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Heilig M, Witkiewitz K, Ray LA, Leggio L. Novel medications for problematic alcohol use. J Clin Invest 2024; 134:e172889. [PMID: 38828724 PMCID: PMC11142745 DOI: 10.1172/jci172889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Alcohol-related harm, a major cause of disease burden globally, affects people along a spectrum of use. When a harmful pattern of drinking is present in the absence of significant behavioral pathology, low-intensity brief interventions that provide information about health consequences of continued use provide large health benefits. At the other end of the spectrum, profound behavioral pathology, including continued use despite knowledge of potentially fatal consequences, warrants a medical diagnosis, and treatment is strongly indicated. Available behavioral and pharmacological treatments are supported by scientific evidence but are vastly underutilized. Discovery of additional medications, with a favorable balance of efficacy versus safety and tolerability can improve clinical uptake of treatment, allow personalized treatment, and improve outcomes. Here, we delineate the clinical conditions when pharmacotherapy should be considered in relation to the main diagnostic systems in use and discuss clinical endpoints that represent meaningful clinical benefits. We then review specific developments in three categories of targets that show promise for expanding the treatment toolkit. GPCRs remain the largest category of successful drug targets across contemporary medicine, and several GPCR targets are currently pursued for alcohol-related indications. Endocrine systems are another established category, and several promising targets have emerged for alcohol indications. Finally, immune modulators have revolutionized treatment of multiple medical conditions, and they may also hold potential to produce benefits in patients with alcohol problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Heilig
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, and Department of Psychiatry, Linköping University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Katie Witkiewitz
- Department of Psychology and Center on Alcohol, Substance Use and Addictions, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Lara A. Ray
- Department of Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Lorenzo Leggio
- Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section, Translational Addiction Medicine Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research, NIH, Baltimore and Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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2
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Lehmann CM, Miller NE, Nair VS, Costa KM, Schoenbaum G, Moussawi K. Generalized cue reactivity in dopamine neurons after opioids. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.02.597025. [PMID: 38853878 PMCID: PMC11160774 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.02.597025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Cue reactivity is the maladaptive neurobiological and behavioral response upon exposure to drug cues and is a major driver of relapse. The leading hypothesis is that dopamine release by addictive drugs represents a persistently positive reward prediction error that causes runaway enhancement of dopamine responses to drug cues, leading to their pathological overvaluation compared to non-drug reward alternatives. However, this hypothesis has not been directly tested. Here we developed Pavlovian and operant procedures to measure firing responses, within the same dopamine neurons, to drug versus natural reward cues, which we found to be similarly enhanced compared to cues predicting natural rewards in drug-naïve controls. This enhancement was associated with increased behavioral reactivity to the drug cue, suggesting that dopamine release is still critical to cue reactivity, albeit not as previously hypothesized. These results challenge the prevailing hypothesis of cue reactivity, warranting new models of dopaminergic function in drug addiction, and provide critical insights into the neurobiology of cue reactivity with potential implications for relapse prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collin M. Lehmann
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, 15219, USA
| | - Nora E. Miller
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, 15219, USA
| | - Varun S. Nair
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, 15219, USA
| | - Kauê M. Costa
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, 35233, USA
| | - Geoffrey Schoenbaum
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health; Baltimore, 21224, USA
| | - Khaled Moussawi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, 15219, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco; San Francisco, 94158, USA
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3
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Fraser KM, Kim TH, Castro M, Drieu C, Padovan-Hernandez Y, Chen B, Pat F, Ottenheimer DJ, Janak PH. Encoding and context-dependent control of reward consumption within the central nucleus of the amygdala. iScience 2024; 27:109652. [PMID: 38650988 PMCID: PMC11033178 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Dysregulation of the central amygdala is thought to underlie aberrant choice in alcohol use disorder, but the role of central amygdala neural activity during reward choice and consumption is unclear. We recorded central amygdala neurons in male rats as they consumed alcohol or sucrose. We observed activity changes at the time of reward approach, as well as lick-entrained activity during ongoing consumption of both rewards. In choice scenarios where rats could drink sucrose, alcohol, or quinine-adulterated alcohol with or without central amygdala optogenetic stimulation, rats drank more of stimulation-paired options when the two bottles contained identical options. Given a choice among different options, central amygdala stimulation usually enhanced consumption of stimulation-paired rewards. However, optogenetic stimulation during consumption of the less-preferred option, alcohol, was unable to enhance alcohol intake while sucrose was available. These findings indicate that the central amygdala contributes to refining motivated pursuit toward the preferred available option.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt M. Fraser
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 21218, MD, USA
| | - Tabitha H. Kim
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 21218, MD, USA
| | - Matilde Castro
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore 21205, MD, USA
| | - Céline Drieu
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 21218, MD, USA
| | - Yasmin Padovan-Hernandez
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore 21205, MD, USA
| | - Bridget Chen
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 21218, MD, USA
| | - Fiona Pat
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 21218, MD, USA
| | - David J. Ottenheimer
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore 21205, MD, USA
| | - Patricia H. Janak
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 21218, MD, USA
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore 21205, MD, USA
- Johns Hopkins University Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore 21205, MD, USA
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4
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Ahmed SH. The importance of choice and agency in animal models of addiction. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2024; 131:487-489. [PMID: 37906290 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-023-02712-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this short commentary is twofold. First, it uncovers and outlines in broad strokes a historical, albeit oft-overlooked, trend toward a growing place for choice and agency in the design of animal models of addiction. Next, it tries to draw from this historical trend some perspectives and implications for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serge H Ahmed
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, 33000, Bordeaux, France.
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5
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Millan EZ, McNally GP. Reprioritizing motivations in addiction. Science 2024; 384:271. [PMID: 38669580 DOI: 10.1126/science.ado9989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Drugs of abuse alter neuronal signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Zayra Millan
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Gavan P McNally
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Wilkinson CS, Luján MÁ, Hales C, Costa KM, Fiore VG, Knackstedt LA, Kober H. Listening to the Data: Computational Approaches to Addiction and Learning. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7547-7553. [PMID: 37940590 PMCID: PMC10634572 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1415-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Computational approaches hold great promise for identifying novel treatment targets and creating translational therapeutics for substance use disorders. From circuitries underlying decision-making to computationally derived neural markers of drug-cue reactivity, this review is a summary of the approaches to data presented at our 2023 Society for Neuroscience Mini-Symposium. Here, we highlight data- and hypothesis-driven computational approaches that recently afforded advancements in addiction and learning neuroscience. First, we discuss the value of hypothesis-driven algorithmic modeling approaches, which integrate behavioral, neural, and cognitive outputs to refine hypothesis testing. Then, we review the advantages of data-driven dimensionality reduction and machine learning methods for uncovering novel predictor variables and elucidating relationships in high-dimensional data. Overall, this review highlights recent breakthroughs in cognitive mapping, model-based analysis of behavior/risky decision-making, patterns of drug taking, relapse, and neuromarker discovery, and showcases the benefits of novel modeling techniques, across both preclinical and clinical data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Miguel Á Luján
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Claire Hales
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Kauê M Costa
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Vincenzo G Fiore
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, New York 10029
| | - Lori A Knackstedt
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Hedy Kober
- Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511
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Fraser KM, Kim TH, Castro M, Drieu C, Padovan-Hernandez Y, Chen B, Pat F, Ottenheimer DJ, Janak PH. Encoding and context-dependent control of reward consumption within the central nucleus of the amygdala. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.28.546936. [PMID: 37425773 PMCID: PMC10327036 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.28.546936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
The ability to evaluate and select a preferred option among a variety of available offers is an essential aspect of goal-directed behavior. Dysregulation of this valuation process is characteristic of alcohol use disorder, with the central amygdala being implicated in persistent alcohol pursuit. However, the mechanism by which the central amygdala encodes and promotes the motivation to seek and consume alcohol remains unclear. We recorded single-unit activity in male Long-Evans rats as they consumed 10% ethanol or 14.2% sucrose. We observed significant activity at the time of approach to alcohol or sucrose, as well as lick-entrained activity during the ongoing consumption of both alcohol and sucrose. We then evaluated the ability of central amygdala optogenetic manipulation time-locked to consumption to alter ongoing intake of alcohol or sucrose, a preferred non-drug reward. In closed two-choice scenarios where rats could drink only sucrose, alcohol, or quinine-adulterated alcohol with or without central amygdala stimulation, rats drank more of stimulation-paired options. Microstructural analysis of licking patterns suggests these effects were mediated by changes in motivation, not palatability. Given a choice among different options, central amygdala stimulation enhanced consumption if the stimulation was associated with the preferred reward while closed-loop inhibition only decreased consumption if the options were equally valued. However, optogenetic stimulation during consumption of the less-preferred option, alcohol, was unable to enhance overall alcohol intake while sucrose was available. Collectively, these findings indicate that the central amygdala processes the motivational value of available offers to promote pursuit of the most preferred available option.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt M Fraser
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Tabitha H Kim
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Matilde Castro
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Céline Drieu
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Yasmin Padovan-Hernandez
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Bridget Chen
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Fiona Pat
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - David J Ottenheimer
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Patricia H Janak
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Johns Hopkins Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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Wong K, Wang ZC, Patarino M, Baskin B, Lee SJ, Schindler AG. Socially Integrated Polysubstance (SIP) system: An open-source solution for continuous monitoring of polysubstance fluid intake in group housed mice. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 7:10.1016/j.addicn.2023.100101. [PMID: 37560335 PMCID: PMC10411158 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2023.100101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
Despite impressive results from neuroscience research using rodent models, there is a paucity of successful translation from preclinical findings to effective pharmacological interventions for treatment of substance use disorder (SUD) in humans. One potential reason for lack of translation from animal models is difficulty in accurately replicating the lived experience of people who use drugs. Aspects of substance use in humans that are often not modeled in animal research include but are not limited to 1) voluntary timing and frequency of substance intake, 2) social environment during substance use, and 3) access to multiple substances and multiple concentrations of each substance. Critically, existing commercial equipment that allows for social housing and voluntary polysubstance use (e.g., home cage monitoring system) is prohibitively expensive and no open-source solutions exist. With these goals in mind, here we detail development of the Socially Integrated Polysubstance (SIP) system, an open-source and lower cost solution that allows for group housed rodents to self-administer multiple substances with continuous monitoring and measurement. In our current setup, each SIP cage contains four drinking stations, and each station is equipped with a RFID sensor and sipper tube connected to a unique fluid reservoir. Using this system, we can track which animal (implanted with unique RFID transponder) visits which drinking location and the amount they drink during each visit (in 20 ul increments). Using four flavors of Kool-Aid, here we demonstrate that the SIP system is reliable and accurate with high temporal resolution for long term monitoring of substance intake and behavior tracking in a social environment. The SIP cage system is a first step towards designing an accessible and flexible rodent model of substance use that more closely resembles the experience of people who use drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina Wong
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA 98195
- VA Northwest Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Ziheng Christina Wang
- VA Northwest Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Makenzie Patarino
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA 98195
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA 98195
- VA Northwest Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Britahny Baskin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA 98195
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA 98195
- VA Northwest Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Suhjung Janet Lee
- VA Northwest Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Abigail G. Schindler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA 98195
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA 98195
- VA Northwest Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
- VA Northwest Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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9
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Marcus MM, Banks ML. A concurrently available negative reinforcer robustly decreases cocaine self-administration in male and female rats. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.29.534800. [PMID: 37034754 PMCID: PMC10081230 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.29.534800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Continued drug-taking despite adverse consequences is hypothesized to be an insidious behavioral hallmark of drug addiction. Although most preclinical research has focused on drug self-administration in the presence of positive punishment, another source of potential adverse consequences is behavioral allocation away from negative reinforcers (i.e., escape/avoid electric shock) and towards drug reinforcers. The goals of the present study were to establish a discrete-trial cocaine-vs-negative reinforcer choice procedure in male and female rats and determine sensitivity of choice behavior to environmental and pharmacological manipulations. Rats could make up to nine discrete choices between an intravenous cocaine infusion (0.32 - 1.8 mg/kg/inf) under a fixed-ratio (FR) 3 schedule and a negative reinforcer (escape or avoidance of electric shock, 0.1 - 0.7 mA) under an FR1 schedule. The negative reinforcer was consistently chosen over all cocaine doses. Lowering shock magnitude decreased negative reinforcer trials, increased omitted trials, and failed to promote behavioral reallocation towards cocaine. Increasing the negative reinforcement response requirement between sessions only increased omitted trials. Introduction of 12-hr extended access cocaine self-administration sessions across two weeks resulted in high daily cocaine intakes but failed to significantly increase cocaine choice. Acute diazepam pretreatment also did not impact choice behavior up to doses that produced behavioral depression. Overall, the lack of behavioral allocation between cocaine infusions and a negative reinforcer suggests these two reinforcers may be economic independents. Additionally, the failure of extended cocaine access to increase cocaine choice highlights the importance of alternative reinforcers and environmental context in preclinical models of drug addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison M. Marcus
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA 23298
| | - Matthew L. Banks
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA 23298
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Cajiao-Manrique MDM, Maldonado R, Martín-García E. A male mouse model of WIN 55,212-2 self-administration to study cannabinoid addiction. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1143365. [PMID: 37050910 PMCID: PMC10083303 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1143365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
We have established for the first time a mouse model of cannabinoid addiction using WIN 55,212-2 intravenous self-administration (0.0125 mg/kg/infusion) in C57Bl/6J mice. This model allows to evaluate the addiction criteria by grouping them into 1) persistence of response during a period of non-availability of the drug, 2) motivation for WIN 55,212-2 with a progressive ratio, and 3) compulsivity when the reward is associated with a punishment such as an electric foot-shock, in agreement with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition (DSM-5). This model also allows to measure two parameters that have been related with the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria of craving, resistance to extinction and reinstatement, and two phenotypic traits suggested as predisposing factors, impulsivity and sensitivity to reward. We found that 35.6% of mice developed the criteria of cannabinoid addiction, allowing to differentiate between resilient and vulnerable mice. Therefore, we have established a novel and reliable model to study the neurobiological correlates underlying the resilience or vulnerability to develop cannabinoid addiction. This model included the chemogenetic inhibition of neuronal activity in the medial prefrontal cortex to the nucleus accumbens pathway to assess the neurobiological substrate of cannabinoid addiction. This model will shed light on the neurobiological substrate underlying cannabinoid addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- María del Mar Cajiao-Manrique
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology-Neurophar, Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rafael Maldonado
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology-Neurophar, Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elena Martín-García
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology-Neurophar, Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Psicobiologia i Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Barcelona, Spain
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11
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Leonardo M, Brunty S, Huffman J, Lester DB, Dickson PE. Effects of isolation housing stress and mouse strain on intravenous cocaine self-administration, sensory stimulus self-administration, and reward preference. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2810. [PMID: 36797314 PMCID: PMC9935522 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29579-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensory stimuli are natural rewards in mice and humans. Consequently, preference for a drug reward relative to a sensory reward may be an endophenotype of addiction vulnerability. In this study, we developed a novel behavioral assay to quantify the preference for intravenous drug self-administration relative to sensory stimulus self-administration. We used founder strains of the BXD recombinant inbred mouse panel (C57BL/6J, DBA/2J) and a model of stress (isolation vs enriched housing) to assess genetic and epigenetic effects. Following 10 weeks of differential housing, all mice were tested under three reward conditions: sensory rewards available, cocaine rewards available, both rewards available. When a single reward was available (sensory stimuli or cocaine; delivered using distinct levers), DBA/2J mice self-administered significantly more rewards than C57BL/6J mice. When both rewards were available, DBA/2J mice exhibited a significant preference for cocaine relative to sensory stimuli; in contrast, C57BL/6J mice exhibited no preference. Housing condition influenced sensory stimulus self-administration and strain-dependently influenced inactive lever pressing when both rewards were available. Collectively, these data reveal strain effects, housing effects, or both on reward self-administration and preference. Most importantly, this study reveals that genetic mechanisms underlying preference for a drug reward relative to a nondrug reward can be dissected using the full BXD panel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Leonardo
- grid.259676.90000 0001 2214 9920Department of Biomedical Sciences, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, 1700 3rd Ave., Huntington, WV 25703 USA
| | - Sarah Brunty
- grid.259676.90000 0001 2214 9920Department of Biomedical Sciences, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, 1700 3rd Ave., Huntington, WV 25703 USA
| | - Jessica Huffman
- grid.259676.90000 0001 2214 9920Department of Biomedical Sciences, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, 1700 3rd Ave., Huntington, WV 25703 USA
| | - Deranda B. Lester
- grid.56061.340000 0000 9560 654XDepartment of Psychology, University of Memphis, 202 Psychology Building, Memphis, TN 38152 USA
| | - Price E. Dickson
- grid.259676.90000 0001 2214 9920Department of Biomedical Sciences, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, 1700 3rd Ave., Huntington, WV 25703 USA
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12
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Lenoir M, Navailles S, Vandaele Y, Vouillac-Mendoza C, Guillem K, Ahmed SH. Large-scale brain correlates of sweet versus cocaine reward in rats. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 57:423-439. [PMID: 36453530 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Cocaine induces many supranormal changes in neuronal activity in the brain, notably in learning- and reward-related regions, in comparison with nondrug rewards-a difference that is thought to contribute to its relatively high addictive potential. However, when facing a choice between cocaine and a nondrug reward (e.g., water sweetened with saccharin), most rats do not choose cocaine, as one would expect from the extent and magnitude of its global activation of the brain, but instead choose the nondrug option. We recently showed that cocaine, though larger in magnitude, is also an inherently more delayed reward than sweet water, thereby explaining why it has less value during choice and why rats opt for the more immediate nondrug option. Here, we used a large-scale Fos brain mapping approach to measure brain responses to each option in saccharin-preferring rats, with the hope to identify brain regions whose activity may explain the preference for the nondrug option. In total, Fos expression was measured in 142 brain levels corresponding to 52 brain subregions and composing 5 brain macrosystems. Overall, our findings confirm in rats with a preference for saccharin that cocaine induces more global brain activation than the preferred nondrug option does. Only very few brain regions were uniquely activated by saccharin. They included regions involved in taste processing (i.e., anterior gustatory cortex) and also regions involved in processing reward delay and intertemporal choice (i.e., some components of the septohippocampal system and its connections with the lateral habenula).
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Affiliation(s)
- Magalie Lenoir
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | | | - Youna Vandaele
- INSERM, U-1084, Laboratoire des Neurosciences Expérimentales et Cliniques, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | | | - Karine Guillem
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - Serge H Ahmed
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
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13
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Goutaudier R, Joly F, Mallet D, Bartolomucci M, Guicherd D, Carcenac C, Vossier F, Dufourd T, Boulet S, Deransart C, Chovelon B, Carnicella S. Hypodopaminergic state of the nigrostriatal pathway drives compulsive alcohol use. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:463-474. [PMID: 36376463 PMCID: PMC9812783 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01848-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The neurobiological mechanisms underlying compulsive alcohol use, a cardinal feature of alcohol use disorder, remain elusive. The key modulator of motivational processes, dopamine (DA), is suspected to play an important role in this pathology, but its exact role remains to be determined. Here, we found that rats expressing compulsive-like alcohol use, operationalized as punishment-resistant self-administration, showed a decrease in DA levels restricted to the dorsolateral territories of the striatum, the main output structure of the nigrostriatal DA pathway. We then causally demonstrated that chemogenetic-induced selective hypodopaminergia of this pathway resulted in compulsive-like alcohol self-administration in otherwise resilient rats, accompanied by the emergence of alcohol withdrawal-like motivational impairments (i.e., impaired motivation for a natural reinforcer). Finally, the use of the monoamine stabilizer OSU6162, previously reported to correct hypodopaminergic states, transiently decreased compulsive-like alcohol self-administration in vulnerable rats. These results suggest a potential critical role of tonic nigrostriatal hypodopaminergic states in alcohol addiction and provide new insights into our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying compulsive alcohol use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphaël Goutaudier
- grid.462307.40000 0004 0429 3736Inserm, U1216, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Fanny Joly
- grid.462307.40000 0004 0429 3736Inserm, U1216, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - David Mallet
- grid.462307.40000 0004 0429 3736Inserm, U1216, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Magali Bartolomucci
- grid.462307.40000 0004 0429 3736Inserm, U1216, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CHU Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Denis Guicherd
- grid.410529.b0000 0001 0792 4829Service de Biochimie, Biologie Moléculaire, Toxicologie Environnementale, CHU de Grenoble-Alpes Site Nord − Institut de Biologie et de Pathologie, F-38041 Grenoble, France
| | - Carole Carcenac
- grid.462307.40000 0004 0429 3736Inserm, U1216, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Frédérique Vossier
- grid.462307.40000 0004 0429 3736Inserm, U1216, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Thibault Dufourd
- grid.462307.40000 0004 0429 3736Inserm, U1216, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Sabrina Boulet
- grid.462307.40000 0004 0429 3736Inserm, U1216, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Colin Deransart
- grid.462307.40000 0004 0429 3736Inserm, U1216, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CHU Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Benoit Chovelon
- grid.410529.b0000 0001 0792 4829Service de Biochimie, Biologie Moléculaire, Toxicologie Environnementale, CHU de Grenoble-Alpes Site Nord − Institut de Biologie et de Pathologie, F-38041 Grenoble, France ,grid.4444.00000 0001 2112 9282Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, DPM, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Sebastien Carnicella
- Inserm, U1216, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000, Grenoble, France.
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14
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Keeley RJ, Prillaman ME, Scarlata M, Vrana A, Tsai PJ, Gomez JL, Bonaventura J, Lu H, Michaelides M, Stein EA. Adolescent nicotine administration increases nicotinic acetylcholine receptor binding and functional connectivity in specific cortico-striatal-thalamic circuits. Brain Commun 2022; 4:fcac291. [PMID: 36440101 PMCID: PMC9683397 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Nicotine exposure is associated with regional changes in brain nicotinic acetylcholine receptors subtype expression patterns as a function of dose and age at the time of exposure. Moreover, nicotine dependence is associated with changes in brain circuit functional connectivity, but the relationship between such connectivity and concomitant regional distribution changes in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes following nicotine exposure is not understood. Although smoking typically begins in adolescence, developmental changes in brain circuits and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors following chronic nicotine exposure remain minimally investigated. Here, we combined in vitro nicotinic acetylcholine receptor autoradiography with resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure changes in [3H]nicotine binding and α4ß2 subtype nicotinic acetylcholine receptor binding and circuit connectivity across the brain in adolescent (postnatal Day 33) and adult (postnatal Day 68) rats exposed to 6 weeks of nicotine administration (0, 1.2 and 4.8 mg/kg/day). Chronic nicotine exposure increased nicotinic acetylcholine receptor levels and induced discrete, developmental stage changes in regional nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtype distribution. These effects were most pronounced in striatal, thalamic and cortical regions when nicotine was administered during adolescence but not in adults. Using these regional receptor changes as seeds, resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging identified dysregulations in cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical circuits that were also dysregulated following adolescent nicotine exposure. Thus, nicotine-induced increases in cortical, striatal and thalamic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors during adolescence modifies processing and brain circuits within cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical loops, which are known to be crucial for multisensory integration, action selection and motor output, and may alter the developmental trajectory of the adolescent brain. This unique multimodal study significantly advances our understanding of nicotine dependence and its effects on the adolescent brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin J Keeley
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program (NIDA-IRP), National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - McKenzie E Prillaman
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program (NIDA-IRP), National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Miranda Scarlata
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program (NIDA-IRP), National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Antonia Vrana
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program (NIDA-IRP), National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Pei-Jung Tsai
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program (NIDA-IRP), National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Juan L Gomez
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program (NIDA-IRP), National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Jordi Bonaventura
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program (NIDA-IRP), National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
- Departament de Patologia Terapèutica Experimental, Institut de Neurociènes, Universitat de Barcelona, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 585, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Hanbing Lu
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program (NIDA-IRP), National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Michael Michaelides
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program (NIDA-IRP), National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Elliot A Stein
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program (NIDA-IRP), National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
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15
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Vandaele Y, Augier E, Vouillac-Mendoza C, Ahmed SH. Cocaine falls into oblivion during volitional initiation of choice trials. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13235. [PMID: 36301214 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
When facing a choice, most animals quit drugs in favour of a variety of nondrug alternatives. We recently found, rather unexpectedly, that choice of the nondrug alternative is in fact inflexible and habitual. One possible contributing factor to habitual choice is the intermittency and uncontrollability of choice trials in previous studies. Here, we asked whether and to what extent volitional control over the occurrence of choice trials could change animals' preference by preventing habitual choice. To do so, rats were trained to nosepoke in a hole to trigger the presentation of two operant levers: one associated with cocaine, the other with saccharin. Rats were then free to choose among the two levers to obtain the corresponding reward, after which both levers retracted until rats self-initiated the next choice trial. Overall, we found that volitional control over choice trials did not change preference. Most rats preferred saccharin over cocaine and selected this option almost exclusively. Intriguingly, after repeated choice and consumption of saccharin, rats transiently lost interest in this option (i.e., due to sensory-specific satiety), but they did not switch to cocaine, preferring instead to pause during long periods of time before reinitiating a choice trial for saccharin. This finding suggests that during volitional initiation of a choice trial, rats fail to consider cocaine as an option. We discuss a possible associative mechanism to explain this perplexing behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youna Vandaele
- Université de Poitiers, Laboratory of Experimental and Clinical Neurosciences, INSERM U1084, Poitiers, France
| | - Eric Augier
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Caroline Vouillac-Mendoza
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, UMR5287, Bordeaux, France.,CNRS, Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, UMR5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - Serge H Ahmed
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, UMR5287, Bordeaux, France.,CNRS, Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, UMR5287, Bordeaux, France
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16
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Maddern XJ, Walker LC, Campbell EJ, Arunogiri S, Haber PS, Morley K, Manning V, Millan EZ, McNally GP, Lubman DI, Lawrence AJ. Can we enhance the clinical efficacy of cognitive and psychological approaches to treat substance use disorders through understanding their neurobiological mechanisms? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 142:104899. [PMID: 36183863 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Despite decades of research in the field of addiction, relapse rates for substance use disorders remain high. Consequently, there has been growing focus on providing evidence-based treatments for substance use disorders, resulting in the increased development and use of cognitive and psychological interventions. Such treatment approaches, including contingency management, community-reinforcement approach, and cognitive bias modification, have shown promising clinical efficacy in reducing substance use and promoting abstinence during treatment. However, these interventions are still somewhat limited in achieving sustained periods of abstinence post-treatment. The neurobiological mechanisms underpinning these treatment approaches remain largely unknown and under-studied, in part, due to a lack of translational animal models. The adoption of a reverse translational approach may assist in development of more representative models that can facilitate elucidation of the mechanisms behind these clinically relevant interventions. This review examines our current understanding of addiction neurobiology from clinical, preclinical research and existing animal models, and considers how the efficacy of such behavioral-oriented interventions alone, or in combination with pharmacotherapy, may be enhanced to improve treatment outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier J Maddern
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia.
| | - Leigh C Walker
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Erin J Campbell
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Brain Neuromodulation Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Shalini Arunogiri
- Monash Addiction Research Centre, Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Turning Point, Eastern Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Paul S Haber
- Edith Collins Centre, Drug Health Services, Sydney Local Health District, Camperdown, Australia; Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Kirsten Morley
- Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Victoria Manning
- Monash Addiction Research Centre, Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Turning Point, Eastern Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | | | - Dan I Lubman
- Monash Addiction Research Centre, Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Turning Point, Eastern Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Andrew J Lawrence
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia.
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17
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From concepts to treatment: a dialog between a preclinical researcher and a clinician in addiction medicine. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:401. [PMID: 36130939 PMCID: PMC9492712 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02177-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The debate surrounding the brain disease model and the associated questioning of the relevance of animal models is polarizing the field of addiction, and tends to widen the gap between preclinical research and addiction medicine. Here, we aimed at bridging this gap by establishing a dialog between a preclinical researcher and a clinician in addiction medicine. Our objective was to evaluate animal models and the neuroscientific conceptualization of addiction in light of alcohol or drug dependence and treatment in patients struggling with an addiction. We sought to determine how preclinical research influenced addiction medicine over past decades, and reciprocally, what can preclinical researchers learn from addiction medicine that could lead to more effective approaches. In this dialog, we talk about the co-evolution of addiction concepts and treatments from neuroscientific and medical perspectives. This dialog illustrates the reciprocal influences and mutual enrichment between the two disciplines and reveals that, although preclinical research might not produce new pharmacotherapies, it does shape the theoretical conceptualization of addiction and could thereby contribute to the implementation of therapeutic approaches.
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18
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Ventral pallidum GABA neurons bidirectionally control opioid relapse across rat behavioral models. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 3. [PMID: 36156918 PMCID: PMC9494709 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2022.100026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Opioid addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder. Whether addicted individuals are forced to abstain or they decide themselves to quit using drugs, relapse rates are high—especially upon encountering contexts and stimuli associated with prior opioid use. Rodents similarly show context- and cue-induced reinstatement of drug seeking following abstinence, and intriguingly, the neural circuits underlying these relapse-like behaviors differ when abstinence is involuntarily imposed, responding is extinguished, or animals decide themselves to cease taking drug. Here, we employ two complementary rat behavioral models of relapse-like behavior for the highly reinforcing opioid drug remifentanil, and asked whether GABAergic neurons in the ventral pallidum (VPGABA) control opioid seeking under these behavioral conditions. Specifically, we asked how chemogenetically stimulating VPGABA neurons with clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) influences the ability of contextual or discrete remifentanil-paired cues to reinstate drug seeking following either voluntary abstinence (punishment-induced; GroupPunish), or extinction training (GroupExt). In GroupPunish rats, we also chemogenetically inhibited VPGABA neurons, and examined spontaneous VP activity (Fos) during cued reinstatement. In both GroupPunish and GroupExt rats, stimulating Gq-signaling in VPGABA neurons augmented remifentanil reinstatement in a cue- and context-dependent manner. Conversely, engaging inhibitory Gi-signaling in VPGABA neurons in GroupPunish suppressed cue-induced reinstatement, and cue-triggered seeking was correlated with Fos expression in rostral, but not caudal VP. Neither stimulating nor inhibiting VPGABA neurons influenced unpunished remifentanil self-administration. We conclude that VPGABA neurons bidirectionally control opioid seeking regardless of the specific relapse model employed, highlighting their fundamental role in opioid relapse-like behavior across behavioral models, and potentially across species.
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19
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Nall RW, Chalhoub RM, Kalivas PW. Drug versus non-drug behaviors: A dual-reward model of sex differences and neurobiological mechanisms in rats. J Exp Anal Behav 2022; 117:457-471. [PMID: 35297047 PMCID: PMC10775707 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) are an impactful problem characterized by chronic relapse and engagement in drug-related behaviors at the expense of non-drug behaviors. Brain regions implicated in drug and non-drug-related behaviors often overlap, complicating investigations of neurobiological mechanisms underlying SUDs. Here we presented a within-subject model for studying self-administration, reinforcer competition, extinction, and cued reinstatement of cocaine- and food-seeking in rats. Due to differences in cocaine- and food-reinforced behavior, we transformed data to proportions of baseline, revealing increased resistance to extinction and disproportionately greater cued reinstatement of cocaine seeking relative to food seeking. Consistent with previous reports, females showed greater preference for cocaine reinforcement than males, though these findings failed to reach statistical significance. To demonstrate the model's utility for investigating neurobiological mechanisms, we included proof-of-concept calcium imaging data demonstrating the utility of the behavioral model for detecting cellular activity patterns associated with cocaine- and food-seeking behaviors. Future studies utilizing this model should improve understanding of the development and expression of pathological behaviors characteristic of SUDs in humans, sex differences in these behaviors, and their neurobiological correlates. Thus, the model has utility for improving understanding of SUDs, leading to novel treatments to reduce the pathological behaviors associated with SUDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rusty W. Nall
- Medical University of South Carolina
- Jacksonville State University
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20
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Pickard H. Is addiction a brain disease? A plea for agnosticism and heterogeneity. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:993-1007. [PMID: 34825924 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-06013-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Although increasingly subject to criticism, the brain disease model of addiction (BDMA) remains dominant within addiction science. Yet few advocates or critics of the BDMA have provided an account of what a brain disease is. The aim of this review is to conceptually clarify what it would mean for the BDMA to be true, rather than to argue decisively for or against it. OBJECTIVES Conceptual clarification of the BDMA requires consideration of possible models of disease and their relationship to the BDMA. A barrier to such consideration is belief that the BDMA is necessary to combatting addiction stigma. To address this barrier, I begin with discussion of what we know about the effects of the brain disease label on addiction stigma, and why labelling effects should have no bearing on the validity of the BDMA. I then distinguish strong, minimal, network, and mismatch models of disease, and I argue that the BDMA aligns with a strong disease model. This means that underlying brain pathology is hypothesized to be the cause of the personal-level observable signs and experienced symptoms characteristic of addiction. Evaluation of the BDMA therefore requires analysis of the concepts of brain dysfunction and causation, and their application to addiction science. RESULTS Brain dysfunction cannot be analyzed merely as brain changes or brain differences; nor can it be inferred merely from the presence of personal-level signs and symptoms. It is necessary to have an account of normal brain function by which to measure it. The theoretical and empirical challenges to developing such an account are not insurmountable, but they are substantial. Although there exist competing analyses of causation, there is a relatively standard method used to establish it within experimental science: intervention. Using this method, the causal significance of brain states, such as, e.g., extensive gray matter loss and/or neuroadapations in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system, is not yet fully demonstrated. Further studies are necessary to determine their effect compared with other possible variables, such as, e.g., alternative reinforcers. CONCLUSIONS Conceptual clarification and preliminary empirical assessment of the BDMA recommends agnosticism about its validity and an openness to heterogeneity; in some cases addiction may be a brain disease, in others not. Either way, addiction stigma can be combatted by fighting moralism about drugs and moralistic drug policies directly, as opposed to resting hopes on the brain disease label.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Pickard
- William H. Miller III Department of Philosophy & Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University, 281 Gilman Hall, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
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21
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Rutherford LG, Milton AL. Deconstructing and reconstructing behaviour relevant to mental health disorders: The benefits of a psychological approach, with a focus on addiction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 133:104514. [PMID: 34958822 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.104514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
RUTHERFORD, L.G. and Milton, A.L. Deconstructing and reconstructing behaviour relevant to mental health disorders: what can psychology offer? NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV XX(X)XXX-XXX, 2021. - Current treatments for mental health disorders are successful only for some patients, and there is an unmet clinical need for new treatment development. One challenge for treatment development has been how best to model complex human conditions in animals, where mechanism can be more readily studied with a range of neuroscientific techniques. We suggest that an approach to modelling based on associative animal learning theory provides a good framework for deconstructing complex mental health disorders such that they can be studied in animals. These individual simple models can subsequently be used in combination to 'reconstruct' a more complex model of the mental health disorder of interest. Using examples primarily from the field of drug addiction, we explore the 'psychological approach' and suggest that in addition to facilitating translation and backtranslation of tasks between animal models and patients, it is also highly concordant with the concept of triangulation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amy L Milton
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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22
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Individual differences in addiction-like behaviors and choice between cocaine versus food in Heterogeneous Stock rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:3423-3433. [PMID: 34415376 PMCID: PMC8889911 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05961-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES Recent studies reported that when given a mutually exclusive choice between cocaine and palatable food, most rats prefer the non-drug reward over cocaine. However, these studies used rat strains with limited genetic and behavioral diversity. Here, we used a unique outbred strain of rats (Heterogeneous Stock, HS) that mimic the genetic variability of humans. METHODS We first identified individual differences in addiction-like behaviors (low and high). Next, we tested choice between cocaine and palatable food using a discrete choice procedure. We characterized the individual differences using an addiction score that incorporates key features of addiction: escalated intake, highly motivated responding (progressive ratio), and responding despite adverse consequences (footshock punishment). We assessed food versus cocaine choice at different drug-free days (without pre-choice cocaine self-administration) during acquisition of cocaine self-administration or after escalation of cocaine self-administration. We also assessed drug versus food choice immediately after 1-, 2-, or 6-h cocaine self-administration. RESULTS Independent of the addiction score, without pre-choice cocaine (1 or more abstinence days), HS rats strongly preferred the palatable food over cocaine, even if the food reward was delayed or its size was reduced. However, rats with high but not low addiction score modestly increased cocaine choice immediately after 1-, 2-, or 6-h cocaine self-administration. CONCLUSIONS Like other strains, HS rats strongly prefer palatable food over cocaine. Individual differences in addiction score were associated with increased drug choice in the presence but not absence (abstinence) of cocaine. The HS strain may be useful in studies on mechanisms of addiction vulnerability.
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23
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Addiction as a brain disease revised: why it still matters, and the need for consilience. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1715-1723. [PMID: 33619327 PMCID: PMC8357831 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00950-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The view that substance addiction is a brain disease, although widely accepted in the neuroscience community, has become subject to acerbic criticism in recent years. These criticisms state that the brain disease view is deterministic, fails to account for heterogeneity in remission and recovery, places too much emphasis on a compulsive dimension of addiction, and that a specific neural signature of addiction has not been identified. We acknowledge that some of these criticisms have merit, but assert that the foundational premise that addiction has a neurobiological basis is fundamentally sound. We also emphasize that denying that addiction is a brain disease is a harmful standpoint since it contributes to reducing access to healthcare and treatment, the consequences of which are catastrophic. Here, we therefore address these criticisms, and in doing so provide a contemporary update of the brain disease view of addiction. We provide arguments to support this view, discuss why apparently spontaneous remission does not negate it, and how seemingly compulsive behaviors can co-exist with the sensitivity to alternative reinforcement in addiction. Most importantly, we argue that the brain is the biological substrate from which both addiction and the capacity for behavior change arise, arguing for an intensified neuroscientific study of recovery. More broadly, we propose that these disagreements reveal the need for multidisciplinary research that integrates neuroscientific, behavioral, clinical, and sociocultural perspectives.
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24
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Townsend EA, Kim RK, Robinson HL, Marsh SA, Banks ML, Hamilton PJ. Opioid withdrawal produces sex-specific effects on fentanyl-vs.-food choice and mesolimbic transcription. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 1:112-122. [PMID: 34458885 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2021.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Opioid withdrawal is a key driver of opioid addiction and an obstacle to recovery. However, withdrawal effects on opioid reinforcement and mesolimbic neuroadaptation are understudied and the role of sex is largely unknown. Methods Male (n=13) and female (n=12) rats responded under a fentanyl-vs.-food "choice" procedure during daily 2h sessions. In addition to the daily choice sessions, rats were provided extended access to fentanyl during 12h self-administration sessions. After two weeks of this self-administration regimen, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) of a subset of rats were subjected to RNA sequencing. In the remaining rats, a third week of this self-administration regimen was conducted, during which methadone effects on fentanyl-vs.-food choice were determined. Results Prior to opioid dependence, male and female rats similarly allocated responding between fentanyl and food. Abstinence from extended fentanyl access elicited similar increases in somatic withdrawal signs in both sexes. Despite similar withdrawal signs and extended access fentanyl intake, opioid withdrawal was accompanied by a maladaptive increase in fentanyl choice in males, but not females. Behavioral sex differences corresponded with a greater number of differentially expressed genes in the NAc and VTA of opioid-withdrawn females relative to males. Methadone blocked withdrawal-associated increases in fentanyl choice in males, but failed to further decrease fentanyl choice in females. Conclusions These results provide foundational evidence of sex-specific neuroadaptations to opioid withdrawal, which may be relevant to the female-specific resilience to withdrawal-associated increases in opioid choice and aid in the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Andrew Townsend
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
| | - R Kijoon Kim
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
| | - Hannah L Robinson
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
| | - Samuel A Marsh
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
| | - Matthew L Banks
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
| | - Peter J Hamilton
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
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25
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Heinsbroek JA, Giannotti G, Mandel MR, Josey M, Aston-Jones G, James MH, Peters J. A common limiter circuit for opioid choice and relapse identified in a rodent addiction model. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4788. [PMID: 34373454 PMCID: PMC8352904 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25080-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Activity in numerous brain regions drives heroin seeking, but no circuits that limit heroin seeking have been identified. Furthermore, the neural circuits controlling opioid choice are unknown. In this study, we examined the role of the infralimbic cortex (IL) to nucleus accumbens shell (NAshell) pathway during heroin choice and relapse. This model yielded subpopulations of heroin versus food preferring rats during choice, and choice was unrelated to subsequent relapse rates to heroin versus food cues, suggesting that choice and relapse are distinct behavioral constructs. Supporting this, inactivation of the IL with muscimol produced differential effects on opioid choice versus relapse. A pathway-specific chemogenetic approach revealed, however, that the IL-NAshell pathway acts as a common limiter of opioid choice and relapse. Furthermore, dendritic spines in IL-NAshell neurons encode distinct aspects of heroin versus food reinforcement. Thus, opioid choice and relapse share a common addiction-limiting circuit in the IL-NAshell pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasper A Heinsbroek
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Giuseppe Giannotti
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Mitchel R Mandel
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Megan Josey
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Gary Aston-Jones
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Morgan H James
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Piscataway, NJ, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Jamie Peters
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA. .,Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
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26
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Vanderschuren LJMJ, Ahmed SH. Animal Models of the Behavioral Symptoms of Substance Use Disorders. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2021; 11:cshperspect.a040287. [PMID: 32513674 PMCID: PMC8327824 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a040287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
To more effectively manage substance use disorders, it is imperative to understand the neural, genetic, and psychological underpinnings of addictive behavior. To contribute to this understanding, considerable efforts have been made to develop translational animal models that capture key behavioral characteristics of addiction on the basis of DSM5 criteria of substance use disorders. In this review, we summarize empirical evidence for the occurrence of addiction-like behavior in animals. These symptoms include escalation of drug use, neurocognitive deficits, resistance to extinction, exaggerated motivation for drugs, increased reinstatement of drug seeking after extinction, preference for drugs over nondrug rewards, and resistance to punishment. The occurrence of addiction-like behavior in laboratory animals has opened the opportunity to investigate the neural, genetic, and psychological background of key aspects of addiction, which may ultimately contribute to the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louk J M J Vanderschuren
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CM Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Serge H Ahmed
- Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux Neurocampus, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, CNRS UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
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27
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Domi E, Xu L, Toivainen S, Nordeman A, Gobbo F, Venniro M, Shaham Y, Messing RO, Visser E, van den Oever MC, Holm L, Barbier E, Augier E, Heilig M. A neural substrate of compulsive alcohol use. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/34/eabg9045. [PMID: 34407947 PMCID: PMC8373126 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg9045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol intake remains controlled in a majority of users but becomes "compulsive," i.e., continues despite adverse consequences, in a minority who develop alcohol addiction. Here, using a footshock-punished alcohol self-administration procedure, we screened a large population of outbred rats to identify those showing compulsivity operationalized as punishment-resistant self-administration. Using unsupervised clustering, we found that this behavior emerged as a stable trait in a subpopulation of rats and was associated with activity of a brain network that included central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). Activity of PKCδ+ inhibitory neurons in the lateral subdivision of CeA (CeL) accounted for ~75% of variance in punishment-resistant alcohol taking. Activity-dependent tagging, followed by chemogenetic inhibition of neurons activated during punishment-resistant self-administration, suppressed alcohol taking, as did a virally mediated shRNA knockdown of PKCδ in CeA. These findings identify a previously unknown mechanism for a core element of alcohol addiction and point to a novel candidate therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esi Domi
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping 581 85, Sweden.
| | - Li Xu
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping 581 85, Sweden
- Psychosomatic Medicine Center, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Sanne Toivainen
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping 581 85, Sweden
| | - Anton Nordeman
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping 581 85, Sweden
| | - Francesco Gobbo
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 1 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK
| | - Marco Venniro
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Robert O Messing
- Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research and Departments of Neuroscience and Neurology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Esther Visser
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Michel C van den Oever
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Lovisa Holm
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping 581 85, Sweden
| | - Estelle Barbier
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping 581 85, Sweden
| | - Eric Augier
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping 581 85, Sweden
| | - Markus Heilig
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping 581 85, Sweden
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28
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Keefer SE, Gyawali U, Calu DJ. Choose your path: Divergent basolateral amygdala efferents differentially mediate incentive motivation, flexibility and decision-making. Behav Brain Res 2021; 409:113306. [PMID: 33887310 PMCID: PMC8189324 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
To survive in a complex environment, individuals form associations between environmental stimuli and rewards to organize and optimize reward seeking behaviors. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) uses these learned associations to inform decision-making processes. In this review, we describe functional projections between BLA and its cortical and striatal targets that promote learning and motivational processes central to decision-making. Specifically, we compare and contrast divergent projections from the BLA to the orbitofrontal (OFC) and to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and examine the roles of these pathways in associative learning, value-guided decision-making, choice behaviors, as well as cue and context-driven drug seeking. Finally, we consider how these projections are involved in disorders of motivation, with a focus on Substance Use Disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara E Keefer
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Utsav Gyawali
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Donna J Calu
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.
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29
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Warlow SM, Berridge KC. Incentive motivation: 'wanting' roles of central amygdala circuitry. Behav Brain Res 2021; 411:113376. [PMID: 34023307 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) mediates positively-valenced reward motivation as well as negatively-valenced fear. Optogenetic or neurochemical stimulation of CeA circuitry can generate intense incentive motivation to pursue and consume a paired natural food, sex, or addictive drug reward, and even create maladaptive 'wanting what hurts' such as attraction to a shock rod. Evidence indicates CeA stimulations selectively amplify incentive motivation ('wanting') but not hedonic impact ('liking') of the same reward. Further, valence flips can occur for CeA contributions to motivational salience. That is, CeA stimulation can promote either incentive motivation or fearful motivation, even in the same individual, depending on situation. These findings may carry implications for understanding CeA roles in neuropsychiatric disorders involving aberrant motivational salience, ranging from addiction to paranoia and anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelley M Warlow
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Kent C Berridge
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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30
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Liu Y, McNally GP. Dopamine and relapse to drug seeking. J Neurochem 2021; 157:1572-1584. [PMID: 33486769 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The actions of dopamine are essential to relapse to drug seeking but we still lack a precise understanding of how dopamine achieves these effects. Here we review recent advances from animal models in understanding how dopamine controls relapse to drug seeking. These advances have been enabled by important developments in understanding the basic neurochemical, molecular, anatomical, physiological and functional properties of the major dopamine pathways in the mammalian brain. The literature shows that although different forms of relapse to seeking different drugs of abuse each depend on dopamine, there are distinct dopamine mechanisms for relapse. Different circuit-level mechanisms, different populations of dopamine neurons and different activity profiles within these dopamine neurons, are important for driving different forms of relapse. This diversity highlights the need to better understand when, where and how dopamine contributes to relapse behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Liu
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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31
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Canchy L, Girardeau P, Durand A, Vouillac-Mendoza C, Ahmed SH. Pharmacokinetics trumps pharmacodynamics during cocaine choice: a reconciliation with the dopamine hypothesis of addiction. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:288-296. [PMID: 32731253 PMCID: PMC7853096 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0786-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Cocaine is known to increase brain dopamine at supranormal levels in comparison to alternative nondrug rewards. According to the dopamine hypothesis of addiction, this abnormally large dopamine response would explain why cocaine use is initially highly rewarding and addictive. Though resting on solid neuroscientific foundations, this hypothesis has nevertheless proven difficult to reconcile with research on cocaine choice in experimental animals. When facing a choice between an intravenous bolus of cocaine and a nondrug alternative (e.g., sweet water), both delivered immediately after choice, rats do not choose the drug, as would be predicted, but instead develop a strong preference for the nondrug alternative. Here we report evidence that reconciles this finding with the dopamine hypothesis of addiction. First, a systematic literature analysis revealed that the delays of effects of intravenous cocaine on nucleus accumbens dopamine are of the order of tens of seconds and are considerably longer than those of nondrug reward. Second, this was confirmed by measuring response times to cocaine omission during self-administration as a behavioral proxy of these delays. Finally, when the influence of the drug delays was reduced during choice by adding an increasing delay to both the drug and nondrug rewards, rats shifted their choice to cocaine. Overall, this study suggests that cocaine is indeed supranormal in reward magnitude, as postulated by the dopamine hypothesis of addiction, but is less preferred during choice because its pharmacokinetics makes it an inherently more delayed reward than the alternative. Reframing previous drug choice studies in rats as intertemporal choice studies reveals that the discounting effects of delays spare no rewards, including supranormal ones, and that during choice, pharmacokinetics trumps pharmacodynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludivine Canchy
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
- CNRS, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Paul Girardeau
- Université de Bordeaux, UFR des Sciences Odontologiques, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Audrey Durand
- Imetronic®, 156 avenue Jean Jaurès, F-33600, Pessac, France
| | - Caroline Vouillac-Mendoza
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
- CNRS, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Serge H Ahmed
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.
- CNRS, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.
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32
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Chow JJ, Beckmann JS. Remifentanil-food choice follows predictions of relative subjective value. Drug Alcohol Depend 2021; 218:108369. [PMID: 33109461 PMCID: PMC7750270 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preclinical studies into drug vs. nondrug choice have emerged to better model and investigate the neurobehavioral mechanisms underlying drug preference. Current literature has suggested that drugs of abuse have inherently low value, thus promoting food preference. Herein, we examined remifentanil vs. food choice to test both the relative value hypothesis and the 'direct effects' (pharmacological effects of drugs on alternative reinforcers) hypothesis of opioid preference. METHODS Adult male rats were trained under two choice procedures (controlled vs. uncontrolled reinforcer frequency) for remifentanil vs. food choice. Furthermore, a series of procedural manipulations known to affect drug reinforcement were tested under both choice procedures. Using remifentanil self-administration data, pharmacokinetic profiles were calculated and analyzed to determine if opioid intake was related to opioid preference. RESULTS Both choice procedures produced dose-dependent preference. Moreover, procedural manipulations produced comparable changes in remifentanil preference under both choice procedures. In addition, calculated pharmacokinetic data revealed that preference was dissociable from intake under the controlled reinforcer frequency choice procedure. CONCLUSIONS When compared to the 'direct effects' hypothesis, remifentanil preference was better predicted by the relative value hypothesis, formalized in generalized matching. Use of a controlled reinforcer frequency schedule successfully removed the drug preference-intake confound found in most drug-choice procedures. Importantly, drug preference under the controlled reinforcer frequency schedule remained sensitive to procedural manipulations known to affect drug reinforcement. Thus, given that differential drug intake itself affects neurobiological measurements, future use of controlled reinforcer frequency schedules may help to better isolate the neurobehavioral mechanisms that mediate opioid preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J Chow
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 741 S. Limestone, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.
| | - Joshua S Beckmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 741 S. Limestone, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.
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33
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Ucha M, Roura-Martínez D, Ambrosio E, Higuera-Matas A. The role of the mTOR pathway in models of drug-induced reward and the behavioural constituents of addiction. J Psychopharmacol 2020; 34:1176-1199. [PMID: 32854585 DOI: 10.1177/0269881120944159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to drugs of abuse induces neuroadaptations in critical nodes of the so-called reward systems that are thought to mediate the transition from controlled drug use to the compulsive drug-seeking that characterizes addictive disorders. These neural adaptations are likely to require protein synthesis, which is regulated, among others, by the mechanistic target of the rapamycin kinase (mTOR) signalling cascade. METHODS We have performed a narrative review of the literature available in PubMed about the involvement of the mTOR pathway in drug-reward and addiction-related phenomena. AIMS The aim of this study was to review the underlying architecture of this complex intracellular network and to discuss the alterations of its components that are evident after exposure to drugs of abuse. The aim was also to delineate the effects that manipulations of the mTOR network have on models of drug reward and on paradigms that recapitulate some of the psychological components of addiction. RESULTS There is evidence for the involvement of the mTOR pathway in the acute and rewarding effects of drugs of abuse, especially psychostimulants. However, the data regarding opiates are scarce. There is a need to use sophisticated animal models of addiction to ascertain the real role of the mTOR pathway in this pathology and not just in drug-mediated reward. The involvement of this pathway in behavioural addictions and impulsivity should also be studied in detail in the future. CONCLUSIONS Although there is a plethora of data about the modulation of mTOR by drugs of abuse, the involvement of this signalling pathway in addictive disorders requires further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Ucha
- Department of Psychobiology, National University for Distance Learning (UNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - David Roura-Martínez
- Department of Psychobiology, National University for Distance Learning (UNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Emilio Ambrosio
- Department of Psychobiology, National University for Distance Learning (UNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Alejandro Higuera-Matas
- Department of Psychobiology, National University for Distance Learning (UNED), Madrid, Spain
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34
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Stimulation of muscarinic acetylcholine M 1 receptors reallocates choice between cocaine and an alternative reinforcer. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:1965-1966. [PMID: 32541906 PMCID: PMC7547686 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0733-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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35
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Huskinson SL. Unpredictability as a modulator of drug self-administration: Relevance for substance-use disorders. Behav Processes 2020; 178:104156. [PMID: 32526314 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Drug self-administration has been regarded as a gold-standard preclinical model of addiction and substance-use disorder (SUD). However, investigators are becoming increasingly aware, that certain aspects of addiction or SUDs experienced by humans are not accurately captured in our preclinical self-administration models. The current review will focus on two such aspects of current preclinical drug self-administration models: 1) Predictable vs. unpredictable drug access in terms of the time and effort put into obtaining drugs (i.e., response requirement) and drug quality (i.e., amount) and 2) rich vs. lean access to drugs. Some behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms that could contribute to excessive allocation of behavior toward drug-seeking and drug-taking at the expense of engaging in nondrug-related activities are discussed, and some directions for future research are identified. Based on the experiments reviewed, lean and unpredictable drug access could worsen drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior in individuals with SUDs. Once more fully explored, this area of research will help determine whether and how unpredictable and lean cost requirements affect drug self-administration in preclinical laboratory studies with nonhuman subjects and will help determine whether incorporating these conditions in current self-administration models will increase their predictive validity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally L Huskinson
- Division of Neurobiology and Behavior Research, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500N. State Street, Jackson, MS, 39216, United States.
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36
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Bornstein AM, Pickard H. "Chasing the first high": memory sampling in drug choice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:907-915. [PMID: 31896119 PMCID: PMC7162911 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0594-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Although vivid memories of drug experiences are prevalent within clinical contexts and addiction folklore ("chasing the first high"), little is known about the relevance of cognitive processes governing memory retrieval to substance use disorder. Drawing on recent work that identifies episodic memory's influence on decisions for reward, we propose a framework in which drug choices are biased by selective sampling of individual memories during two phases of addiction: (i) downward spiral into persistent use and (ii) relapse. Consideration of how memory retrieval influences the addiction process suggests novel treatment strategies. Rather than try to break learned associations between drug cues and drug rewards, treatment should aim to strengthen existing and/or create new associations between drug cues and drug-inconsistent rewards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron M Bornstein
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92617, USA.
- Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
- Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
| | - Hanna Pickard
- Department of Philosophy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
- Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
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37
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Gunawan T, Hachiga Y, Tripoli CS, Silberberg A, Kearns DN. Heroin choice depends on income level and economy type. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:1447-1457. [PMID: 31993695 PMCID: PMC7196508 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05471-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE In a previous study, investigating choice between heroin and a non-drug alternative in animals and reductions in income (i.e., choices/day) caused the percentage of income spent on heroin to progressively decrease. In contrast, another study found that humans with opioid use disorder spent the majority of their income on heroin even though they had little income. Comparison of these two studies suggests that the seemingly conflicting results could be explained by differences in the underlying economy types of the choice alternatives. OBJECTIVE The present experiment tested the hypothesis that the effect of income changes on choice between heroin and a non-drug alternative depends on economy type. METHODS Rats chose between heroin and saccharin under three income levels. For the Closed group, the choice session was the only opportunity to obtain these reinforcers. For the Heroin Open group and the Saccharin Open group, choice sessions were followed by 3-h periods of unlimited access to heroin or saccharin, respectively. RESULTS As income decreased, the Closed and Heroin Open groups, but not the Saccharin Open group, spent an increasingly greater percentage of income on saccharin than on heroin. The Saccharin Open group, compared to the other groups, spent a greater percentage of income on heroin as income decreased. CONCLUSIONS Results confirm that the effects of income and economy type can interact and this may explain the apparently discrepant results of earlier studies. More generally, findings suggest that situations where heroin choice has little consequence for consumption of non-drug alternatives may promote heroin use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommy Gunawan
- Psychology Department, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20016, USA
| | - Yosuke Hachiga
- Center for Decision Research, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Christopher S Tripoli
- Psychology Department, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20016, USA
| | - Alan Silberberg
- Psychology Department, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20016, USA
| | - David N Kearns
- Psychology Department, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20016, USA.
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38
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Ahmed SH, Badiani A, Miczek KA, Müller CP. Non-pharmacological factors that determine drug use and addiction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 110:3-27. [PMID: 30179633 PMCID: PMC6395570 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Based on their pharmacological properties, psychoactive drugs are supposed to take control of the natural reward system to finally drive compulsory drug seeking and consumption. However, psychoactive drugs are not used in an arbitrary way as pure pharmacological reinforcement would suggest, but rather in a highly specific manner depending on non-pharmacological factors. While pharmacological effects of psychoactive drugs are well studied, neurobiological mechanisms of non-pharmacological factors are less well understood. Here we review the emerging neurobiological mechanisms beyond pharmacological reinforcement which determine drug effects and use frequency. Important progress was made on the understanding of how the character of an environment and social stress determine drug self-administration. This is expanded by new evidence on how behavioral alternatives and opportunities for drug instrumentalization generate different patterns of drug choice. Emerging evidence suggests that the neurobiology of non-pharmacological factors strongly determines pharmacological and behavioral drug action and may, thus, give rise for an expanded system's approach of psychoactive drug use and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serge H Ahmed
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; CNRS, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Aldo Badiani
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; Sussex Addiction Research and Intervention Centre (SARIC), School of Psychology, University of Sussex, BN1 9RH Brighton, UK
| | - Klaus A Miczek
- Psychology Department, Tufts University, Bacon Hall, 530 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Christian P Müller
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Clinic, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6, 91054 Erlangen, Germany.
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Miller M, Kiverstein J, Rietveld E. Embodying addiction: A predictive processing account. Brain Cogn 2020; 138:105495. [PMID: 31877434 PMCID: PMC6983939 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2019.105495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
In this paper we show how addiction can be thought of as the outcome of learning. We look to the increasingly influential predictive processing theory for an account of how learning can go wrong in addiction. Perhaps counter intuitively, it is a consequence of this predictive processing perspective on addiction that while the brain plays a deep and important role in leading a person into addiction, it cannot be the whole story. We'll argue that predictive processing implies a view of addiction not as a brain disease, but rather as a breakdown in the dynamics of the wider agent-environment system. The environment becomes meaningfully organised around the agent's drug-seeking and using behaviours. Our account of addiction offers a new perspective on what is harmful about addiction. Philosophers often characterise addiction as a mental illness because addicts irrationally shift in their judgement of how they should act based on cues that predict drug use. We argue that predictive processing leads to a different view of what can go wrong in addiction. We suggest that addiction can prove harmful to the person because as their addiction progressively takes hold, the addict comes to embody a predictive model of the environment that fails to adequately attune them to a volatile, dynamic environment. The use of an addictive substance produces illusory feedback of being well-attuned to the environment when the reality is the opposite. This can be comforting for a person inhabiting a hostile niche, but it can also prove to be harmful to the person as they become skilled at living the life of an addict, to the neglect of all other alternatives. The harm in addiction we'll argue is not to be found in the brains of addicts, but in their way of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Miller
- Department of Informatics, University of Sussex, Sussex House, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RH, United Kingdom.
| | - Julian Kiverstein
- Amsterdam University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Erik Rietveld
- Amsterdam University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Philosophy, Institute for Logic, Language and Computation, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Philosophy, University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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40
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Role of nucleus accumbens core but not shell in incubation of methamphetamine craving after voluntary abstinence. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:256-265. [PMID: 31422417 PMCID: PMC6901530 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0479-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2019] [Revised: 08/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
We recently introduced an animal model to study incubation of drug craving after prolonged voluntary abstinence, mimicking the human condition of relapse after successful contingency management treatment. Here we studied the role of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in this model. We trained rats to self-administer a palatable solution (sucrose 1% + maltodextrin 1%, 6 h/day, 6 days) and methamphetamine (6 h/day, 12 days). We then evaluated relapse to methamphetamine seeking after 1 and 15 days of voluntary abstinence, achieved via a discrete choice procedure between the palatable solution and methamphetamine (14 days). We used RNAscope in-situ hybridization to quantify the colabeling of the neuronal activity marker Fos, and dopamine Drd1- and Drd2-expressing medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in NAc core and shell during the incubation tests. Next, we determined the effect of pharmacological inactivation of NAc core and shell by either GABAA and GABAB agonists (muscimol + baclofen, 50 + 50 ng/side), Drd1-Drd2 antagonist (flupenthixol, 10 µg/side), or the selective Drd1 or Drd2 antagonists (SCH39166, 1.0 µg/side or raclopride, 1.0 µg/side) during the relapse tests. Incubated methamphetamine seeking after voluntary abstinence was associated with a selective increase of Fos expression in the NAc core, but not shell, and Fos was colabeled with both Drd1- and Drd2-MSNs. NAc core, but not shell, injections of muscimol + baclofen, flupenthixol, SCH39166, and raclopride reduced methamphetamine seeking after 15 days of abstinence. Together, our results suggest that dopamine transmission through Drd1 and Drd2 in NAc core is critical to the incubation of methamphetamine craving after voluntary abstinence.
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Kuhn BN, Kalivas PW, Bobadilla AC. Understanding Addiction Using Animal Models. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:262. [PMID: 31849622 PMCID: PMC6895146 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug addiction is a neuropsychiatric disorder with grave personal consequences that has an extraordinary global economic impact. Despite decades of research, the options available to treat addiction are often ineffective because our rudimentary understanding of drug-induced pathology in brain circuits and synaptic physiology inhibits the rational design of successful therapies. This understanding will arise first from animal models of addiction where experimentation at the level of circuits and molecular biology is possible. We will review the most common preclinical models of addictive behavior and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each. This includes non-contingent models in which animals are passively exposed to rewarding substances, as well as widely used contingent models such as drug self-administration and relapse. For the latter, we elaborate on the different ways of mimicking craving and relapse, which include using acute stress, drug administration or exposure to cues and contexts previously paired with drug self-administration. We further describe paradigms where drug-taking is challenged by alternative rewards, such as appetitive foods or social interaction. In an attempt to better model the individual vulnerability to drug abuse that characterizes human addiction, the field has also established preclinical paradigms in which drug-induced behaviors are ranked by various criteria of drug use in the presence of negative consequences. Separation of more vulnerable animals according to these criteria, along with other innate predispositions including goal- or sign-tracking, sensation-seeking behavior or impulsivity, has established individual genetic susceptibilities to developing drug addiction and relapse vulnerability. We further examine current models of behavioral addictions such as gambling, a disorder included in the DSM-5, and exercise, mentioned in the DSM-5 but not included yet due to insufficient peer-reviewed evidence. Finally, after reviewing the face validity of the aforementioned models, we consider the most common standardized tests used by pharmaceutical companies to assess the addictive potential of a drug during clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany N Kuhn
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Peter W Kalivas
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Ana-Clara Bobadilla
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
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42
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Fat Addiction: Psychological and Physiological Trajectory. Nutrients 2019; 11:nu11112785. [PMID: 31731681 PMCID: PMC6893421 DOI: 10.3390/nu11112785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Obesity has become a major public health concern worldwide due to its high social and economic burden, caused by its related comorbidities, impacting physical and mental health. Dietary fat is an important source of energy along with its rewarding and reinforcing properties. The nutritional recommendations for dietary fat vary from one country to another; however, the dietary reference intake (DRI) recommends not consuming more than 35% of total calories as fat. Food rich in fat is hyperpalatable, and is liable to be consumed in excess amounts. Food addiction as a concept has gained traction in recent years, as some aspects of addiction have been demonstrated for certain varieties of food. Fat addiction can be a diagnosable condition, which has similarities with the construct of addictive disorders, and is distinct from eating disorders or normal eating behaviors. Psychological vulnerabilities like attentional biases have been identified in individuals described to be having such addiction. Animal models have provided an opportunity to explore this concept in an experimental setting. This discussion sheds light on fat addiction, and explores its physiological and psychological implications. The discussion attempts to collate the emerging literature on addiction to fat rich diets as a prominent subset of food addiction. It aims at addressing the clinical relevance at the community level, the psychological correlates of such fat addiction, and the current physiological research directions.
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43
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Townsend EA, Negus SS, Caine SB, Thomsen M, Banks ML. Sex differences in opioid reinforcement under a fentanyl vs. food choice procedure in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:2022-2029. [PMID: 30818323 PMCID: PMC6898628 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0356-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2018] [Revised: 02/02/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Clinical evidence suggest that men are more sensitive than women to the abuse-related effects of mu-opioid agonists. In contrast, preclinical studies suggest the opposite sex difference. The aim of the present study was to clarify this discrepancy using a fentanyl vs. diluted Ensure® choice procedure to assess sex differences in opioid reinforcement. Sex differences in intravenous (IV) fentanyl self-administration were examined under a fixed-ratio (FR5) schedule, a multi-day progressive-ratio (PR) schedule for behavioral economic analysis, and a concurrent (choice) schedule of fentanyl and diluted Ensure® reinforcement in Sprague-Dawley male and female rats. The fentanyl dose-effect function under the FR5 schedule was significantly shifted upward in females compared to males. Similarly, the reinforcing effectiveness of both fentanyl (3.2 and 10 µg/kg per injection, IV) and diluted Ensure® (18 and 56%) were greater in females than in males as assessed using behavioral economic analysis, irrespective of dose or concentration. However, under a fentanyl vs. foodchoice procedure, males chose 3.2 µg/kg per injection fentanyl injections over 18%, but not 56%, diluted Ensure® at a higher percentage compared to females. Overall, these results suggest that the expression of sex differences in opioid reinforcement depends upon the schedule of reinforcement and that preclinical opioid vs. food choice procedures provide a translationally relevant measure (i.e., behavioral allocation) consistent with the direction of sex differences reported in the clinical literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Andrew Townsend
- 0000 0004 0458 8737grid.224260.0Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA
| | - S. Stevens Negus
- 0000 0004 0458 8737grid.224260.0Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA
| | - S. Barak Caine
- 0000 0000 8795 072Xgrid.240206.2McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA USA
| | - Morgane Thomsen
- 0000 0004 0631 4836grid.466916.aPsychiatric Center Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Matthew L. Banks
- 0000 0004 0458 8737grid.224260.0Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA USA
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44
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Beckmann JS, Chow JJ, Hutsell BA. Cocaine-associated decision-making: Toward isolating preference. Neuropharmacology 2019; 153:142-152. [PMID: 30905612 PMCID: PMC7716654 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Ever-increasing evidence suggests that substance use disorder is mediated by decision-making processes, and as such, providing nondrug alternatives can shift maladaptive preferences away from drug reinforcers, such as cocaine. Of note, a recent hypothesis suggests that preference for cocaine is simply a byproduct of cocaine intake, such that the 'direct' effects of cocaine weaken the impact of non-drug alternatives while measuring choice. Conversely, existing quantitative theories of decision-making suggest preference is determined by various dimensions of concurrent reinforcers that in turn determine the relative value of available alternatives. Toward teasing apart the conflicting theories above, we developed a novel drug-choice procedure to control for reinforcer frequency and magnitude (two reinforcer dimensions well known to influence preference) that consequently controls for overall cocaine intake. As predicted by quantitative choice theory, results suggest that cocaine intake and preference are dissociable while measuring choice, with reinforcer frequency and magnitude having independent influence on the relative value of choice alternatives. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the choice procedure is sensitive to various manipulations known to alter cocaine reinforcement, all while keeping cocaine intake constant. Finally, the results point to the process of economic substitution as an important avenue of future neurobehavioral investigation toward the improvement of behavioral and pharmacological therapies for substance use disorders. Overall, the proposed choice procedure will allow for improved isolation of the neurobehavioral processes that mediate drug-associated decision-making in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua S Beckmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 741 S. Limestone, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.
| | - Jonathan J Chow
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 741 S. Limestone, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.
| | - Blake A Hutsell
- Department of Psychology, Eastern Carolina University, Rawl 222, Mail Stop 565, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA.
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45
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Guillem K, Ahmed SH. Preference for Cocaine is Represented in the Orbitofrontal Cortex by an Increased Proportion of Cocaine Use-Coding Neurons. Cereb Cortex 2019; 28:819-832. [PMID: 28057724 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cocaine addiction is a harmful preference for drug use over and at the expense of other nondrug-related activities. Here we identify in the rat orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) a mechanism that explains individual preferences between cocaine use and an alternative, nondrug action. OFC neuronal activity was recorded while rats performed each of these 2 actions separately or while they chose between them. First, we found that these actions are encoded by 2 nonoverlapping neuronal populations and that the relative size of the cocaine population represented individual preferences. A larger relative size was only observed in cocaine-preferring individuals. Second, OFC neurons encoding a given individual's preferred action progressively fired more than other action-coding neurons few seconds before the preferred action was actually chosen, suggesting a prechoice neuronal competition for action selection. In cocaine-preferring rats, this manifested by a prechoice ramping-up activity in favor of the cocaine population. Finally, pharmacological manipulation of prechoice activity in favor of the cocaine population caused nondrug-preferring rats to shift their choice to cocaine. Overall, this study suggests that an individual preference for cocaine is represented in the OFC by a population size bias that systematically advantages cocaine use-coding neurons during prechoice competition for action selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Guillem
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33000 Bordeaux, France.,CNRS, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Serge H Ahmed
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33000 Bordeaux, France.,CNRS, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
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46
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Intrinsic Insular-Frontal Networks Predict Future Nicotine Dependence Severity. J Neurosci 2019; 39:5028-5037. [PMID: 30992371 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0140-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Although 60% of the US population have tried smoking cigarettes, only 16% smoke regularly. Identifying this susceptible subset of the population before the onset of nicotine dependence may encourage targeted early interventions to prevent regular smoking and/or minimize severity. While prospective neuroimaging in human populations can be challenging, preclinical neuroimaging models before chronic nicotine administration can help to develop translational biomarkers of disease risk. Chronic, intermittent nicotine (0, 1.2, or 4.8 mg/kg/d; N = 10-11/group) was administered to male Sprague Dawley rats for 14 d; dependence severity was quantified using precipitated withdrawal behaviors collected before, during, and following forced nicotine abstinence. Resting-state fMRI functional connectivity (FC) before drug administration was subjected to a graph theory analytical framework to form a predictive model of subsequent individual differences in nicotine dependence. Whole-brain modularity analysis identified five modules in the rat brain. A metric of intermodule connectivity, participation coefficient, of an identified insular-frontal cortical module predicted subsequent dependence severity, independent of nicotine dose. To better spatially isolate this effect, this module was subjected to a secondary exploratory modularity analysis, which segregated it into three submodules (frontal-motor, insular, and sensory). Higher FC among these three submodules and three of the five originally identified modules (striatal, frontal-executive, and sensory association) also predicted dependence severity. These data suggest that predispositional, intrinsic differences in circuit strength between insular-frontal-based brain networks before drug exposure may identify those at highest risk for the development of nicotine dependence.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Developing biomarkers of individuals at high risk for addiction before the onset of this brain-based disease is essential for prevention, early intervention, and/or subsequent treatment decisions. Using a rodent model of nicotine dependence and a novel data-driven, network-based analysis of resting-state fMRI data collected before drug exposure, functional connections centered on an intrinsic insular-frontal module predicted the severity of nicotine dependence after drug exposure. The predictive capacity of baseline network measures was specific to inter-regional but not within-region connectivity. While insular and frontal regions have consistently been implicated in nicotine dependence, this is the first study to reveal that innate, individual differences in their circuit strength have the predictive capacity to identify those at greatest risk for and resilience to drug dependence.
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Muguruza C, Redon B, Fois GR, Hurel I, Scocard A, Nguyen C, Stevens C, Soria-Gomez E, Varilh M, Cannich A, Daniault J, Busquets-Garcia A, Pelliccia T, Caillé S, Georges F, Marsicano G, Chaouloff F. The motivation for exercise over palatable food is dictated by cannabinoid type-1 receptors. JCI Insight 2019; 4:126190. [PMID: 30843884 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.126190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The lack of intrinsic motivation to engage in, and adhere to, physical exercise has major health consequences. However, the neurobiological bases of exercise motivation are still unknown. This study aimed at examining whether the endocannabinoid system (ECS) is involved in this process. To do so, we developed an operant conditioning paradigm wherein mice unlocked a running wheel with nose pokes. Using pharmacological tools and conditional mutants for cannabinoid type-1 (CB1) receptors, we provide evidence that CB1 receptors located on GABAergic neurons are both necessary and sufficient to positively control running motivation. Conversely, this receptor population proved dispensable for the modulation of running duration per rewarded sequence. Although the ECS mediated the motivation for another reward, namely palatable food, such a regulation was independent from CB1 receptors on GABAergic neurons. In addition, we report that the lack of CB1 receptors on GABAergic neurons decreases the preference for running over palatable food when mice were proposed an exclusive choice between the two rewards. Beyond providing a paradigm that enables motivation processes for exercise to be dissected either singly or in concurrence, this study is the first to our knowledge to identify a neurobiological mechanism that might contribute to sedentary behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Muguruza
- Endocannabinoids and NeuroAdaptation, NeuroCentre INSERM U1215, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.,Department of Pharmacology, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Bastien Redon
- Endocannabinoids and NeuroAdaptation, NeuroCentre INSERM U1215, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Giulia R Fois
- Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.,Neurodegenerative Diseases Institute, CNRS UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
| | - Imane Hurel
- Endocannabinoids and NeuroAdaptation, NeuroCentre INSERM U1215, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Amandine Scocard
- Endocannabinoids and NeuroAdaptation, NeuroCentre INSERM U1215, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Claire Nguyen
- Endocannabinoids and NeuroAdaptation, NeuroCentre INSERM U1215, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.,Neurosciences Paris Seine, CNRS UMR 8246, Paris, France
| | - Christopher Stevens
- Endocannabinoids and NeuroAdaptation, NeuroCentre INSERM U1215, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Edgar Soria-Gomez
- Endocannabinoids and NeuroAdaptation, NeuroCentre INSERM U1215, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.,IKERBASQUE Foundation, University of the Basque Country, Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain
| | - Marjorie Varilh
- Endocannabinoids and NeuroAdaptation, NeuroCentre INSERM U1215, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Astrid Cannich
- Endocannabinoids and NeuroAdaptation, NeuroCentre INSERM U1215, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Justine Daniault
- Endocannabinoids and NeuroAdaptation, NeuroCentre INSERM U1215, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Arnau Busquets-Garcia
- Endocannabinoids and NeuroAdaptation, NeuroCentre INSERM U1215, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Teresa Pelliccia
- Endocannabinoids and NeuroAdaptation, NeuroCentre INSERM U1215, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.,Dipartimento di Medicina Moleculare e dello Sviluppo, Universita di Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Stéphanie Caillé
- Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.,Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, CNRS UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - François Georges
- Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.,Neurodegenerative Diseases Institute, CNRS UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
| | - Giovanni Marsicano
- Endocannabinoids and NeuroAdaptation, NeuroCentre INSERM U1215, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Francis Chaouloff
- Endocannabinoids and NeuroAdaptation, NeuroCentre INSERM U1215, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
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Reiner DJ, Fredriksson I, Lofaro OM, Bossert JM, Shaham Y. Relapse to opioid seeking in rat models: behavior, pharmacology and circuits. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:465-477. [PMID: 30293087 PMCID: PMC6333846 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0234-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2018] [Revised: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Lifetime relapse rates remain a major obstacle in addressing the current opioid crisis. Relapse to opioid use can be modeled in rodent studies where drug self-administration is followed by a period of abstinence and a subsequent test for drug seeking. Abstinence can be achieved through extinction training, forced abstinence, or voluntary abstinence. Voluntary abstinence can be accomplished by introducing adverse consequences of continued drug self-administration (e.g., punishment or electric barrier) or by introducing an alternative nondrug reward in a discrete choice procedure (drug versus palatable food or social interaction). In this review, we first discuss pharmacological and circuit mechanisms of opioid seeking, as assessed in the classical extinction-reinstatement model, where reinstatement is induced by reexposure to the self-administered drug (drug priming), discrete cues, discriminative cues, drug-associated contexts, different forms of stress, or withdrawal states. Next, we discuss pharmacological and circuit mechanisms of relapse after forced or voluntary abstinence, including the phenomenon of "incubation of heroin craving" (the time-dependent increases in heroin seeking during abstinence). We conclude by discussing future directions of preclinical relapse-related studies using opioid drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J. Reiner
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, IRP-NIDA-NIH, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Ida Fredriksson
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, IRP-NIDA-NIH, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Olivia M. Lofaro
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, IRP-NIDA-NIH, Baltimore, MD USA
| | | | - Yavin Shaham
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, IRP-NIDA-NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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49
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Ruisoto P, Contador I. The role of stress in drug addiction. An integrative review. Physiol Behav 2019; 202:62-68. [PMID: 30711532 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The high prevalence and burden to society of drug abuse and addiction is undisputed. However, its conceptualisation as a brain disease is controversial, and available interventions insufficient. Research on the role of stress in drug addiction may bridge positions and develop more effective interventions. AIM The aim of this paper is to integrate the most influential literature to date on the role of stress in drug addiction. METHODS A literature search was conducted of the core collections of Web of Science and Semantic Scholar on the topic of stress and addiction from a neurobiological perspective in humans. The most frequently cited articles and related references published in the last decade were finally redrafted into a narrative review based on 130 full-text articles. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION First, a brief overview of the neurobiology of stress and drug addiction is provided. Then, the role of stress in drug addiction is described. Stress is conceptualised as a major source of allostatic load, which result in progressive long-term changes in the brain, leading to a drug-prone state characterized by craving and increased risk of relapse. The effects of stress on drug addiction are mainly mediated by the action of corticotropin-releasing factor and other stress hormones, which weaken the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex and strengthen the amygdala, leading to a negative emotional state, craving and lack of executive control, increasing the risk of relapse. Both, drugs and stress result in an allostatic overload responsible for neuroadaptations involved in most of the key features of addiction: reward anticipation/craving, negative affect, and impaired executive functions, involved in three stages of addiction and relapse. CONCLUSION This review elucidates the crucial role of stress in drug addiction and highlights the need to incorporate the social context where brain-behaviour relationships unfold into the current model of addition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Ruisoto
- Department of Psychobiology, Methodology and Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Psychology, University of Salamanca, Spain.
| | - Israel Contador
- Department of Psychobiology, Methodology and Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Psychology, University of Salamanca, Spain
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Farrell MR, Schoch H, Mahler SV. Modeling cocaine relapse in rodents: Behavioral considerations and circuit mechanisms. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2018; 87:33-47. [PMID: 29305936 PMCID: PMC6034989 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Revised: 12/18/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder, in that most addicted individuals who choose to quit taking drugs fail to maintain abstinence in the long-term. Relapse is especially likely when recovering addicts encounter risk factors like small "priming" doses of drug, stress, or drug-associated cues and locations. In rodents, these same factors reinstate cocaine seeking after a period of abstinence, and extensive preclinical work has used priming, stress, or cue reinstatement models to uncover brain circuits underlying cocaine reinstatement. Here, we review common rat models of cocaine relapse, and discuss how specific features of each model influence the neural circuits recruited during reinstated drug seeking. To illustrate this point, we highlight the surprisingly specific roles played by ventral pallidum subcircuits in cocaine seeking reinstated by either cocaine-associated cues, or cocaine itself. One goal of such studies is to identify, and eventually to reverse the specific circuit activity that underlies the inability of some humans to control their drug use. Based on preclinical findings, we posit that circuit activity in humans also differs based on the triggers that precipitate craving and relapse, and that associated neural responses could help predict the triggers most likely to elicit relapse in a given person. If so, examining circuit activity could facilitate diagnosis of subgroups of addicted people, allowing individualized treatment based on the most problematic risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell R Farrell
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, 1203 McGaugh Hall, Irvine, United States
| | - Hannah Schoch
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, 1203 McGaugh Hall, Irvine, United States
| | - Stephen V Mahler
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, 1203 McGaugh Hall, Irvine, United States.
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