1
|
Orban Z, Gill MJ. Differential rearing alters Fos in the accumbens core and ventral palidum following reinstatement of cocaine seeking in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024; 243:173837. [PMID: 39053857 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Rearing rats in environmental enrichment produces a protective effect when exposed to stimulants, as enriched rats display attenuated cocaine seeking during reinstatement. However, less is known about what changes in the brain are responsible for this protective effect. The current study investigated differences in Fos protein expression following reinstatement of cocaine seeking in differentially reared rats. Rats were reared in either enriched (EC) or impoverished (IC) conditions for 30 days, after which rats self-administered cocaine in 2-h sessions. Following self-administration, rats underwent extinction and cue-induced or cocaine-primed reinstatement of cocaine seeking, brains were extracted, and Fos immunohistochemistry was performed. IC rats sought cocaine significantly more than EC rats during cue-induced reinstatement, and cocaine seeking was positively correlated with Fos expression in the nucleus accumbens core and ventral pallidum. IC rats displayed greater Fos expression than EC rats in the accumbens and ventral pallidum, suggesting a role of these areas in the enrichment-induced protective effect.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Z Orban
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, North Central College, 30 N Brainard St, Naperville, IL 60540, United States of America
| | - M J Gill
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, North Central College, 30 N Brainard St, Naperville, IL 60540, United States of America.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Benvegnù G, Perotti S, Vegher A, Chiamulera C. Virtual Reality Environmental Enrichment Effects on Craving for Cigarette in Smokers. Games Health J 2024. [PMID: 38985569 DOI: 10.1089/g4h.2023.0188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Preclinical studies suggested the exposure to environmental enrichment (EE) as an intervention able to prevent or reduce nicotine-taking and nicotine-seeking behaviors. Virtual reality (VR) may help to test the effects of EE in smokers in a reproducible and feasible manner. Materials and Methods: In the present study, 31 smokers (14 women) were divided into two groups: (1) exposure to a virtual EE (VR-EE) and (2) exposure to a virtual neutral environment (VR-NoEE). Cigarette craving was assessed as basal and evoked, at different timepoints during the session. Behavior activity during VR exposure, mood, and subjective measures were also collected. Results: EE exposure in VR significantly reduced craving scores from basal timepoint. This was not observed in the VR-NoEE group, which significantly increased craving compared with values at neutral scenario. When both groups were exposed to smoking-related VR scenario, the VR-EE group showed an increased craving compared with previous timepoint up to score values not different from those in the VR-NoEE group. A significant positive correlation between basal craving scores and interactive behavior with virtual smoking cues was observed in the VR-NoEE but not in the VR-EE group. Conclusion: These findings suggest that virtual EE might have an inhibitory effect in smokers on basal, but not on evoked cigarette craving. Noteworthily, the interactive activity correlation to craving scores in the VR-NoEE participants was not observed in the VR-EE group, adding further evidence that the enrichment simulation was nonetheless able to modify behavior in the smoking-related scenario.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Benvegnù
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Samuele Perotti
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Alessia Vegher
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Cristiano Chiamulera
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Pintori N, Piva A, Mottarlini F, Díaz FC, Maggi C, Caffino L, Fumagalli F, Chiamulera C. Brief exposure to enriched environment rapidly shapes the glutamate synapses in the rat brain: A metaplastic fingerprint. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:982-995. [PMID: 38378276 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Environmental enrichment (EE) has been shown to produce beneficial effects in addiction disorders; however, due to its configurational complexity, the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully elucidated. Recent evidence suggests that EE, acting as a metaplastic agent, may affect glutamatergic mechanisms underlying appetitive memory and, in turn, modulate reward-seeking behaviours: here, we have investigated such a possibility following a brief EE exposure. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to EE for 22 h and the expression of critical elements of the glutamate synapse was measured 2 h after the end of EE in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), nucleus accumbens (NAc) and hippocampus (Hipp) brain areas, which are critical for reward and memory. We focused our investigation on the expression of NMDA and AMPA receptor subunits, their scaffolding proteins SAP102 and SAP97, vesicular and membrane glutamate transporters vGluT1 and GLT-1, and critical structural components such as proteins involved in morphology and function of glutamatergic synapses, PSD95 and Arc/Arg3.1. Our findings demonstrate that a brief EE exposure induces metaplastic changes in glutamatergic mPFC, NAc and Hipp. Such changes are area-specific and involve postsynaptic NMDA/AMPA receptor subunit composition, as well as changes in the expression of their main scaffolding proteins, thus influencing the retention of such receptors at synaptic sites. Our data indicate that brief EE exposure is sufficient to dynamically modulate the glutamatergic synapses in mPFC-NAc-Hipp circuits, which may modulate rewarding and memory processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Pintori
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Diagnostic & Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
- Current Affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Alessandro Piva
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Diagnostic & Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Francesca Mottarlini
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences 'Rodolfo Paoletti', University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Fernando Castillo Díaz
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences 'Rodolfo Paoletti', University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Coralie Maggi
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences 'Rodolfo Paoletti', University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Lucia Caffino
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences 'Rodolfo Paoletti', University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Fumagalli
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences 'Rodolfo Paoletti', University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Cristiano Chiamulera
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Diagnostic & Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Benvegnù G, Piva A, Cadorin C, Mannari V, Girondini M, Federico A, Tamburin S, Chiamulera C. The effects of virtual reality environmental enrichments on craving to food in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024; 241:49-60. [PMID: 37697163 PMCID: PMC10774167 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06462-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Environmental enrichment (EE) is a non-pharmacological approach that has been shown to be effective in reducing food-taking in rats. Studies in human volunteers are still in their infancy, given the difficulty to translate the complexity of EE in clinical practice. Virtual reality (VR) is a promising methodological approach, but no study has yet applied it to model and test EE in humans. OBJECTIVES The present study is the first to assess the effects of virtual EE on craving for palatable food. METHODS Eighty-one healthy volunteers (43 women) were divided into three groups: (i) exposure to a virtual EE (VR-EE), (ii) exposure to a virtual neutral environment (VR-NoEE), and (iii) without exposure to VR (No VR). Craving for palatable food at basal level and evoked by neutral and palatable food images was assessed before and after the VR simulation. Behavior during VR exposure and subjective measures related to the experience were also collected. RESULTS VR-EE group showed a significantly greater decrease in pre-post craving difference compared to No VR for all assessments and at basal level compared to VR-NoEE. Interestingly, an inverse correlation between craving and deambulation in the VR simulation emerged in VR-EE group only. CONCLUSIONS The study highlighted the feasibility of exposing human subjects to an EE as a virtual simulation. Virtual EE induced effects on basal craving for food that suggest the potential for further improvements of the protocol to extend its efficacy to palatable food cues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Benvegnù
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
| | - Alessandro Piva
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Camilla Cadorin
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine, and Movement, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Vanessa Mannari
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Matteo Girondini
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine, and Movement, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Angela Federico
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine, and Movement, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Stefano Tamburin
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine, and Movement, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Cristiano Chiamulera
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Gutiérrez-Vera B, Reyes-García SE, Escobar ML. Brief environmental enrichment elicits metaplasticity on the insular cortex in vivo and reduces the strength of conditioned taste aversion. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 205:107840. [PMID: 37805119 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
Environmental enrichment (EE) is known to improve memory and cognition and modulate the impact of aversive stimuli in animals, promoting the development of resilience to stressful situations. Likewise, it is known that EE can modulate synaptic plasticity as is the case of long-term potentiation (LTP). These findings have been described initially in ex vivo preparations, suggesting that the effects of EE are the result of an early modification of the synaptic excitability and transmission. In this regard, it is known that metaplasticity refers to the persistent modification, by previous activity, in the ability to induce synaptic plasticity. Our previous studies have shown that prior training in conditioned taste aversion (CTA) prevents the subsequent induction of LTP in the projection from the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (Bla) to the insular cortex (IC) in vivo. In addition, we have shown that CTA extinction allows the induction but not the maintenance of IC-LTP of the Bla-IC pathway. Recently, we also showed that prior exposure to environmental enrichment for three weeks reduces the strength of CTA, restoring the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in the IC. The present study aimed to analyze the effects of brief exposure to an enriched environment on the strength of aversive memory, as well as on the in vivo IC-LTP. To do so, adult rats were exposed for seven days to an EE, either before CTA training or LTP induction in the Bla-IC pathway. Our results demonstrate that a seven-day exposure to an enriched environment attenuates the aversive response to a strong CTA and allows the induction but not the maintenance of LTP in the insular cortex. These findings provide evidence that metaplastic regulation in a neocortical region takes part in the mechanisms through which brief exposure to enriched environments attenuates an aversive response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Gutiérrez-Vera
- División de Investigación y Estudios de Posgrado, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico
| | - Salma E Reyes-García
- División de Investigación y Estudios de Posgrado, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico
| | - Martha L Escobar
- División de Investigación y Estudios de Posgrado, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Madangopal R, Szelenyi ER, Nguyen J, Brenner MB, Drake OR, Pham DQ, Shekara A, Jin M, Choong JJ, Heins C, Komer LE, Weber SJ, Hope BT, Shaham Y, Golden SA. Incubation of palatable food craving is associated with brain-wide neuronal activation in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2209382119. [PMID: 36603188 PMCID: PMC9659381 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2209382119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies using rodent models have shown that relapse to drug or food seeking increases progressively during abstinence, a behavioral phenomenon termed "incubation of craving." Mechanistic studies of incubation of craving have focused on specific neurobiological targets within preselected brain areas. Recent methodological advances in whole-brain immunohistochemistry, clearing, and imaging now allow unbiased brain-wide cellular resolution mapping of regions and circuits engaged during learned behaviors. However, these whole-brain imaging approaches were developed for mouse brains, while incubation of drug craving has primarily been studied in rats, and incubation of food craving has not been demonstrated in mice. Here, we established a mouse model of incubation of palatable food craving and examined food reward seeking after 1, 15, and 60 abstinence days. We then used the neuronal activity marker Fos with intact-brain mapping procedures to identify corresponding patterns of brain-wide activation. Relapse to food seeking was significantly higher after 60 abstinence days than after 1 or 15 days. Using unbiased ClearMap analysis, we identified increased activation of multiple brain regions, particularly corticostriatal structures, following 60 but not 1 or 15 abstinence days. We used orthogonal SMART2 analysis to confirm these findings within corticostriatal and thalamocortical subvolumes and applied expert-guided registration to investigate subdivision and layer-specific activation patterns. Overall, we 1) identified brain-wide activity patterns during incubation of food seeking using complementary analytical approaches and 2) provide a single-cell resolution whole-brain atlas that can be used to identify functional networks and global architecture underlying the incubation of food craving.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rajtarun Madangopal
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224
| | - Eric R. Szelenyi
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
- Center of Excellence in Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Joseph Nguyen
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224
| | - Megan B. Brenner
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224
| | - Olivia R. Drake
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224
| | - Diana Q. Pham
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224
| | - Aniruddha Shekara
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224
| | - Michelle Jin
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224
| | - Jia Jie Choong
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
- Center of Excellence in Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Conor Heins
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224
| | - Lauren E. Komer
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224
| | - Sophia J. Weber
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224
| | - Bruce T. Hope
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224
| | - Sam A. Golden
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
- Center of Excellence in Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Mayberry HL, Bavley CC, Karbalaei R, Peterson DR, Bongiovanni AR, Ellis AS, Downey SH, Toussaint AB, Wimmer ME. Transcriptomics in the nucleus accumbens shell reveal sex- and reinforcer-specific signatures associated with morphine and sucrose craving. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1764-1775. [PMID: 35190706 PMCID: PMC9372067 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01289-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Incubation of craving is a well-documented phenomenon referring to the intensification of drug craving over extended abstinence. The neural adaptations that occur during forced abstinence following chronic drug taking have been a topic of intense study. However, little is known about the transcriptomic changes occurring throughout this window of time. To define gene expression changes associated with morphine consumption and extended abstinence, male and female rats underwent 10 days of morphine self-administration. Separate drug-naive rats self-administered sucrose in order to compare opioid-induced changes from those associated with natural, non-drug rewards. After one or 30 days of forced abstinence, rats were tested for craving, or nucleus accumbens shell tissue was dissected for RNA sequencing. Morphine consumption was predictive of drug seeking after extended (30 days) but not brief (1 day) abstinence in both sexes. Extended abstinence was also associated with robust sex- and reinforcer-specific changes in gene expression, suggesting sex differences underlying incubation of morphine and sucrose seeking respectively. Importantly, these changes in gene expression occurred without re-exposure to drug-paired cues, indicating that chronic morphine causes long-lasting changes in gene expression that prime the system for increased craving. These findings lay the groundwork for identifying specific therapeutic targets for curbing opioid craving without impacting the natural reward system in males and females.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah L Mayberry
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Charlotte C Bavley
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Reza Karbalaei
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Drew R Peterson
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Angela R Bongiovanni
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Alexandra S Ellis
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sara H Downey
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Andre B Toussaint
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mathieu E Wimmer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
The differential effects of brief environmental enrichment following social isolation in rats. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE, & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:818-832. [PMID: 35199313 PMCID: PMC8865499 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-00989-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
9
|
Jessen K, Slaker Bennett ML, Liu S, Olsen CM. Comparison of prefrontal cortex sucrose seeking ensembles engaged in multiple seeking sessions: Context is key. J Neurosci Res 2022; 100:1008-1029. [PMID: 35137974 PMCID: PMC8940716 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Encoding of memories, including those associated with prior drug or reward, is thought to take place within distinct populations of neurons, termed ensembles. Neuronal ensembles for drug- and reward-seeking have been identified in regions of the medial prefrontal cortex, but much of our understanding of these ensembles is based on experiments that take place in a single reward-associated environment and measure ensemble encoding over short durations of time. In contrast, reward seeking behavior is evident across different reward-associated environments and persists over time. Using TetTag mice and Fos immunohistochemistry, we examined the relationship between persistent sucrose-seeking and ensemble encoding in mice that undergo seeking sessions in the same or different sucrose self-administration contexts 2 weeks apart. We found that prelimbic (PrL) and anterior cingulate cortex ensembles tagged in the first seeking session were highly sensitive to the context in which a second seeking session took place: reactivation of these ensembles was reduced in the same context but elevated in a distinct sucrose self-administration context. Correlational analyses revealed that ensemble reactivation in the PrL was proportional to the persistence of sucrose seeking behavior across sessions in differing ways in female mice. In the same context, reactivation was proportional to the persistence of non-reinforced operant responses, whereas in a distinct context, reactivation was proportional to the persistence of non-reinforced head entries into the sucrose receptacle. This study underlines the importance of the medial prefrontal cortex importance in maintaining a reward-seeking ensemble over time and identifies context-dependent changes in behavioral correlates of ensemble reactivation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristen Jessen
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Megan L Slaker Bennett
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Shuai Liu
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Christopher M Olsen
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Pintori N, Piva A, Guardiani V, Decimo I, Chiamulera C. Brief Environmental Enrichment exposure enhances contextual-induced sucrose-seeking with and without memory reactivation in rats. Behav Brain Res 2022; 416:113556. [PMID: 34474039 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Chronic Environmental Enrichment (EE) has been shown to prevent the relapse to addictive behaviours, such as drug-taking and -seeking. Recently, acute EE was shown to reduce cue-induced sucrose-seeking, but its effects on contextual (Cx)-induced sucrose-seeking is still unknown. Here we report the effects of brief EE exposure on Cx-induced sucrose-seeking with and without prior Cx-memory reactivation. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to sucrose self-administration associated to a specific conditioning Cx (CxA), followed by a 7-day extinction in a different Cx (CxB). Afterwards, rats were exposed for 22 h to EE, and 1 h later to either i) Cx-induced sucrose-seeking (1 h, renewal without Cx-memory reactivation), ii) or two different Cx-memory reactivations: short (2-min) and long (15-min) CxA-retrieval session (Cx-Ret). In Cx-Ret experiments, CxA-induced sucrose-seeking test (1 h) was done after a subsequent 3-day extinction phase. The assessment of molecular markers of memory reactivation/reconsolidation, Zif-268 and rpS6P, was performed 2 h after Cx-Ret. Brief EE exposure enhanced Cx-induced sucrose-seeking without and with short but not long Cx-retrieval. Moreover, EE impaired discriminative responding at test prior to long, whereas improved it with or without short Cx-retrieval. Different changes in Zif-268 and rpS6P expression induced by short vs. long Cx-Ret were correlated to behavioural data, suggesting the occurrence of different memory processes affected by EE. Our data show that brief EE exposure may differently affect subsequent appetitive relapse depending on the modality of re-exposure to conditioned context. This finding suggests caution and further studies to understand the proper conditions for the use of EE against appetitive and addiction disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N Pintori
- Section of Pharmacology, Dept. Diagnostic & Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
| | - A Piva
- Section of Pharmacology, Dept. Diagnostic & Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - V Guardiani
- Section of Pharmacology, Dept. Diagnostic & Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - I Decimo
- Section of Pharmacology, Dept. Diagnostic & Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - C Chiamulera
- Section of Pharmacology, Dept. Diagnostic & Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Pintori N, Piva A, Guardiani V, Marzo CM, Decimo I, Chiamulera C. The interaction between Environmental Enrichment and fluoxetine in inhibiting sucrose-seeking renewal in mice depend on social living condition. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:2351-2361. [PMID: 35353203 PMCID: PMC9205808 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06124-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Several single or combined therapeutic approaches have been developed to treat addiction, however with partial efficacy in preventing relapse. Recently, the living environment has been suggested as a critical intervening factor determining the treatment outcomes. Despite accumulating evidence confirming a role of living conditions in the vulnerability to addictive behaviours, their impact on single or integrative therapeutic strategies preventing relapse is yet to be identified. OBJECTIVES Here, we explore the possible interaction between brief Environmental Enrichment (EE) exposure and acute fluoxetine administration in inhibiting sucrose-seeking behaviours, and whether this effect could be affected by living environment. METHODS Social and isolated adult male C57BL/6 mice were trained to sucrose self-administration associated to a specific conditioning context (CxA), followed by a 7-day extinction in a different context (CxB). Afterwards, mice were exposed for 22 h to EE and then injected with fluoxetine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) 1 h before a CxA-induced sucrose-seeking test. RESULTS Brief EE exposure and acute fluoxetine administration alone inhibited context-induced sucrose-seeking in both housing conditions; however, they exhibited additive properties only in social condition. CONCLUSIONS Our data show that social environment may influence the EE/fluoxetine interaction in inhibiting relapse to sucrose. These findings suggest that setting up proper living conditions to boost the efficacy of therapeutic approaches may represent a fundamental strategy to treat addiction disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N. Pintori
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, Policlinico ‘GB Rossi’, P.le Scuro 10, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy ,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cittadella Universitaria Di Monserrato, University of Cagliari, S.P.8 km 0, 700-09042 Monserrato, Cagliari Italy
| | - A. Piva
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, Policlinico ‘GB Rossi’, P.le Scuro 10, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - V. Guardiani
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, Policlinico ‘GB Rossi’, P.le Scuro 10, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - C. M. Marzo
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - I. Decimo
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, Policlinico ‘GB Rossi’, P.le Scuro 10, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - C. Chiamulera
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, Policlinico ‘GB Rossi’, P.le Scuro 10, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Salinas-Velarde ID, Bernal-Morales B, Pacheco-Cabrera P, Sánchez-Aparicio P, Pascual-Mathey LI, Venebra-Muñoz A. Lower ΔFosB expression in the dopaminergic system after stevia consumption in rats housed under environmental enrichment conditions. Brain Res Bull 2021; 177:172-180. [PMID: 34624462 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2021.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2021] [Revised: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Environmental enrichment (EE) has been proven to reduce drug seeking and the development of addiction-related behaviors in rodent models, but the effects of EE on natural reward acquisition in the form of sweet beverages are poorly understood. Accumulating evidence shows that the intake of sugar, the main ingredient of sweet beverages, alters the dopaminergic system, leading to addiction-related physiological and molecular changes. Sugar in sweet beverages has been replaced with natural sweeteners, such as stevia extract, which has greater sweetener potential but no energy content. Our research group found that sucralose consumption increased the expression of ΔFosB in reward-related nuclei, suggesting activation of the dopaminergic system. The present study assessed the effects of EE on stevia consumption and the expression of ΔFosB in the nucleus accumbens, caudate putamen, and prefrontal cortex. Sixteen male Wistar rats, 21 days old, were randomly assigned to an EE group (n = 8) or standard environment (SE) group (n = 8) and reared for 30 days. On postnatal day 52 (PND52), the brains of four animals in each housing condition were extracted to determine basal ΔFosB levels. Stevia consumption with intermittent access and ΔFosB immunoreactivity were measured for 21 days in the remainder of the rats. Compared with SE animals, EE animals exhibited a reduction of stevia consumption and alterations of ΔFosB immunoreactivity in the reward system. These results indicate that EE reduces stevia consumption and the stevia-induced ΔFosB expression, suggesting addiction-related changes in dopaminergic nuclei, which may be interpreted as a neuroprotective effect.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- I Daniel Salinas-Velarde
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Addiction and Brain Plasticity, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, State of Mexico, Mexico.
| | - Blandina Bernal-Morales
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology, Institute for Neuroethology, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.
| | - Pablo Pacheco-Cabrera
- Institute for Biomedical Research, Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico; Institute for Neuroethology, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.
| | - Pedro Sánchez-Aparicio
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Mexico.
| | - Luz I Pascual-Mathey
- School of Pharmaceutic Biological Chemistry, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.
| | - Arturo Venebra-Muñoz
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Addiction and Brain Plasticity, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, State of Mexico, Mexico.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Venniro M, Reverte I, Ramsey LA, Papastrat KM, D'Ottavio G, Milella MS, Li X, Grimm JW, Caprioli D. Factors modulating the incubation of drug and non-drug craving and their clinical implications. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 131:847-864. [PMID: 34597716 PMCID: PMC8931548 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
It was suggested in 1986 that cue-induced cocaine craving increases progressively during early abstinence and remains high during extended periods of time. Clinical evidence now supports this hypothesis and that this increase is not specific to cocaine but rather generalize across several drugs of abuse. Investigators have identified an analogous incubation phenomenon in rodents, in which time-dependent increases in cue-induced drug seeking are observed after abstinence from intravenous drug or palatable food self-administration. Incubation of craving is susceptible to variation in magnitude as a function of biological and/or the environmental circumstances surrounding the individual. During the last decade, the neurobiological correlates of the modulatory role of biological (sex, age, genetic factors) and environmental factors (environmental enrichment and physical exercise, sleep architecture, acute and chronic stress, abstinence reinforcement procedures) on incubation of drug craving has been investigated. In this review, we summarized the behavioral procedures adopted, the key underlying neurobiological correlates and clinical implications of these studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Venniro
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.
| | - Ingrid Reverte
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
| | - Leslie A Ramsey
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore NIDA, NIH, USA
| | - Kimberly M Papastrat
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - Ginevra D'Ottavio
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
| | | | - Xuan Li
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland College Park, College Park, USA.
| | - Jeffrey W Grimm
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, Bellingham, USA.
| | - Daniele Caprioli
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Yazdanfar N, Farnam A, Sadigh-Eteghad S, Mahmoudi J, Sarkaki A. Enriched environment and social isolation differentially modulate addiction-related behaviors in male offspring of morphine-addicted dams: The possible role of μ-opioid receptors and ΔFosB in the brain reward pathway. Brain Res Bull 2021; 170:98-105. [PMID: 33592274 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2021.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal opioids exposure negatively affects the neurobehavioral abilities of children born from dependence dams. Adolescent housing conditions can buffer the detrimental impacts of early life experiences or contradictory can worsen individual psychosocial functions. The present study investigated the effects of maternal morphine dependence and different rearing conditions on behaviors and protein expression in brain reward circuits of male pups. Female Wistar rats a week before conception, during pregnancy and lactation were injected twice daily with escalating doses of morphine or saline. On a postnatal day 21, male pups were weaned and subjected to three different environments for two months: standard (STD), isolated (ISO), or enriched environment (EE). The anxiety and drug-related reward were measured using elevated plus maze, open field test, and conditioned place preference. Western blotting was used to determine the protein level of ΔFosB and μ-opioid receptor proteins in the striatum and the midbrain of male offspring, respectively. Results showed that maternal morphine administration dramatically increased anxiety-like and morphine place preference behaviors in offspring. Also, ISO condition aggravated these behavioral outcomes. While, rearing in EE could attenuate anxiety and morphine conditioning in pups. At molecular levels, maternal morphine exposure and social isolation markedly increased both of ΔFosB and μ-opioid receptor proteins expression. However, rearing in the EE declined ΔFosB protein expression. Together, these findings help to elucidate long lasting impacts of early life morphine exposure and rearing environment on the behavioral and molecular profile of addicted individuals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Neda Yazdanfar
- Neurosciences Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Alireza Farnam
- Research Center of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Saeed Sadigh-Eteghad
- Neurosciences Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Javad Mahmoudi
- Neurosciences Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
| | - Alireza Sarkaki
- The Persian Gulf Physiology Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Margetts-Smith G, Macnaghten AI, Brebner LS, Ziminski JJ, Sieburg MC, Grimm JW, Crombag HS, Koya E. Acute, but not longer-term, exposure to environmental enrichment attenuates Pavlovian cue-evoked conditioned approach and Fos expression in the prefrontal cortex in mice. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 53:2580-2591. [PMID: 33565633 PMCID: PMC8085094 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to environmental enrichment can modify the impact of motivationally relevant stimuli. For instance, previous studies in rats have found that even a brief, acute (~1 day), but not chronic, exposure to environmentally enriched (EE) housing attenuates instrumental lever pressing for sucrose-associated cues in a conditioned reinforcement setup. Moreover, acute EE reduces corticoaccumbens activity, as measured by decreases in expression of the neuronal activity marker "Fos." Currently, it is not known whether acute EE also reduces sucrose seeking and corticoaccumbens activity elicited by non-contingent or "forced" exposure to sucrose cues, which more closely resembles cue exposure encountered in daily life. We therefore measured the effects of acute/intermittent (1 day or 6 day of EE prior to test day) versus chronic (EE throughout conditioning lasting until test day) EE on the ability of a Pavlovian sucrose cue to elicit sucrose seeking (conditioned approach) and Fos expression in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and nucleus accumbens (NAc) in mice. One day, but not 6 day or chronic EE , reduced sucrose seeking and Fos in the deep layers of the dorsal mPFC. By contrast, 1 day, 6 day, and chronic EE all reduced Fos in the shallow layers of the OFC. None of the EE manipulations modulated NAc Fos expression. We reveal how EE reduces behavioral reactivity to sucrose cues by reducing activity in select prefrontal cortical brain areas. Our work further demonstrates the robustness of EE in its ability to modulate various forms of reward-seeking across species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella Margetts-Smith
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
- University of Exeter College of Medicine and Health, Hatherly Laboratories, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Leonie S. Brebner
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
- Department of Neurochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Joseph J. Ziminski
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Meike C. Sieburg
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
- Department of Biomedicine/DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jeffrey W. Grimm
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA
| | - Hans S. Crombag
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
| | - Eisuke Koya
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Vazquez-Sanroman DB, Arlington Wilson G, Bardo MT. Effects of Social Isolation on Perineuronal Nets in the Amygdala Following a Reward Omission Task in Female Rats. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 58:348-361. [PMID: 32939692 PMCID: PMC8276715 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-020-02125-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Negative urgency is a facet of impulsivity associated with negative affect and risky behavior that may involve the amygdala. The current study determined if social isolation during development alters negative urgency and c-Fos activity in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). Female Sprague-Dawley rats were raised in an isolated condition (IC), a standard social condition (SC), or an enriched condition (EC) and then were tested for locomotor activity, novelty place preference, and negative urgency using a reward omission task. Following performance on the reward omission task, the brains were analyzed for c-Fos expression in Ca2+/calmodulin kinase II (CaMKII) and calbindin (CB) neurons, as well as in parvalbumin (PV) neurons associated with perineuronal nets (PNNs) in BLA. IC rats exhibited enhanced locomotion compared with both SC and EC rats, as well as enhanced novelty place preference compared with EC rats; only IC rats showed increased responding following omission of an expected reward (negative urgency). Following completion of the reward omission task, IC rats also displayed increased percent of c-Fos neurons in BLA associated with CaMKII, CB, and PV neurons compared with SC and EC rats. In IC rats, c-Fos activation in BLA occurred following the omission of an expected reward. Finally, IC rats displayed reduced PNN intensity associated with PV neurons compared with EC rats, but the percent of these neurons co-expressing c-Fos was greater in IC rats; SC rats were intermediate between IC and EC rats. Negative urgency was observed in IC rats, but not SC or EC rats. While multiple mechanisms are likely involved, this behavioral effect was associated with an isolation-induced increase in activity of excitatory neurons in BLA, as well as decreased PNN intensity surrounding GABAergic neurons in the same region.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - M T Bardo
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Smail MA, Smith BL, Nawreen N, Herman JP. Differential impact of stress and environmental enrichment on corticolimbic circuits. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2020; 197:172993. [PMID: 32659243 PMCID: PMC7484282 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2020.172993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Stress exposure can produce profound changes in physiology and behavior that can impair health and well-being. Of note, stress exposure is linked to anxiety disorders and depression in humans. The widespread impact of these disorders warrants investigation into treatments to mitigate the harmful effects of stress. Pharmacological treatments fail to help many with these disorders, so recent work has focused on non-pharmacological alternatives. One of the most promising of these alternatives is environmental enrichment (EE). In rodents, EE includes social, physical, and cognitive stimulation for the animal, in the form of larger cages, running wheels, and toys. EE successfully reduces the maladaptive effects of various stressors, both as treatment and prophylaxis. While we know that EE can have beneficial effects under stress conditions, the morphological and molecular mechanisms underlying these behavioral effects are still not well understood. EE is known to alter neurogenesis, dendrite development, and expression of neurotrophic growth factors, effects that vary by type of enrichment, age, and sex. To add to this complexity, EE has differential effects in different brain regions. Understanding how EE exerts its protective effects on morphological and molecular levels could hold the key to developing more targeted pharmacological treatments. In this review, we summarize the literature on the morphological and molecular consequences of EE and stress in key emotional regulatory pathways in the brain, the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala. The similarities and differences among these regions provide some insight into stress-EE interaction that may be exploited in future efforts toward prevention of, and intervention in, stress-related diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marissa A Smail
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States.
| | - Brittany L Smith
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Nawshaba Nawreen
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - James P Herman
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Grimm JW, Sauter F. Environmental enrichment reduces food seeking and taking in rats: A review. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2020; 190:172874. [PMID: 32084492 PMCID: PMC7100331 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2020.172874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Environmental enrichment (EE) for rodents is generally defined as providing subjects with an environment enhanced with access to conspecifics, novel and tactile stimuli, and in many preparations, more space. EE exposure, in particular as an "intervention" in adult rodents, decreases food and drug seeking and taking. This review focuses on the reduction of sucrose seeking and taking in rats assessed in operant-based procedures. The operant-based model provides a means to evaluate addiction-related behaviors. Findings using the model might translate to clinically-relevant addiction behaviors directed towards both drugs and food. Both overnight (acute) and one month (chronic) EE effects on behavior are described, including a recent evaluation of the persistence of EE effects following its removal. EE effects on neurobiology related to sucrose seeking using the model are outlined, with a special emphasis on meso-cortico-limbic terminals. Overall, our working hypothesis for how EE reduces sucrose seeking and taking is that EE alters processing of incentive valence. This may also be accompanied by changes in learning and affect. Anti-seeking and anti-taking effects of EE have translational implications for the prevention and treatment of both drug addiction and food-focused behaviors ("food addiction").
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey W Grimm
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA.
| | - Frances Sauter
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Yang TY, Gardner JC, Gao Z, Pan YX, Liang NC. Role of glucocorticoid signaling in exercise-associated changes in high-fat diet preference in rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2020; 318:R515-R528. [PMID: 31940232 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00288.2019] [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: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The simultaneous introduction of wheel running (WR) and diet choice (high-carbohydrate chow vs. high-fat diet) results in sex-specific diet choice patterns in rats. WR induces a high-fat (HF) diet avoidance, and such avoidance persists in the majority of males, but not females, throughout a 2-wk period. Exercise is a physiological stressor that activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and stimulates glucocorticoid (GC) release, which can alter dietary preferences. Here, we examined the role of the HPA axis and GC signaling in mediating exercise-induced changes in diet preference and the associated neurobiological adaptations that may underlie sex differences in diet choice patterns. Experiment 1 revealed that adrenalectomy did not significantly alter the initiation and persistence of running-induced HF diet avoidance in male rats. Experiment 2 showed that acute WR resulted in greater neural activation than chronic WR in the medial prefrontal (mPFC) and insular cortices (IC) in male rats. Experiment 3 revealed sex differences in the molecular adaptation to exercise and diet preference. First, exercise increased gene expression of fkbp5 in the mPFC, IC, and hippocampus of WR females but had limited influence in males. Second, male and female WR rats that reversed or maintained HF diet avoidance showed distinct sex- and HF diet preference-dependent expression profiles of genes involved in cortical GC signaling (e.g., nr3c1, nr3c2, and src1). Taken together, our results suggest sex differences in region-specific neural adaptations may underlie sex differences in diet preference and the health benefits from exercise.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany Y Yang
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Champaign, Illinois
| | - Jennie C Gardner
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Champaign, Illinois
| | - Zijun Gao
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Champaign, Illinois
| | - Yuan-Xiang Pan
- Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Champaign, Illinois.,Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Champaign, Illinois
| | - Nu-Chu Liang
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Champaign, Illinois.,Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Champaign, Illinois.,Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Champaign, Illinois
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Venniro M, Russell TI, Zhang M, Shaham Y. Operant Social Reward Decreases Incubation of Heroin Craving in Male and Female Rats. Biol Psychiatry 2019; 86:848-856. [PMID: 31326085 PMCID: PMC8383184 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We recently reported that operant social choice-induced voluntary abstinence prevents incubation of methamphetamine craving. Here, we determined whether social choice-induced voluntary abstinence would prevent incubation of heroin craving. We also introduce a fully automatic social reward self-administration model that eliminates the intense workload and rat-human interaction of the original semiautomatic model. METHODS In experiment 1, we trained male and female rats for social self-administration (6 days) and then for heroin self-administration (12 days). Next, we assessed relapse to heroin seeking after 1 and 15 abstinence days. Between tests, the rats underwent either forced or social choice-induced abstinence. In experiment 2, we developed a fully automatic social self-administration procedure by introducing a screen between the self-administration chamber and the social-peer chamber; the screen allows physical contact but prevents rats from crossing chambers. Next, we compared incubation of craving in rats with a history of standard (no-screen) or automatic (screen) social self-administration and social choice-induced abstinence. RESULTS The time-dependent increase in heroin seeking after cessation of drug self-administration (incubation of craving) was lower after social choice-induced abstinence than after forced abstinence. There were no differences in social self-administration, social choice-induced abstinence, and incubation of craving in rats trained in the standard semiautomatic procedure versus the novel fully automatic procedure. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates the protective effect of rewarding social interaction on heroin self-administration and incubation of heroin craving and introduces a fully automatic social self-administration and choice procedure to investigate the role of volitional social interaction in drug addiction and other psychiatric disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Venniro
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
| | - Trinity I Russell
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Michelle Zhang
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Grimm JW. Incubation of food craving in rats: A review. J Exp Anal Behav 2019; 113:37-47. [PMID: 31709556 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Incubation of food craving is an abstinence-dependent increase in responding for reward-paired cues. Incubation of craving was first reported for rats responding for cocaine-paired cues, and later generalized to several drugs of abuse and for food. Incubation of drug and food craving has been reported in clinical studies as well. Incubation of food craving by rats has been reported for standard chow as well as for high fat and sucrose reinforcers. Parametric and other evaluations of the incubation of food craving reveal manipulations that reduce incubation, including environmental enrichment and pharmacological manipulation of dopamine, glutamate, and endogenous opiates. Several brain regions are likely involved in the effect, including mesolimbic terminals and the central nucleus of the amygdala. Further study of the incubation of food craving could facilitate development of treatments for cravings that precede relapse characteristic of drug and food addictions.
Collapse
|
22
|
Grimm JW, Hyde J, Glueck E, North K, Ginder D, Jiganti K, Hopkins M, Sauter F, MacDougall D, Hovander D. Examining persistence of acute environmental enrichment-induced anti-sucrose craving effects in rats. Appetite 2019; 139:50-58. [PMID: 31002852 PMCID: PMC6556147 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.03.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 03/31/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
A single, overnight (acute) environmental enrichment (EE; a large environment with conspecifics and novel objects) experience robustly decreases sucrose consumption (taking) and responsiveness to sucrose-paired cues (seeking) in rats. Persisting effects of acute EE on sucrose seeking and taking have not yet been identified. In the present study, rats were trained to self-administer a 10% sucrose solution paired with a compound tone + light stimulus for 10 days in 2-h sessions. We then examined the persistence of acute EE effects at reducing sucrose seeking and taking in a 12-h test immediately following acute EE (Exp. 1), or for 7 days with daily 1-h tests immediately following acute EE, or after a 24-h delay (Exp. 2). We also examined the persistence of acute EE effects on sucrose taking in rats responding on a PR schedule in 7 daily sessions following acute EE (Exp. 3). We found that acute EE was effective at reducing responding for both sucrose and a sucrose-paired cue, persisting throughout the 12-h test (Exp. 1). A reduction in sucrose seeking persisted for 24 h and a reduction in sucrose taking persisted for 72 h following acute EE plus a 24-h delay prior to testing (Exp. 2). Decreased PR responding for sucrose was observed following acute EE; this reduction persisted for 48 h (Exp. 3). These findings indicate that acute exposure to EE has persisting effects at reducing sucrose seeking and taking in rats. Acute EE may have translational value as a non-pharmacological intervention to curb sucrose craving.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey W Grimm
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, 98225-9172, USA.
| | - Jeff Hyde
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, 98225-9172, USA
| | - Edwin Glueck
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, 98225-9172, USA
| | - Katherine North
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, 98225-9172, USA
| | - Darren Ginder
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, 98225-9172, USA
| | - Kyle Jiganti
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, 98225-9172, USA
| | - Madeleine Hopkins
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, 98225-9172, USA
| | - Frances Sauter
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, 98225-9172, USA
| | - Derek MacDougall
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, 98225-9172, USA
| | - Dan Hovander
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, 98225-9172, USA
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Rodríguez-Ortega E, Alcaraz-Iborra M, de la Fuente L, Cubero I. Protective and therapeutic benefits of environmental enrichment on binge-like sucrose intake in C57BL/6J mice. Appetite 2019; 138:184-189. [PMID: 30940610 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.03.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized, in part, by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food in a short period of time. Repetitive binge episodes are a common pattern of consumption during the early stages of substance abuse, and it has been proposed that binge patterns of consumption might favor the transition to BED and "food addiction". Therefore, it is of paramount importance to provide new behavioral strategies that protect vulnerable binge-prone individuals from transitioning to BED and food addiction. Recently, we showed protective and therapeutic benefits of environmental enrichment (EE) on binge-like intake of ethanol in C57BL/6J mice, in agreement with previous evidence showing EE modulation of drug intake, drug relapse and drug reward. In the present study, adolescent mice reared under EE conditions were evaluated for binge-like consumption of sucrose during adulthood in a long-term drinking in the dark (DID) procedure that effectively models binge consumption in humans. Additionally, we tested binge-like intake in adults reared under standard conditions (SE) with long-term exposure to sucrose DID and the effects on sucrose DID of switching from SE to EE conditions. We report here, for the first time, that early EE exposure protects mice from binge-like excessive sucrose intake during adulthood. Ongoing binge-like high sucrose intake in SE-reared mice was also significantly reduced when switched to EE conditions. The present observations suggest that EE exposure might be a promising tool for preventing repetitive binge-like sucrose consumption from transitioning to BED and food addiction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Inmaculada Cubero
- Departamento de Psicología, Universidad de Almería, Almeria, 04120, Spain; CERNEP, Universidad de Almería, Almería, 04120, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Rodríguez-Ortega E, Alcaraz-Iborra M, de la Fuente L, de Amo E, Cubero I. Environmental Enrichment During Adulthood Reduces Sucrose Binge-Like Intake in a High Drinking in the Dark Phenotype (HD) in C57BL/6J Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:27. [PMID: 30828291 PMCID: PMC6384528 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Repetitive binge episodes favor transition to binge-eating disorders. Experimental evidence points to positive influence of environmental enrichment (EE) on drug/food addiction, although far less is known regarding EE effects over binge-like consumption. Here, we evaluate the following: (1) whether switching from nonenriched standard environment (SE) to EE housing conditions during adulthood alters a stable pattern of voluntary sucrose (10% w/v) binge-like intake in high (HD) vs. low (LD) drinking phenotypes under a drinking in the dark (DID) schedule; and (2) sucrose binge-like intake in a DID task in response to a pharmacological challenge with an OXr1 antagonist in HD/LD subpopulations after long-term exposure to SE or EE conditions. Adolescent (postnatal day 21; PND21) mice were housed in SE conditions. At PND65, all animals were long-term exposed to sucrose DID. On the first episode of DID (PND65), animals were divided into HD vs. LD subpopulations according to their sucrose intake. On PND85, an OXr1 antagonist test was conducted on HD and LD mice with SB-334867 (SB) administration. On PND95, HD and LD subpopulations were again randomly allocated into two subgroups, resulting in the following experimental conditions: HD-SE, HD-EE, LD-SE and LD-EE. Sucrose binge-like intake continued until PND116, when a second SB test was conducted. The main findings are: (1) a single 2 h episode of sucrose binge drinking in a DID procedure consistently segregates two behavioral subpopulations, HD and LD; (2) when adult mice in standard conditions and long-term exposed to sucrose DID were switched to EE conditions, an immediate reduction in sucrose binge-like intake was observed in HD mice, pointing to a therapeutic role of EE exposure; and (3) administration of the OXr1 antagonist caused an acute reduction in sucrose binge-like intake in HD and LD mice exposed to SE conditions. Importantly, exposure to EE conditions blunted the inhibitory effect of SB on sucrose binge consumption in both behavioral phenotypes, indirectly suggesting a potential EE/OXr1 signaling interaction. We propose the hypothesis that EE might regulate OX-dependent anxiety/compulsivity brain systems, which might secondarily modulate sucrose binge-like intake.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Rodríguez-Ortega
- Departamento de Psicología, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
| | - Manuel Alcaraz-Iborra
- Departamento de Psicología, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
| | - Leticia de la Fuente
- Departamento de Psicología, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
| | - Enedina de Amo
- Departamento de Psicología, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Cubero
- Departamento de Psicología, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Almería, Almería, Spain.,CERNEP, Universidad de Almería, Almería, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Noye Tuplin EW, Holahan MR. Exploring time-dependent changes in conditioned place preference for food reward and associated changes in the nucleus accumbens. Behav Brain Res 2018; 361:14-25. [PMID: 30576721 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.12.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure has been used to study the incubation of craving phenomenon with rewarding drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine. The present study examined whether rats trained in a CPP behavioral design would display an incubation of craving response for chocolate-flavored pellets or milk chocolate chips at the behavioral and neural levels. Rats were conditioned using an unbiased CPP design then underwent abstinence from food reward for 24 hs, 7, 14, or 28 days at which point they were tested for CPP. Brains underwent immunohistochemical staining for c-Fos and FosB as well as Golgi staining to assess dendritic spine density in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). A time-dependent increase in CPP and entries into the previously paired compartment was observed in the chocolate-flavored pellet group but not the milk chocolate group. Time-dependent neural changes were not directly associated with behavioral outcomes but c-Fos labelling was higher in the chocolate pellet group than controls at the 7-day abstinence period. The behavioral results show that chocolate pellets are rewarding and are associated with long-term behavioral changes but, as evidenced by limited neural changes, these food rewards do not have the same effects on the NAc as drugs of abuse.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erin W Noye Tuplin
- Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, 5307 Health Sciences Building, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, K1S 5B6, ON, Canada.
| | - Matthew R Holahan
- Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, 5307 Health Sciences Building, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, K1S 5B6, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Rodríguez-Ortega E, Cubero I. Environmental Enrichment Modulates Drug Addiction and Binge-Like Consumption of Highly Rewarding Substances: A Role for Anxiety and Compulsivity Brain Systems? Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:295. [PMID: 30555310 PMCID: PMC6281824 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug addiction is a chronic disorder comprising components of both impulsivity and compulsivity in the so called “addiction cycle” which develops over time from early non-dependent, repetitive, binge-consumption to later post-dependent compulsive consumption. Thus, frequent binge-like intake is a typical pattern of excessive drug intake characteristic of the pre-dependent phase of the addiction cycle, which represent an important risk factor to develop addiction in vulnerable individuals. In this framework, it is of paramount interest to further understand the earliest stage of the addiction cycle so novel approaches would emerge aimed to control repetitive episodes of binge-consumption in non-dependent subjects, protecting vulnerable individuals from transition to dependence. Environmental enrichment (EE) is a preclinical animal model in which animals are housed under novel, social enriched conditions, which allows exercising and provides sensory and cognitive stimulation. EE promotes important improvements for a variety of cognitive processes and clear therapeutic and protective effects preventing ethanol (EtOH) and drug addiction as well. Interestingly, recent observations suggest that EE might additionally modulate binge-like intake of highly palatable caloric substances, including EtOH, which suggests the ability of EE to regulate consumption during the initial stage of the addiction cycle. We have proposed that EE protective and therapeutic effects on binge-consumption of palatable substances might primarily be mediated by the modulatory control that EE exerts on anxiety and impulsivity/compulsivity traits, which are all risk factors favoring transition to drug addiction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Inmaculada Cubero
- Departamento de Psicología, Universidad de Almería, Almería, Spain.,Centro de Evaluación y Rehabilitación Neuropsicológica (CERNEP), Universidad de Almería, Almería, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Sucrose Abstinence and Environmental Enrichment Effects on Mesocorticolimbic DARPP32 in Rats. Sci Rep 2018; 8:13174. [PMID: 30181585 PMCID: PMC6123458 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29625-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Dopamine- and cAMP-regulated neuronal phosphoprotein 32 kDa (DARPP32) is a signaling molecule that could serve as a molecular switch, promoting or restraining sucrose seeking. We measured DARPP32 and pThr34 DARPP32 in the brains of male Long-Evans rats with a history of sucrose self-administration followed by 1 or 30 days of abstinence and exposure to either overnight (acute) or one month (chronic) environmental enrichment (EE). Brains were extracted following a 1 h cue reactivity test or no exposure to the test environment. Micropunches (prelimbic, infralimbic, and anterior cingulate areas of the medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, dorsal striatum, nucleus accumbens, and ventral tegmental area) were then processed using Western blot. Abstinence increased, while EE decreased, sucrose seeking. DARPP32 and pThr34 DARPP32 levels were affected by testing, abstinence, and/or EE in most regions. Especially salient results were observed in the nucleus accumbens core, a region associated with relapse behaviors. Both acute and chronic EE reduced DARPP32 in the nucleus accumbens core and acute EE increased the ratio of phosphorylated to total DARPP32. Degree of DARPP32 phosphorylation negatively correlated with sucrose seeking. These findings demonstrate a potential role for DARPP32 in mediating the “anti-craving” effect of EE.
Collapse
|
28
|
Noye Tuplin EW, Lightfoot SHM, Holahan MR. Comparison of the Time-Dependent Changes in Immediate Early Gene Labeling and Spine Density Following Abstinence From Contingent or Non-contingent Chocolate Pellet Delivery. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:144. [PMID: 30061817 PMCID: PMC6055009 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Incubation of craving is a phenomenon whereby responding for cues associated with a reward increases over extended periods of abstinence. Both contingent and non-contingent behavioral designs have been used to study the incubation of craving phenomenon with differing results. The present study directly compares behavioral and neural changes following contingent or non-contingent administration of chocolate flavored pellets. Objective: The current study examined whether an incubation of craving response would be observed at the behavioral and neural levels following delays of abstinence from chocolate pellets in a contingent or non-contingent reinforcement design. Methods: Rats were trained for 10 days to bar press for chocolate pellets (contingent) or received chocolate pellets in a non-contingent design (classical conditioning). Groups were then subjected to abstinence from the reward for 24 h, 7, 14 or 28 days at which point they were tested for responding for reward associated cues. Following the test, brains from all rats were processed and assessed for c-Fos and FosB labeling as well as dendritic spine density in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Results: Behavioral measures during the test (lever presses, food hopper entries and locomotor activity) revealed similar behavioral outcomes across all delays indicating the lack of an incubation of craving response on both the contingent and non-contingent designs. Overall, labeling of c-Fos in the NAc was lower for the non-contingent group compared to the operant-trained and food restricted control. Compared to the operant-trained and non-trained control groups, a significantly reduced FosB labeling was noted in the NAc of the classically conditioned groups across all abstinence periods. Spine density in the NAc was elevated in both the classically and operant conditioned compared to the food-restricted, non-trained controls. Conclusions: Chocolate pellet reward did not result in incubation of craving but did produce behavioral learning that was associated with increased spine density. This suggests that chocolate pellet administration results in long-term structural and functional changes that are present for at least 28 days following abstinence. Contingent and non-contingent administration resulted in differential immediate early gene labeling in the NAc, but the functional significance of this has yet to be elucidated.
Collapse
|
29
|
Lopes DA, Souza TM, de Andrade JS, Silva MF, Antunes HK, Sueur-Maluf LL, Céspedes IC, Viana MB. Environmental enrichment decreases avoidance responses in the elevated T-maze and delta FosB immunoreactivity in anxiety-related brain regions. Behav Brain Res 2018; 344:65-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Revised: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
|
30
|
Novel approaches to alcohol rehabilitation: Modification of stress-responsive brain regions through environmental enrichment. Neuropharmacology 2018; 145:25-36. [PMID: 29477298 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Revised: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Relapse remains the most prominent hurdle to successful rehabilitation from alcoholism. The neural mechanisms underlying relapse are complex, but our understanding of the brain regions involved, the anatomical circuitry and the modulation of specific nuclei in the context of stress and cue-induced relapse have improved significantly in recent years. In particular, stress is now recognised as a significant trigger for relapse, adding to the well-established impact of chronic stress to escalate alcohol consumption. It is therefore unsurprising that the stress-responsive regions of the brain have also been implicated in alcohol relapse, such as the nucleus accumbens, amygdala and the hypothalamus. Environmental enrichment is a robust experimental paradigm which provides a non-pharmacological tool to alter stress response and, separately, alcohol-seeking behaviour and symptoms of withdrawal. In this review, we examine and consolidate the preclinical evidence that alcohol seeking behaviour and stress-induced relapse are modulated by environmental enrichment, and these are primarily mediated by modification of neural activity within the key nodes of the addiction circuitry. Finally, we discuss the limited clinical evidence that stress-reducing approaches such as mindfulness could potentially serve as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of alcoholism. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled "Neurobiology of Environmental Enrichment".
Collapse
|
31
|
James MH, McGlinchey EM, Vattikonda A, Mahler SV, Aston-Jones G. Cued Reinstatement of Cocaine but Not Sucrose Seeking Is Dependent on Dopamine Signaling in Prelimbic Cortex and Is Associated with Recruitment of Prelimbic Neurons That Project to Contralateral Nucleus Accumbens Core. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2017; 21:89-94. [PMID: 29165565 PMCID: PMC5789262 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyx107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Drug cues recruit prelimbic cortex neurons that project to ipsilateral nucleus accumbens core. However, it is not known if the same is true for prelimbic cortex projections that decussate to innervate contralateral nucleus accumbens core. Further, a role for prelimbic cortex dopamine signaling in cued reinstatement of cocaine seeking has not been shown. METHODS We assessed Fos expression in prelimbic cortex neurons that project to contralateral nucleus accumbens core following cued reinstatement of cocaine or sucrose seeking. We also tested the effect of intra-prelimbic cortex infusions of the D1/D2 antagonist fluphenazine on cued cocaine and sucrose seeking. RESULTS Prelimbic cortex-contralateral nucleus accumbens core projections were activated by cocaine cues but not sucrose cues, and this activation correlated with reinstatement behavior. Blockade of prelimbic cortex dopamine signaling prevented cued reinstatement of cocaine- but not sucrose-seeking behavior. CONCLUSIONS Cued cocaine seeking is associated with activation of the prelimbic cortex-contralateral nucleus accumbens core pathway. Prelimbic cortex dopamine signaling is necessary for cues to reinstate drug-seeking behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Morgan H James
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey,Florey Institute of Neurosciences and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ellen M McGlinchey
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey,Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | | | - Stephen V Mahler
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, California
| | - Gary Aston-Jones
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey,Correspondence: Gary Aston-Jones, PhD, 683 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway NJ 08854 ()
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Bahi A. Environmental enrichment reduces chronic psychosocial stress-induced anxiety and ethanol-related behaviors in mice. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2017; 77:65-74. [PMID: 28390969 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Revised: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 04/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Previous research from our laboratory has shown that exposure to chronic psychosocial stress increased voluntary ethanol consumption and preference as well as acquisition of ethanol-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in mice. This study was done to determine whether an enriched environment could have "curative" effects on chronic psychosocial stress-induced ethanol intake and CPP. For this purpose, experimental mice "intruders" were exposed to the chronic subordinate colony (CSC) housing for 19 consecutive days in the presence of an aggressive "resident" mouse. At the end of that period, mice were tested for their anxiety-like behavior using the elevated plus maze (EPM) test then housed in a standard or enriched environment (SE or EE respectively). Anxiety and ethanol-related behaviors were investigated using the open field (OF) test, a standard two-bottle choice drinking paradigm, and the CPP procedure. As expected, CSC exposure increased anxiety-like behavior and reduced weight gain as compared to single housed colony (SHC) controls. In addition, CSC exposure increased voluntary ethanol intake and ethanol-CPP. Interestingly, we found that EE significantly and consistently reduced anxiety and ethanol consumption and preference. However, neither tastants' (saccharin and quinine) intake nor blood ethanol metabolism were affected by EE. Finally, and most importantly, EE reduced the acquisition of CPP induced by 1.5g/kg ethanol. Taken together, these results support the hypothesis that EE can reduce voluntary ethanol intake and ethanol-induced conditioned reward and seems to be one of the strategies to reduce the behavioral deficits and the risk of anxiety-induced alcohol abuse.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amine Bahi
- Department of Anatomy, Tawam Medical Campus, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Cutuli D, Berretta E, Pasqualini G, De Bartolo P, Caporali P, Laricchiuta D, Sampedro-Piquero P, Gelfo F, Pesoli M, Foti F, Begega A, Petrosini L. Influence of Pre-reproductive Maternal Enrichment on Coping Response to Stress and Expression of c-Fos and Glucocorticoid Receptors in Adolescent Offspring. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:73. [PMID: 28536510 PMCID: PMC5422443 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Accepted: 04/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental enrichment (EE) is an experimental setting broadly used for investigating the effects of complex social, cognitive, and sensorimotor stimulations on brain structure and function. Recent studies point out that parental EE experience, even occurring in the pre-reproductive phase, affects neural development and behavioral trajectories of the offspring. In the present study we investigated the influences of pre-reproductive EE of female rats on maternal behavior and adolescent male offspring's coping response to an inescapable stressful situation after chronic social isolation. For this purpose female Wistar rats were housed from weaning to breeding age in enriched or standard environments. Subsequently, all females were mated and housed in standard conditions until offspring weaning. On the first post partum day (ppd 1), mother-pup interactions in undisturbed conditions were recorded. Further, after weaning the male pups were reared for 2 weeks under social isolation or in standard conditions, and then submitted or not to a single-session Forced Swim Test (FST). Offspring's neuronal activation and plastic changes were identified by immunohistochemistry for c-Fos and glucocorticoid receptors (GRs), and assessed by using stereological analysis. The biochemical correlates were measured in the hippocampus, amygdala and cingulate cortex, structures involved in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis regulation. Enriched dams exhibited increased Crouching levels in comparison to standard reared dams. In the offspring of both kinds of dams, social isolation reduced body weight, decreased Immobility, and increased Swimming during FST. Moreover, isolated offspring of enriched dams exhibited higher levels of Climbing in comparison to controls. Interestingly, in the amygdala of both isolated and control offspring of enriched dams we found a lower number of c-Fos immunopositive cells in response to FST and a higher number of GRs in comparison to the offspring of standard dams. These results highlight the profound influence of a stressful condition, such as the social isolation, on the brain of adolescent rats, and underline intergenerational effects of maternal experiences in regulating the offspring response to stress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Debora Cutuli
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of RomeRome, Italy.,Santa Lucia FoundationRome, Italy
| | - Erica Berretta
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of RomeRome, Italy.,Santa Lucia FoundationRome, Italy
| | - Greta Pasqualini
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of RomeRome, Italy.,Santa Lucia FoundationRome, Italy
| | - Paola De Bartolo
- Santa Lucia FoundationRome, Italy.,Department of TeCoS, Marconi UniversityRome, Italy
| | - Paola Caporali
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of RomeRome, Italy
| | - Daniela Laricchiuta
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of RomeRome, Italy.,Santa Lucia FoundationRome, Italy
| | - Patricia Sampedro-Piquero
- Department of Biological and Health Psychology, Psychology Faculty, Autonomous University of MadridMadrid, Spain
| | - Francesca Gelfo
- Santa Lucia FoundationRome, Italy.,Department of Systemic Medicine, University of Rome Tor VergataRome, Italy
| | - Matteo Pesoli
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of RomeRome, Italy.,Santa Lucia FoundationRome, Italy
| | - Francesca Foti
- Santa Lucia FoundationRome, Italy.,Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia UniversityCatanzaro, Italy
| | - Azucena Begega
- Neuroscience Laboratory, Psychology Department, University of OviedoOviedo, Spain
| | - Laura Petrosini
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of RomeRome, Italy.,Santa Lucia FoundationRome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Glueck E, Ginder D, Hyde J, North K, Grimm JW. Effects of dopamine D1 and D2 receptor agonists on environmental enrichment attenuated sucrose cue reactivity in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2017; 234:815-825. [PMID: 28032125 PMCID: PMC5891328 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-016-4516-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Acute or chronic environmental enrichment (EE) reduces sucrose cue reactivity in rats. This effect may be mediated by dopamine receptors. OBJECTIVES We examined whether dopamine D1 or D2 receptor agonism could reverse the EE effect. We also examined whether any reversal effects would vary with the incubation of sucrose craving. METHODS Following 10 days (2 h/day) of sucrose self-administration, rats experienced either 1 or 30 days of forced abstinence and either overnight (acute) or 29 day (chronic) EE. D1 (SKF 81297; 0, 0.3, or 1 mg/kg) or D2 (quinpirole; 0, 0.1, or 0.3 mg/kg) agonist was administered systemically immediately prior to a subsequent 2-h cue reactivity test the next day (n = 9-12 per group). RESULTS Dose-dependent effects were limited to the day 1 test. High doses of the agonists increased day 1 acute EE cue reactivity to levels comparable to control animals. On the day 30 test, SKF 81297 increased cue reactivity in acute EE, chronic EE, and control rats. In contrast, quinpirole resulted in similar cue reactivity for control and enriched rats, more from a reduction in responding by controls vs. a recovery of responding by EE-experienced rats. CONCLUSIONS Both D1 and D2 receptors may be involved in the acute EE-mediated decrease in cue reactivity observed following 1 day of forced abstinence. In contrast, at 30 days of forced abstinence, D1 receptors may be critical in cue reactivity as SKF 81297 was effective at both restoring responding of enriched animals and potentiating responding of controls.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Glueck
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-9172, USA
| | - Darren Ginder
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-9172, USA
| | - Jeff Hyde
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-9172, USA
| | - Katherine North
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-9172, USA
| | - Jeffrey W. Grimm
- Department of Psychology and Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Western Washington University, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225-9172, USA
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Slaker M, Barnes J, Sorg BA, Grimm JW. Impact of Environmental Enrichment on Perineuronal Nets in the Prefrontal Cortex following Early and Late Abstinence from Sucrose Self-Administration in Rats. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0168256. [PMID: 27977779 PMCID: PMC5158028 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are aggregates of extracellular matrix that form structures surrounding a subset of GABAergic interneurons. The staining intensity of PNNs appears to be related to plasticity. Environmental enrichment (EE) influences plasticity during adulthood: EE decreases the rewarding effects of drugs of abuse and diminishes both drug- and sucrose-seeking behavior. We determined the impact of EE on PNN intensity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in rats trained to self-administer sucrose. We examined the number and intensity of PNNs within the prelimbic (PL), infralimbic (IL), and orbitofrontal (OF) regions of the mPFC of adult Long-Evans rats that were trained for sucrose self-administration followed by acute or chronic EE during abstinence and a cue-induced reinstatement test. Rats exposed to EE prior to a cue-induced reinstatement of sucrose seeking had an increase in PNN staining compared with rats in standard housing. Conversely, naïve rats given 1 day of EE had a decrease in PNN intensity in the PL, no change in the IL, and an increase in the OF. Our findings demonstrate that EE increases PNN intensity in the mPFC after sucrose training, suggesting that training enhances the ability of EE to increase PNN intensity. We further demonstrate an interaction between time of abstinence, duration of EE exposure, and cue-induced reinstatement. Our results suggest that increased PNN intensity after EE may alter the excitatory/inhibitory balance of mPFC neurons such that rats are less responsive to a sucrose cue.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Megan Slaker
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience and Translational Addiction Research Center, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington, United States of America
| | - Jesse Barnes
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, United States of America
| | - Barbara A. Sorg
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience and Translational Addiction Research Center, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Jeffrey W. Grimm
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Galaj E, Manuszak M, Ranaldi R. Environmental enrichment as a potential intervention for heroin seeking. Drug Alcohol Depend 2016; 163:195-201. [PMID: 27125660 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2016] [Revised: 04/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Heroin-related cues can trigger craving and relapse in addicts or heroin seeking in rats. In the present study we investigated whether environmental enrichment (EE) implemented after heroin exposure can reduce cue-induced reinstatement of heroin seeking and expression of heroin conditioned place preference. METHODS In Experiment 1, male Long Evans rats that already acquired a heroin self-administration habit, were housed in enriched or non-enriched environments, underwent extinction training and later were tested for cue-induced reinstatement of heroin seeking. In Experiment 2, rats were conditioned with heroin in one compartment of a CPP apparatus and saline in the other, exposed to 30days of enrichment or no enrichment and were later tested for heroin CPP. RESULTS The results showed that exposure to EE significantly reduced responding during the reinstatement test (Experiment 1) and prevented the expression of heroin CPP (Experiment 2). CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that EE can be an effective behavioral approach to diminish the effects of conditioned cues on heroin seeking.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Galaj
- CUNY, The Graduate Center, United States
| | - M Manuszak
- Queens College of the City University of New York, Department of Psychology, United States
| | - R Ranaldi
- CUNY, The Graduate Center, United States; Queens College of the City University of New York, Department of Psychology, United States.
| |
Collapse
|