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Jensen KL, Jensen SB, Madsen KL. A mechanistic overview of approaches for the treatment of psychostimulant dependence. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:854176. [PMID: 36160447 PMCID: PMC9493975 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.854176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychostimulant use disorder is a major health issue around the world with enormous individual, family-related and societal consequences, yet there are no effective pharmacological treatments available. In this review, a target-based overview of pharmacological treatments toward psychostimulant addiction will be presented. We will go through therapeutic approaches targeting different aspects of psychostimulant addiction with focus on three major areas; 1) drugs targeting signalling, and metabolism of the dopamine system, 2) drugs targeting either AMPA receptors or metabotropic glutamate receptors of the glutamate system and 3) drugs targeting the severe side-effects of quitting long-term psychostimulant use. For each of these major modes of intervention, findings from pre-clinical studies in rodents to clinical trials in humans will be listed, and future perspectives of the different treatment strategies as well as their potential side-effects will be discussed. Pharmaceuticals modulating the dopamine system, such as antipsychotics, DAT-inhibitors, and disulfiram, have shown some promising results. Cognitive enhancers have been found to increase aspects of behavioural control, and drugs targeting the glutamate system such as modulators of metabotropic glutamate receptors and AMPA receptors have provided interesting changes in relapse behaviour. Furthermore, CRF-antagonists directed toward alleviating the symptoms of the withdrawal stage have been examined with interesting resulting changes in behaviour. There are promising results investigating therapeutics for psychostimulant addiction, but further preclinical work and additional human studies with a more stratified patient selection are needed to prove sufficient evidence of efficacy and tolerability.
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2
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Abstract
Drug addiction remains a key biomedical challenge facing current neuroscience research. In addition to neural mechanisms, the focus of the vast majority of studies to date, astrocytes have been increasingly recognized as an "accomplice." According to the tripartite synapse model, astrocytes critically regulate nearby pre- and postsynaptic neuronal substrates to craft experience-dependent synaptic plasticity, including synapse formation and elimination. Astrocytes within brain regions that are implicated in drug addiction exhibit dynamic changes in activity upon exposure to cocaine and subsequently undergo adaptive changes themselves during chronic drug exposure. Recent results have identified several key astrocytic signaling pathways that are involved in cocaine-induced synaptic and circuit adaptations. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the role of astrocytes in regulating synaptic transmission and neuronal function, and discuss how cocaine influences these astrocyte-mediated mechanisms to induce persistent synaptic and circuit alterations that promote cocaine seeking and relapse. We also consider the therapeutic potential of targeting astrocytic substrates to ameliorate drug-induced neuroplasticity for behavioral benefits. While primarily focusing on cocaine-induced astrocytic responses, we also include brief discussion of other drugs of abuse where data are available.
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3
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Huerta Sanchez LL, Sankaran M, Li TL, Doan H, Chiu A, Shulman E, Shab G, Kippin TE, Szumlinski KK. Profiling prefrontal cortex protein expression in rats exhibiting an incubation of cocaine craving following short-access self-administration procedures. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:1031585. [PMID: 36684008 PMCID: PMC9846226 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1031585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Incubation of drug-craving refers to a time-dependent increase in drug cue-elicited craving that occurs during protracted withdrawal. Historically, rat models of incubated cocaine craving employed extended-access (typically 6 h/day) intravenous drug self-administration (IV-SA) procedures, although incubated cocaine craving is reported to occur following shorter-access IV-SA paradigms. The notoriously low-throughput of extended-access IV-SA prompted us to determine whether two different short-access IV-SA procedures akin to those in the literature result in qualitatively similar changes in glutamate receptor expression and the activation of downstream signaling molecules within prefrontal cortex (PFC) subregions as those reported previously by our group under 6h-access conditions. METHODS For this, adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to intravenously self-administer cocaine for 2 h/day for 10 consecutive days (2-h model) or for 6 h on day 1 and 2 h/day for the remaining 9 days of training (Mixed model). A sham control group was also included that did not self-administer cocaine. RESULTS On withdrawal day 3 or 30, rats were subjected to a 2-h test of cue-reinforced responding in the absence of cocaine and a time-dependent increase in drug-seeking was observed under both IV-SA procedures. Immunoblotting of brain tissue collected immediately following the cue test session indicated elevated phospho-Akt1, phospho-CaMKII and Homer2a/b expression within the prelimbic subregion of the PFC of cocaine-incubated rats. However, we failed to detect incubation-related changes in Group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptor or ionotropic glutamate receptor subunit expression in either subregion. DISCUSSION These results highlight further a role for Akt1-related signaling within the prelimbic cortex in driving incubated cocaine craving, and provide novel evidence supporting a potential role also for CaMKII-dependent signaling through glutamate receptors in this behavioral phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura L Huerta Sanchez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Mathangi Sankaran
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Taylor L Li
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Hoa Doan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Alvin Chiu
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Eleanora Shulman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Gabriella Shab
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Tod E Kippin
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States.,Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States.,Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Karen K Szumlinski
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States.,Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States.,Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
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4
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Smaga I, Wydra K, Piechota M, Caffino L, Fumagalli F, Sanak M, Filip M. Cocaine abstinence modulates NMDA receptor subunit expression: An analysis of the GluN2B subunit in cocaine-seeking behavior. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 109:110248. [PMID: 33485963 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cocaine use disorder develops in part due to the strong associations formed between drugs and the stimuli associated with drug use. Recently, treatment strategies including manipulations of drug-associated memories have been investigated, and the possibility of interfering with N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-mediated neurotransmission may represent an important option. The aim of this study was to examine the significance of the NMDA receptor subunit GluN2B at the molecular level (the expression of the GluN2B subunit, the Grin2B gene and the association of GluN2B with postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95)) in the brain structures of rats with a history of cocaine self-administration after i) cocaine abstinence with extinction training or ii) cocaine abstinence without instrumental tasks, as well as at the pharmacological level (peripheral or intracranial administration of CP 101,606, a GluN2B subunit antagonist during the cocaine- or cue-induced reinstatement). The GluN2B subunit levels and the GluN2B/PSD95 complex levels were either increased in the ventral hippocampus (vHIP) with higher levels of Grin2B gene expression in the HIP or decreased in the dorsal striatum (dSTR) after cocaine abstinence with extinction training. Moreover, CP 101,606, a GluN2B subunit antagonist, administered peripherally, attenuated the reinstatement of active lever presses induced by a priming dose of cocaine or by drug-associated conditioned stimuli, while injection into the vHIP reduced the cocaine- or cue with the subthreshold dose of cocaine-induced reinstatement. In cocaine abstinence without instrumental tasks, an increase in the GluN2B subunit levels and the level of the GluN2B/PSD95 complex in the dSTR was observed in rats that had previously self-administered cocaine. In conclusion, cocaine abstinence with extinction training seems to be associated with the up-regulation of the hippocampal GluN2B subunits, which seems to control cocaine-seeking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irena Smaga
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Smętna 12, PL 31-343 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Karolina Wydra
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Smętna 12, PL 31-343 Kraków, Poland
| | - Marcin Piechota
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Smętna 12, 31-343 Kraków, Poland
| | - Lucia Caffino
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Fabio Fumagalli
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Marek Sanak
- Department of Internal Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Skawińska 8, PL 31-066 Kraków, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Filip
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Smętna 12, PL 31-343 Kraków, Poland
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5
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Schwendt M, Knackstedt LA. Extinction vs. Abstinence: A Review of the Molecular and Circuit Consequences of Different Post-Cocaine Experiences. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22116113. [PMID: 34204090 PMCID: PMC8200945 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22116113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The intravenous cocaine self-administration model is widely used to characterize the neurobiology of cocaine seeking. When studies are aimed at understanding relapse to cocaine-seeking, a post-cocaine abstinence period is imposed, followed by “relapse” tests to assess the ability of drug-related stimuli (“primes”) to evoke the resumption of the instrumental response previously made to obtain cocaine. Here, we review the literature on the impact of post-cocaine abstinence procedures on neurobiology, finding that the prelimbic and infralimbic regions of the prefrontal cortex are recruited by extinction training, and are not part of the relapse circuitry when extinction training does not occur. Pairing cocaine infusions with discrete cues recruits the involvement of the NA, which together with the dorsal striatum, is a key part of the relapse circuit regardless of abstinence procedures. Differences in molecular adaptations in the NA core include increased expression of GluN1 and glutamate receptor signaling partners after extinction training. AMPA receptors and glutamate transporters are similarly affected by abstinence and extinction. Glutamate receptor antagonists show efficacy at reducing relapse following extinction and abstinence, with a modest increase in efficacy of compounds that restore glutamate homeostasis after extinction training. Imaging studies in humans reveal cocaine-induced adaptations that are similar to those produced after extinction training. Thus, while instrumental extinction training does not have face validity, its use does not produce adaptations distinct from human cocaine users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek Schwendt
- Psychology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA;
- Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Lori A. Knackstedt
- Psychology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA;
- Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-352-273-2185
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6
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Bender BN, Torregrossa MM. Molecular and circuit mechanisms regulating cocaine memory. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:3745-3768. [PMID: 32172301 PMCID: PMC7492456 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03498-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Risk of relapse is a major challenge in the treatment of substance use disorders. Several types of learning and memory mechanisms are involved in substance use and have implications for relapse. Associative memories form between the effects of drugs and the surrounding environmental stimuli, and exposure to these stimuli during abstinence causes stress and triggers drug craving, which can lead to relapse. Understanding the neural underpinnings of how these associations are formed and maintained will inform future advances in treatment practices. A large body of research has expanded our knowledge of how associative memories are acquired and consolidated, how they are updated through reactivation and reconsolidation, and how competing extinction memories are formed. This review will focus on the vast literature examining the mechanisms of cocaine Pavlovian associative memories with an emphasis on the molecular memory mechanisms and circuits involved in the consolidation, reconsolidation, and extinction of these memories. Additional research elucidating the specific signaling pathways, mechanisms of synaptic plasticity, and epigenetic regulation of gene expression in the circuits involved in associative learning will reveal more distinctions between consolidation, reconsolidation, and extinction learning that can be applied to the treatment of substance use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke N Bender
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 450 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Mary M Torregrossa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 450 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA.
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
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7
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Smaga I, Wydra K, Frankowska M, Fumagalli F, Sanak M, Filip M. Cocaine Self-Administration and Abstinence Modulate NMDA Receptor Subunits and Active Zone Proteins in the Rat Nucleus Accumbens. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25153480. [PMID: 32751823 PMCID: PMC7436251 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25153480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cocaine-induced plasticity in the glutamatergic transmission and its N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are critically involved in the development of substance use disorder. The presynaptic active zone proteins control structural synaptic plasticity; however, we are still far from understanding the molecular determinants important for cocaine seeking behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cocaine self-administration and different conditions of cocaine forced abstinence on the composition of the NMDA receptor subunits and on the levels of active zone proteins, i.e., Ras-related protein 3A (Rab3A), Rab3 interacting molecules 1 (RIM1) and mammalian uncoordinated protein 13 (Munc13) in the rat nucleus accumbens. We found an up-regulation of the accumbal levels of GluN1 and GluN2A following cocaine self-administration that was paralleled by an increase of Munc13 and RIM1 levels. At the same time, we also demonstrated that different conditions of cocaine abstinence abolished changes in NMDA receptor subunits (except for higher GluN1 levels after cocaine abstinence with extinction training), while an increase in the Munc13 concentration was shown in rats housed in an enriched environment. In conclusion, cocaine self-administration is associated with the specific up-regulation of the NMDA receptor subunit composition and is related with new presynaptic targets controlling neurotransmitter release. Moreover, changes observed in cocaine abstinence with extinction training and in an enriched environment in the levels of NMDA receptor subunit and in the active zone protein, respectively, may represent a potential regulatory step in cocaine-seeking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irena Smaga
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Smętna 12, PL 31-343 Kraków, Poland; (K.W.); (M.F.); (M.F.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +48-12-6623268; Fax: +48-12-6374500
| | - Karolina Wydra
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Smętna 12, PL 31-343 Kraków, Poland; (K.W.); (M.F.); (M.F.)
| | - Małgorzata Frankowska
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Smętna 12, PL 31-343 Kraków, Poland; (K.W.); (M.F.); (M.F.)
| | - Fabio Fumagalli
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy;
| | - Marek Sanak
- Department of Internal Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Skawińska 8, PL 31-066 Kraków, Poland;
| | - Małgorzata Filip
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Smętna 12, PL 31-343 Kraków, Poland; (K.W.); (M.F.); (M.F.)
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8
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Delint-Ramirez I, Segev A, Pavuluri A, Self DW, Kourrich S. Cocaine-Induced Synaptic Redistribution of NMDARs in Striatal Neurons Alters NMDAR-Dependent Signal Transduction. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:698. [PMID: 32760242 PMCID: PMC7371985 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The consequence of repeated cocaine exposure and prolonged abstinence on glutamate receptor expression in the nucleus accumbens has been extensively studied. However, the early effects of cocaine on NMDAR signaling remain unknown. NMDAR signaling depends on the subunit composition, subcellular localization, and the interaction with proteins at the postsynaptic density (PSD), where NMDARs and other proteins form supercomplexes that are responsible for the signaling pathways activated by NMDAR-induced Ca2+ influx. Here, we investigated the effect of cocaine on NMDAR subunit composition and subcellular localization after both intraperitoneal non-contingent cocaine and response-contingent intravenous cocaine self-administration in mice. We found that repeated cocaine exposure, regardless of the route or contingency of drug administration, decreases NMDAR interactions with the PSD and synaptic lipid rafts in the accumbens shell and dorsal striatum. We provide evidence that cocaine triggers an early redistribution of NMDARs from synaptic to extrasynaptic sites, and that this adaptation has implications in the activation of downstream signaling pathways. Thus, consistent with a loss of NMDAR function, cocaine-induced ERK phosphorylation is attenuated. Because early NMDAR activity contributes to the initiation of lasting addiction-relevant neuroadaptations, these data may hold clues into cellular mechanisms responsible for the development of cocaine addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilse Delint-Ramirez
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Amir Segev
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Asha Pavuluri
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - David W Self
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Saïd Kourrich
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States.,Département des Sciences Biologiques-CERMO-FC, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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9
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Smaga I, Sanak M, Filip M. Cocaine-induced Changes in the Expression of NMDA Receptor Subunits. Curr Neuropharmacol 2020; 17:1039-1055. [PMID: 31204625 PMCID: PMC7052821 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x17666190617101726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Cocaine use disorder is manifested by repeated cycles of drug seeking and drug taking. Cocaine exposure causes synaptic transmission in the brain to exhibit persistent changes, which are poorly understood, while the pharmacotherapy of this disease has not been determined. Multiple potential mechanisms have been indicated to be involved in the etiology of co-caine use disorder. The glutamatergic system, especially N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, may play a role in sever-al physiological processes (synaptic plasticity, learning and memory) and in the pathogenesis of cocaine use disorder. The composition of the NMDA receptor subunits changes after contingent and noncontingent cocaine administration and after drug abstinence in a region-specific and time-dependent manner, as well as depending on the different protocols used for co-caine administration. Changes in the expression of NMDA receptor subunits may underlie the transition from cocaine abuse to dependence, as well as the transition from cocaine dependence to cocaine withdrawal. In this paper, we summarize the cur-rent knowledge regarding neuroadaptations within NMDA receptor subunits and scaffolding proteins observed following voluntary and passive cocaine intake, as well as the effects of NMDA receptor antagonists on cocaine-induced behavioral changes during cocaine seeking and relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irena Smaga
- Department of Internal Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Skawińska 8, PL 31-066 Kraków, Poland.,Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Smętna 12, PL 31-343 Kraków, Poland
| | - Marek Sanak
- Department of Internal Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Skawińska 8, PL 31-066 Kraków, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Filip
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Smętna 12, PL 31-343 Kraków, Poland
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10
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Turner C, De Luca M, Wolfheimer J, Hernandez N, Madsen KL, Schmidt HD. Administration of a novel high affinity PICK1 PDZ domain inhibitor attenuates cocaine seeking in rats. Neuropharmacology 2020; 164:107901. [PMID: 31805281 PMCID: PMC6954965 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.107901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Protein interacting with C kinase-1 (PICK1) regulates intra-cellular trafficking of GluA2-containing AMPA receptors, a process known to play a critical role in cocaine-seeking behavior. This suggests that PICK1 may represent a molecular target for developing novel pharmacotherapies to treat cocaine craving-induced relapse. Emerging evidence indicates that inhibition of PICK1 attenuates the reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior, an animal model of relapse. Here, we show that systemic administration of TAT-P4-(DATC5)2, a novel high-affinity peptide inhibitor of the PICK1 PDZ domain, dose-dependently attenuated the reinstatement of cocaine seeking in rats at doses that did not produce operant learning deficits or suppress locomotor activity. We also show that systemic TAT-P4-(DATC5)2 penetrated the brain where it was visualized in the nucleus accumbens shell. Consistent with these effects, infusions of TAT-P4-(DATC5)2 directly into the accumbens shell reduced cocaine, but not sucrose, seeking. The effects of TAT-P4-(DATC5)2 on cocaine seeking are likely due, in part, to inhibition of PICK1 in medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of the accumbens shell as TAT-P4-(DATC5)2 was shown to accumulate in striatal neurons and bind PICK1. Taken together, these findings highlight a novel role for PICK1 in the reinstatement of cocaine seeking and support future studies examining the efficacy of peptide inhibitors of PICK1 in animal and human models of cocaine relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Turner
- Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Marta De Luca
- Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen Blegdamsvej 3, DK, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jordan Wolfheimer
- Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Nicole Hernandez
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Kenneth Lindegaard Madsen
- Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen Blegdamsvej 3, DK, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Heath D Schmidt
- Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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11
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Nesbit MO, Phillips AG. Tetrahydroprotoberberines: A Novel Source of Pharmacotherapies for Substance Use Disorders? Trends Pharmacol Sci 2020; 41:147-161. [PMID: 31987662 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2019.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Tetrahydroprotoberberines (THPBs) are a class of compounds that target both dopamine D1 and D2 families of receptors, making them attractive candidates for treating substance use disorder (SUD). The binding of some THPBs to serotonin and adrenergic receptors, in addition to dopamine receptors, gives rise to complex pharmacological profiles. Significant progress has been made over the last decade in examining these compounds for their therapeutic potential. Here, we evaluate recent discoveries relating to the neural mechanism and therapeutic effects of THPBs, focusing on compounds that have shown promise in animal models of SUD and preliminary clinical studies. Advancements in structure-activity relationship studies and in silico modeling of THPB binding to dopamine receptors have facilitated the synthesis of novel THPBs with enhanced therapeutic properties and provide insights regarding use of the THPB scaffold to serve as a template for innovative drug designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya O Nesbit
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 3402-2215 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Anthony G Phillips
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 3402-2215 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
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12
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Ebner SR, Larson EB, Hearing MC, Ingebretson AE, Thomas MJ. Extinction and Reinstatement of Cocaine-seeking in Self-administering Mice is Associated with Bidirectional AMPAR-mediated Plasticity in the Nucleus Accumbens Shell. Neuroscience 2018; 384:340-349. [PMID: 29885524 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Experience-dependent synaptic plasticity is an important component of both learning and motivational disturbances found in addicted individuals. Here, we investigated the role of cocaine experience-dependent plasticity at excitatory synapses in the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) in relapse-related behavior in mice with a history of volitional cocaine self-administration. Using an extinction/reinstatement paradigm of cocaine-seeking behavior, we demonstrate that cocaine-experienced mice with extinguished cocaine-seeking behavior show potentiation of synaptic strength at excitatory inputs onto NAcSh medium spiny neurons (MSNs). Conversely, we found that exposure to various distinct types of reinstating stimuli (cocaine, cocaine-associated cues, yohimbine "stress") after extinction can produce a relative depotentiation of NAcSh synapses that is strongly associated with the magnitude of cocaine-seeking behavior exhibited in response to these challenges. Furthermore, we show that these effects are due to α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR)-specific mechanisms that differ depending on the nature and context of the reinstatement-inducing stimuli. Together, our findings identify common themes as well as differential mechanisms that are likely important for the ability of diverse environmental stimuli to drive relapse to addictive-like cocaine-seeking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie R Ebner
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 3-432 McGuire Translational Research Facility 3-432, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Erin B Larson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 3-432 McGuire Translational Research Facility 3-432, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Matthew C Hearing
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 3-432 McGuire Translational Research Facility 3-432, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Anna E Ingebretson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 3-432 McGuire Translational Research Facility 3-432, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Mark J Thomas
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 3-432 McGuire Translational Research Facility 3-432, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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13
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Furlong TM, Corbit LH, Brown RA, Balleine BW. Methamphetamine promotes habitual action and alters the density of striatal glutamate receptor and vesicular proteins in dorsal striatum. Addict Biol 2018; 23:857-867. [PMID: 28707389 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Revised: 06/06/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Goal-directed actions are controlled by the value of the consequences they produce and so increase when what they produce is valuable and decrease when it is not. With continued invariant practice, however, goal-directed actions can become habits, controlled not by their consequences but by antecedent, reward-related states and stimuli. Here, we show that pre-exposure to methamphetamine (METH) caused abnormally rapid development of habitual control. Furthermore, these drug-induced habits differed strikingly from conventional habits; we found that they were insensitive both to changes in reward value and to the effects of negative feedback. In addition to these behavioral changes, METH exposure produced bidirectional changes to synaptic proteins in the dorsal striatum. In the dorsomedial striatum, a structure critical for goal-directed action, METH exposure was associated with a reduction in glutamate receptor and glutamate vesicular proteins, whereas in the dorsolateral striatum, a region that has previously been implicated in habit learning, there was an increase in these proteins. Together, these results indicate that METH exposure promotes habitual control of action that appears to be the result of bidirectional changes in glutamatergic transmission in the circuits underlying goal-directed and habit-based learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teri M. Furlong
- Brain and Mind Centre; University of Sydney; Australia
- School of Psychology; University of Sydney; Australia
| | | | - Robert A. Brown
- Department of Psychology; University of California; Los Angeles CA USA
| | - Bernard W. Balleine
- Brain and Mind Centre; University of Sydney; Australia
- Department of Psychology; University of California; Los Angeles CA USA
- School of Psychology; University of NSW; Australia
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14
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The role of the dorsal striatum in extinction: A memory systems perspective. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2018; 150:48-55. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.02.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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15
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Hearing M, Graziane N, Dong Y, Thomas MJ. Opioid and Psychostimulant Plasticity: Targeting Overlap in Nucleus Accumbens Glutamate Signaling. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2018; 39:276-294. [PMID: 29338873 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2017.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2017] [Revised: 11/11/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Commonalities in addictive behavior, such as craving, stimuli-driven drug seeking, and a high propensity for relapse following abstinence, have pushed for a unified theory of addiction that encompasses most abused substances. This unitary theory has recently been challenged - citing distinctions in structural neural plasticity, biochemical signaling, and neural circuitry to argue that addiction to opioids and psychostimulants is behaviorally and neurobiologically distinct. Recent more selective examination of drug-induced plasticity has highlighted that these two drug classes promote an overall reward circuitry signaling overlap through modifying excitatory synapses in the nucleus accumbens - a key constituent of the reward system. We discuss adaptations in presynaptic/postsynaptic and extrasynaptic glutamate signaling produced by opioids and psychostimulants, and their relevance to circuit remodeling and addiction-related behavior - arguing that these core neural adaptations are important targets for developing pharmacotherapies to treat addiction to multiple drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Hearing
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53233, USA.
| | - Nicholas Graziane
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA; Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Yan Dong
- Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Mark J Thomas
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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16
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Datko MC, Hu JH, Williams M, Reyes CM, Lominac KD, von Jonquieres G, Klugmann M, Worley PF, Szumlinski KK. Behavioral and Neurochemical Phenotyping of Mice Incapable of Homer1a Induction. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:208. [PMID: 29163080 PMCID: PMC5672496 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Immediate early and constitutively expressed products of the Homer1 gene regulate the functional assembly of post-synaptic density proteins at glutamatergic synapses to influence excitatory neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity. Earlier studies of Homer1 gene knock-out (KO) mice indicated active, but distinct, roles for IEG and constitutively expressed Homer1 gene products in regulating cognitive, emotional, motivational and sensorimotor processing, as well as behavioral and neurochemical sensitivity to cocaine. More recent characterization of transgenic mice engineered to prevent generation of the IEG form (a.k.a Homer1a KO) pose a critical role for Homer1a in cocaine-induced behavioral and neurochemical sensitization of relevance to drug addiction and related neuropsychiatric disorders. Here, we extend our characterization of the Homer1a KO mouse and report a modest pro-depressant phenotype, but no deleterious effects of the KO upon spatial learning/memory, prepulse inhibition, or cocaine-induced place-conditioning. As we reported previously, Homer1a KO mice did not develop cocaine-induced behavioral or neurochemical sensitization within the nucleus accumbens; however, virus-mediated Homer1a over-expression within the nucleus accumbens reversed the sensitization phenotype of KO mice. We also report several neurochemical abnormalities within the nucleus accumbens of Homer1a KO mice that include: elevated basal dopamine and reduced basal glutamate content, Group1 mGluR agonist-induced glutamate release and high K+-stimulated release of dopamine and glutamate within this region. Many of the neurochemical anomalies exhibited by Homer1a KO mice are recapitulated upon deletion of the entire Homer1 gene; however, Homer1 deletion did not affect NAC dopamine or alter K+-stimulated neurotransmitter release within this region. These data show that the selective deletion of Homer1a produces a behavioral and neurochemical phenotype that is distinguishable from that produced by deletion of the entire Homer1 gene. Moreover, the data indicate a specific role for Homer1a in regulating cocaine-induced behavioral and neurochemical sensitization of potential relevance to the psychotogenic properties of this drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Datko
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Jia-Hua Hu
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Melanie Williams
- Department of Molecular, Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Cindy M Reyes
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Kevin D Lominac
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Georg von Jonquieres
- Translational Neuroscience Facility, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Matthias Klugmann
- Translational Neuroscience Facility, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Paul F Worley
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Karen K Szumlinski
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States.,Department of Molecular, Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States.,Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
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17
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Contrasting the Role of xCT and GLT-1 Upregulation in the Ability of Ceftriaxone to Attenuate the Cue-Induced Reinstatement of Cocaine Seeking and Normalize AMPA Receptor Subunit Expression. J Neurosci 2017; 37:5809-5821. [PMID: 28495973 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3717-16.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Revised: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Long-term treatment with ceftriaxone attenuates the reinstatement of cocaine seeking while increasing the function of the glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) and system xC- (Sxc) in the nucleus accumbens core (NAc). Sxc contributes the majority of nonsynaptic extracellular glutamate in the NAc, while GLT-1 is responsible for the majority of glutamate uptake. Here we used antisense to decrease the expression of GLT-1 and xCT (a catalytic subunit of Sxc) to determine the relative importance of both proteins in mediating the ability of ceftriaxone to prevent cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking and normalize glutamatergic proteins in the NAc of rats. Intra-NAc xCT knockdown prevented ceftriaxone from attenuating reinstatement and from upregulating GLT-1 and resulted in increased surface expression of AMPA receptor subunits GluA1 and GluA2. Intra-NAc GLT-1 knockdown also prevented ceftriaxone from attenuating reinstatement and from upregulating xCT expression, without affecting GluA1 and GluA2 expression. In the absence of cocaine or ceftriaxone treatment, xCT knockdown in the NAc increased the expression of both GluA1 and GluA2 without affecting GLT-1 expression while GLT-1 knockdown had no effect. PCR and immunoprecipitation of GLT-1 revealed that ceftriaxone does not upregulate GLT-1 and xCT through a transcriptional mechanism, and their coregulation by ceftriaxone is not mediated by physical interaction. These data support important and distinct roles for xCT and GLT-1 in the actions of ceftriaxone and add to a body of literature finding evidence for coregulation of these transporters. Our results also point to xCT expression and subsequent basal glutamate levels as being a key mediator of AMPA receptor expression in the NAc.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Ceftriaxone attenuates the reinstatement of cocaine, alcohol, and heroin seeking. The mechanism of action of this behavioral effect has been attributed to glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) and xCT (a catalytic subunit of Sxc)/Sxc upregulation in the nucleus accumbens core. Here we used an antisense strategy to knock down GLT-1 or xCT in the nucleus accumbens core and examined the behavioral and molecular consequences. While upregulation of both xCT and GLT-1 are essential to the ability of ceftriaxone to attenuate cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking, each protein uniquely affects the expression of other glutamate receptor and transporter proteins. We also report that reducing basal glutamate levels through the manipulation of xCT expression increases the surface expression of AMPA receptor subunits, providing insight to the mechanism by which cocaine alters AMPA surface expression.
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18
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Miller BW, Wroten MG, Sacramento AD, Silva HE, Shin CB, Vieira PA, Ben-Shahar O, Kippin TE, Szumlinski KK. Cocaine craving during protracted withdrawal requires PKCε priming within vmPFC. Addict Biol 2017; 22:629-639. [PMID: 26769453 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2015] [Revised: 11/18/2015] [Accepted: 11/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
In individuals with a history of drug taking, the capacity of drug-associated cues to elicit indices of drug craving intensifies or incubates with the passage of time during drug abstinence. This incubation of cocaine craving, as well as difficulties with learning to suppress drug-seeking behavior during protracted withdrawal, are associated with a time-dependent deregulation of ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) function. As the molecular bases for cocaine-related vmPFC deregulation remain elusive, the present study assayed the consequences of extended access to intravenous cocaine (6 hours/day; 0.25 mg/infusion for 10 day) on the activational state of protein kinase C epsilon (PKCε), an enzyme highly implicated in drug-induced neuroplasticity. The opportunity to engage in cocaine seeking during cocaine abstinence time-dependently altered PKCε phosphorylation within vmPFC, with reduced and increased p-PKCε expression observed in early (3 days) and protracted (30 days) withdrawal, respectively. This effect was more robust within the ventromedial versus dorsomedial PFC, was not observed in comparable cocaine-experienced rats not tested for drug-seeking behavior and was distinct from the rise in phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase observed in cocaine-seeking rats. Further, the impact of inhibiting PKCε translocation within the vmPFC using TAT infusion proteins upon cue-elicited responding was determined and inhibition coinciding with the period of testing attenuated cocaine-seeking behavior, with an effect also apparent the next day. In contrast, inhibitor pretreatment prior to testing during early withdrawal was without effect. Thus, a history of excessive cocaine taking influences the cue reactivity of important intracellular signaling molecules within the vmPFC, with PKCε playing a critical role in the manifestation of cue-elicited cocaine seeking during protracted drug withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bailey W. Miller
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neuroscience Research Institute; University of California Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara CA USA
| | - Melissa G. Wroten
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neuroscience Research Institute; University of California Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara CA USA
| | - Arianne D. Sacramento
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neuroscience Research Institute; University of California Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara CA USA
| | - Hannah E. Silva
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neuroscience Research Institute; University of California Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara CA USA
| | - Christina B. Shin
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neuroscience Research Institute; University of California Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara CA USA
| | - Philip A. Vieira
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neuroscience Research Institute; University of California Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara CA USA
| | - Osnat Ben-Shahar
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neuroscience Research Institute; University of California Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara CA USA
| | - Tod E. Kippin
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neuroscience Research Institute; University of California Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara CA USA
| | - Karen K. Szumlinski
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neuroscience Research Institute; University of California Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara CA USA
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19
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Gauthier JM, Lin A, Nic Dhonnchadha BÁ, Spealman RD, Man HY, Kantak KM. Environmental enrichment facilitates cocaine-cue extinction, deters reacquisition of cocaine self-administration and alters AMPAR GluA1 expression and phosphorylation. Addict Biol 2017; 22:152-162. [PMID: 26384129 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2015] [Revised: 08/11/2015] [Accepted: 08/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated the combination of environmental enrichment (EE) with cocaine-cue extinction training on reacquisition of cocaine self-administration. Rats were trained under a second-order schedule for which responses were maintained by cocaine injections and cocaine-paired stimuli. During three weekly extinction sessions, saline was substituted for cocaine but cocaine-paired stimuli were presented. Rats received 4-h periods of EE at strategic time points during extinction training, or received NoEE. Additional control rats received EE or NoEE without extinction training. One week later, reacquisition of cocaine self-administration was evaluated for 15 sessions, and then GluA1 expression, a cellular substrate for learning and memory, was measured in selected brain regions. EE provided both 24 h before and immediately after extinction training facilitated extinction learning and deterred reacquisition of cocaine self-administration for up to 13 sessions. Each intervention by itself (EE alone or extinction alone) was ineffective, as was EE scheduled at individual time points (EE 4 h or 24 h before, or EE immediately or 6 h after, each extinction training session). Under these conditions, rats rapidly reacquired baseline rates of cocaine self-administration. Cocaine self-administration alone decreased total GluA1 and/or pSer845GluA1 expression in basolateral amygdala and nucleus accumbens. Extinction training, with or without EE, opposed these changes and also increased total GluA1 in ventromedial prefrontal cortex and dorsal hippocampus. EE alone increased pSer845GluA1 and EE combined with extinction training decreased pSer845GluA1 in ventromedial prefrontal cortex. EE might be a useful adjunct to extinction therapy by enabling neuroplasticity that deters relapse to cocaine self-administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie M. Gauthier
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences; Boston University; Boston MA USA
| | - Amy Lin
- Department of Biology; Boston University; Boston MA USA
| | | | - Roger D. Spealman
- Department of Psychiatry; McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School; Belmont MA USA
| | - Heng-Ye Man
- Department of Biology; Boston University; Boston MA USA
| | - Kathleen M. Kantak
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences; Boston University; Boston MA USA
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20
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The dorsolateral striatum selectively mediates extinction of habit memory. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2016; 136:54-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2016.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2016] [Revised: 09/05/2016] [Accepted: 09/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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21
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Furlong TM, Duncan JR, Corbit LH, Rae CD, Rowlands BD, Maher AD, Nasrallah FA, Milligan CJ, Petrou S, Lawrence AJ, Balleine BW. Toluene inhalation in adolescent rats reduces flexible behaviour in adulthood and alters glutamatergic and GABAergic signalling. J Neurochem 2016; 139:806-822. [PMID: 27696399 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.13858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2016] [Revised: 09/15/2016] [Accepted: 09/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Toluene is a commonly abused inhalant that is easily accessible to adolescents. Despite the increasing incidence of use, our understanding of its long-term impact remains limited. Here, we used a range of techniques to examine the acute and chronic effects of toluene exposure on glutameteric and GABAergic function, and on indices of psychological function in adult rats after adolescent exposure. Metabolomics conducted on cortical tissue established that acute exposure to toluene produces alterations in cellular metabolism indicative of a glutamatergic and GABAergic profile. Similarly, in vitro electrophysiology in Xenopus oocytes found that acute toluene exposure reduced NMDA receptor signalling. Finally, in an adolescent rodent model of chronic intermittent exposure to toluene (10 000 ppm), we found that, while toluene exposure did not affect initial learning, it induced a deficit in updating that learning when response-outcome relationships were reversed or degraded in an instrumental conditioning paradigm. There were also group differences when more effort was required to obtain the reward; toluene-exposed animals were less sensitive to progressive ratio schedules and to delayed discounting. These behavioural deficits were accompanied by changes in subunit expression of both NMDA and GABA receptors in adulthood, up to 10 weeks after the final exposure to toluene in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and ventromedial striatum; regions with recognized roles in behavioural flexibility and decision-making. Collectively, our data suggest that exposure to toluene is sufficient to induce adaptive changes in glutamatergic and GABAergic systems and in adaptive behaviour that may underlie the deficits observed following adolescent inhalant abuse, including susceptibility to further drug-use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teri M Furlong
- Brain & Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jhodie R Duncan
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Laura H Corbit
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Caroline D Rae
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, University of NSW, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Benjamin D Rowlands
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, University of NSW, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Anthony D Maher
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Carol J Milligan
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Steven Petrou
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrew J Lawrence
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Bernard W Balleine
- Brain & Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Psychology, University of NSW, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
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22
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Szumlinski KK. Astrocytes: The Stars of Extinction-Related Learning or Cocaine-Induced Brain Plasticity? Biol Psychiatry 2016; 80:176-8. [PMID: 27402472 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2016] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Karen K Szumlinski
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, College of Letters and Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California.
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23
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mGluR5 activation in the nucleus accumbens is not essential for sexual behavior or cross-sensitization of amphetamine responses by sexual experience. Neuropharmacology 2016; 107:122-130. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2015] [Revised: 02/11/2016] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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24
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Sorg BA, Todd RP, Slaker M, Churchill L. Anisomycin in the medial prefrontal cortex reduces reconsolidation of cocaine-associated memories in the rat self-administration model. Neuropharmacology 2015; 92:25-33. [PMID: 25576371 PMCID: PMC4346388 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.12.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2014] [Revised: 12/12/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
We tested the hypothesis that infusion of anisomycin into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) disrupts the reconsolidation of a cocaine-associated memory in the rat cocaine self-administration model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to lever press for cocaine self-administration (0.5 mg/kg/infusion) along with a cue light presentation on an FR1 followed by an FR3 schedule of reinforcement for 2 h/day. Rats were then given extinction sessions or an equivalent forced abstinence period followed by a 5 min memory reactivation session during which time they received an ip cocaine injection (10 mg/kg, ip) and were allowed to press for contingent cue light presentation. Immediately after reactivation, they were administered an intra-mPFC infusion of vehicle or anisomycin. Two additional control groups received extinction and either no memory reactivation and intra-mPFC infusions as above or intra-mPFC infusions 6 h after memory reactivation. A fourth group received forced abstinence and intra-mPFC infusions immediately after memory reactivation. Combined cocaine + cue-induced reinstatement was given 2-3 days (early) and 8-12 days (late) later. Rats given anisomycin in the Extinction + Reactivation demonstrated decreased reinstatement, while anisomycin treatment did not alter behavior in any of the other three groups. These results suggest that extinction training may recruit the mPFC such that it renders the memory susceptible to disruption by anisomycin. These findings have implications for using extinction training prior to or in conjunction with other therapies, including reconsolidation disruption, to enhance prefrontal control over drug-seeking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara A Sorg
- Translational Addiction Research Center and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Program, Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA.
| | - Ryan P Todd
- Translational Addiction Research Center and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Program, Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA
| | - Megan Slaker
- Translational Addiction Research Center and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Program, Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA
| | - Lynn Churchill
- Translational Addiction Research Center and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Program, Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
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25
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Chen HT, Chen JC. Role of the ventral tegmental area in methamphetamine extinction: AMPA receptor-mediated neuroplasticity. Learn Mem 2015; 22:149-58. [PMID: 25691515 PMCID: PMC4340131 DOI: 10.1101/lm.037721.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms underlying drug extinction remain largely unknown, although a role for medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) glutamate neurons has been suggested. Considering that the mPFC sends glutamate efferents to the ventral tegmental area (VTA), we tested whether the VTA is involved in methamphetamine (METH) extinction via conditioned place preference (CPP). Among various METH-CPP stages, we found that the amount of phospho-GluR1/Ser845 increased in the VTA at behavioral extinction, but not the acquisition or withdrawal stage. Via surface biotinylation, we found that levels of membrane GluR1 were significantly increased during METH-CPP extinction, while no change was observed at the acquisition stage. Specifically, the number of dendritic spines in the VTA was increased at behavioral extinction, but not during acquisition. To validate the role of the mPFC in METH-CPP extinction, we lesioned the mPFC. Ibotenic acid lesioning of the mPFC did not affect METH-CPP acquisition, however, it abolished the extinction stage and reversed the enhanced phospho-GluR1/Ser845 levels as well as increases in VTA dendritic spines during METH-CPP extinction. Overall, this study demonstrates that the mPFC plays a critical role in METH-CPP extinction and identifies the VTA as an alternative target in mediating the extinction of drug conditioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han-Ting Chen
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Chang-Gung University, Tao-Yuan 333, Taiwan
| | - Jin-Chung Chen
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Chang-Gung University, Tao-Yuan 333, Taiwan Healthy Ageing Research Center, Chang-Gung University, Tao-Yuan 333, Taiwan Neuroscience Research Center, Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital, Tao-Yuan 333, Taiwan
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26
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Pomierny-Chamiolo L, Miszkiel J, Frankowska M, Pomierny B, Niedzielska E, Smaga I, Fumagalli F, Filip M. Withdrawal from cocaine self-administration and yoked cocaine delivery dysregulates glutamatergic mGlu5 and NMDA receptors in the rat brain. Neurotox Res 2014; 27:246-58. [PMID: 25408547 PMCID: PMC4353866 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-014-9502-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2014] [Revised: 10/06/2014] [Accepted: 11/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
In human addicts and in animal models, chronic cocaine use leads to numerous alterations in glutamatergic transmission, including its receptors. The present study focused on metabotropic glutamatergic receptors type 5 (mGluR5) and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunits (NMDAR: GluN1, GluN2A, GluN2B) proteins during cocaine self-administration and after 10-day of extinction training in rats. To discriminate the contingent from the non-contingent cocaine delivery, we employed the “yoked”-triad control procedure. Protein expression in rat prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, hippocampus, and dorsal striatum was determined. We also examined the Homer1b/c protein, a member of the postsynaptic density protein family that links NMDAR to mGluR5. Our results revealed that cocaine self-administration selectively increased GluN1 and GluN2A subunit in the rat hippocampus and dorsal striatum, respectively, while mGluR5 protein expression was similarly increased in the dorsal striatum of both experimental groups. Withdrawal from both contingent and non-contingent cocaine delivery induced parallel increases in prefrontal cortical GluN2A protein expression, hippocampal mGluR5, and GluN1 protein expression as well as in accumbal GluN1 subunit expression, while the mGluR5 expression was reduced in the prefrontal cortex. Extinction training in animals with a history of cocaine self-administration resulted in an elevation of the hippocampal GluN2A/GluN2B subunits and accumbal mGluR5, and in a 50 % decrease of mGluR5 protein expression in the dorsal striatum. The latter reduction was associated with Homer1b/1c protein level decrease. Our results showed that both contingent and non-contingent cocaine administration produces numerous, brain region specific, alterations in the mGluR5, NMDA, and Homer1b/1c protein expression which are dependent on the modality of cocaine administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucyna Pomierny-Chamiolo
- Department of Toxicology, Department of Biochemical Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University, Medical College, Medyczna 9, 30-688, Kraków, Poland,
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Perry CJ, Zbukvic I, Kim JH, Lawrence AJ. Role of cues and contexts on drug-seeking behaviour. Br J Pharmacol 2014; 171:4636-72. [PMID: 24749941 PMCID: PMC4209936 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2013] [Revised: 04/04/2014] [Accepted: 04/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental stimuli are powerful mediators of craving and relapse in substance-abuse disorders. This review examined how animal models have been used to investigate the cognitive mechanisms through which cues are able to affect drug-seeking behaviour. We address how animal models can describe the way drug-associated cues come to facilitate the development and persistence of drug taking, as well as how these cues are critical to the tendency to relapse that characterizes substance-abuse disorders. Drug-associated cues acquire properties of conditioned reinforcement, incentive motivation and discriminative control, which allow them to influence drug-seeking behaviour. Using these models, researchers have been able to investigate the pharmacology subserving the behavioural impact of environmental stimuli, some of which we highlight. Subsequently, we examine whether the impact of drug-associated stimuli can be attenuated via a process of extinction, and how this question is addressed in the laboratory. We discuss how preclinical research has been translated into behavioural therapies targeting substance abuse, as well as highlight potential developments to therapies that might produce more enduring changes in behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina J Perry
- Behavioural Neuroscience Division, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental HealthParkville, Vic., Australia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of MelbourneParkville, Vic., Australia
| | - Isabel Zbukvic
- Behavioural Neuroscience Division, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental HealthParkville, Vic., Australia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of MelbourneParkville, Vic., Australia
| | - Jee Hyun Kim
- Behavioural Neuroscience Division, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental HealthParkville, Vic., Australia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of MelbourneParkville, Vic., Australia
| | - Andrew J Lawrence
- Behavioural Neuroscience Division, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental HealthParkville, Vic., Australia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of MelbourneParkville, Vic., Australia
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Disruption of glutamate receptor-interacting protein in nucleus accumbens enhances vulnerability to cocaine relapse. Neuropsychopharmacology 2014; 39:759-69. [PMID: 24126453 PMCID: PMC3895254 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2013] [Revised: 09/19/2013] [Accepted: 09/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Trafficking and stabilization of AMPA receptors at synapses in response to cocaine exposure is thought to be critical for expression of cocaine addiction and relapse. Glutamate receptor-interacting protein (GRIP) is a neuronal scaffolding protein that stabilizes GluA2 AMPARs at synapses but its role in cocaine addiction has not been examined. The current study demonstrates that conditional deletion of GRIP within the nucleus accumbens potentiates cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking without affecting operant learning, locomotor activity, or reinstatement of natural reward seeking. This is the first study to demonstrate a role for accumbal GRIP in behavior. Electrophysiological recordings revealed increased rectification of AMPAR-mediated currents in the nucleus accumbens and increased AMPAR sensitivity to the GluA2-lacking AMPAR antagonist, 1-naphthylacetyl spermine, indicative of an increased contribution of GluA2-lacking calcium-permeable AMPARs. In addition, accumbal GRIP deletion was associated with blunted long-term depression, similar to what is seen following cocaine self-administration. Taken together, these results indicate that GRIP may modulate addictive phenotypes through its regulation of synaptic AMPARs by controlling their subunit composition and susceptibility to LTD. These effects are associated with changes in vulnerability to cocaine relapse and highlight GRIP as a novel target for the development of cocaine addiction therapeutics.
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29
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Watterson LR, Olive MF. Are AMPA receptor positive allosteric modulators potential pharmacotherapeutics for addiction? Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2013; 7:29-45. [PMID: 24380895 PMCID: PMC3915193 DOI: 10.3390/ph7010029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2013] [Revised: 12/13/2013] [Accepted: 12/24/2013] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors are a diverse class of compounds that increase fast excitatory transmission in the brain. AMPA PAMs have been shown to facilitate long-term potentiation, strengthen communication between various cortical and subcortical regions, and some of these compounds increase the production and release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in an activity-dependent manner. Through these mechanisms, AMPA PAMs have shown promise as broad spectrum pharmacotherapeutics in preclinical and clinical studies for various neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. In recent years, a small collection of preclinical animal studies has also shown that AMPA PAMs may have potential as pharmacotherapeutic adjuncts to extinction-based or cue-exposure therapies for the treatment of drug addiction. The present paper will review this preclinical literature, discuss novel data collected in our laboratory, and recommend future research directions for the possible development of AMPA PAMs as anti-addiction medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas R Watterson
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience Area, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
| | - M Foster Olive
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience Area, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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Keller CM, Cornett EM, Guerin GF, Goeders NE. Combinations of oxazepam and metyrapone attenuate cocaine and methamphetamine cue reactivity. Drug Alcohol Depend 2013; 133:405-12. [PMID: 23896309 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2012] [Revised: 06/24/2013] [Accepted: 06/25/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We have previously reported that combining low doses of oxazepam and metyrapone (OX/MET) reduces intravenous cocaine self-administration without affecting stress-hormone levels. We hypothesized that the combination of OX/MET would also inhibit the reinstatement of cocaine or methamphetamine seeking induced by the presentation of a conditioned reinforcer and that stress hormone levels would not be influenced by this treatment. METHODS Male rats were implanted with jugular catheters and trained to self-administer cocaine or methamphetamine during daily 2-h sessions. During training, cocaine or methamphetamine delivery was paired with the presentation of a tone and the illumination of a house light. Following stable self-administration, rats were placed into forced abstinence. During cue-reactivity testing, rats were placed back into the operant chambers and responding only resulted in the presentation of the conditioned reinforcer; no cocaine or methamphetamine was delivered. Blood was collected on the last day of self-administration and on the day of cue-reactivity testing (either 15-min or 2-h session) to assess plasma corticosterone. RESULTS The response-contingent presentation of the conditioned reinforcer reliably maintained cocaine or methamphetamine seeking following vehicle pretreatment. Pretreatment with OX/MET resulted in a dose-related attenuation of both cocaine and methamphetamine seeking. Corticosterone levels were significantly different at the end of the 15-min session, but not following the 2-h session. CONCLUSION These data suggest that OX/MET may be useful in blocking the ability of environmental cues to stimulate both cocaine and methamphetamine seeking and that this effect is not entirely dependent on stress hormone levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney M Keller
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology & Neuroscience, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA 71103, United States
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31
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Simmons DL, Mandt BH, Ng CMC, Richards TL, Yamamoto DJ, Zahniser NR, Allen RM. Low- and high-cocaine locomotor responding rats differ in reinstatement of cocaine seeking and striatal mGluR5 protein expression. Neuropharmacology 2013; 75:347-55. [PMID: 23973314 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2013.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2013] [Revised: 07/12/2013] [Accepted: 08/04/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral responsiveness to initial cocaine use varies among individuals and may contribute to differential vulnerability to cocaine addiction. Rats also exhibit individual differences in cocaine's effects and can be classified as low or high cocaine responders (LCRs or HCRs, respectively), based on their initial cocaine-induced locomotor activity (10 mg/kg, i.p.). Here, we used the extinction/reinstatement model to address whether or not LCRs and HCRs differ in (i) extinction/reinstatement of cocaine self-administration behavior and (ii) levels of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) following these behaviors. During the earliest acquisition sessions, LCRs exhibited significantly greater cocaine intake (0.8 mg/kg/infusion) and cocaine-paired lever responding than HCRs, but intake and lever responding converged by the end of the cocaine self-administration portion of the study. LCRs and HCRs did not differ in cocaine seeking during the first extinction session and extinguished cocaine seeking similarly. HCRs exhibited greater reinstatement than LCRs to lower (2.5 and 5 mg/kg), but not higher (10 mg/kg), i.p. priming doses of cocaine. The effect of drug-paired cues on reinstatement following extinction was complex, with HCRs and LCRs showing the greater effect of cue depending on the order in which cue- and drug-primed tests were given. Western blot analysis revealed that mGluR5 heteromers were significantly higher in the dorsal striatum of HCRs than LCRs following reinstatement testing. Although our previous findings with the LCR/HCR model have uniformly supported the idea that lower initial cocaine-induced activation predicts more ready development of cocaine addiction-like behaviors, here, we show a more complex relationship with cocaine reinstatement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana L Simmons
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, MS 8303, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Bruce H Mandt
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, CB 173, PO Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217, USA.
| | - Christopher M C Ng
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, MS 8303, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Toni L Richards
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, MS 8303, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Dorothy J Yamamoto
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, MS 8303, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Nancy R Zahniser
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, MS 8303, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Neuroscience Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, MS 8303, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Richard M Allen
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, CB 173, PO Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217, USA.
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Adaptations in AMPA receptor transmission in the nucleus accumbens contributing to incubation of cocaine craving. Neuropharmacology 2013; 76 Pt B:287-300. [PMID: 23727437 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2013.04.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2013] [Revised: 04/29/2013] [Accepted: 04/30/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Cue-induced cocaine craving in rodents intensifies or "incubates" during the first months of withdrawal from long access cocaine self-administration. This incubation phenomenon is relevant to human users who achieve abstinence but exhibit persistent vulnerability to cue-induced relapse. It is well established that incubation of cocaine craving involves complex neuronal circuits. Here we will focus on neuroadaptations in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a region of convergence for pathways that control cocaine seeking. A key adaptation is a delayed (~3-4 weeks) accumulation of Ca(2+)-permeable AMPAR receptors (CP-AMPARs) in synapses on medium spiny neurons (MSN) of the NAc. These CP-AMPARs mediate the expression of incubation after prolonged withdrawal, although different mechanisms must be responsible during the first weeks of withdrawal, prior to CP-AMPAR accumulation. The cascade of events leading to CP-AMPAR accumulation is still unclear. However, several candidate mechanisms have been identified. First, mGluR1 has been shown to negatively regulate CP-AMPAR levels in NAc synapses, and it is possible that a withdrawal-dependent decrease in this effect may help explain CP-AMPAR accumulation during incubation. Second, an increase in phosphorylation of GluA1 subunits (at the protein kinase A site) within extrasynaptic homomeric GluA1 receptors (CP-AMPARs) may promote their synaptic insertion and oppose their removal. Finally, elevation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in the NAc may contribute to maintenance of incubation after months of withdrawal, although incubation-related increases in BDNF accumulation do not account for CP-AMPAR accumulation. Receptors and pathways that negatively regulate incubation, such as mGluR1, are promising targets for the development of therapeutic strategies to help recovering addicts maintain abstinence. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'NIDA 40th Anniversary Issue'.
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33
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Ren ZY, Liu MM, Xue YX, Ding ZB, Xue LF, Zhai SD, Lu L. A critical role for protein degradation in the nucleus accumbens core in cocaine reward memory. Neuropsychopharmacology 2013; 38:778-90. [PMID: 23303053 PMCID: PMC3672001 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2012.243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The intense associative memories that develop between cocaine-paired contexts and rewarding stimuli contribute to cocaine seeking and relapse. Previous studies have shown impairment in cocaine reward memories by manipulating a labile state induced by memory retrieval, but the mechanisms that underlie the destabilization of cocaine reward memory are unknown. In this study, using a Pavlovian cocaine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure in rats, we tested the contribution of ubiquitin-proteasome system-dependent protein degradation in destabilization of cocaine reward memory. First, we found that polyubiquitinated protein expression levels and polyubiquitinated N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion (NSF) markedly increased 15 min after retrieval while NSF protein levels decreased 1 h after retrieval in the synaptosomal membrane fraction in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core. We then found that infusion of the proteasome inhibitor lactacystin into the NAc core prevented the impairment of memory reconsolidation induced by the protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin and reversed the effects of anisomycin on NSF and glutamate receptor 2 (GluR2) protein levels in the synaptosomal membrane fraction in the NAc core. We also found that lactacystin infusion into the NAc core but not into the shell immediately after extinction training sessions inhibited CPP extinction and reversed the extinction training-induced decrease in NSF and GluR2 in the synaptosomal membrane fraction in the NAc core. Finally, infusions of lactacystin by itself into the NAc core immediately after each training session or before the CPP retrieval test had no effect on the consolidation and retrieval of cocaine reward memory. These findings suggest that ubiquitin-proteasome system-dependent protein degradation is critical for retrieval-induced memory destabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen-Yu Ren
- Pharmacy Department, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China,National Institute on Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Meng-Meng Liu
- National Institute on Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yan-Xue Xue
- National Institute on Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Zeng-Bo Ding
- National Institute on Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Li-Fen Xue
- National Institute on Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Suo-Di Zhai
- Pharmacy Department, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Lu
- National Institute on Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, China,National Institute on Drug Dependence, Peking University, 38 Xue Yuan Road, Beijing, 100191, China. Tel: +86 10 82802459, Fax: +86 10 62032624, E-mail:
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34
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Focant MC, Hermans E. Protein interacting with C kinase and neurological disorders. Synapse 2013; 67:532-40. [DOI: 10.1002/syn.21657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2012] [Accepted: 02/16/2013] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Marylène C. Focant
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain; Brussels; Belgium
| | - Emmanuel Hermans
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain; Brussels; Belgium
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Garcia-Keller C, Martinez SA, Esparza MA, Bollati F, Kalivas PW, Cancela LM. Cross-sensitization between cocaine and acute restraint stress is associated with sensitized dopamine but not glutamate release in the nucleus accumbens. Eur J Neurosci 2013; 37:982-95. [PMID: 23360446 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2012] [Revised: 12/05/2012] [Accepted: 12/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Repeated administration of psychostimulant drugs or stress can elicit a sensitized response to the stimulating and reinforcing properties of the drug. Here we explore the mechanisms in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) whereby an acute restraint stress augments the acute locomotor response to cocaine. This was accomplished by a combination of behavioral pharmacology, microdialysis measures of extracellular dopamine and glutamate, and Western blotting for GluR1 subunit of the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) glutamate receptor (AMPAR). A single exposure to restraint stress 3 weeks before testing revealed that enduring locomotor sensitization to cocaine was paralleled by an increase in extracellular dopamine in the core, but not the shell subcompartment, of the NAc. Wistar rats pre-exposed to acute stress showed increased basal levels of glutamate in the core, but the increase in glutamate by acute cocaine was blunted. The alterations in extracellular glutamate seem to be relevant, as blocking AMPAR by 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione microinjection into the core prevented both the behavioral cross-sensitization and the augmented increase in cocaine-induced extracellular dopamine. Further implicating glutamate, the locomotor response to AMPAR stimulation in the core was potentiated, but not in the shell of pre-stressed animals, and this was accompanied by an increase in NAc GluR1 surface expression. This study provides evidence that the long-term expression of restraint stress-induced behavioral cross-sensitization to cocaine recapitulates some mechanisms thought to underpin the sensitization induced by daily cocaine administration, and shows that long-term neurobiological changes induced in the NAc by acute stress are consequential in the expression of cross-sensitization to cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Garcia-Keller
- IFEC-CONICET, Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
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Blouin AM, Han S, Pearce AM, Cheng K, Lee JJ, Johnson AW, Wang C, During MJ, Holland PC, Shaham Y, Baraban JM, Reti IM. Role of medial prefrontal cortex Narp in the extinction of morphine conditioned place preference. Learn Mem 2013; 20:75-9. [PMID: 23322555 DOI: 10.1101/lm.028621.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Narp knockout (KO) mice demonstrate an impaired extinction of morphine conditioned place preference (CPP). Because the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been implicated in extinction learning, we tested whether Narp cells in this region play a role in the extinction of morphine CPP. We found that intracranial injections of adenoassociated virus (AAV) expressing wild-type (WT) Narp into the mPFC of Narp KO mice rescued the extinction and the injection of AAV expressing a dominant negative form of Narp (NarpN) into the mPFC of WT mice impaired the extinction of morphine CPP. These findings suggest that Narp in the mPFC mediates the extinction of morphine CPP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley M Blouin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
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Esparza MA, Bollati F, Garcia-Keller C, Virgolini MB, Lopez LM, Brusco A, Shen HW, Kalivas PW, Cancela LM. Stress-induced sensitization to cocaine: actin cytoskeleton remodeling within mesocorticolimbic nuclei. Eur J Neurosci 2012; 36:3103-17. [PMID: 22882295 PMCID: PMC4346257 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2012.08239.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the consequence of repeated stress on actin cytoskeleton remodeling in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and prefrontal cortex (Pfc), and the involvement of this remodeling in the expression of stress-induced motor cross-sensitization with cocaine. Wistar rats were restrained daily (2 h) for 7 days and, 3 weeks later, their NAc and Pfc were dissected 45 min after acute saline or cocaine (30 mg/kg i.p.). F-actin, actin-binding proteins (ABP) and GluR1 were quantified by Western blotting, and dendritic spines and postsynaptic density (PSD) size measured by electron microscopy. In the NAc from the stress plus cocaine group we observed a decrease in the phosphorylation of two ABPs, cofilin and cortactin, and an increase in the PSD size and the surface expression of GluR1, consistent with a more highly branched actin cytoskeleton. The Pfc also showed evidence of increased actin polymerization after stress as an increase was observed in Arp2, and in the number of spines. Inhibiting actin cycling and polymerization with latrunculin A into the NAc, but not the Pfc, inhibited the expression of cross-sensitization to cocaine (15 mg/kg i.p.) and restored the expression of GluR1 to control levels. This study shows that a history of repeated stress alters the ability of a subsequent cocaine injection to modulate dendritic spine morphology, actin dynamics and GluR1 expression in the NAc. Furthermore, by regulating GluR1 expression in the NAc, elevated actin cycling contributes to the expression of cross-sensitization between stress and cocaine, while stress-induced changes in the Pfc were not associated with cross-sensitization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Esparza
- IFEC-CONICET, Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
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38
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Bolia A, Gerek ZN, Keskin O, Banu Ozkan S, Dev KK. The binding affinities of proteins interacting with the PDZ domain of PICK1. Proteins 2012; 80:1393-408. [PMID: 22275068 DOI: 10.1002/prot.24034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2011] [Revised: 12/30/2011] [Accepted: 01/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Protein interacting with C kinase (PICK1) is well conserved throughout evolution and plays a critical role in synaptic plasticity by regulating the trafficking and posttranslational modification of its interacting proteins. PICK1 contains a single PSD95/DlgA/Zo-1 (PDZ) protein-protein interaction domain, which is promiscuous and shown to interact with over 60 proteins, most of which play roles in neuronal function. Several reports have suggested the role of PICK1 in disorders such as epilepsy, pain, brain trauma and stroke, drug abuse and dependence, schizophrenia and psychosis. Importantly, lead compounds that block PICK1 interactions are also now becoming available. Here, a new modeling approach was developed to investigate binding affinities of PDZ interactions. Using these methods, the binding affinities of all major PICK1 interacting proteins are reported and the effects of PICK1 mutations on these interactions are described. These modeling methods have important implications in defining the binding properties of proteins interacting with PICK1 as well as the general structural requirements of PDZ interactions. The study also provides modeling methods to support in the drug design of ligands for PDZ domains, which may further aid in development of the family of PDZ domains as a drug target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashini Bolia
- Department of Physics, Center for Biological Physics, Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona, USA
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39
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Inactivation of PKMζ in the NAc shell abolished cocaine-conditioned reward. J Mol Neurosci 2011; 47:546-53. [PMID: 22127928 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-011-9671-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2011] [Accepted: 11/04/2011] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Preventing relapse to drug use is a major challenge for the treatment of drug addiction. Environmental cues are among the major determinants of relapse in abstinent cocaine users. The protein kinase M ζ (PKMζ) is involved in the generation and maintenance of long-term potentiation and is critical in memory storage. Here we show that inhibition of PKMζ in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell, a major component of the reward system that plays an important role in mediating drug craving and relapse, by a selective inhibitor ζ inhibitory peptide (ZIP), abolished cocaine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). However, the injection of ZIP into the NAc core resulted in earlier onset of CPP extinction. Finally, we found that the levels of PKMζ and GluR2 in the NAc remained unchanged, while the GluR1 levels were elevated following CPP and fully reversed by ZIP injection. Together, our results suggest that inactivation of PKMζ in the NAc may result in the dissociation between the rewarding properties of the drug and the drug-related environment and may serve as a novel target for the treatment of drug relapse.
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40
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Integrating synaptic plasticity and striatal circuit function in addiction. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2011; 22:545-51. [PMID: 22000687 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2011.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2011] [Revised: 09/22/2011] [Accepted: 09/23/2011] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to addictive drugs causes changes in synaptic function within the striatal complex, which can either mimic or interfere with the induction of synaptic plasticity. These synaptic adaptations include changes in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a ventral striatal subregion important for drug reward and reinforcement, as well as the dorsal striatum, which may promote habitual drug use. As the behavioral effects of drugs of abuse are long-lasting, identifying persistent changes in striatal circuits induced by in vivo drug experience is of considerable importance. Within the striatum, drugs of abuse have been shown to induce modifications in dendritic morphology, ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluR) and the induction of synaptic plasticity. Understanding the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying these changes in striatal circuit function will provide insight into how drugs of abuse usurp normal learning mechanisms to produce pathological behavior.
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41
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Cleva RM, Gass JT, Widholm JJ, Olive MF. Glutamatergic targets for enhancing extinction learning in drug addiction. Curr Neuropharmacol 2011; 8:394-408. [PMID: 21629446 PMCID: PMC3080595 DOI: 10.2174/157015910793358169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2009] [Revised: 05/11/2010] [Accepted: 05/26/2010] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The persistence of the motivational salience of drug-related environmental cues and contexts is one of the most problematic obstacles to successful treatment of drug addiction. Behavioral approaches to extinguishing the salience of drug-associated cues, such as cue exposure therapy, have generally produced disappointing results which have been attributed to, among other things, the context specificity of extinction and inadequate consolidation of extinction learning. Extinction of any behavior or conditioned response is a process of new and active learning, and increasing evidence suggests that glutamatergic neurotransmission, a key component of the neural plasticity that underlies normal learning and memory, is also involved in extinction learning. This review will summarize findings from both animal and human studies that suggest that pharmacological enhancement of glutamatergic neurotransmission facilitates extinction learning in the context of drug addiction. Pharmacological agents that have shown potential efficacy include NMDA partial agonists, mGluR5 receptor positive allosteric modulators, inhibitors of the GlyT1 glycine transporter, AMPA receptor potentiators, and activators of the cystine-glutamate exchanger. These classes of cognition-enhancing compounds could potentially serve as novel pharmacological adjuncts to cue exposure therapy to increase success rates in attenuating cue-induced drug craving and relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- R M Cleva
- Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29425, USA
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Ghasemzadeh MB, Vasudevan P, Giles C, Purgianto A, Seubert C, Mantsch JR. Glutamatergic plasticity in medial prefrontal cortex and ventral tegmental area following extended-access cocaine self-administration. Brain Res 2011; 1413:60-71. [PMID: 21855055 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.06.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2011] [Revised: 06/11/2011] [Accepted: 06/16/2011] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Glutamate signaling in prefrontal cortex and ventral tegmental area plays an important role in the molecular and behavioral plasticity associated with addiction to drugs of abuse. The current study investigated the expression and postsynaptic density redistribution of glutamate receptors and synaptic scaffolding proteins in dorsomedial and ventromedial prefrontal cortex and ventral tegmental area after cocaine self-administration. After 14 days of extended-access (6h/day) cocaine self-administration, rats were exposed to one of three withdrawal regimen for 10 days. Animals either stayed in home cages (Home), returned to self-administration boxes with the levers withdrawn (Box), or underwent extinction training (Extinction). Extinction training was associated with significant glutamatergic plasticity. In dorsomedial prefrontal cortex of the Extinction group, there was an increase in postsynaptic density GluR1, PSD95, and actin proteins; while postsynaptic density mGluR5 protein decreased and there was no change in NMDAR1, Homer1b/c, or PICK1 proteins. These changes were not observed in ventromedial prefrontal cortex or ventral tegmental area. In ventral tegmental area, Extinction training reversed the decreased postsynaptic density NMDAR1 protein in the Home and Box withdrawal groups. These data suggest that extinction of drug seeking is associated with selective glutamatergic plasticity in prefrontal cortex and ventral tegmental area that include modulation of receptor trafficking to postsynaptic density.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Behnam Ghasemzadeh
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Integrative Neuroscience Research Center, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA.
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43
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Abstract
To identify candidate proteins in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) as potential pharmacotherapeutic targets for treating cocaine addition, an 8-plex iTRAQ (isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation) proteomic screen was performed using NAc tissue obtained from rats trained to self-administer cocaine followed by extinction training. Compared with yoked-saline controls, 42 proteins in a postsynaptic density (PSD)-enriched subfraction of the NAc from cocaine-trained animals were identified as significantly changed. Among proteins of interest whose levels were identified as increased was AKAP79/150, the rat ortholog of human AKAP5, a PSD scaffolding protein that localizes signaling molecules to the synapse. Functional downregulation of AKAP79/150 by microinjecting a cell-permeable synthetic AKAP (A-kinase anchor protein) peptide into the NAc to disrupt AKAP-dependent signaling revealed that inhibition of AKAP signaling impaired the reinstatement of cocaine seeking. Reinstatement of cocaine seeking is thought to require upregulated surface expression of AMPA glutamate receptors, and the inhibitory AKAP peptide reduced the PSD content of protein kinase A (PKA) as well as surface expression of GluR1 in NAc. However, reduced surface expression was not associated with changes in PKA phosphorylation of GluR1. This series of experiments demonstrates that proteomic analysis provides a useful tool for identifying proteins that can regulate cocaine relapse and that AKAP proteins may contribute to relapse vulnerability by promoting increased surface expression of AMPA receptors in the NAc.
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Scavone JL, Asan E, Van Bockstaele EJ. Unraveling glutamate-opioid receptor interactions using high-resolution electron microscopy: implications for addiction-related processes. Exp Neurol 2011; 229:207-13. [PMID: 21459090 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2011.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2010] [Revised: 03/11/2011] [Accepted: 03/21/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Adaptive responses in glutamate and opioid receptor systems in limbic circuits are emerging as a critical component of the neural plasticity induced by chronic use of abused substances. The present commentary reviews findings from neuroanatomical studies, with superior spatial resolution, that support a cellular basis for prominent interactions of glutamate and opioid receptor systems in preclinical models of drug addiction. The review begins by highlighting the advantages of high-resolution electron microscopic immunohistochemistry for unraveling receptor interactions at the synapse. With an emphasis on a recent publication describing the anatomical relationship between the μ-opioid receptor (MOR) and the AMPA-GluR2 subunit (Beckerman, M. A., and Glass, M. J., 2011. Ultrastructural relationship between the AMPA-GluR2 receptor subunit and the mu-opioid receptor in the mouse central nucleus of the amygdala. Exp Neurol), we review the anatomical evidence for opioid-induced neural plasticity of glutamate receptors in selected brain circuits that are key integrative substrates in the brain's motivational system. The findings stress the importance of glutamate-opioid interactions as important neural mediators of adaptations to chronic use of abused drugs, particularly within the amygdaloid complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jillian L Scavone
- Department of Neuroscience, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
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The acute and chronic effects of combined antipsychotic-mood stabilizing treatment on the expression of cortical and striatal postsynaptic density genes. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2011; 35:184-97. [PMID: 21055435 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2010.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2010] [Revised: 10/10/2010] [Accepted: 10/27/2010] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The detection of changes in postsynaptic gene expression after the administration of mood stabilizers, alone or in combination with antipsychotics, and antidepressants in animal models of drug treatment, may represent a valuable strategy to explore the molecular targets of the mainstay treatments for bipolar disorder. In this study we investigated, in both acute and chronic paradigms, the expression of specific postsynaptic density genes (Homer1a, Homer1b/c, and PSD95) and genes putatively implicated in mood stabilizers mechanism of action (GSK3b, ERK) after administration of first (haloperidol) or second generation antipsychotics (quetiapine 30 mg/kg), alone or in combination with valproate. Moreover, we compared the effects of an antidepressant agent widely used in bipolar depression (citalopram) with a low dose of quetiapine (15 mg/kg), which has been demonstrated to display antidepressant action in bipolar depression. In striatal regions, Homer1a expression was strongly induced by haloperidol compared to all the other treatments. Haloperidol plus valproate also markedly induced Homer1a, but to a significant lesser extent than haloperidol alone. Also in the chronic paradigm haloperidol, but not haloperidol plus valproate, induced Homer1a expression in all the subregions of the caudate-putamen and in the nucleus accumbens core. The high dose of quetiapine significantly induced Homer1a in anterior cingulated, premotor and motor subregions of the cortex, and the extent of induction was significantly higher as compared to the lower dose. Oppositely, Homer1a expression was decreased in the cortex by citalopram acute administration. ERK gene was upregulated in cortex and striatum by the acute treatment with valproate and with the combination of haloperidol or quetiapine plus valproate, whereas no significant differences were noticed in GSK3b expression among treatments. PSD95 showed a significant upregulation by acute citalopram and by haloperidol plus valproate in both cortical and subcortical regions. Haloperidol and quetiapine 30 mg/kg, oppositely, significantly reduced the expression of the gene in the cortex. In conclusion, these results suggest that the combined treatment with a typical or an atypical antipsychotic plus valproate may induce differential modulation of postsynaptic genes expression when compared to the effects of these drugs individually administered.
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Thiel KJ, Engelhardt B, Hood LE, Peartree NA, Neisewander JL. The interactive effects of environmental enrichment and extinction interventions in attenuating cue-elicited cocaine-seeking behavior in rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2010; 97:595-602. [PMID: 20869391 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2010.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2010] [Revised: 09/07/2010] [Accepted: 09/16/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Cues associated with cocaine can elicit craving and relapse. Attempts have been made to employ extinction therapy, which is aimed at attenuating the incentive motivational effects of cocaine cues, as a treatment for cocaine addiction; however, this approach has been largely unsuccessful perhaps due to the inability to extinguish all cues associated with cocaine use while in a clinic. Recently, environmental enrichment (EE) during abstinence has been proposed as a strategy to attenuate cue-elicited cocaine craving. The present study used an animal model to examine whether the utility of extinction toward attenuating cue-elicited cocaine-seeking behavior could be enhanced by also providing EE. All rats were trained to self-administer cocaine while housed in isolated conditions and then subsequently underwent 17 days of forced abstinence, during which they were either housed in pairs or under EE and they either received daily 1-h extinction sessions or similar handling without exposure to the self-administration environment. Following this intervention period, all rats were tested for cue-elicited cocaine-seeking behavior. To examine whether effects of these interventions persist, all rats were subsequently single-housed for an additional 7-day forced abstinence period, followed by a second test for cue-elicited cocaine-seeking behavior. We found that although daily extinction training and EE each attenuated subsequent cue-elicited cocaine-seeking behavior, the combined treatment of extinction training+EE completely prevented it. However, once these interventions were discontinued, their protective effects diminished. These findings suggest that combining behavioral therapy approaches may improve outcomes; however, future work is needed to improve the longevity of these strategies beyond their implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth J Thiel
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 871104, Tempe, AZ 85287-1104, USA
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Chen H, Manev H. Effects of minocycline on cocaine sensitization and phosphorylation of GluR1 receptors in 5-lipoxygenase deficient mice. Neuropharmacology 2010; 60:1058-63. [PMID: 20868701 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2010.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2010] [Revised: 09/01/2010] [Accepted: 09/07/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
In wild-type (WT) mice, the antibiotic minocycline inhibits development of cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization. Some of the actions of minocycline may involve the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) pathway. We used the model of 5-LOX-deficient mice to investigate whether 5-LOX participates in minocycline's influence on the effects of cocaine. Locomotor sensitization was induced by 4 daily cocaine injections and the phosphorylation status of GluR1 glutamate receptors was assayed in brain samples. Minocycline failed to affect cocaine sensitization in 5-LOX-deficient mice. In these mice, neither cocaine nor minocycline 4-day treatment altered GluR1 phosphorylation. In WT mice in which minocycline inhibited development of cocaine sensitization, a 4-day cocaine treatment increased GluR1 phosphorylation at both Ser831 and Ser845 sites in the frontal cortex but not the striatum; further, this effect was prevented by minocycline. Under basal conditions and in response to a single cocaine injection the levels of GluR1, GluR2, and GluR3 AMPA receptor subunits did not differ between WT and 5-LOX-deficient mice, but the response of GluR1 phosphorylation to a single cocaine injection was greater under the 5-LOX deficiency. Hence, in WT mice GluR1 phosphorylation increased only in the frontal cortex and only at the Ser831 site. In 5-LOX-deficient mice, acute cocaine injection increased both Ser831 and Ser845 phosphorylation both in the frontal cortex and in the striatum. We suggest that in studying minocycline's action on cocaine's effects and/or addiction in humans, it would be important to consider the characterization of the subjects' 5-LOX system. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Trends in neuropharmacology: in memory of Erminio Costa'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hu Chen
- The Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
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Wolf ME. The Bermuda Triangle of cocaine-induced neuroadaptations. Trends Neurosci 2010; 33:391-8. [PMID: 20655604 PMCID: PMC2935206 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2010.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2010] [Revised: 06/15/2010] [Accepted: 06/15/2010] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Activation of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of the nucleus accumbens is critical for goal-directed behaviors including cocaine seeking. Studies in cocaine-experienced rodents have revealed three major categories of neuroadaptations that influence the ability of glutamate inputs to activate MSNs: changes in synaptic AMPA receptor levels, changes in extracellular non-synaptic glutamate levels and changes in MSN intrinsic membrane excitability. Most studies have focused on one of these adaptations. This review will consider the possibility that they are causally related and speculate about how time-dependent changes in their interactions may regulate MSN output during early and late withdrawal from repeated cocaine exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina E Wolf
- Department of Neuroscience, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL 60064-3095, USA.
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AMPA receptor synaptic plasticity induced by psychostimulants: the past, present, and therapeutic future. Neuron 2010; 67:11-24. [PMID: 20624588 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/20/2010] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Experience-dependent plasticity at excitatory synapses of the mesocorticolimbic system is a fundamental brain mechanism that enables adaptation to an ever-changing environment. These synaptic responses are critical for the planning and execution of adaptive behaviors that maximize survival. The mesocorticolimbic system mediates procurement of positive reinforcers such as food and sex; however, drugs of abuse resculpt this crucial circuitry to promote compulsive drug-seeking behavior. This review will discuss the long-term changes in glutamatergic neurotransmission that occur within the mesolimbic system following cocaine exposure. In addition, we will examine how these long-lasting neuroadaptations may drive the pathology of psychostimulant addiction. Finally, we review clinical trials that highlight antagonists at excitatory AMPA receptors as promising targets against cocaine abuse.
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Knackstedt LA, Moussawi K, Lalumiere R, Schwendt M, Klugmann M, Kalivas PW. Extinction training after cocaine self-administration induces glutamatergic plasticity to inhibit cocaine seeking. J Neurosci 2010; 30:7984-92. [PMID: 20534846 PMCID: PMC2893028 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1244-10.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 164] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2010] [Revised: 04/19/2010] [Accepted: 04/23/2010] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Learning to inhibit drug seeking can be an important strategy for inhibiting relapse, and this can be modeled by extinguishing drug seeking in response to a drug-paired context. Rats were either extinguished or withdrawn without extinction training (abstinence) from cocaine self-administration, and measurements of postsynaptic density proteins in the core and shell subcompartments of the nucleus accumbens were compared with yoked-saline controls. Only extinguished rats had elevations of PSD-95, Homer1b/c, and Narp in the postsynaptic density of the core, whereas no proteins measured were altered in the postsynaptic density of the shell in either extinguished or abstinent rats. Using a biotinylation strategy, it was found that surface expression of mGluR5 was reduced only in the core of extinguished animals. Although both extinguished and abstinent animals showed a reduction in long-term potentiation elicited in the core by stimulating prefrontal cortex, blunted long-term depression was observed only in extinguished rats. These data indicate that the elevation in Homer1b/c in the core may have sequestered mGluR5 away from the membrane surface and that the loss of surface mGluR5 inhibits long-term depression. Accordingly, when Homer1c was overexpressed in the core of cocaine-naive rats with an adenoassociated virus, long-term depression was inhibited. This mechanism may contribute to the inhibition of cocaine seeking by extinction training because overexpression of Homer1c in the core also inhibited cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking. These data identify a cellular mechanism that may contribute to extinction-induced inhibition of cocaine seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lori A Knackstedt
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA.
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