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Sheynikhovich D, Otani S, Bai J, Arleo A. Long-term memory, synaptic plasticity and dopamine in rodent medial prefrontal cortex: Role in executive functions. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 16:1068271. [PMID: 36710953 PMCID: PMC9875091 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1068271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Mnemonic functions, supporting rodent behavior in complex tasks, include both long-term and (short-term) working memory components. While working memory is thought to rely on persistent activity states in an active neural network, long-term memory and synaptic plasticity contribute to the formation of the underlying synaptic structure, determining the range of possible states. Whereas, the implication of working memory in executive functions, mediated by the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in primates and rodents, has been extensively studied, the contribution of long-term memory component to these tasks received little attention. This review summarizes available experimental data and theoretical work concerning cellular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in the medial region of rodent PFC and the link between plasticity, memory and behavior in PFC-dependent tasks. A special attention is devoted to unique properties of dopaminergic modulation of prefrontal synaptic plasticity and its contribution to executive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Sheynikhovich
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France,*Correspondence: Denis Sheynikhovich ✉
| | - Satoru Otani
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Jing Bai
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, INSERM U1266, Paris, France
| | - Angelo Arleo
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
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2
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Obray JD, Landin JD, Vaughan DT, Scofield MD, Chandler LJ. Adolescent alcohol exposure reduces dopamine 1 receptor modulation of prelimbic neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens and basolateral amygdala. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 4:100044. [PMID: 36643604 PMCID: PMC9836047 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2022.100044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Binge drinking during adolescence is highly prevalent despite increasing evidence of its long-term impact on behaviors associated with modulation of behavioral flexibility by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). In the present study, male and female rats underwent adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure by vapor inhalation. After aging to adulthood, retrograde bead labelling and viral tagging were used to identify populations of neurons in the prelimbic region (PrL) of the mPFC that project to specific subcortical targets. Electrophysiological recording from bead-labelled neurons in PrL slices revealed that AIE did not alter the intrinsic excitability of PrL neurons that projected to either the NAc or the BLA. Similarly, recordings of spontaneous inhibitory and excitatory post-synaptic currents revealed no AIE-induced changes in synaptic drive onto either population of projection neurons. In contrast, AIE exposure was associated with a loss of dopamine receptor 1 (D1), but no change in dopamine receptor 2 (D2), modulation of evoked firing of both populations of projection neurons. Lastly, confocal imaging of proximal and apical dendritic tufts of viral-labelled PrL neurons that projected to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) revealed AIE did not alter the density of dendritic spines. Together, these observations provide evidence that AIE exposure results in disruption of D1 receptor modulation of PrL inputs to at least two major subcortical target regions that have been implicated in AIE-induced long-term changes in behavioral control.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Daniel Obray
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA
| | - Justine D. Landin
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA
| | - Dylan T. Vaughan
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA
| | - Michael D. Scofield
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA,Department of Anesthesiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston SC, USA
| | - L. Judson Chandler
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA,Corresponding author. (L.J. Chandler)
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3
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Amyloid Beta Alters Prefrontal-dependent Functions Along with its Excitability and Synaptic Plasticity in Male Rats. Neuroscience 2022; 498:260-279. [PMID: 35839923 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.07.006] [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: 01/08/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Prefrontal cortex (PFC)-related functions, such as working memory (WM) and cognitive flexibility (CF), are among the first to be altered at early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Likewise, transgenic AD models carrying different AD-related mutations, mostly linked to the overproduction of amyloid beta (Aβ) and other peptides, show premature behavioral and functional symptoms associated with PFC alterations. However, little is known about the effects of intracerebral or intra-PFC Aβ infusion on WM and CF, as well as on pyramidal cell excitability and plasticity. Thus, here we evaluated the effects of a single Aβ injection, directly into the PFC, or its intracerebroventricular (icv) application, on PFC-dependent behaviors and on the intrinsic and synaptic properties of layer V pyramidal neurons in PFC slices. We found that a single icv Aβ infusion reduced learning and performance of a delayed non-matching-to-sample WM task and prevented reversal learning in a matching-to-sample version of the task, several weeks after its infusion. The inhibition of WM performance was reproduced more potently by a single PFC Aβ infusion and was associated with Aβ accumulation. This behavioral disruption was related to increased layer V pyramidal cell firing, larger sag membrane potential, increased fast after-hyperpolarization and a failure to sustain synaptic long-term potentiation, even leading to long-term depression, at both the hippocampal-PFC pathway and intracortical synapses. These findings show that Aβ can affect PFC excitability and synaptic plasticity balance, damaging PFC-dependent functions, which could constitute the foundations of the early alterations in executive functions in AD patients.
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4
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Cheng ST, Liu S, Ou-Yang B, Dai XY, Cheng L. Specific Effects of Characteristics of Enriched Environment on Innovative Problem Solving by Animals. Psychol Sci 2022; 33:1097-1111. [PMID: 35776087 DOI: 10.1177/09567976211070562] [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: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous studies have revealed that an enriched environment can enhance the survival-related behaviors and brain functions of animals. However, the effects and specific roles of the enrichment characteristics on animals' innovative capability, a cognitive ability crucial for survival in nature, are still not well known. In this study, we assigned mice to environment-manipulation groups (n = 15 each) to investigate the specific effects of environmental novelty (novel vs. familiar) and environmental complexity (complex vs. normal) on innovative problem solving and its possible neural mechanisms. Results showed that mice in only the novel-environment group performed better at innovative-problem-solving tasks and showed greater numbers of novel explorations and dopaminergic projections from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens in the brain. These findings indicate that an enriched environment has the potential to promote the innovative capability of mice by enhancing their novel exploratory motivation, which depends on the novelty of the environment but not its complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sha-Te Cheng
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University.,Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, Central China Normal University
| | - Sha Liu
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University.,Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, Central China Normal University
| | - Bo Ou-Yang
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University.,Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, Central China Normal University
| | - Xin-Yu Dai
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University.,Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, Central China Normal University
| | - Liang Cheng
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University.,Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, Central China Normal University
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5
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Martucci LL, Cancela JM. Neurophysiological functions and pharmacological tools of acidic and non-acidic Ca2+ stores. Cell Calcium 2022; 104:102582. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ceca.2022.102582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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Cleal M, Fontana BD, Ranson DC, McBride SD, Swinny JD, Redhead ES, Parker MO. The Free-movement pattern Y-maze: A cross-species measure of working memory and executive function. Behav Res Methods 2021; 53:536-557. [PMID: 32748238 PMCID: PMC8062322 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-020-01452-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Numerous neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders are associated with deficits in executive functions such as working memory and cognitive flexibility. Progress in developing effective treatments for disorders may benefit from targeting these cognitive impairments, the success of which is predicated on the development of animal models with validated behavioural assays. Zebrafish offer a promising model for studying complex brain disorders, but tasks assessing executive function are lacking. The Free-movement pattern (FMP) Y-maze combines aspects of the common Y-maze assay, which exploits the inherent motivation of an organism to explore an unknown environment, with analysis based on a series of sequential two-choice discriminations. We validate the task as a measure of working memory and executive function by comparing task performance parameters in adult zebrafish treated with a range of glutamatergic, cholinergic and dopaminergic drugs known to impair working memory and cognitive flexibility. We demonstrate the cross-species validity of the task by assessing performance parameters in adapted versions of the task for mice and Drosophila, and finally a virtual version in humans, and identify remarkable commonalities between vertebrate species' navigation of the maze. Together, our results demonstrate that the FMP Y-maze is a sensitive assay for assessing working memory and cognitive flexibility across species from invertebrates to humans, providing a simple and widely applicable behavioural assay with exceptional translational relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine Cleal
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Old St Michael's Building, White Swan Road, Portsmouth, PO1 2DT, UK.
| | - Barbara D Fontana
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Old St Michael's Building, White Swan Road, Portsmouth, PO1 2DT, UK
| | - Daniel C Ranson
- Medicines Research Group, University of East London, London, UK
| | | | - Jerome D Swinny
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Old St Michael's Building, White Swan Road, Portsmouth, PO1 2DT, UK
| | - Edward S Redhead
- School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Matthew O Parker
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Old St Michael's Building, White Swan Road, Portsmouth, PO1 2DT, UK.
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Pastor V, Medina JH. Medial prefrontal cortical control of reward- and aversion-based behavioral output: Bottom-up modulation. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 53:3039-3062. [PMID: 33660363 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
How does the brain guide our actions? This is a complex issue, where the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a crucial role. The mPFC is essential for cognitive flexibility and decision making. These functions are related to reward- and aversion-based learning, which ultimately drive behavior. Though, cortical projections and modulatory systems that may regulate those processes in the mPFC are less understood. How does the mPFC regulate approach-avoidance behavior in the case of conflicting aversive and appetitive stimuli? This is likely dependent on the bottom-up neuromodulation of the mPFC projection neurons. In this review, we integrate behavioral-, pharmacological-, and viral-based circuit manipulation data showing the involvement of mPFC dopaminergic, noradrenergic, cholinergic, and serotoninergic inputs in reward and aversion processing. Given that an incorrect balance of reward and aversion value could be a key problem in mental diseases such as substance use disorders, we discuss outstanding questions for future research on the role of mPFC modulation in reward and aversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verónica Pastor
- CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (IBCN), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jorge Horacio Medina
- CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (IBCN), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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8
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Driscoll JR, Wallace TL, Mansourian KA, Martin WJ, Margolis EB. Differential Modulation of Ventral Tegmental Area Circuits by the Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ System. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0376-19.2020. [PMID: 32747458 PMCID: PMC7840174 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0376-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The neuropeptide nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) can be released by stressors and is associated with disorders of emotion regulation and reward processing. N/OFQ and its receptor, NOP, are enriched in dopaminergic pathways, and intra-ventricular agonist delivery decreases dopamine levels in the dorsal striatum, nucleus accumbens (NAc), and ventral tegmental area (VTA). We used whole-cell electrophysiology in acute rat midbrain slices to investigate synaptic actions of N/OFQ. N/OFQ was primarily inhibitory, causing outward currents in both immunocytochemically identified dopaminergic (tyrosine hydroxylase positive (TH(+))) and non-dopaminergic (TH(-)) VTA neurons; effect at 1 μm: 20 ± 4 pA. Surprisingly, this effect was mediated by augmentation of postsynaptic GABAAR currents, unlike the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), where the N/OFQ-induced outward currents were K+ channel dependent. A smaller population, 17% of all VTA neurons, responded to low concentrations of N/OFQ with inward currents (10 nm: -11 ± 2 pA). Following 100 nm N/OFQ, the response to a second N/OFQ application was markedly diminished in VTA neurons (14 ± 10% of first response) but not in SNc neurons (90 ± 20% of first response). N/OFQ generated outward currents in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)-projecting VTA neurons, but inward currents in a subset of posterior anterior cingulate cortex (pACC)-projecting VTA neurons. While N/OFQ inhibited NAc-projecting VTA cell bodies, it had little effect on electrically or optogenetically evoked terminal dopamine release in the NAc measured ex vivo with fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV). These results extend our understanding of the N/OFQ system in brainstem circuits implicated in many neurobehavioral disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph R Driscoll
- BlackThorn Therapeutics, San Francisco, CA 94103
- UCSF Weill Institute of Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | | | - Kasra A Mansourian
- UCSF Weill Institute of Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | | | - Elyssa B Margolis
- UCSF Weill Institute of Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
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9
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Kantak KM. Adolescent-onset vs. adult-onset cocaine use: Impact on cognitive functioning in animal models and opportunities for translation. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2020; 196:172994. [PMID: 32659242 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2020.172994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Animal models are poised to make key contributions to the study of cognitive deficits associated with chronic cocaine use in people. Advantages of animal models include use of a longitudinal experimental design that can control for drug use history and onset-age, sex, drug consumption, and abstinence duration. Twenty-two studies were reviewed (13 in adult male rats, 5 in adolescent vs. adult male rats, 3 in adult male monkeys, and 1 in adult female monkeys), and it was demonstrated repeatedly that male animals with adult-onset cocaine self-administration exposure had impairments in sustained attention, decision making, stimulus-reward learning, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, but not habit learning and spatial learning and memory. These findings have translational relevance because adult cocaine users exhibit a similar range of cognitive deficits. In the limited number of studies available, male rats self-administering cocaine during adolescence were less susceptible than adults to impairment in cognitive flexibility, stimulus-reward learning, and decision making, but were more susceptible than adults to impairment in working memory, a finding also reported in the few studies performed in early-onset cocaine users. These findings suggest that animal models can help fill an unmet need for investigating important but yet-to-be-fully-addressed research questions in people. Research priorities include further investigation of differences between adolescents and adults as well as between males and females following chronic cocaine self-administration. A comprehensive understanding of the broad range of cognitive consequences of chronic cocaine use and the role of developmental plasticity can be of value for improving neuropsychological recovery efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M Kantak
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, United States of America.
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10
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Affiliation(s)
- Quenten Highgate
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Susan Schenk
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
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11
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Lazzaretti C, Kincheski GC, Pandolfo P, Krolow R, Toniazzo AP, Arcego DM, de Sá Couto-Pereira N, Zeidán-Chuliá F, de Oliveira BHN, Bertolini D, Breunig RL, Ferreira AK, Kolling J, Siebert C, Wyse AT, Souza TME, Dalmaz C. Neonatal handling impairs intradimensional shift and alters plasticity markers in the medial prefrontal cortex of adult rats. Physiol Behav 2018; 197:29-36. [PMID: 30266584 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2018] [Revised: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Stress response can be modulated by neonatal/childhood events. Neonatal handling (NH) is an animal model in which the animals are subjected to brief separations from the dam during the first days of life, and it leads to lower emotionality and behavioral changes in adulthood. The aim of this study was to observe if early events, such as (NH), may program associative learning and behavioral flexibility in adult male rats and if these changes could be related to altered neurochemistry in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). We evaluated proteins related to synaptic plasticity (brain-derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF] and synaptophysin [SYP]) as well as Na+/K+-ATPase activity. Additionally, we evaluated proteins related to the dopaminergic system (tyrosine hydroxylase [TH] and phosphorylated TH [pTH]), since this system appears to be affected in some neonatal interventions. Neonatally handled animals exhibited impairment in simple discrimination and intradimensional shift but not in reversal or compound discrimination; in addition, no alteration in switching from an egocentric spatial to a cued strategy was observed. These effects were accompanied by a decrease in SYP levels and Na+/K+-ATPase activity, suggesting reduced synaptic function. These results indicate that NH increases attention to irrelevant stimuli and/or impairs associative learning, and this is accompanied by neurochemical alterations in the (mPFC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Lazzaretti
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Centro Universitário Cenecista de Osório (UNICNEC), Osório, RS, Brazil.
| | | | - Pablo Pandolfo
- Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Rachel Krolow
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Toniazzo
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Natividade de Sá Couto-Pereira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Fares Zeidán-Chuliá
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Ben-Hur Neves de Oliveira
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Diego Bertolini
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Raquel Luísa Breunig
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Andréa Kurek Ferreira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Janaína Kolling
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Cassiana Siebert
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Angela Teresinha Wyse
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Tadeu Mello E Souza
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Carla Dalmaz
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde (ICBS), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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12
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Cosme CV, Gutman AL, Worth WR, LaLumiere RT. D1, but not D2, receptor blockade within the infralimbic and medial orbitofrontal cortex impairs cocaine seeking in a region-specific manner. Addict Biol 2018; 23:16-27. [PMID: 27578356 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2016] [Revised: 06/29/2016] [Accepted: 07/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Evidence suggests that the infralimbic cortex (IL), a subregion of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), suppresses cocaine-seeking behavior in a self-administration paradigm, whereas the more anterior vmPFC subregion, the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC), has received very little attention in this regard. Despite the established dopaminergic innervation of the vmPFC, whether dopamine receptor blockade in each subregion alters the reinstatement of cocaine seeking is unclear. To address this issue, male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 2 weeks of cocaine self-administration, followed by extinction training and reinstatement testing. Immediately prior to each reinstatement test, rats received microinjections of the D1 receptor antagonist SCH 23390, the D2 receptor antagonist sulpiride or their respective vehicles. D1 receptor blockade in the IL reduced cued reinstatement but had no effect on cocaine prime and cue + cocaine-prime reinstatement, whereas D2 receptor blockade in the IL had no effect on reinstatement. For the mOFC, however, D1 receptor blockade reduced cocaine seeking in all reinstatement types, whereas blocking D2 receptors in the mOFC had no effect on any form of cocaine seeking. These findings suggest different roles for D1 receptors in the IL versus the mOFC in regulating cocaine-seeking behavior. Moreover, even as previous work indicates that IL inactivation does not affect reinstatement but, rather, induces cocaine seeking during extinction, the present findings suggest that dopamine receptor activation in the IL is necessary for cocaine seeking under some circumstances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin V. Cosme
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences; University of Iowa; Iowa City IA USA
| | - Andrea L. Gutman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences; University of Iowa; Iowa City IA USA
| | - Wensday R. Worth
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences; University of Iowa; Iowa City IA USA
| | - Ryan T. LaLumiere
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences; University of Iowa; Iowa City IA USA
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience; University of Iowa; Iowa City IA USA
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13
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Cognitive impairment and gene expression alterations in a rodent model of binge eating disorder. Physiol Behav 2017; 180:78-90. [PMID: 28821448 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2017] [Revised: 08/10/2017] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Binge eating disorder (BED) is defined as recurrent, distressing over-consumption of palatable food (PF) in a short time period. Clinical studies suggest that individuals with BED may have impairments in cognitive processes, executive functioning, impulse control, and decision-making, which may play a role in sustaining binge eating behavior. These clinical reports, however, are limited and often conflicting. In this study, we used a limited access rat model of binge-like behavior in order to further explore the effects of binge eating on cognition. In binge eating prone (BEP) rats, we found novel object recognition (NOR) as well as Barnes maze reversal learning (BM-RL) deficits. Aberrant gene expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) and tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) in the hippocampus (HPC)-prefrontal cortex (PFC) network was observed in BEP rats. Additionally, the NOR deficits were correlated with reductions in the expression of TrkB and insulin receptor (Ir) in the CA3 region of the hippocampus. Furthermore, up-regulation of serotonin-2C (5-HT2C) receptors in the orbitoprefrontal cortex (OFC) was associated with BM-RL deficit. Finally, in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), we found decreased dopamine receptor 2 (Drd2) expression among BEP rats. Taken together, these data suggest that binge eating vegetable shortening may induce contextual and reversal learning deficits which may be mediated, at least in part, by the altered expression of genes in the CA3-OFC-NAc neural network.
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Barker JM, Bryant KG, Osborne JI, Chandler LJ. Age and Sex Interact to Mediate the Effects of Intermittent, High-Dose Ethanol Exposure on Behavioral Flexibility. Front Pharmacol 2017; 8:450. [PMID: 28736526 PMCID: PMC5500662 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Accepted: 06/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Human alcoholics have been shown to have impaired cognitive control over actions and increased reliance on habitual response strategies. While it is unclear in humans whether these differences predate ethanol exposure or result from chronic drinking, data from animal studies suggest that ethanol acts to promote the development of inflexible behaviors. Here, we investigated how intermittent exposure to high doses of ethanol impacts the ability to flexibly regulate behavior in a habit model. As adolescence, may represent a period of increased drug taking and developmental vulnerability that may impact adult behavior, we compared the effects of high-dose ethanol exposure during adolescence to exposure during adulthood in male and female rats. Our findings indicated that the effects of intermittent, high-dose ethanol exposure on habitual behavior is mediated by age and sex such that ethanol exposure during adolescence promoted the use of habitual response strategies in adult females, but not males, and that the opposite pattern emerged following intermittent, high-dose ethanol exposure in adult rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline M. Barker
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, CharlestonSC, United States
| | | | | | - L. J. Chandler
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, CharlestonSC, United States
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15
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Exposure to a mildly aversive early life experience leads to prefrontal cortex deficits in the rat. Brain Struct Funct 2015; 221:4141-4157. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-015-1154-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 11/19/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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16
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Thompson JL, Yang J, Lau B, Liu S, Baimel C, Kerr LE, Liu F, Borgland SL. Age-Dependent D1-D2 Receptor Coactivation in the Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex Potentiates NMDA Receptors and Facilitates Cognitive Flexibility. Cereb Cortex 2015; 26:4524-4539. [PMID: 26405054 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhv222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) integrates information about the environment to guide decision-making. Glutamatergic synaptic transmission mediated through N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors is required for optimal functioning of the OFC. Additionally, abnormal dopamine signaling in this region has been implicated in impulsive behavior and poor cognitive flexibility. Yet, despite the high prevalence of psychostimulants prescribed for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, there is little information on how dopamine modulates synaptic transmission in the juvenile or the adult OFC. Using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in OFC pyramidal neurons, we demonstrated that while dopamine or selective D2-like receptor (D2R) agonists suppress excitatory synaptic transmission of juvenile or adult lateral OFC neurons; in juvenile lateral OFC neurons, higher concentrations of dopamine can target dopamine receptors that couple to a phospholipase C (PLC) signaling pathway to enhance excitatory synaptic transmission. Interfering with the formation of a putative D1R-D2R interaction blocked the potentiation of excitatory synaptic transmission. Furthermore, targeting the putative D1R-D2R complex with a biased agonist, SKF83959, not only enhanced excitatory synaptic transmission in a PLC-dependent manner, but also improved the performance of juvenile rats on a reversal-learning task. Our results demonstrate that dopamine signaling in the lateral OFC differs between juveniles and adults, through potential crosstalk between dopamine receptor subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Thompson
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z3.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1
| | - Jinhui Yang
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1
| | - Benjamin Lau
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1
| | - Shuai Liu
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1
| | - Corey Baimel
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z3.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1
| | - Lauren E Kerr
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1
| | - Fang Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
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17
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Savalli G, Bashir ZI, Warburton EC. Regionally selective requirement for D1/D5 dopaminergic neurotransmission in the medial prefrontal cortex in object-in-place associative recognition memory. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 22:69-73. [PMID: 25593292 PMCID: PMC4341361 DOI: 10.1101/lm.036921.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Object-in-place (OiP) memory is critical for remembering the location in which an object was last encountered and depends conjointly on the medial prefrontal cortex, perirhinal cortex, and hippocampus. Here we examined the role of dopamine D1/D5 receptor neurotransmission within these brain regions for OiP memory. Bilateral infusion of D1/D5 receptor antagonists SCH23390 or SKF83566 into the medial prefrontal cortex, prior to memory acquisition, impaired OiP performance following a 5 min or 1 h delay. Retrieval was unaffected. Intraperirhinal or intrahippocampal infusions of SCH23390 had no effect. These results reveal a selective role for D1/D5 receptors in the mPFC during OiP memory encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Savalli
- Departments of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Zafar I Bashir
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, United Kingdom
| | - E Clea Warburton
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, United Kingdom
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18
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Performance on a strategy set shifting task in rats following adult or adolescent cocaine exposure. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2014; 231:4489-501. [PMID: 24800898 PMCID: PMC4224606 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3598-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2013] [Accepted: 04/14/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Neuropsychological testing is widespread in adult cocaine abusers, but lacking in teens. Animal models may provide insight into age-related neuropsychological consequences of cocaine exposure. OBJECTIVES The objective of the present study is to determine whether developmental plasticity protects or hinders behavioral flexibility after cocaine exposure in adolescent vs. adult rats. METHODS Using a yoked-triad design, one rat controlled cocaine delivery and the other two passively received cocaine or saline. Rats controlling cocaine delivery (1.0 mg/kg) self-administered for 18 sessions (starting P37 or P77), followed by 18 drug-free days. Rats next were tested in a strategy set shifting task, lasting 11-13 sessions. RESULTS Cocaine self-administration did not differ between age groups. During initial set formation, adolescent-onset groups required more trials to reach criterion and made more errors than adult-onset groups. During the set shift phase, rats with adult-onset cocaine self-administration experience had higher proportions of correct trials and fewer perseverative + regressive errors than age-matched yoked-controls or rats with adolescent-onset cocaine self-administration experience. During reversal learning, rats with adult-onset cocaine experience (self-administered or passive) required fewer trials to reach criterion, and the self-administering rats made fewer perseverative + regressive errors than yoked-saline rats. Rats receiving adolescent-onset yoked-cocaine had more trial omissions and longer lever press reaction times than age-matched rats self-administering cocaine or receiving yoked-saline. CONCLUSIONS Prior cocaine self-administration may impair memory to reduce proactive interference during set shifting and reversal learning in adult-onset but not adolescent-onset rats (developmental plasticity protective). Passive cocaine may disrupt aspects of executive function in adolescent-onset but not adult-onset rats (developmental plasticity hinders).
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19
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Malkusz DC, Yenko I, Rotella FM, Banakos T, Olsson K, Dindyal T, Vig V, Bodnar RJ. Dopamine receptor signaling in the medial orbital frontal cortex and the acquisition and expression of fructose-conditioned flavor preferences in rats. Brain Res 2014; 1596:116-25. [PMID: 25446441 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.11.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2014] [Revised: 11/10/2014] [Accepted: 11/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Systemic dopamine (DA) D1 (SCH23390: SCH) and D2 (raclopride: RAC) antagonists blocked fructose-conditioned flavor preference (CFP) acquisition and expression. Fructose-CFP acquisition was eliminated by medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) SCH and mPFC or amygdala (AMY) RAC. Fructose-CFP expression was reduced following SCH or RAC in AMY or nucleus accumbens (NAc). The present study examined fructose-CFP acquisition and expression following SCH and RAC in the medial orbital frontal cortex (MOFC), another ventral tegmental area DA target. For fructose-CFP acquisition, five groups of rats received vehicle, SCH (24 or 48 nmol) or RAC (24 or 48 nmol) in the MOFC 0.5h prior to 8 training sessions with one flavor (CS+/Fs) mixed in 8% fructose and 0.2% saccharin, and another flavor (CS-/s) mixed in 0.2% saccharin. In six 2-bottle choice tests in 0.2% saccharin, similar fructose-CFP preferences occurred in groups trained with vehicle (76-77%), SCH24 (69-78%), SCH48 (70-74%) and RAC48 (85-92%). RAC24-trained rats displayed significant CS+ preferences during the first (79%) and third (71%), but not second (58%) test pair. For fructose-CFP expression, rats similarly trained with CS+/Fs and CS- solutions received 2-bottle choice tests following MOFC injections of SCH or RAC (12-48 nmol). CS+ preference expression was significantly reduced by RAC (48 nmol: 58%), but not SCH relative to vehicle (78%). A control group receiving RAC in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex displayed fructose-CFP expression similar to vehicle. These data demonstrate differential frontal cortical DA mediation of fructose-CFP with mPFC D1 and D2 signaling exclusively mediating acquisition, and MOFC D2 signaling primarily mediating expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle C Malkusz
- Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Cluster, Psychology Doctoral Program, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Ira Yenko
- Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Francis M Rotella
- Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Cluster, Psychology Doctoral Program, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Theodore Banakos
- Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kerstin Olsson
- Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Trisha Dindyal
- Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Vishal Vig
- Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Richard J Bodnar
- Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Cluster, Psychology Doctoral Program, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States; Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States.
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20
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Mapping dopaminergic deficiencies in the substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area in schizophrenia. Brain Struct Funct 2014; 221:185-201. [PMID: 25269834 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-014-0901-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2014] [Accepted: 09/23/2014] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Previous work from our laboratory showed deficits in tyrosine hydroxylase protein expression within the substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA) in schizophrenia. However, little is known about the nature and specific location of these deficits within the SN/VTA. The present study had two aims: (1) test if tyrosine hydroxylase deficits could be explained as the result of neuronal loss; (2) assess if deficits in tyrosine hydroxylase are sub-region specific within the SN/VTA, and thus, could affect specific dopaminergic pathways. To achieve these objectives: (1) we obtained estimates of the number of dopaminergic neurons, total number of neurons, and their ratio in matched SN/VTA schizophrenia and control samples; (2) we performed a qualitative assessment in SN/VTA schizophrenia and control matched samples that were processed simultaneously for tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry. We did not find any significant differences in the total number of neurons, dopaminergic neurons, or their ratio. Our qualitative study of TH expression showed a conspicuous decrease in labeling of neuronal processes and cell bodies within the SN/VTA, which was sub-region specific. Dorsal diencephalic dopaminergic populations of the SN/VTA presented the most conspicuous decrease in TH labeling. These data support the existence of pathway-specific dopaminergic deficits that would affect the dopamine input to the cortex without significant neuronal loss. Interestingly, these findings support earlier reports of decreases in tyrosine hydroxylase labeling in the target areas for this dopaminergic input in the prefrontal and entorhinal cortex. Finally, our findings support that tyrosine hydroxylase deficits could contribute to the hypodopaminergic state observed in cortical areas in schizophrenia.
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21
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Shiner T, Symmonds M, Guitart-Masip M, Fleming SM, Friston KJ, Dolan RJ. Dopamine, Salience, and Response Set Shifting in Prefrontal Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2014; 25:3629-39. [PMID: 25246512 PMCID: PMC4585507 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhu210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Dopamine is implicated in multiple functions, including motor execution, action learning for hedonically salient outcomes, maintenance, and switching of behavioral response set. Here, we used a novel within-subject psychopharmacological and combined functional neuroimaging paradigm, investigating the interaction between hedonic salience, dopamine, and response set shifting, distinct from effects on action learning or motor execution. We asked whether behavioral performance in response set shifting depends on the hedonic salience of reversal cues, by presenting these as null (neutral) or salient (monetary loss) outcomes. We observed marked effects of reversal cue salience on set-switching, with more efficient reversals following salient loss outcomes. L-Dopa degraded this discrimination, leading to inappropriate perseveration. Generic activation in thalamus, insula, and striatum preceded response set switches, with an opposite pattern in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). However, the behavioral effect of hedonic salience was reflected in differential vmPFC deactivation following salient relative to null reversal cues. l-Dopa reversed this pattern in vmPFC, suggesting that its behavioral effects are due to disruption of the stability and switching of firing patterns in prefrontal cortex. Our findings provide a potential neurobiological explanation for paradoxical phenomena, including maintenance of behavioral set despite negative outcomes, seen in impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Shiner
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - M Symmonds
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - M Guitart-Masip
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK Ageing Research Center, Karolinska Institute, SE-113 30 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - S M Fleming
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3UD, UK
| | - K J Friston
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - R J Dolan
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
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22
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Barker JM, Taylor JR, Chandler LJ. A unifying model of the role of the infralimbic cortex in extinction and habits. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 21:441-8. [PMID: 25128534 PMCID: PMC4138355 DOI: 10.1101/lm.035501.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
The infralimbic prefrontal cortex (IL) has been shown to be critical for the regulation of flexible behavior, but its precise function remains unclear. This region has been shown to be critical for the acquisition, consolidation, and expression of extinction learning, leading many to hypothesize that IL suppresses behavior as part of a “stop” network. However, this framework is at odds with IL function in habitual behavior in which the IL has been shown to be required for the expression and acquisition of ongoing habitual behavior. Here, we will review the current state of knowledge of IL anatomy and function in behavioral flexibility and provide a testable framework for a single IL mechanism underlying its function in both extinction and habit learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline M Barker
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA
| | - Jane R Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06519, USA
| | - L Judson Chandler
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA
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23
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Contribution of a mesocorticolimbic subcircuit to drug context-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2014; 39:660-9. [PMID: 24051899 PMCID: PMC3895243 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2013] [Revised: 08/28/2013] [Accepted: 08/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Cocaine-seeking behavior triggered by drug-paired environmental context exposure is dependent on orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)-basolateral amygdala (BLA) interactions. Here, we present evidence supporting the hypothesis that dopaminergic input from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the OFC critically regulates these interactions. In experiment 1, we employed site-specific pharmacological manipulations to show that dopamine D1-like receptor stimulation in the OFC is required for drug context-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior following extinction training in an alternate context. Intra-OFC pretreatment with the dopamine D1-like receptor antagonist, SCH23390, dose-dependently attenuated cocaine-seeking behavior in an anatomically selective manner, without altering motor performance. Furthermore, the effects of SCH23390 could be surmounted by co-administration of a sub-threshold dose of the D1-like receptor agonist, SKF81297. In experiment 2, we examined effects of D1-like receptor antagonism in the OFC on OFC-BLA interactions using a functional disconnection manipulation. Unilateral SCH23390 administration into the OFC plus GABA agonist-induced neural inactivation of the contralateral or ipsilateral BLA disrupted drug context-induced cocaine-seeking behavior relative to vehicle, while independent unilateral manipulations of these brain regions were without effect. Finally, in experiment 3, we used fluorescent retrograde tracers to demonstrate that the VTA, but not the substantia nigra, sends dense intra- and interhemispheric projections to the OFC, which in turn has reciprocal bi-hemispheric connections with the BLA. These findings support that dopaminergic input from the VTA, via dopamine D1-like receptor stimulation in the OFC, is required for OFC-BLA functional interactions. Thus, a VTA-OFC-BLA neural circuit promotes drug context-induced motivated behavior.
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24
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Staffend NA, Mohr MA, DonCarlos LL, Sisk CL. A decrease in the addition of new cells in the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex between puberty and adulthood in male rats. Dev Neurobiol 2014; 74:633-42. [PMID: 24339170 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2013] [Revised: 11/19/2013] [Accepted: 12/09/2013] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence involves shifts in social behaviors, behavioral flexibility, and adaptive risk-taking that coincide with structural remodeling of the brain. We previously showed that new cells are added to brain regions associated with sexual behaviors, suggesting that cytogenesis may be a mechanism for acquiring adult-typical behaviors during adolescence. Whether pubertal cell addition occurs in brain regions associated with behavioral flexibility or motivation and whether these patterns differ between pubertal and adult animals had not been determined. Therefore, we assessed patterns of cell proliferation or survival in the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. Pubertal and adult male rats were given injections of bromo-deoxyuridine (BrdU). To assess cell proliferation, half of the animals from each group were sacrificed 24 h following the last injection. The remaining animals were sacrificed at Day 30 following the last injection to evaluate cell survival. Adult animals had significantly lower densities of BrdU-immunoreactive (ir) cells in the prefrontal cortex, irrespective of post-BrdU survival time, whereas in the nucleus accumbens, adult animals had a lower density of BrdU-ir cells at the short survival time; however, the density of BrdU-ir cells was equivalent in pubertal and adult animals at the longer survival time. These data provide evidence that cell addition during puberty may contribute to the remodeling of brain regions associated with behavioral flexibility and motivation, and this cell addition continues into adulthood, albeit at lower levels. Higher levels of cell proliferation or survival in younger animals may reflect a higher level of plasticity, possibly contributing to the dynamic remodeling of the pubertal brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy A Staffend
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824
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25
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Klanker M, Feenstra M, Denys D. Dopaminergic control of cognitive flexibility in humans and animals. Front Neurosci 2013; 7:201. [PMID: 24204329 PMCID: PMC3817373 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2013.00201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2013] [Accepted: 10/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Striatal dopamine (DA) is thought to code for learned associations between cues and reinforcers and to mediate approach behavior toward a reward. Less is known about the contribution of DA to cognitive flexibility—the ability to adapt behavior in response to changes in the environment. Altered reward processing and impairments in cognitive flexibility are observed in psychiatric disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Patients with this disorder show a disruption of functioning in the frontostriatal circuit and alterations in DA signaling. In this review we summarize findings from animal and human studies that have investigated the involvement of striatal DA in cognitive flexibility. These findings may provide a better understanding of the role of dopaminergic dysfunction in cognitive inflexibility in psychiatric disorders, such as OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianne Klanker
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Amsterdam, Netherlands ; Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
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26
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Barker JM, Torregrossa MM, Taylor JR. Bidirectional modulation of infralimbic dopamine D1 and D2 receptor activity regulates flexible reward seeking. Front Neurosci 2013; 7:126. [PMID: 23882177 PMCID: PMC3714450 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2013.00126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2013] [Accepted: 06/28/2013] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of addictive behavior is marked by a loss of behavioral flexibility. In part, this is due to an increase in the ability of environmental stimuli to elicit responding and decreased importance of the action-outcome relationship in behavioral control. It has previously been demonstrated that both inactivation of and dopamine (DA) infusions in the infralimbic prefrontal cortex (PFC) can restore behavioral flexibility in paradigms measuring habitual reward seeking. Here, we investigated the mechanism by which cortical DA would act to enable goal-directed actions after the transition to habitual behavior has been established. Further, we extended this work to include a novel mouse model of compulsive-like behavior in which we assessed reward seeking despite the possibility of adverse consequences. Our data show that DA receptor D1 inhibition or D2 activation both promote the expression of a flexible responding after the development of habitual or compulsive-like behavior, and we suggest that the ability of DA infusions in the infralimbic PFC to restore sensitivity to changes in outcome value depends on activation of DA D2 receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline M Barker
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center for Genes and Behavior, Yale University School of Medicine, Abraham Ribicoff Research Facilities, Connecticut Mental Health Center New Haven, CT, USA ; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University New Haven, CT, USA
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27
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Catts VS, Fung SJ, Long LE, Joshi D, Vercammen A, Allen KM, Fillman SG, Rothmond DA, Sinclair D, Tiwari Y, Tsai SY, Weickert TW, Shannon Weickert C. Rethinking schizophrenia in the context of normal neurodevelopment. Front Cell Neurosci 2013; 7:60. [PMID: 23720610 PMCID: PMC3654207 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2013.00060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2013] [Accepted: 04/16/2013] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The schizophrenia brain is differentiated from the normal brain by subtle changes, with significant overlap in measures between normal and disease states. For the past 25 years, schizophrenia has increasingly been considered a neurodevelopmental disorder. This frame of reference challenges biological researchers to consider how pathological changes identified in adult brain tissue can be accounted for by aberrant developmental processes occurring during fetal, childhood, or adolescent periods. To place schizophrenia neuropathology in a neurodevelopmental context requires solid, scrutinized evidence of changes occurring during normal development of the human brain, particularly in the cortex; however, too often data on normative developmental change are selectively referenced. This paper focuses on the development of the prefrontal cortex and charts major molecular, cellular, and behavioral events on a similar time line. We first consider the time at which human cognitive abilities such as selective attention, working memory, and inhibitory control mature, emphasizing that attainment of full adult potential is a process requiring decades. We review the timing of neurogenesis, neuronal migration, white matter changes (myelination), and synapse development. We consider how molecular changes in neurotransmitter signaling pathways are altered throughout life and how they may be concomitant with cellular and cognitive changes. We end with a consideration of how the response to drugs of abuse changes with age. We conclude that the concepts around the timing of cortical neuronal migration, interneuron maturation, and synaptic regression in humans may need revision and include greater emphasis on the protracted and dynamic changes occurring in adolescence. Updating our current understanding of post-natal neurodevelopment should aid researchers in interpreting gray matter changes and derailed neurodevelopmental processes that could underlie emergence of psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vibeke S. Catts
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Schizophrenia Research InstituteSydney, NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research AustraliaSydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South WalesSydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Samantha J. Fung
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Schizophrenia Research InstituteSydney, NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research AustraliaSydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South WalesSydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Leonora E. Long
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Schizophrenia Research InstituteSydney, NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research AustraliaSydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South WalesSydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Dipesh Joshi
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Schizophrenia Research InstituteSydney, NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research AustraliaSydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South WalesSydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ans Vercammen
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Schizophrenia Research InstituteSydney, NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research AustraliaSydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South WalesSydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychology, Australian Catholic UniversitySydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Katherine M. Allen
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Schizophrenia Research InstituteSydney, NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research AustraliaSydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South WalesSydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Stu G. Fillman
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Schizophrenia Research InstituteSydney, NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research AustraliaSydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South WalesSydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Debora A. Rothmond
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Schizophrenia Research InstituteSydney, NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research AustraliaSydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Duncan Sinclair
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Schizophrenia Research InstituteSydney, NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research AustraliaSydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South WalesSydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Yash Tiwari
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Schizophrenia Research InstituteSydney, NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research AustraliaSydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South WalesSydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Shan-Yuan Tsai
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Schizophrenia Research InstituteSydney, NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research AustraliaSydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South WalesSydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Thomas W. Weickert
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Schizophrenia Research InstituteSydney, NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research AustraliaSydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South WalesSydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Cynthia Shannon Weickert
- Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Schizophrenia Research InstituteSydney, NSW, Australia
- Neuroscience Research AustraliaSydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South WalesSydney, NSW, Australia
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28
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Pardey MC, Kumar NN, Goodchild AK, Cornish JL. Catecholamine receptors differentially mediate impulsive choice in the medial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex. J Psychopharmacol 2013; 27:203-12. [PMID: 23135240 DOI: 10.1177/0269881112465497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Impulsivity is characteristic of several mental health disorders and is largely mediated by the prefrontal cortex subregions: the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) are known to modulate activity of the prefrontal cortex, however their direct role in impulsive choice is not known. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of microinjecting DA or NE compounds in the mPFC or OFC on impulsive choice as measured by a delayed reinforcement (DR) task in male Wistar Kyoto rats. Following training in the DR task, rats were pretreated with DA D(1) and D(2) receptor antagonists (SCH23390 3 μg/side, raclopride 3 or 6 μg/side) or NE α(1) and α(2) receptor agonists (phenylephrine 0.1 or 0.3 μg/side, guanfacine 1 or 3 μg/side, respectively) into the mPFC or OFC and the effect on impulsive behavior was assessed. Pretreatment with raclopride into the mPFC or OFC significantly increased impulsive choice, however only pretreatment with SCH23390 into the mPFC, and not the OFC, significantly increased impulsive choice. Pretreatment with the NE receptor agonists had no effect on impulsive choice. This study suggests that DA receptors, but not NE receptors, differentially mediate impulsive choice in sub-regions of the prefrontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margery C Pardey
- Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
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29
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Lynch KS, Diekamp B, Ball GF. Colocalization of immediate early genes in catecholamine cells after song exposure in female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2012; 79:252-60. [PMID: 22572406 DOI: 10.1159/000337533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2011] [Accepted: 02/26/2012] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The physiological state of animals in many taxonomic groups can be modified via social interactions including simply receiving communication signals from conspecifics. Here, we explore whether the catecholaminergic system of female songbirds responds during social interactions that are limited to song reception. We measured the protein product of an immediate early gene (ZENK) within three catecholaminergic brain regions in song-exposed (n = 11) and silence-exposed (n = 6) female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). ZENK-ir induction was quantified in catecholamine cells as well as within cells of unknown phenotypes in three brain regions that synthesize catecholamines, the ventral tegmental area, the periaqueductal gray and the locus coeruleus (LoC). Our results reveal that there are no significant differences in the overall number of cells expressing ZENK between song- and silence-exposed females. However, when we limited our measurements to catecholamine-containing cells, we noticed a greater number of catecholamine-containing cells expressing ZENK within the LoC in the song-exposed females compared to silence-exposed females. Furthermore, we measured five behaviors during the song- and silence-exposed period, as behavioral differences between these groups may account for differences in the coinduction of ZENK and TH-ir. Our results reveal that there were no statistically significant differences in the five measured behaviors between song- and silence-exposed females. Our study demonstrates that noradrenergic cells within the LoC are involved in the neural architecture underlying sound perception and that cells within the catecholaminergic system are modulated by social interactions, particularly the reception of signals used in animal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen S Lynch
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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30
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Harris MA, Wolbers T. Ageing effects on path integration and landmark navigation. Hippocampus 2012; 22:1770-80. [PMID: 22431367 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Navigation abilities show marked decline in both normal ageing and dementia. Path integration may be particularly affected, as it is supported by the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, both of which show severe degeneration with ageing. Age differences in path integration based on kinaesthetic and vestibular cues have been clearly demonstrated, but very little research has focused on visual path integration, based only on optic flow. Path integration is complemented by landmark navigation, which may also show age differences, but has not been well studied either. Here we present a study using several simple virtual navigation tasks to explore age differences in path integration both with and without landmark information. We report that, within a virtual environment that provided only optic flow information, older participants exhibited deficits in path integration in terms of distance reproduction, rotation reproduction, and triangle completion. We also report age differences in triangle completion within an environment that provided landmark information. In all tasks, we observed a more restricted range of responses in the older participants, which we discuss in terms of a leaky integrator model, as older participants showed greater leak than younger participants. Our findings begin to explain the mechanisms underlying age differences in path integration, and thus contribute to an understanding of the substantial decline in navigation abilities observed in ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathew A Harris
- Centre for Cognitive and Neural Systems, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
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31
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Rothmond DA, Weickert CS, Webster MJ. Developmental changes in human dopamine neurotransmission: cortical receptors and terminators. BMC Neurosci 2012; 13:18. [PMID: 22336227 PMCID: PMC3315415 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-13-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2011] [Accepted: 02/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Dopamine is integral to cognition, learning and memory, and dysfunctions of the frontal cortical dopamine system have been implicated in several developmental neuropsychiatric disorders. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is critical for working memory which does not fully mature until the third decade of life. Few studies have reported on the normal development of the dopamine system in human DLPFC during postnatal life. We assessed pre- and postsynaptic components of the dopamine system including tyrosine hydroxylase, the dopamine receptors (D1, D2 short and D2 long isoforms, D4, D5), catechol-O-methyltransferase, and monoamine oxidase (A and B) in the developing human DLPFC (6 weeks -50 years). Results Gene expression was first analysed by microarray and then by quantitative real-time PCR. Protein expression was analysed by western blot. Protein levels for tyrosine hydroxylase peaked during the first year of life (p < 0.001) then gradually declined to adulthood. Similarly, mRNA levels of dopamine receptors D2S (p < 0.001) and D2L (p = 0.003) isoforms, monoamine oxidase A (p < 0.001) and catechol-O-methyltransferase (p = 0.024) were significantly higher in neonates and infants as was catechol-O-methyltransferase protein (32 kDa, p = 0.027). In contrast, dopamine D1 receptor mRNA correlated positively with age (p = 0.002) and dopamine D1 receptor protein expression increased throughout development (p < 0.001) with adults having the highest D1 protein levels (p ≤ 0.01). Monoamine oxidase B mRNA and protein (p < 0.001) levels also increased significantly throughout development. Interestingly, dopamine D5 receptor mRNA levels negatively correlated with age (r = -0.31, p = 0.018) in an expression profile opposite to that of the dopamine D1 receptor. Conclusions We find distinct developmental changes in key components of the dopamine system in DLPFC over postnatal life. Those genes that are highly expressed during the first year of postnatal life may influence and orchestrate the early development of cortical neural circuitry while genes portraying a pattern of increasing expression with age may indicate a role in DLPFC maturation and attainment of adult levels of cognitive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debora A Rothmond
- Schizophrenia Research Institute, 405 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010 AU.
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Rane P, Shields J, Heffernan M, Guo Y, Akbarian S, King JA. The histone deacetylase inhibitor, sodium butyrate, alleviates cognitive deficits in pre-motor stage PD. Neuropharmacology 2012; 62:2409-12. [PMID: 22353286 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2012.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2011] [Revised: 01/23/2012] [Accepted: 01/28/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) patients often times experience impairment in their cognitive abilities early on in the progression of the disease. The reported deficits appear to mainly involve functions that are associated with frontal lobe and frontal-striatal pathways subserving attentional set-shifting, working memory and executive function. The current study explored executive function deficits in a rat model of PD in the pre-motor deficit stage. The rats were lesioned with 12 μg of 6-hydroxydonpamine (6-OHDA) in the striatum in a two step process (10 μg/μl followed by 2 μg/μl) 48 hours apart. Executive function was tested at 3 weeks post-surgery using a rat analogue of Wisconsin card sorting test called the Extra Dimensional/Intra Dimensional (ED/ID) set-shifting task. The results demonstrated that performance by the pre-motor rat model of PD was equivalent to that of the control groups in the simple and the compound discriminations as well as the intra-dimensional set-shifting. However the PD group exhibited attentional set-shifting deficits similar to those observed in PD patients. Additionally, sodium butyrate, a short chain fatty acid derivative and inhibitor of class I and II histone deacetylase (HDACi), was tested as a potential therapeutic agent to mitigate the pre-motor cognitive deficits in PD. The results indicated that the sodium butyrate treatment not only effectively alleviated the set-shifting deficits, but also improved the attentional set formation in the treated rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pallavi Rane
- Center for Comparative NeuroImaging, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
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Kleen JK, Sesqué A, Wu EX, Miller FA, Hernan AE, Holmes GL, Scott RC. Early-life seizures produce lasting alterations in the structure and function of the prefrontal cortex. Epilepsy Behav 2011; 22:214-9. [PMID: 21873119 PMCID: PMC3185212 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2011.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2011] [Revised: 07/16/2011] [Accepted: 07/18/2011] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Early-life seizures (ELS) are associated with long-term behavioral disorders including autism and ADHD, suggesting that frontal lobe structures may be permanently affected. We tested whether ELS produce structural alterations in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and impair PFC-mediated function using an operant task of behavioral flexibility in rats. Adult rats that had been exposed to 75 flurothyl seizures during postnatal days 1-10 showed decreased behavioral flexibility in the task compared to controls over multiple behavioral sessions, measured as a lever preference asymmetry (p<0.001) and a decreased efficiency of attaining food rewards (p<0.05). ELS rats also showed an increased thickness of the PFC (p<0.01), primarily attributed to layer V (p<0.01) with no differences in cell density. These structural changes correlated with lever preference behavioral impairments (p<0.05). This study demonstrates that the consequences of ELS extend to the PFC, which may help explain the high prevalence of comorbid behavioral disorders following ELS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan K. Kleen
- Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Center at Dartmouth, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire
| | | | - Edie X. Wu
- Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Center at Dartmouth, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire
| | - Forrest A. Miller
- Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Center at Dartmouth, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire
| | - Amanda E. Hernan
- Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Center at Dartmouth, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire
| | - Gregory L. Holmes
- Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Center at Dartmouth, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire
| | - Rod C. Scott
- Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Center at Dartmouth, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire,UCL, Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
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34
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Tonic and phasic descending dopaminergic controls of nociceptive transmission in the medullary dorsal horn. Pain 2011; 152:1821-1831. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2011.03.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2010] [Revised: 03/23/2011] [Accepted: 03/24/2011] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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35
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Han X, Wang W, Xue X, Shao F, Li N. Brief social isolation in early adolescence affects reversal learning and forebrain BDNF expression in adult rats. Brain Res Bull 2011; 86:173-8. [PMID: 21801814 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2011.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2011] [Revised: 07/11/2011] [Accepted: 07/12/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Isolation rearing produces significant behavioral and neurochemical dysregulations in rodents. However, few studies have examined the effects of short-term isolation rearing during puberty compared to chronic social isolation from weaning to adulthood. In this study, we subjected weaning rats to a brief two-week social isolation and then re-socialized them until adulthood. We found that early isolation rearing affected reversal learning without interfering with spatial learning in the Morris water maze. We also found that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein expression was increased in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) but was decreased in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), CA1 and dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in isolation-reared rats. Together, our findings support the use of adolescent social isolation as a rodent model to study brain and behavior abnormalities induced by early environmental interruptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Han
- Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing, China
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36
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The dopamine D3 receptor antagonist, S33138, counters cognitive impairment in a range of rodent and primate procedures. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2010; 13:1035-51. [PMID: 20663270 DOI: 10.1017/s1461145710000775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Although dopamine D(3) receptor antagonists have been shown to enhance frontocortical cholinergic transmission and improve cognitive performance in rodents, data are limited and their effects have never been examined in primates. Accordingly, we characterized the actions of the D(3) receptor antagonist, S33138, in rats and rhesus monkeys using a suite of procedures in which cognitive performance was disrupted by several contrasting manipulations. S33138 dose-dependently (0.01-0.63 mg/kg s.c.) blocked a delay-induced impairment of novel object recognition in rats, a model of visual learning and memory. Further, S33138 (0.16-2.5 mg/kg s.c.) similarly reduced a delay-induced deficit in social novelty discrimination in rats, a procedure principally based on olfactory cues. Adult rhesus monkeys were trained to perform cognitive procedures, then chronically exposed to low doses of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine which produced cognitive impairment without motor disruption. In an attentional set-shifting task of cognitive flexibility involving an extra-dimensional shift, deficits were reversed by S33138 (0.04 and 0.16 mg/kg p.o.). S33138 also significantly improved accuracy (0.04 and 0.16 mg/kg p.o.) at short (but not long) delays in a variable delayed-response task of attention and working memory. Finally, in a separate set of experiments performed in monkeys displaying age-related deficits, S33138 significantly (0.16 and 0.63 mg/kg p.o.) improved task accuracies for long delay intervals in a delayed matching-to-sample task of working memory. In conclusion, S33138 improved performance in several rat and primate procedures of cognitive impairment. These data underpin interest in D(3) receptor blockade as a strategy for improving cognitive performance in CNS disorders like schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.
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37
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Aubele T, Kritzer MF. Gonadectomy and hormone replacement affects in vivo basal extracellular dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex but not motor cortex of adult male rats. Cereb Cortex 2010; 21:222-32. [PMID: 20466748 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhq083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Gonadectomy in adult male rats is known to impair performance on dopamine (DA)-dependent prefrontal cortical tasks and selectively dysregulate end points in the mesoprefrontal DA system including axon density. In this study, in vivo microdialysis and high-pressure liquid chromatography were used to determine whether short (4 day)- and/or long-term (28 day) gonadectomy and hormone replacement might also influence the more functionally relevant metric of basal extracellular DA level/tone. Assessments in medial prefrontal cortex revealed that DA levels were significantly lower than control in 4-day gonadectomized rats and similar to control in 4-day gonadectomized animals supplemented with both testosterone and estradiol. Among the long-term treatment groups, DA levels were significantly higher than control in gonadectomized rats and gonadectomized rats given estradiol but were similar to control in rats given testosterone. In contrast, extracellular DA levels measured in motor cortex were unaffected by long- or short-term gonadectomy. The effects of gonadectomy and hormone replacement on prefrontal cortical DA levels observed here parallel previously identified effects on prefrontal DA axon density and could represent hormone actions relevant to the modulation of DA-dependent prefrontal cortical function and perhaps its dysfunction in disorders such as schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism where males are disproportionately affected relative to females.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Aubele
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5230, USA.
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38
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Anselme P. The uncertainty processing theory of motivation. Behav Brain Res 2009; 208:291-310. [PMID: 20035799 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2009.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2009] [Revised: 12/13/2009] [Accepted: 12/16/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Most theories describe motivation using basic terminology (drive, 'wanting', goal, pleasure, etc.) that fails to inform well about the psychological mechanisms controlling its expression. This leads to a conception of motivation as a mere psychological state 'emerging' from neurophysiological substrates. However, the involvement of motivation in a large number of behavioural parameters (triggering, intensity, duration, and directedness) and cognitive abilities (learning, memory, decision, etc.) suggest that it should be viewed as an information processing system. The uncertainty processing theory (UPT) presented here suggests that motivation is the set of cognitive processes allowing organisms to extract information from the environment by reducing uncertainty about the occurrence of psychologically significant events. This processing of information is shown to naturally result in the highlighting of specific stimuli. The UPT attempts to solve three major problems: (i) how motivations can affect behaviour and cognition so widely, (ii) how motivational specificity for objects and events can result from nonspecific neuropharmacological causal factors (such as mesolimbic dopamine), and (iii) how motivational interactions can be conceived in psychological terms, irrespective of their biological correlates. The UPT is in keeping with the conceptual tradition of the incentive salience hypothesis while trying to overcome the shortcomings inherent to this view.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Anselme
- Centre de Neurosciences Cognitives et Comportementales, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium.
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39
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De Steno DA, Schmauss C. A role for dopamine D2 receptors in reversal learning. Neuroscience 2009; 162:118-27. [PMID: 19401217 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.04.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2009] [Revised: 04/08/2009] [Accepted: 04/20/2009] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Reversal learning has been shown to require intact serotonergic innervation of the forebrain neocortex. Whether dopamine acting through D2 receptors plays a complementary role in this anatomic area is still unclear. Here we show that mice lacking dopamine D2 receptors exhibited significantly impaired performance in the reversal learning phase of an attention-set-shifting task (ASST) and that wild type mice treated chronically with the D2-like receptor antagonist haloperidol exhibited the same cognitive deficit. The test-phase-specific deficits of D2 mutants and haloperidol-treated mice were also accompanied by deficits in the induction of expression of early growth response gene 2 (egr-2), a regulatory transcription factor previously shown to be selectively induced in the ventrolateral orbital frontal cortex and the pre- and infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex of ASST-tested mice. D2-receptor knockout mice and haloperidol-treated wild type, however, exhibited lower egr-2 expression in these anatomic regions after completion of an ASST-test phase that required reversal learning but not after completion of set-shifting phases without rule reversals. In contrast, mice treated chronically with clozapine, an atypical neuroleptic drug with lower D2-receptor affinity and broader pharmacological effects, had deficits in compound discrimination phases of the ASST, but also these deficits were accompanied by lower egr-2 expression in the same anatomic subregions. Thus, the findings indicate that egr-2 expression is a sensitive indicator of test-phase-specific performance in the ASST and that normal function of D2 receptors in subregions of the orbital frontal and the medial prefrontal cortex is required for cognitive flexibility in tests involving rule reversals.
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Affiliation(s)
- D A De Steno
- Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
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