1
|
Liang J, Zhou Y, Feng Q, Zhou Y, Jiang T, Ren M, Jia X, Gong H, Di R, Jiao P, Luo M. A brainstem circuit amplifies aversion. Neuron 2024:S0896-6273(24)00582-8. [PMID: 39270652 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 07/09/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024]
Abstract
Dynamic gain control of aversive signals enables adaptive behavioral responses. Although the role of amygdalar circuits in aversive processing is well established, the neural pathway for amplifying aversion remains elusive. Here, we show that the brainstem circuit linking the interpeduncular nucleus (IPN) with the nucleus incertus (NI) amplifies aversion and promotes avoidant behaviors. IPN GABA neurons are activated by aversive stimuli and their predicting cues, with their response intensity closely tracking aversive values. Activating these neurons does not trigger aversive behavior on its own but rather amplifies responses to aversive stimuli, whereas their ablation or inhibition suppresses such responses. Detailed circuit dissection revealed anatomically distinct subgroups within the IPN GABA neuron population, highlighting the NI-projecting subgroup as the modulator of aversiveness related to fear and opioid withdrawal. These findings unveil the IPN-NI circuit as an aversion amplifier and suggest potential targets for interventions against affective disorders and opioid relapse.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jingwen Liang
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing 102206, China; Division of Neurobiology, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Yu Zhou
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research (CIBR), Beijing 102206, China.
| | - Qiru Feng
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing 102206, China
| | - Youtong Zhou
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing 102206, China
| | - Tao Jiang
- HUST-Suzhou Institute for Brainsmatics, JITRI, Suzhou 215125, China
| | - Miao Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Hainan Province, School of Biomedical Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Xueyan Jia
- HUST-Suzhou Institute for Brainsmatics, JITRI, Suzhou 215125, China
| | - Hui Gong
- HUST-Suzhou Institute for Brainsmatics, JITRI, Suzhou 215125, China
| | - Run Di
- Department of Neurology & Innovation Center for Neurological Disorders, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Neurological Disorders, Beijing 100053, China; Neurodegenerative Laboratory of Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Beijing 100053, China
| | - Peijie Jiao
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Minmin Luo
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research (CIBR), Beijing 102206, China; New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Shenzhen 518054, China; Research Unit of Medical Neurobiology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100005, China; Beijing Institute for Brain Research, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 102206, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Frahm S, Antolin-Fontes B, Görlich A, Zander JF, Ahnert-Hilger G, Ibañez-Tallon I. An essential role of acetylcholine-glutamate synergy at habenular synapses in nicotine dependence. eLife 2015; 4:e11396. [PMID: 26623516 PMCID: PMC4718731 DOI: 10.7554/elife.11396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2015] [Accepted: 11/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A great deal of interest has been focused recently on the habenula and its critical role in aversion, negative-reward and drug dependence. Using a conditional mouse model of the ACh-synthesizing enzyme choline acetyltransferase (Chat), we report that local elimination of acetylcholine (ACh) in medial habenula (MHb) neurons alters glutamate corelease and presynaptic facilitation. Electron microscopy and immuno-isolation analyses revealed colocalization of ACh and glutamate vesicular transporters in synaptic vesicles (SVs) in the central IPN. Glutamate reuptake in SVs prepared from the IPN was increased by ACh, indicating vesicular synergy. Mice lacking CHAT in habenular neurons were insensitive to nicotine-conditioned reward and withdrawal. These data demonstrate that ACh controls the quantal size and release frequency of glutamate at habenular synapses, and suggest that the synergistic functions of ACh and glutamate may be generally important for modulation of cholinergic circuit function and behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Silke Frahm
- Molecular Neurobiology Group, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Beatriz Antolin-Fontes
- Molecular Neurobiology Group, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, United States
| | - Andreas Görlich
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, United States
| | | | - Gudrun Ahnert-Hilger
- Institute for Integrative Neuroanatomy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ines Ibañez-Tallon
- Molecular Neurobiology Group, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Beiranvand F, Zlabinger C, Orr-Urtreger A, Ristl R, Huck S, Scholze P. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors control acetylcholine and noradrenaline release in the rodent habenulo-interpeduncular complex. Br J Pharmacol 2014; 171:5209-24. [PMID: 25041479 PMCID: PMC4244193 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2014] [Revised: 06/23/2014] [Accepted: 06/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and purpose Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nACh receptors) play a central role in the habenulo-interpeduncular system. We studied nicotine-induced release of NA and ACh in the habenula and interpeduncular nucleus (IPN). Experimental approach The habenula and IPN were loaded with [3H]-choline or [3H]-NA and placed in superfusion chambers. [3H]-ACh release was also stimulated using nicotinic agonists, electrical pulses and elevated [KCl]o in hippocampal and cortical slices from rats, wild-type mice and mice lacking α5, α7, β2, or β4 nACh receptor subunits. Finally, we analysed nACh receptor subtypes in the IPN using immunoprecipitation. Key results Nicotine induced release of [3H]-ACh in the IPN of rats and mice. This release was calcium-dependent but not blocked by tetrodotoxin (TTX); moreover, [3H]-ACh release was abolished in β4-knockout mice but was unaffected in β2- and α5-knockout mice. In contrast, nicotine-induced release of [3H]-NA in the IPN and habenula was blocked by TTX and reduced in both β2-knockout and β4-knockout mice, and dose–response curves were right-shifted in α5-knockout mice. Although electrical stimuli triggered the release of both transmitters, [3H]-ACh release required more pulses delivered at a higher frequency. Conclusions and implications Our results confirm previous findings that β4-containing nACh receptors are critical for [3H]-ACh release in the mouse IPN. Experiments using α5-knockout mice also revealed that unlike in the hippocampus, nicotine-induced [3H]-NA release in the habenulo-interpeduncular system is altered in this knockout model. As α5-containing nACh receptors play a key role in nicotine intake, our results add NA to the list of transmitters involved in this mechanism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Beiranvand
- Department of Pathobiology of the Nervous System, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
The right dorsal habenula limits attraction to an odor in zebrafish. Curr Biol 2014; 24:1167-75. [PMID: 24856207 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.03.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2013] [Revised: 03/24/2014] [Accepted: 03/31/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The habenula consists of an evolutionarily conserved set of nuclei that control neuromodulator release. In lower vertebrates, the dorsal habenula receives innervation from sensory regions, but the significance of this is unclear. Here, we address the role of the habenula in olfaction by imaging neural activity in larval zebrafish expressing GCaMP3 throughout the habenula and by carrying out behavioral assays. RESULTS Activity in several hundred neurons throughout the habenula was recorded using wide-field fluorescence microscopy, fast focusing, and deconvolution. This enabled the creation of 4D maps of odor-evoked activity. Odors activated the habenula in two broad spatiotemporal patterns. Increasing concentrations of a putative social cue (a bile salt) evoked a corresponding increase in neuronal activity in the right dorsal habenula. In behavioral assays, fish were attracted to intermediate concentration of this cue but avoided higher concentration. Increasing cholinergic activity through nicotine exposure rendered the intermediate concentration aversive in a habenula-dependent manner. Pharmacologically blocking nicotinic receptors or lesioning the right dorsal habenula attenuated avoidance. CONCLUSIONS These data provide physiological and functional evidence that the habenula functions as a higher center in zebrafish olfaction and suggest that activity in the right dorsal subdomain gates innate attraction to specific odors.
Collapse
|
5
|
Beckley JT, Woodward JJ. Volatile solvents as drugs of abuse: focus on the cortico-mesolimbic circuitry. Neuropsychopharmacology 2013; 38:2555-67. [PMID: 23954847 PMCID: PMC3828545 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2013] [Revised: 08/12/2013] [Accepted: 08/13/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Volatile solvents such as those found in fuels, paints, and thinners are found throughout the world and are used in a variety of industrial applications. However, these compounds are also often intentionally inhaled at high concentrations to produce intoxication. While solvent use has been recognized as a potential drug problem for many years, research on the sites and mechanisms of action of these compounds lags behind that of other drugs of abuse. In this review, we first discuss the epidemiology of voluntary solvent use throughout the world and then consider what is known about their basic pharmacology and how this may explain their use as drugs of abuse. We next present data from preclinical and clinical studies indicating that these substances induce common addiction sequelae such as dependence, withdrawal, and cognitive impairments. We describe how toluene, the most commonly studied psychoactive volatile solvent, alters synaptic transmission in key brain circuits such as the mesolimbic dopamine system and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) that are thought to underlie addiction pathology. Finally, we make the case that activity in mPFC circuits is a critical regulator of the mesolimbic dopamine system's ability to respond to volatile solvents like toluene. Overall, this review provides evidence that volatile solvents have high abuse liability because of their selective effects on critical nodes of the addiction neurocircuitry, and underscores the need for more research into how these compounds induce adaptations in neural circuits that underlie addiction pathology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacob T Beckley
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA,Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs, Department of Psychiatry/Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - John J Woodward
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA,Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs, Department of Psychiatry/Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA,Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, IOP 4 North, 67 President Street, MSC 861, Charleston, SC 29425, USA, Tel: +(843) 792 5225, Fax: +(843) 792 7353, E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Zhao-Shea R, Liu L, Pang X, Gardner PD, Tapper AR. Activation of GABAergic neurons in the interpeduncular nucleus triggers physical nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Curr Biol 2013; 23:2327-35. [PMID: 24239118 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.09.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2013] [Revised: 09/06/2013] [Accepted: 09/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic exposure to nicotine elicits physical dependence in smokers, yet the mechanism and neuroanatomical bases for withdrawal symptoms are unclear. As in humans, rodents undergo physical withdrawal symptoms after cessation from chronic nicotine characterized by increased scratching, head nods, and body shakes. RESULTS Here we show that induction of physical nicotine withdrawal symptoms activates GABAergic neurons within the interpeduncular nucleus (IPN). Optical activation of IPN GABAergic neurons via light stimulation of channelrhodopsin elicited physical withdrawal symptoms in both nicotine-naive and chronic-nicotine-exposed mice. Dampening excitability of GABAergic neurons during nicotine withdrawal through IPN-selective infusion of an NMDA receptor antagonist or through blockade of IPN neurotransmission from the medial habenula reduced IPN neuronal activation and alleviated withdrawal symptoms. During chronic nicotine exposure, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors containing the β4 subunit were upregulated in somatostatin interneurons clustered in the dorsal region of the IPN. Blockade of these receptors induced withdrawal signs more dramatically in nicotine-dependent compared to nicotine-naive mice and activated nonsomatostatin neurons in the IPN. CONCLUSIONS Together, our data indicate that therapeutic strategies to reduce IPN GABAergic neuron excitability during nicotine withdrawal, for example, by activating nicotinic receptors on somatostatin interneurons, may be beneficial for alleviating withdrawal symptoms and facilitating smoking cessation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rubing Zhao-Shea
- Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01604, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Trabucchi M, Chartrel N, Pelletier G, Vallarino M, Vaudry H. Distribution of GAD-immunoreactive neurons in the diencephalon of the african lungfish Protopterus annectens: colocalization of GAD and NPY in the preoptic area. J Comp Neurol 2000; 419:223-32. [PMID: 10723000 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9861(20000403)419:2<223::aid-cne6>3.0.co;2-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The distribution of GABAergic neurons was investigated in the diencephalon of the African lungfish, Protopterus annectens, by using specific antibodies directed against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD). A dense population of immunoreactive perikarya was observed in the periventricular preoptic nucleus, whereas the caudal hypothalamus and the dorsal thalamus contained only scattered positive cell bodies. Clusters of GAD-positive cells were found in the intermediate lobe of the pituitary. The diencephalon was richly innervated by GAD-immunoreactive fibers that were particularly abundant in the hypothalamus. In the periventricular nucleus, GAD-positive fibers exhibited a radial orientation, and a few neurons extended processes toward the third ventricle. More caudally, a dense bundle of GAD-immunoreactive fibers coursing along the ventral wall of the hypothalamus terminated into the median eminence and the neural lobe of the pituitary. Double-labeling immunocytochemistry revealed that GAD and neuropeptide tyrosine (NPY)-like immunoreactivity was colocalized in a subpopulation of perikarya in the periventricular preoptic nucleus. The proportion of neurons that coexpressed GAD and NPY was higher in the caudal region of the preoptic nucleus. The distribution of GAD-immunoreactive elements in the diencephalon and pituitary of the African lungfish indicates that GABA may act as a hypophysiotropic neurohormone in Dipnoans. The coexistence of GAD and NPY in a subset of neurons of the periventricular preoptic nucleus suggests that GABA and NPY may interact at the synaptic level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Trabucchi
- European Institute for Peptide Research (IFRMP 23), Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neuroendocrinology, INSERM U413, UA CNRS, University of Rouen, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Tiu SC, Li WY, Luo CB, Yew DT. Habenulo-interpeduncular descending pathways and their relationship to enkephalin- and somatostatin-immunoreactive neurons in the interpeduncular nucleus of human fetuses. Neuroscience 1993; 53:489-93. [PMID: 8098514 DOI: 10.1016/0306-4522(93)90213-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The interpeduncular nucleus of six human fetuses aged 15 (one specimen), 26 (one specimen), 38 (one specimen) and 40 (three specimens) gestation weeks was studied by immunohistochemistry for enkephalin and somatostatin localization and immunohistochemistry coupled with silver staining. Enkephalin-positive and somatostatin-positive cells were detected, the former initially at 15 weeks gestation and the latter at 26 weeks gestation. They appeared to receive long afferents from the habenular region and projected short efferents to adjacent cells devoid of enkephalin and somatostatin positivity. We postulate that these enkephalin- and somatostatin-positive neurons function as modulatory interneurons in the habenulo-interpeduncular and related pathways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S C Tiu
- Department of Anatomy, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Kawaja MD, Flumerfelt BA, Hunt SP, Hrycyshyn AW. Substance P immunoreactivity in the rat interpeduncular nucleus: synaptic interactions between substance P-positive profiles and choline acetyltransferase- or glutamate decarboxylase-immunoreactive structures. Neuroscience 1991; 42:739-55. [PMID: 1720226 DOI: 10.1016/0306-4522(91)90042-m] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The subnuclear and synaptic distribution of substance P immunoreactivity was examined in the rat interpeduncular nucleus at the light and electron microscope level. The nucleus possessed a prominent substance P-immunoreactive axonal plexus in the lateral and dorsomedial subnuclei, and in the dorsal cap of the rostral subnucleus. The density of substance P-immunoreactive axons in the remaining subnuclear divisions was sparse to moderate. Terminals of immunoreactive axons contained spherical vesicles and formed asymmetric contacts on dendritic processes exclusively. Immunoreactive neurons, restricted to the rostral subnucleus, possessed long, sparsely branched dendrites. Unlabelled terminals containing either spherical or pleomorphic vesicles contacted substance P-immunoreactive dendritic profiles. Axodendritic and axosomatic synapses containing substance P immunoreactivity pre- and postsynaptically were not observed. Ultrastructural evidence for synaptic relationships between substance P-containing profiles and those containing either choline acetyltransferase or glutamate decarboxylase was obtained by means of double antigen immunohistochemistry. Terminals of fasciculus retroflexus axons stained for choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity formed asymmetric synaptic contacts with substance P-immunoreactive dendritic profiles. Few substance P-positive dendrites in the rostral subnucleus received terminals possessing glutamate decarboxylase activity. Unlabelled terminals containing either spherical or pleomorphic vesicles contacted substance P- and glutamate decarboxylase-immunoreactive dendritic profiles simultaneously. Terminals possessing either substance P or glutamate decarboxylase immunoreactivity formed synaptic contacts with dendritic processes of neurons in the lateral subnucleus. Many of the neurons within this subnuclear division contained glutamate decarboxylase. This study provides direct evidence of synaptic relationships between choline acetyltransferase-immunoreactive axons and substance P-immunoreactive dendritic profiles, and between substance P-positive axons and glutamate decarboxylase-immunoreactive dendrites. These findings reveal that two types of transmitter-specific axons of the fasciculus retroflexus innervate neuronal populations of the interpeduncular nucleus stained immunohistochemically for either substance P or glutamate decarboxylase.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M D Kawaja
- Department of Anatomy, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|