object recognition, elevated plus maze, and tail suspension. The long-term psychotic-like actions induced by WIN were not modified after cocaine cessation. Moreover, the memory impairments induced by cocaine withdrawal were not altered by previous adolescent WIN intake. However, WIN pre-treatment prevented the anxiogenic effects observed after cocaine abstinence, and led to greater depressive-like symptoms following cocaine removal in adulthood. This study is the first to show the long-lasting behavioral consequences of juvenile exposure to WIN on cocaine withdrawal in adult mice.
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Ledesma JC, Aguilar MA, Giménez-Gómez P, Miñarro J, Rodríguez-Arias M. Adolescent but not adult ethanol binge drinking modulates cocaine withdrawal symptoms in mice. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0172956. [PMID: 28291777 PMCID: PMC5349692 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Ethanol (EtOH) binge drinking is an increasingly common behavior among teenagers that induces long-lasting neurobehavioral alterations in adulthood. An early history of EtOH abuse during adolescence is highly correlated with cocaine addiction in adulthood. Abstinence of cocaine abuse can cause psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety, psychosis, depression, and cognitive impairments. This study assessed the consequences of adolescent exposure to EtOH on the behavioral alterations promoted by cocaine withdrawal in adulthood. Methods We pretreated juvenile (34–47 days old) or adult (68–81 days old) mice with EtOH (1.25 g/kg) following a binge-drinking pattern. Then, after a three-week period without drug delivery, they were subjected to a chronic cocaine treatment in adulthood and tested under cocaine withdrawal by the ensuing paradigms: open field, elevated plus maze, prepulse inhibition, tail suspension test, and object recognition. Another set of mice were treated with the same EtOH binge-drinking procedure during adolescence and were tested immediately afterwards under the same behavioral paradigms. Results Adolescent EtOH pretreatment undermined the anxiogenic effects observed after cocaine abstinence, reduced prepulse inhibition, and increased immobility scores in the tail suspension test following cocaine withdrawal. Moreover, the memory deficits evoked by these substances when given separately were enhanced in cocaine-withdrawn mice exposed to EtOH during adolescence. EtOH binge drinking during adolescence also induced anxiety, depressive symptoms, and memory impairments when measured immediately afterwards. In contrast, neither EtOH nor cocaine alone or in combination altered any of these behaviors when given in adulthood. Conclusions EtOH binge drinking induces short- and long-term behavioral alterations and modulates cocaine withdrawal symptoms when given in adolescent mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Carlos Ledesma
- Departament de Psicobiologia, Universitat de València, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez 21, Valencia, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Maria A. Aguilar
- Departament de Psicobiologia, Universitat de València, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez 21, Valencia, Spain
| | - Pablo Giménez-Gómez
- Departament de Psicobiologia, Universitat de València, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez 21, Valencia, Spain
| | - José Miñarro
- Departament de Psicobiologia, Universitat de València, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez 21, Valencia, Spain
| | - Marta Rodríguez-Arias
- Departament de Psicobiologia, Universitat de València, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez 21, Valencia, Spain
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5
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Wheeler MG, Duncan E, Davis M. Low startle magnitude may be a behavioral marker of vulnerability to cocaine addiction. Synapse 2016; 71:46-50. [PMID: 27696533 DOI: 10.1002/syn.21943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Revised: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 09/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Cocaine addicted men have low startle magnitude persisting during prolonged abstinence. Low startle rats show greater cocaine self-administration than high startle rats. Low startle may be a marker of a vulnerability to heightened cocaine-related behaviors in rats and similarly may be a marker of vulnerability to cocaine addiction in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina G Wheeler
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 201 Dowman Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30322.,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, 954 Gatewood Road, NE Atlanta, Georgia, 30329
| | - Erica Duncan
- Mental Health Service Line, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 1670 Clairmont Road, Decatur, Georgia, 30033.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 100 Woodruff Circle, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322
| | - Michael Davis
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 201 Dowman Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30322.,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, 954 Gatewood Road, NE Atlanta, Georgia, 30329.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 100 Woodruff Circle, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322
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6
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Kulak A, Cuenod M, Do KQ. Behavioral phenotyping of glutathione-deficient mice: relevance to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Behav Brain Res 2011; 226:563-70. [PMID: 22033334 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2011] [Revised: 10/10/2011] [Accepted: 10/13/2011] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Redox-dysregulation represents a common pathogenic mechanism in schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BP). It may in part arise from a genetically compromised synthesis of glutathione (GSH), the major cellular antioxidant and redox-regulator. Allelic variants of the genes coding for the rate-limiting GSH synthesizing enzyme glutamate-cysteine-ligase modifier (GCLM) and/or catalytic (GCLC) subunit have been associated with SZ and BP. Using mice knockout (KO) for GCLM we have previously shown that impaired GSH synthesis is associated with morphological, functional and neurochemical anomalies similar to those in patients. Here we asked whether GSH deficit is also associated with SZ- and BP-relevant behavioral and cognitive anomalies. Accordingly, we subjected young adult GCLM-wildtype (WT), heterozygous and KO males to a battery of standard tests. Compared to WT, GCLM-KO mice displayed hyperlocomotion in the open field and forced swim test but normal activity in the home cage, suggesting that hyperlocomotion was selective to environmental novelty and mildly stressful situations. While spatial working memory and latent inhibition remained unaffected, KO mice showed a potentiated hyperlocomotor response to an acute amphetamine injection, impaired sensorymotor gating in the form of prepulse inhibition and altered social behavior compared to WT. These anomalies resemble important aspects of both SZ and the manic component of BP. As such our data support the notion that redox-dysregulation due to GSH deficit is implicated in both disorders. Moreover, our data propose the GCLM-KO mouse as a valuable model to study the behavioral and cognitive consequences of redox dysregulation in the context of psychiatric disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Kulak
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland.
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7
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Barak S, Weiner I. Putative cognitive enhancers in preclinical models related to schizophrenia: The search for an elusive target. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2011; 99:164-89. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2011.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2010] [Revised: 02/27/2011] [Accepted: 03/12/2011] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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8
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Li M, He W, Chen J. Time course of prepulse inhibition disruption induced by dopamine agonists and NMDA antagonists: effects of drug administration regimen. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2011; 99:509-18. [PMID: 21600239 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2011.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2011] [Revised: 04/29/2011] [Accepted: 05/04/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of acoustic startle response is impaired in patients with schizophrenia and in animals acutely treated with dopamine agonists and NMDA antagonists. In this study, we investigated the time course of PPI disruption induced by repeated amphetamine, quinpirole, phencyclidine (PCP), and dizocilpine (MK-801) treatment. We focused on how PPI disruption development was influenced by drug administration regimens, comparing a constant versus an escalating dosing regimen. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were repeatedly treated with amphetamine (1.25-5.0 mg/kg, or constant 5.0 mg/kg, sc), PCP (0.50-2.0 mg/kg, or constant 0.5, 1.0 or 2.0 mg/kg, sc), quinpirole (0.03-0.12 mg/kg, or constant 0.12 mg/kg, sc), MK-801 (0.025-0.10 mg/kg, or constant 0.10 mg/kg, sc) or vehicle (saline) and tested for PPI once daily for 6 consecutive days. When amphetamine 5.0 mg/kg or quinpirole 0.12 mg/kg was administrated on a constant dosing schedule, both drugs disrupted PPI upon acute administration, but had no effect after repeated treatment and testing (days 2-5). However, when amphetamine 5.0 mg/kg or quinpirole 0.12 mg/kg was preceded by two lower doses in an escalating dosing regimen, both drugs still disrupted PPI on days 5 and 6 when the constant amphetamine and quinpirole had no effect. For PCP and MK-801, repeated treatment under both regimens produced a stable and persistent disruption of PPI. Startle magnitude increased progressively and dose-dependently under both regimens for all drugs except for quinpirole, which caused a decrease. These results suggest that the drug dosing schedule, rather than the absolute amount of drug that an animal receives, has a greater impact on the development of PPI-disruptive effect of dopamine agonists than NMDA antagonists. Thus, in order to mimic the emerging process of PPI deficit with dopamine agonists, an escalating dosing regimen should be used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Li
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA.
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9
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Featherstone RE, Rizos Z, Kapur S, Fletcher PJ. A sensitizing regimen of amphetamine that disrupts attentional set-shifting does not disrupt working or long-term memory. Behav Brain Res 2008; 189:170-9. [PMID: 18299157 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2007.12.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2007] [Revised: 12/11/2007] [Accepted: 12/27/2007] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to an intermittent, escalating dose of amphetamine induces a sensitized state that, both behaviourally and neurochemically, mirrors several features linked to the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. Increasingly it is being realized that cognitive deficits are a core component of schizophrenia; therefore we sought to assess the effects of inducing an amphetamine-sensitized state on memory (working and long-term) and cognitive flexibility, two cognitive domains impaired in schizophrenia. Rats were exposed to a sensitizing regimen of amphetamine (1-5 mg/kg; three times per week for 5 weeks; escalating at 1mg/kg per week) or saline. In experiment 1, animals were tested on an operant delayed non-match to position task (working memory). Experiment 2 used a standard fixed-platform location water maze task (long-term memory), while experiment 3 used a variable-platform location water maze task (long-term memory and working memory). Amphetamine-sensitized animals were not impaired on any of these tasks. In experiment 4, animals were assessed on a strategy selection task in which they were first required to learn to locate a food reward using a particular learning strategy (place or response) then to learn to shift to an alternate learning strategy (response or place). Amphetamine-sensitized animals were not impaired on this task. In the final experiment animals were found to be impaired in performance of the extra-dimensional shift component of an attentional set-shifting task. These results suggest that while amphetamine sensitization does not produce memory impairments similar to those seen in schizophrenia, it does produce strong impairments in set-shifting, suggesting changes in prefrontal function similar to those seen in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert E Featherstone
- Section of Biopsychology, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 1R8.
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10
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Russig H, Pryce CR, Feldon J. Amphetamine withdrawal leads to behavioral sensitization and reduced HPA axis response following amphetamine challenge. Brain Res 2006; 1084:185-95. [PMID: 16563358 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2005] [Revised: 02/01/2006] [Accepted: 02/07/2006] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Withdrawal from repeated amphetamine (AMPH) administration leads to behavioral sensitization following a drug or a stress challenge and is commonly used to model anhedonia in rats, a core symptom of depression in humans. It is proposed that corticosteroids are involved in the mediation of sensitization and depression. The aim of the present study was to investigate stress and AMPH- induced release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT) during withdrawal from an escalating dosage schedule of AMPH known to produce depression-like effects in rats. Wistar rats were given 3 injections (i.p.) per day over 3 days, escalating from 1 mg/kg to 9 mg/kg and a final injection of 10 mg/kg AMPH or saline on day 4. On day 2 of withdrawal, the animals were tested in the Porsolt swim test. HPA axis activity in response to restraint stress was tested on withdrawal day 14 and in response to AMPH challenge on withdrawal day 30. We found no effect of AMPH withdrawal in the Porsolt swim test and on the ACTH or CORT response following restraint stress. AMPH withdrawn animals expressed behavioral sensitization in terms of locomotion and reduced ACTH and CORT plasma levels following a 1 mg/kg AMPH challenge in comparison to the controls. We conclude that there is no critical involvement of a sensitized HPA axis stress response in the long-term expression of behavioral sensitization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holger Russig
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Schorenstrasse 16, CH-8603 Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
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11
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Peleg-Raibstein D, Sydekum E, Russig H, Feldon J. Withdrawal from continuous amphetamine administration abolishes latent inhibition but leaves prepulse inhibition intact. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2006; 185:226-39. [PMID: 16470402 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-005-0286-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2005] [Accepted: 12/02/2005] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Schizophrenia has been associated with dysregulation of dopamine (DA) transmission and impairment in a number of experimental tasks, including sensorimotor gating assessed using prepulse inhibition (PPI) and selective attention assessed using latent inhibition (LI). We have demonstrated in previous studies that after withdrawal from escalating (ESC) dosages of amphetamine (AMPH), animals exhibited disruption of LI but no alteration of PPI. Moreover, these animals always showed behavioural sensitization to an AMPH challenge. OBJECTIVE In this study, we were interested in testing whether a different administration schedule would elicit disruption of both LI and PPI. METHODS Animals were treated with continuous AMPH release (via osmotic mini-pumps at a dosage of 10 mg kg(-1) day(-1) for 7 days) and tested for their performance in L and PPI during withdrawal in a drug free state. Rats received AMPH treatment during the induction phase in their home cages or in the activity chambers. Following withdrawal, the expression of behavioural sensitization to an AMPH challenge was tested in both cases in the activity chambers. RESULTS Animals pretreated with AMPH from both groups did not exhibit behavioural sensitization. Withdrawal from continuous administration induced LI attenuation with no effect on PPI. CONCLUSIONS These findings are similar to what was previously found with respect to an ESC AMPH regime. The only difference between the schedules was that the ESC AMPH schedule led to behavioural sensitization whereas the continuous AMPH did not. It is suggested that the expression of sensitization may not be a prerequisite for observed LI disruption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria Peleg-Raibstein
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurobiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Schorenstrasse 16, 8603 Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
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12
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Peleg-Raibstein D, Sydekum E, Russig H, Feldon J. Withdrawal from repeated amphetamine administration leads to disruption of prepulse inhibition but not to disruption of latent inhibition. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2005; 113:1323-36. [PMID: 16362632 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-005-0390-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2005] [Accepted: 09/17/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The present study represents a continuous effort to develop an animal model of schizophrenia based on the "endogenous dopamine sensitization" hypothesis. To achieve this goal, withdrawal from an escalating amphetamine (AMPH) regime administration [three injections per day over a period of 4 days and increasing doses from 1 to 10 mg/kg of AMPH or an equivalent volume of saline (SAL)] was employed. Animals exposed to this treatment were evaluated on their performance in attentional (Latent inhibition, LI) and sensorimotor gating (Prepulse inhibition, PPI) tasks in a drug free state and tested for locomotor sensitization following a low dose of AMPH challenge administration.LI using active avoidance, tested on withdrawal day 4, was unaffected. PPI of the acoustic startle response, measured on withdrawal days 6 and 70, was disrupted. On the 76th day of withdrawal, a low challenge dose of AMPH (1 mg/kg) led to a clear locomotor sensitization effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Peleg-Raibstein
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurobiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
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13
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Fletcher PJ, Tenn CC, Rizos Z, Lovic V, Kapur S. Sensitization to amphetamine, but not PCP, impairs attentional set shifting: reversal by a D1 receptor agonist injected into the medial prefrontal cortex. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2005; 183:190-200. [PMID: 16220338 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-005-0157-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2005] [Accepted: 08/02/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Repeated exposure to psychomotor stimulants can lead to sensitization to their effects, and sensitization has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and drug abuse. These disorders are characterized by cognitive deficits, particularly in prefrontally mediated executive function. OBJECTIVE The present experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of sensitizing regimens of amphetamine and phencyclidine (PCP) on attentional set shifting. METHODS Rats received injections of amphetamine, PCP or saline three times per week for 5 weeks. Four weeks later, rats were trained to dig for food in one of two bowls, each bowl having an odour and a texture. Only one dimension (odour or texture) correctly predicted which bowl was baited. Rats were then tested on a series of discriminations including those requiring an intra-dimensional shift (IDS), an extra-dimensional shift (EDS) or a reversal of previously relevant and irrelevant stimuli. RESULTS Rats sensitized to amphetamine performed normally on the IDS, but were impaired on the EDS, as well as on reversal discriminations. PCP-sensitized rats were unaffected on any of the discriminations. In amphetamine-sensitized rats the deficit at the EDS stage was reversed by infusion of the D(1) receptor agonist SKF38393 into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). CONCLUSIONS Results show that the amphetamine-sensitized state impairs prefrontally mediated attentional set shifting. This is consistent with cognitive deficits in schizophrenia and addiction, and with the evidence that amphetamine sensitization is accompanied by functional changes in the mPFC. These results further add to a growing literature showing that activating D(1) receptors in the mPFC improves aspects of cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J Fletcher
- Section of Biopsychology, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8, Canada
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Tenn CC, Kapur S, Fletcher PJ. Sensitization to amphetamine, but not phencyclidine, disrupts prepulse inhibition and latent inhibition. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2005; 180:366-76. [PMID: 15856186 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-005-2253-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2004] [Accepted: 12/16/2004] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Schizophrenia has been linked to dysregulation of dopamine and glutamate transmitter systems. Attempts to model aspects of schizophrenia in animals have made use of treatments that primarily affect dopaminergic (e.g., amphetamine, Amp) and glutamatergic (e.g., phencyclidine, PCP) function. In addition to exerting short-term acute effects, these agents also induce long-term effects, as seen, for example, in neurochemical and behavioural sensitization. OBJECTIVES The goal of this work was to compare Amp- and PCP-sensitized states on two measures of information processing that are impaired in schizophrenia, prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle reflex and latent inhibition (LI). METHODS Rats received injections of Amp, PCP or saline 3 days per week for 3 weeks. The Amp dose increased from 1 to 3 mg/kg, at the rate of 1 mg/kg each week. The PCP dose was 3 mg/kg throughout. After various periods of withdrawal rats were tested for PPI and LI. RESULTS Repeated intermittent treatment with Amp or PCP resulted in augmented locomotor responses to challenge with each drug, providing an operational index that sensitization had occurred. Rats sensitized to Amp showed disrupted PPI when tested drug free at 3, 21 and 60 days of withdrawal. Amp-sensitized rats also showed abolition of the LI effect. Rats sensitized to PCP did not show deficits in any of these behaviours when tested drug free. CONCLUSIONS Because disrupted PPI and LI have both been reported in schizophrenic patients, these results suggest that the Amp-sensitized state may represent a useful model for investigating the neural bases of information processing deficits in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine C Tenn
- Schizophrenia/PET Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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15
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Shulgina GI. The neurophysiological validation of the hyperpolarization theory of internal inhibition. SPANISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2005; 8:86-99. [PMID: 15875461 DOI: 10.1017/s1138741600004996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The experiments in conscious non-immobilized rabbits showed that cessation of the reactions without reinforcement (elaboration of the internal inhibition) is accompanied by an enhanced phasic state, by alternation of activation and inhibition of neuron firing, and by the corresponding slow potential oscillation (SPO). These changes can be either localized, predominantly in the structures of conditioned stimulus, or, under enhancement of the inhibitory state, generalized in the brain structures. On the basis of our experience and published data, it is concluded that the above event results from relative enhancement of the inhibitory hyperpolarizing processes due to increase in reactivity of the inhibitory systems to stimulus, which acquires inhibitory properties during learning. Changes in the excitability and reactivity of neuron populations appearing during enhancement of the hyperpolarizing inhibition, and differing in the various brain structures, play an active role in the execution of the main function of the internal inhibition: limitation of excitation transmission to the effectors. An inhibitory mediator gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) is of great importance in inhibiting the excitation in response to the stimulus which lost its biological significance. These experimental data and their interpretation in the light of published data give the basis for the development of the hyperpolarization theory of internal inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galina I Shulgina
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117465 Moscow, Butlerova 5A, Russia.
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Russig H, Murphy CA, Feldon J. Prepulse inhibition during withdrawal from an escalating dosage schedule of amphetamine. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2003; 169:340-53. [PMID: 12428150 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-002-1254-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2002] [Accepted: 08/21/2002] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Psychomotor stimulants can induce psychotic states in humans that closely resemble those observed in patients with idiopathic schizophrenia. Attentional and sensorimotor gating impairments are observed in schizophrenic patients using the latent inhibition (LI) and prepulse inhibition (PPI) behavioral assays, respectively. Our previous studies demonstrated that after 4 days of withdrawal from a period of amphetamine (AMPH) administration, animals exhibited disrupted LI but normal PPI. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to test PPI in AMPH-withdrawn rats under experimental conditions similar to those used to best demonstrate locomotor sensitization following AMPH withdrawal. METHODS We examined the effects on PPI of (1) pairing drug injections with PPI test-associated cues, (2) administration of a low-dose dopamine agonist challenge and (3) testing following longer withdrawal periods (23, 30, 60 days). RESULTS Although none of these conditions revealed a disruption of PPI in AMPH-withdrawn rats, we did observe that the acoustic startle response was reduced during a restricted time period following AMPH withdrawal. Similar to our previous findings, AMPH-withdrawn animals showed disrupted LI on day 16 of withdrawal and locomotor sensitization to a challenge injection of AMPH after 62 days of withdrawal. CONCLUSION We conclude that the effects of repeated AMPH on PPI are not modulated by the same experimental parameters known to be important for eliciting locomotor sensitization and that withdrawal from the schedule of AMPH administration used in this study models only specific cognitive dysfunctions linked to schizophrenic symptoms, since LI was disrupted but PPI was not affected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holger Russig
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurobiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), Postfach Schorenstrasse 16, 8603 Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
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Murphy CA, Russig H, Pezze MA, Ferger B, Feldon J. Amphetamine withdrawal modulates FosB expression in mesolimbic dopaminergic target nuclei: effects of different schedules of administration. Neuropharmacology 2003; 44:926-39. [PMID: 12726824 DOI: 10.1016/s0028-3908(03)00074-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Different patterns of psychostimulant intake can elicit widely varying behavioral and neurochemical consequences. Accordingly, rats were studied during withdrawal from either of two schedules of amphetamine administration, one consisting of 6 days of low-dose (1.5 mg/kg, i.p.) daily intermittent (INT) amphetamine (AMPH) injections, and the other of 6 days of moderately high-dose (1-5 mg/kg, i.p.) escalating (ESC) AMPH injections, for the effects of these treatments on numbers of FosB-positive nuclei and monoamine utilization in dopaminergic target areas. Withdrawal from AMPH pretreatment according to the ESC schedule markedly increased FosB expression in the nucleus accumbens shell and basolateral amygdala. In contrast, withdrawal from INT-AMPH administration did not increase FosB expression in any of the regions examined. Post-mortem neurochemical analyses of these same brain regions did not reveal effects of withdrawal from either INT or ESC administration of AMPH. These results suggest that withdrawal from a moderately high-dose AMPH regimen modifies patterns of gene expression in mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic target nuclei without significantly affecting basal monoamine levels. The strength of these effects in the nucleus accumbens shell and basolateral nucleus of the amygdala are consistent with behavioral and clinical data indicating the importance of these areas in the neuroadaptive changes which characterize addiction and withdrawal states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol A Murphy
- Behavioral Neurobiology Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH-Zurich), Schorenstrasse 16, CH-8603 Schwerzenbach, Switzerland.
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Russig H, Pezze MA, Nanz-Bahr NI, Pryce CR, Feldon J, Murphy CA. Amphetamine withdrawal does not produce a depressive-like state in rats as measured by three behavioral tests. Behav Pharmacol 2003; 14:1-18. [PMID: 12576877 DOI: 10.1097/00008877-200302000-00001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Administration of amphetamine (AMPH) can induce symptoms of psychosis in humans and locomotor sensitization in rats; in contrast, withdrawal from a period of AMPH intake is most often associated with symptoms of human endogenous depression. The aim of this study was to determine whether AMPH withdrawal produces a depressive-like state in rats. The present study examined the effects of withdrawal from an escalating-dose AMPH schedule (ESC; three daily injections over 6 days, 1-5 mg/kg, i.p.) and an intermittent-dose AMPH schedule (INT; one daily injection over 6 days, 1.5 mg/kg, i.p.) on animals' performance in three behavioral paradigms related to depression: the Porsolt swim test, the learned helplessness assay and operant responding for sucrose on a progressive ratio schedule. ESC and INT AMPH withdrawal had no effect on any of these tests or on stress responsiveness as measured by increased plasma levels of corticosterone (CORT) and adrenocorticotropin following the swim test, although basal CORT levels were higher in AMPH-withdrawn animals compared to controls. Finally, we confirmed the presence of locomotor sensitization for both AMPH schedules after 30 days of withdrawal. Our results suggest that the ability of AMPH withdrawal to produce symptoms of depression may not be evident in all behavioral screens for depressive symptoms in the rat.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Russig
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
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Murphy CA, Fend M, Russig H, Feldon J. Latent inhibition, but not prepulse inhibition, is reduced during withdrawal from an escalating dosage schedule of amphetamine. Behav Neurosci 2001; 115:1247-56. [PMID: 11770056 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7044.115.6.1247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The enhanced locomotor and stereotypic responses of the rat to repeated amphetamine (AMPH) administration are considered to be an animal model of positive schizophrenic symptoms. In contrast, behaviors observed during withdrawal from repeated AMPH are believed to model depression or anxiety. In the present study, the authors tested whether AMPH withdrawal might also elicit behaviors consistent with animal models of schizophrenia, specifically, disruptions in latent inhibition (LI) of 2-way active avoidance and prepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle. Rats treated with escalating doses of AMPH (6 days, 1-5 mg/kg ip) or saline were tested for LI and PPI during withdrawal. LI was eliminated by prior AMPH treatment in rats tested at 4, 13, and 28 days of withdrawal. In contrast, PPI did not differ between AMPH and control groups. These results support an interrelationship between repeated-AMPH and LI-disruption, but not PPI-disruption, models of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- C A Murphy
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Schwerzenbach.
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