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Crimmins BE, Lingawi NW, Chieng BC, Leung BK, Maren S, Laurent V. Basal forebrain cholinergic signaling in the basolateral amygdala promotes strength and durability of fear memories. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:605-614. [PMID: 36056107 PMCID: PMC9938249 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01427-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) complex receives dense cholinergic projections from the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) and the horizontal limb of the diagonal band of Broca (HDB). The present experiments examined whether these projections regulate the formation, extinction, and renewal of fear memories. This was achieved by employing a Pavlovian fear conditioning protocol and optogenetics in transgenic rats. Silencing NBM projections during fear conditioning weakened the fear memory produced by that conditioning and abolished its renewal after extinction. By contrast, silencing HDB projections during fear conditioning had no effect. Silencing NBM or HDB projections during extinction enhanced the loss of fear produced by extinction, but only HDB silencing prevented renewal. Next, we found that systemic blockade of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors during fear conditioning mimicked the effects produced by silencing NBM projections during fear conditioning. However, this blockade had no effect when given during extinction. These findings indicate that basal forebrain cholinergic signaling in the BLA plays a critical role in fear regulation by promoting strength and durability of fear memories. We concluded that cholinergic compounds may improve treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder by durably stripping fear memories from their fear-eliciting capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byron E. Crimmins
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW Australia
| | - Nura W. Lingawi
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW Australia
| | - Billy C. Chieng
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW Australia
| | - Beatrice K. Leung
- grid.1005.40000 0004 4902 0432Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW Australia
| | - Stephen Maren
- grid.264756.40000 0004 4687 2082Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX USA
| | - Vincent Laurent
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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Tryon SC, Sakamoto IM, Kaigler KF, Gee G, Turner J, Bartley K, Fadel JR, Wilson MA. ChAT::Cre transgenic rats show sex-dependent altered fear behaviors, ultrasonic vocalizations and cholinergic marker expression. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2023; 22:e12837. [PMID: 36636833 PMCID: PMC9994175 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The cholinergic system is a critical regulator of Pavlovian fear learning and extinction. As such, we have begun investigating the cholinergic system's involvement in individual differences in cued fear extinction using a transgenic ChAT::Cre rat model. The current study extends behavioral phenotyping of a transgenic ChAT::Cre rat line by examining both freezing behavior and ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) during a Pavlovian cued fear learning and extinction paradigm. Freezing, 22 kHz USVs, and 50 kHz USVs were compared between male and female transgenic ChAT::Cre+ rats and their wildtype (Cre-) littermates during fear learning, contextual and cue-conditioned fear recall, cued fear extinction, and generalization to a novel tone. During contextual and cued fear recall ChAT::Cre+ rats froze slightly more than their Cre- littermates, and displayed significant sex differences in contextual and cue-conditioned freezing, 22 kHz USVs, and 50 kHz USVs. Females showed more freezing than males in fear recall trials, but fewer 22 kHz distress calls during fear learning and recall. Females also produced more 50 kHz USVs during exposure to the testing chambers prior to tone (or shock) presentation compared with males, but this effect was blunted in ChAT::Cre+ females. Corroborating previous studies, ChAT::Cre+ transgenic rats overexpressed vesicular acetylcholine transporter immunolabeling in basal forebrain, striatum, basolateral amygdala, and hippocampus, but had similar levels of acetylcholinesterase and numbers of ChAT+ neurons as Cre- rats. This study suggests that variance in behavior between ChAT::Cre+ and wildtype rats is sex dependent and advances theories that distinct neural circuits and processes regulate sexually divergent fear responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C. Tryon
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & NeuroscienceUniversity of South Carolina School of MedicineColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Iris M. Sakamoto
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & NeuroscienceUniversity of South Carolina School of MedicineColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Kris F. Kaigler
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & NeuroscienceUniversity of South Carolina School of MedicineColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Gabriella Gee
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & NeuroscienceUniversity of South Carolina School of MedicineColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Jarrett Turner
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & NeuroscienceUniversity of South Carolina School of MedicineColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Katherine Bartley
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & NeuroscienceUniversity of South Carolina School of MedicineColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Jim R. Fadel
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & NeuroscienceUniversity of South Carolina School of MedicineColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Marlene A. Wilson
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & NeuroscienceUniversity of South Carolina School of MedicineColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
- Columbia VA Health Care SystemColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
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Characterization of social behavior in young and middle-aged ChAT-IRES-Cre mouse. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0272141. [PMID: 35925937 PMCID: PMC9352053 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The cholinergic system is an important modulator of brain processes. It contributes to the regulation of several cognitive functions and emotional states, hence altering behaviors. Previous works showed that cholinergic (nicotinic) receptors of the prefrontal cortex are needed for adapted social behaviors. However, these data were obtained in mutant mice that also present alterations of several neurotransmitter systems, in addition to the cholinergic system. ChAT-IRES-Cre mice, that express the Cre recombinase specifically in cholinergic neurons, are useful tools to investigate the role of the cholinergic circuits in behavior. However, their own behavioral phenotype has not yet been fully characterized, in particular social behavior. In addition, the consequences of aging on the cholinergic system of ChAT-IRES-Cre mice has never been studied, despite the fact that aging is known to compromise the cholinergic system efficiency. The aim of the current study was thus to characterize the social phenotype of ChAT-IRES-Cre mice both at young (2–3 months) and middle (10–11 months) ages. Our results reveal an alteration of the cholinergic system, evidenced by a decrease of ChAT, CHT and VAChT gene expression in the striatum of the mice, that was accompanied by mild social disturbances and a tendency towards anxiety. Aging decreased social dominance, without being amplified by the cholinergic alterations. Altogether, this study shows that ChAT-IRES-Cre mice are useful models for studying the cholinergic system‘s role in social behavior using appropriate modulating technics (optogenetic or DREADD).
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Accumbens Cholinergic Interneurons Mediate Cue-Induced Nicotine Seeking and Associated Glutamatergic Plasticity. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0276-20.2020. [PMID: 33239269 PMCID: PMC7890519 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0276-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Nicotine, the primary addictive substance in tobacco, is widely abused. Relapse to cues associated with nicotine results in increased glutamate release within nucleus accumbens core (NAcore), modifying synaptic plasticity of medium spiny neurons (MSNs), which contributes to reinstatement of nicotine seeking. However, the role of cholinergic interneurons (ChIs) within the NAcore in mediating these neurobehavioral processes is unknown. ChIs represent less than 1% of the accumbens neuronal population and are activated during drug seeking and reward-predicting events. Thus, we hypothesized that ChIs may play a significant role in mediating glutamatergic plasticity that underlies nicotine-seeking behavior. Using chemogenetics in transgenic rats expressing Cre under the control of the choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) promoter, ChIs were bidirectionally manipulated before cue-induced reinstatement. Following nicotine self-administration and extinction, ChIs were activated or inhibited before a cue reinstatement session. Following reinstatement, whole-cell electrophysiology from NAcore MSNs was used to assess changes in plasticity, measured via AMPA/NMDA (A/N) ratios. Chemogenetic inhibition of ChIs inhibited cued nicotine seeking and resulted in decreased A/N, relative to control animals, whereas activation of ChIs was unaltered, demonstrating that ChI inhibition may modulate plasticity underlying cue-induced nicotine seeking. These results demonstrate that ChI neurons play an important role in mediating cue-induced nicotine reinstatement and underlying synaptic plasticity within the NAcore.
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Mantanona CP, Božič T, Chudasama Y, Robbins TW, Dalley JW, Alsiö J, Pienaar IS. Dissociable contributions of mediodorsal and anterior thalamic nuclei in visual attentional performance: A comparison using nicotinic and muscarinic cholinergic receptor antagonists. J Psychopharmacol 2020; 34:1371-1381. [PMID: 33103560 PMCID: PMC7708668 DOI: 10.1177/0269881120965880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Thalamic subregions mediate various cognitive functions, including attention, inhibitory response control and decision making. Such neuronal activity is modulated by cholinergic thalamic afferents and deterioration of such modulatory signaling has been theorised to contribute to cognitive decline in neurodegenerative disorders. However, the thalamic subnuclei and cholinergic receptors involved in cognitive functioning remain largely unknown. AIMS We investigated whether muscarinic or nicotinic receptors in the mediodorsal thalamus and anterior thalamus contribute to rats' performance in the five-choice serial reaction time task, which measures sustained visual attention and impulsive action. METHODS Male Long-Evans rats were trained in the five-choice serial reaction time task then surgically implanted with guide cannulae targeting either the mediodorsal thalamus or anterior thalamus. Reversible inactivation of either the mediodorsal thalamus or anterior thalamus were achieved with infusions of the γ-aminobutyric acid-ergic agonists muscimol and baclofen prior to behavioural assessment. To investigate cholinergic mechanisms, we also assessed the behavioural effects of locally administered nicotinic (mecamylamine) and muscarinic (scopolamine) receptor antagonists. RESULTS Reversible inactivation of the mediodorsal thalamus severely impaired discriminative accuracy and response speed and increased omissions. Inactivation of the anterior thalamus produced less profound effects, with impaired accuracy at the highest dose. In contrast, blocking cholinergic transmission in these regions did not significantly affect five-choice serial reaction time task performance. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATIONS These findings show the mediodorsal thalamus plays a key role in visuospatial attentional performance that is independent of local cholinergic neurotransmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig P Mantanona
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Tadej Božič
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Yogita Chudasama
- Section on Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jeffrey W Dalley
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK,Department of Psychiatry, Hershel Smith Building for Brain and Mind Sciences, Forvie Site, Cambridge, UK
| | - Johan Alsiö
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ilse S Pienaar
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK,Ilse S Pienaar, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, John Maynard Smith building, Brighton, Falmer BN1 9PH, UK.
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Eck SR, Xu SJ, Telenson A, Duggan MR, Cole R, Wicks B, Bergmann J, Lefebo H, Shore M, Shepard KA, Akins MR, Parikh V, Heller EA, Bangasser DA. Stress Regulation of Sustained Attention and the Cholinergic Attention System. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 88:566-575. [PMID: 32600739 PMCID: PMC7487022 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stress exacerbates symptoms of schizophrenia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, which are characterized by impairments in sustained attention. Yet how stress regulates attention remains largely unexplored. We investigated whether a 6-day variable stressor altered sustained attention and the cholinergic attention system in male and female rats. METHODS Sustained attention was tested with the sustained attention task. Successful performance on the sustained attention task relies on the release of acetylcholine (ACh) into the cortex from cholinergic neurons in the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM). Thus, we evaluated whether variable stress (VS) altered the morphology of these neurons with a novel approach using a Cre-dependent virus in genetically modified ChAT::Cre rats, a species used for this manipulation only. Next, electrochemical recordings measured cortical ACh following VS. Finally, we used RNA sequencing to identify VS-induced transcriptional changes in the NBM. RESULTS VS impaired attentional performance in the sustained attention task and increased the dendritic complexity of NBM cholinergic neurons in both sexes. NBM cholinergic neurons are mainly under inhibitory control, so this morphological change could increase inhibition on these neurons, reducing downstream ACh release to impair attention. Indeed, VS decreased ACh release in the prefrontal cortex of male rats. Quantification of global transcriptional changes revealed that although VS induced many sex-specific changes in gene expression, it increased several signaling molecules in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS These studies suggest that VS impairs attention by inducing molecular and morphological changes in the NBM. Identifying mechanisms by which stress regulates attention may guide the development of novel treatments for psychiatric disorders with attention deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha R Eck
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Song-Jun Xu
- Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Alexander Telenson
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Michael R Duggan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Robert Cole
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Brittany Wicks
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Joy Bergmann
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Hanna Lefebo
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Marni Shore
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | | | - Michael R Akins
- Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Vinay Parikh
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Elizabeth A Heller
- Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Debra A Bangasser
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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