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Deng J, Chen L, Liu CC, Liu M, Guo GQ, Wei JY, Zhang JB, Fan HT, Zheng ZK, Yan P, Zhang XZ, Zhou F, Huang SX, Zhang JF, Xu T, Xie JD, Xin WJ. Distinct Thalamo-Subcortical Circuits Underlie Painful Behavior and Depression-Like Behavior Following Nerve Injury. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024:e2401855. [PMID: 38973158 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202401855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
Clinically, chronic pain and depression often coexist in multiple diseases and reciprocally reinforce each other, which greatly escalates the difficulty of treatment. The neural circuit mechanism underlying the chronic pain/depression comorbidity remains unclear. The present study reports that two distinct subregions in the paraventricular thalamus (PVT) play different roles in this pathological process. In the first subregion PVT posterior (PVP), glutamatergic neurons (PVPGlu) send signals to GABAergic neurons (VLPAGGABA) in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (VLPAG), which mediates painful behavior in comorbidity. Meanwhile, in another subregion PVT anterior (PVA), glutamatergic neurons (PVAGlu) send signals to the nucleus accumbens D1-positive neurons and D2-positive neurons (NAcD1→D2), which is involved in depression-like behavior in comorbidity. This study demonstrates that the distinct thalamo-subcortical circuits PVPGlu→VLPAGGABA and PVAGlu→NAcD1→D2 mediated painful behavior and depression-like behavior following spared nerve injury (SNI), respectively, which provides the circuit-based potential targets for preventing and treating comorbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Deng
- Department of Physiology and Pain Research Center, Neuroscience Program, Zhongshan School of Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Li Chen
- Department of Physiology and Pain Research Center, Neuroscience Program, Zhongshan School of Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Cui-Cui Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Meng Liu
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, Guangzhou, 510000, China
| | - Guo-Qing Guo
- Neuroscience Laboratory for Cognitive and Developmental Disorders, Department of Anatomy, Medical College of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Jia-You Wei
- Department of Physiology and Pain Research Center, Neuroscience Program, Zhongshan School of Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Jian-Bo Zhang
- Department of Pain Medicine, The State Key Clinical Specialty in Pain Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Hai-Ting Fan
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Zi-Kun Zheng
- Department of Electronic Engineering, Shantou University, Shantou, 515063, China
| | - Pu Yan
- Department of Hematology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Xiang-Zhong Zhang
- Department of Hematology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Feng Zhou
- Department of Neurology, First people's hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong, 510168, China
| | - Sui-Xiang Huang
- Department of Pain Medicine, Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital Affiliated to Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Ji-Feng Zhang
- Neuroscience Laboratory for Cognitive and Developmental Disorders, Department of Anatomy, Medical College of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Ting Xu
- Department of Physiology and Pain Research Center, Neuroscience Program, Zhongshan School of Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Jing-Dun Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Collaborative Innovation for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, China
| | - Wen-Jun Xin
- Department of Physiology and Pain Research Center, Neuroscience Program, Zhongshan School of Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
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2
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Zhao X, Hu A, Wang Y, Zhao T, Xiang X. Paraventricular thalamus to nucleus accumbens circuit activation decreases long-term relapse of alcohol-seeking behaviour in male mice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024; 237:173726. [PMID: 38360104 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Some studies have highlighted the crucial role of aversion in addiction treatment. The pathway from the anterior paraventricular thalamus (PVT) to the shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) has been reported as an essential regulatory pathway for processing aversion and is also closely associated with substance addiction. However, its impact on alcohol addiction has been relatively underexplored. Therefore, this study focused on the role of the PVT-NAc pathway in the formation and relapse of alcohol addiction-like behaviour, offering a new perspective on the mechanisms of alcohol addiction. RESULTS The chemogenetic inhibition of the PVT-NAc pathway in male mice resulted in a notable decrease in the establishment of ethanol-induced conditioned place aversion (CPA), and NAc-projecting PVT neurons were recruited due to aversive effects. Conversely, activation of the PVT-NAc pathway considerably impeded the formation of ethanol-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). Furthermore, during the memory reconsolidation phase, activation of this pathway effectively disrupted the animals' preference for alcohol-associated contexts. Whether it was administered urgently 24 h later or after a long-term withdrawal of 10 days, a low dose of alcohol could still not induce the reinstatement of ethanol-induced CPP. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrated PVT-NAc circuit processing aversion, which may be one of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying aversive counterconditioning, and highlighted potential targets for inhibiting the development of alcohol addiction-like behaviour and relapse after long-term withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxi Zhao
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, The second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Aqian Hu
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, The second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Yanyan Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, The second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Tianshu Zhao
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, The second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Xiaojun Xiang
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, The second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan, China.
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Zhao J, Zhang G, Xu D. The effect of reward on motor learning: different stage, different effect. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 18:1381935. [PMID: 38532789 PMCID: PMC10963647 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1381935] [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: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Motor learning is a prominent and extensively studied subject in rehabilitation following various types of neurological disorders. Motor repair and rehabilitation often extend over months and years post-injury with a slow pace of recovery, particularly affecting the fine movements of the distal extremities. This extended period can diminish the motivation and persistence of patients, a facet that has historically been overlooked in motor learning until recent years. Reward, including monetary compensation, social praise, video gaming, music, and virtual reality, is currently garnering heightened attention for its potential to enhance motor motivation and improve function. Numerous studies have examined the effects and attempted to explore potential mechanisms in various motor paradigms, yet they have yielded inconsistent or even contradictory results and conclusions. A comprehensive review is necessary to summarize studies on the effects of rewards on motor learning and to deduce a central pattern from these existing studies. Therefore, in this review, we initially outline a framework of motor learning considering two major types, two major components, and three stages. Subsequently, we summarize the effects of rewards on different stages of motor learning within the mentioned framework and analyze the underlying mechanisms at the level of behavior or neural circuit. Reward accelerates learning speed and enhances the extent of learning during the acquisition and consolidation stages, possibly by regulating the balance between the direct and indirect pathways (activating more D1-MSN than D2-MSN) of the ventral striatum and by increasing motor dynamics and kinematics. However, the effect varies depending on several experimental conditions. During the retention stage, there is a consensus that reward enhances both short-term and long-term memory retention in both types of motor learning, attributed to the LTP learning mechanism mediated by the VTA-M1 dopaminergic projection. Reward is a promising enhancer to bolster waning confidence and motivation, thereby increasing the efficiency of motor learning and rehabilitation. Further exploration of the circuit and functional connections between reward and the motor loop may provide a novel target for neural modulation to promote motor behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwang Zhao
- School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Guanghu Zhang
- School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Dongsheng Xu
- School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Engineering Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine Intelligent Rehabilitation, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai, China
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McDevitt DS, Wade QW, McKendrick GE, Nelsen J, Starostina M, Tran N, Blendy JA, Graziane NM. The Paraventricular Thalamic Nucleus and Its Projections in Regulating Reward and Context Associations. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0524-23.2024. [PMID: 38351131 PMCID: PMC10883411 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0524-23.2024] [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: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
The paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVT) is a brain region that mediates aversive and reward-related behaviors as shown in animals exposed to fear conditioning, natural rewards, or drugs of abuse. However, it is unknown whether manipulations of the PVT, in the absence of external factors or stimuli (e.g., fear, natural rewards, or drugs of abuse), are sufficient to drive reward-related behaviors. Additionally, it is unknown whether drugs of abuse administered directly into the PVT are sufficient to drive reward-related behaviors. Here, using behavioral as well as pathway and cell-type specific approaches, we manipulate PVT activity as well as the PVT-to-nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) neurocircuit to explore reward phenotypes. First, we show that bath perfusion of morphine (10 µM) caused hyperpolarization of the resting membrane potential, increased rheobase, and decreased intrinsic membrane excitability in PVT neurons that project to the NAcSh. Additionally, we found that direct injections of morphine (50 ng) in the PVT of mice were sufficient to generate conditioned place preference (CPP) for the morphine-paired chamber. Mimicking the inhibitory effect of morphine, we employed a chemogenetic approach to inhibit PVT neurons that projected to the NAcSh and found that pairing the inhibition of these PVT neurons with a specific context evoked the acquisition of CPP. Lastly, using brain slice electrophysiology, we found that bath-perfused morphine (10 µM) significantly reduced PVT excitatory synaptic transmission on both dopamine D1 and D2 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons in the NAcSh, but that inhibiting PVT afferents in the NAcSh was not sufficient to evoke CPP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dillon S McDevitt
- Neuroscience Program, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033
| | - Quinn W Wade
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033
| | - Greer E McKendrick
- Neuroscience Program, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033
| | - Jacob Nelsen
- Doctor of Medicine Program, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033
| | - Mariya Starostina
- Doctor of Medicine Program, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033
| | - Nam Tran
- Doctor of Medicine Program, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033
| | - Julie A Blendy
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Nicholas M Graziane
- Departments of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine and Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033
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Engeli EJE, Russo AG, Ponticorvo S, Zoelch N, Hock A, Hulka LM, Kirschner M, Preller KH, Seifritz E, Quednow BB, Esposito F, Herdener M. Accumbal-thalamic connectivity and associated glutamate alterations in human cocaine craving: A state-dependent rs-fMRI and 1H-MRS study. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 39:103490. [PMID: 37639901 PMCID: PMC10474092 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103490] [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: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Craving is a core symptom of cocaine use disorder and a major factor for relapse risk. To date, there is no pharmacological therapy to treat this disease or at least to alleviate cocaine craving as a core symptom. In animal models, impaired prefrontal-striatal signalling leading to altered glutamate release in the nucleus accumbens appear to be the prerequisite for cocaine-seeking. Thus, those network and metabolic changes may constitute the underlying mechanisms for cocaine craving and provide a potential treatment target. In humans, there is recent evidence for corresponding glutamatergic alterations in the nucleus accumbens, however, the underlying network disturbances that lead to this glutamate imbalance remain unknown. In this state-dependent randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, cross-over multimodal study, resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging in combination with small-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (voxel size: 9.4 × 18.8 × 8.4 mm3) was applied to assess network-level and associated neurometabolic changes during a non-craving and a craving state, induced by a custom-made cocaine-cue film, in 18 individuals with cocaine use disorder and 23 healthy individuals. Additionally, we assessed the potential impact of a short-term challenge of N-acetylcysteine, known to normalize disturbed glutamate homeostasis and to thereby reduce cocaine-seeking in animal models of addiction, compared to a placebo. We found increased functional connectivity between the nucleus accumbens and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during the cue-induced craving state. However, those changes were not linked to alterations in accumbal glutamate levels. Whereas we additionally found increased functional connectivity between the nucleus accumbens and a midline part of the thalamus during the cue-induced craving state. Furthermore, obsessive thinking about cocaine and the actual intensity of cocaine use were predictive of cue-induced functional connectivity changes between the nucleus accumbens and the thalamus. Finally, the increase in accumbal-thalamic connectivity was also coupled with craving-related glutamate rise in the nucleus accumbens. Yet, N-acetylcysteine had no impact on craving-related changes in functional connectivity. Together, these results suggest that connectivity changes within the fronto-accumbal-thalamic loop, in conjunction with impaired glutamatergic transmission, underlie cocaine craving and related clinical symptoms, pinpointing the thalamus as a crucial hub for cocaine craving in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Etna J E Engeli
- Centre for Addictive Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Andrea G Russo
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Sara Ponticorvo
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minnesota, United States
| | - Niklaus Zoelch
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Institute of Forensic Medicine, Department of Forensic Medicine and Imaging, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Hock
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lea M Hulka
- Centre for Addictive Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Kirschner
- Transdiagnostic and Multimodal Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin H Preller
- Pharmaco-Neuroimaging and Cognitive-Emotional Processing, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Boris B Quednow
- Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Fabrizio Esposito
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Marcus Herdener
- Centre for Addictive Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Robison AJ. Histamine Regulates Accumbens Microcircuits: An Arousing Finding for Addiction Research. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 93:964-965. [PMID: 37197836 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alfred J Robison
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
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7
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Amohashemi E, Reisi P, Alaei H. The role of NMDA glutamate receptors in the lateral habenula on morphine-induced conditioned place preference in rats. Synapse 2023. [PMID: 37122079 DOI: 10.1002/syn.22273] [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: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
The lateral habenula (LHb) has received special attention due to its role in modulating motivated behavior, stress response, and rewarding and aversive stimuli through monoamine transmission. In the present study, the involvement of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors of the LHb in the expression and acquisition phases of morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) was studied in male rats. Bilateral injections of agonist/antagonist (MK-801) of NMDA receptor were performed during the conditioning sessions of the acquisition phase. In other separate groups, drugs were also injected into the LHb before the test session during the expression phase of CPP. A 5-day CPP bias paradigm was used to study the effect of injections of NMDA and MK-801 into the LHb on morphine reward-related behavior. Different doses of NMDA plus morphine reduced the CPP score during the acquisition phase, whereas MK-801 significantly increased conditioning scores during the acquisition phase of CPP. The injection of agonists and antagonists of NMDA receptors in LHb had no significant effect on CPP scores and locomotion during the expression phase of CPP, whereas the motor activity in the acquisition phase was affected by the drugs. The reduction effect of NMDA on the CPP scores during the acquisition phase was blocked by pretreatment with MK-801. Our findings also suggest that NMDA receptors in the LHb may be involved in the acquisition phase of morphine-induced CPP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elahe Amohashemi
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Parham Reisi
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Hojjatallah Alaei
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
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Cox SS, Reichel CM. The intersection of empathy and addiction. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2023; 222:173509. [PMID: 36565789 PMCID: PMC10518853 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2022.173509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Empathy, the ability to perceive the affective state of another, is a complex process that is integral to many of the prosocial behaviors expressed in humans and across the animal kingdom. Research into the behavioral and neurobiological underpinnings of empathic behaviors has increased in recent years. Growing evidence suggests changes in empathy may contribute to a myriad of psychiatric illnesses, including substance use disorder (SUD). Indeed, both clinical and preclinical research in SUD demonstrates a strong relationship between drug taking or relapse events and changes to empathic behavior. Further, there is significant overlap in the underlying neural substrates of these complex behaviors, including the insula, paraventricular nucleus of thalamus (PVT), and the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). In this review, we will discuss our current understanding of the interplay between empathic behaviors and SUD. We will also examine the underlying neurobiology that may regulate this interaction, focusing specifically on the insula, PVT, and PVN. Finally, we discuss the biologic and therapeutic importance of taking empathic processes into consideration when discussing SUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stewart S Cox
- Medical University of South Carolina, Dept. of Neurosciences, United States of America.
| | - Carmela M Reichel
- Medical University of South Carolina, Dept. of Neurosciences, United States of America.
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Zhang J, Song C, Dai J, Li L, Yang X, Chen Z. Mechanism of opioid addiction and its intervention therapy: Focusing on the reward circuitry and mu‐opioid receptor. MedComm (Beijing) 2022; 3:e148. [PMID: 35774845 PMCID: PMC9218544 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jia‐Jia Zhang
- National Translational Science Center for Molecular Medicine & Department of Cell Biology The Fourth Military Medical University Xi'an China
| | - Chang‐Geng Song
- Department of Neurology Xijing Hospital The Fourth Military Medical University Xi'an China
| | - Ji‐Min Dai
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery Xijing Hospital The Fourth Military Medical University Xi'an China
| | - Ling Li
- National Translational Science Center for Molecular Medicine & Department of Cell Biology The Fourth Military Medical University Xi'an China
| | - Xiang‐Min Yang
- National Translational Science Center for Molecular Medicine & Department of Cell Biology The Fourth Military Medical University Xi'an China
| | - Zhi‐Nan Chen
- National Translational Science Center for Molecular Medicine & Department of Cell Biology The Fourth Military Medical University Xi'an China
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10
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Vertes RP, Linley SB, Rojas AKP. Structural and functional organization of the midline and intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:964644. [PMID: 36082310 PMCID: PMC9445584 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.964644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The midline and intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus form a major part of the "limbic thalamus;" that is, thalamic structures anatomically and functionally linked with the limbic forebrain. The midline nuclei consist of the paraventricular (PV) and paratenial nuclei, dorsally and the rhomboid and nucleus reuniens (RE), ventrally. The rostral intralaminar nuclei (ILt) consist of the central medial (CM), paracentral (PC) and central lateral (CL) nuclei. We presently concentrate on RE, PV, CM and CL nuclei of the thalamus. The nucleus reuniens receives a diverse array of input from limbic-related sites, and predominantly projects to the hippocampus and to "limbic" cortices. The RE participates in various cognitive functions including spatial working memory, executive functions (attention, behavioral flexibility) and affect/fear behavior. The PV receives significant limbic-related afferents, particularly the hypothalamus, and mainly distributes to "affective" structures of the forebrain including the bed nucleus of stria terminalis, nucleus accumbens and the amygdala. Accordingly, PV serves a critical role in "motivated behaviors" such as arousal, feeding/consummatory behavior and drug addiction. The rostral ILt receives both limbic and sensorimotor-related input and distributes widely over limbic and motor regions of the frontal cortex-and throughout the dorsal striatum. The intralaminar thalamus is critical for maintaining consciousness and directly participates in various sensorimotor functions (visuospatial or reaction time tasks) and cognitive tasks involving striatal-cortical interactions. As discussed herein, while each of the midline and intralaminar nuclei are anatomically and functionally distinct, they collectively serve a vital role in several affective, cognitive and executive behaviors - as major components of a brainstem-diencephalic-thalamocortical circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert P. Vertes
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States
- Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States
| | - Stephanie B. Linley
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States
- Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States
- Department of Psychological Science, University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, GA, United States
| | - Amanda K. P. Rojas
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States
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Gargiulo AT, Badve PS, Curtis GR, Pirino BE, Barson JR. Inactivation of the thalamic paraventricular nucleus promotes place preference and sucrose seeking in male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:2659-2671. [PMID: 35524009 PMCID: PMC9296579 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06160-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The experience of reward entails both positive affect and motivation. While the brain regions responsible for these distinct aspects of reward are dissociable from each other, the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) may play a role in both. OBJECTIVES To investigate the role of the PVT in both affect and motivation, and to identify neuropeptides that might mediate these effects. METHODS Male rats were tested for conditioned place preference following temporary inactivation of the anterior or posterior PVT with local injections of the GABAB and GABAA agonists, baclofen + muscimol. They were tested for sucrose seeking under a fixed ratio 3 (FR3) schedule of reinforcement and after extinction, following injection into the posterior PVT of baclofen + muscimol or saline vehicle. Finally, quantitative real-time PCR was used to examine local neuropeptide gene expression following injection into the posterior PVT of baclofen + muscimol or saline vehicle. RESULTS Conditioned place preference was induced by temporary inactivation of the posterior but not anterior PVT. While sucrose seeking under an FR3 schedule of reinforcement was unaffected by inactivation of the posterior PVT, reinstatement of sucrose seeking was promoted by posterior PVT inactivation. Local gene expression of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), but not enkephalin or neurotensin, was reduced following inactivation of the posterior PVT. CONCLUSIONS Temporary inactivation of the posterior PVT affects both affect and motivation as well as local gene expression of PACAP. These results suggest that the posterior PVT is one brain region that may participate in both major aspects of reward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew T. Gargiulo
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, 2900 Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA
| | - Preeti S. Badve
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, 2900 Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA
| | - Genevieve R. Curtis
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, 2900 Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA
| | - Breanne E. Pirino
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, 2900 Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA
| | - Jessica R. Barson
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, 2900 Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA
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12
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Kuhn BN, Campus P, Klumpner MS, Chang SE, Iglesias AG, Flagel SB. Inhibition of a cortico-thalamic circuit attenuates cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior in "relapse prone" male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:1035-1051. [PMID: 34181035 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05894-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Relapse often occurs when individuals are exposed to stimuli or cues previously associated with the drug-taking experience. The ability of drug cues to trigger relapse is believed to be a consequence of incentive salience attribution, a process by which the incentive value of reward is transferred to the reward-paired cue. Sign-tracker (ST) rats that attribute enhanced incentive value to reward cues are more prone to relapse compared to goal-tracker (GT) rats that primarily attribute predictive value to such cues. OBJECTIVES The neurobiological mechanisms underlying this individual variation in relapse propensity remains largely unexplored. The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) has been identified as a critical node in the regulation of cue-elicited behaviors in STs and GTs, including cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior. Here we used a chemogenetic approach to assess whether "top-down" cortical input from the prelimbic cortex (PrL) to the PVT plays a role in mediating individual differences in relapse propensity. RESULTS Chemogenetic inhibition of the PrL-PVT pathway selectively decreased cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior in STs, without affecting behavior in GTs. In contrast, cocaine-primed drug-seeking behavior was not affected in either phenotype. Furthermore, when rats were characterized based on a different behavioral phenotype-locomotor response to novelty-inhibition of the PrL-PVT pathway had no effect on either cue- or drug-induced reinstatement. CONCLUSIONS These results highlight an important role for the PrL-PVT pathway in vulnerability to relapse that is consequent to individual differences in the propensity to attribute incentive salience to discrete reward cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany N Kuhn
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, 4137 Undergraduate Science Building, 204 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Paolo Campus
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Marin S Klumpner
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Stephen E Chang
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Amanda G Iglesias
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, 4137 Undergraduate Science Building, 204 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Shelly B Flagel
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, 4137 Undergraduate Science Building, 204 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, USA.
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13
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Peart DR, Andrade AK, Logan CN, Knackstedt LA, Murray JE. Regulation of Cocaine-related Behaviors by Estrogen and Progesterone. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104584. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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14
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Zinsmaier AK, Dong Y, Huang YH. Cocaine-induced projection-specific and cell type-specific adaptations in the nucleus accumbens. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:669-686. [PMID: 33963288 PMCID: PMC8691189 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01112-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Cocaine craving, seeking, and relapse are mediated, in part, by cocaine-induced adaptive changes in the brain reward circuits. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) integrates and prioritizes different emotional and motivational inputs to the reward system by processing convergent glutamatergic projections from the medial prefrontal cortex, basolateral amygdala, ventral hippocampus, and other limbic and paralimbic brain regions. Medium spiny neurons (MSNs) are the principal projection neurons in the NAc, which can be divided into two major subpopulations, namely dopamine receptor D1- versus D2-expressing MSNs, with complementing roles in reward-associated behaviors. After cocaine experience, NAc MSNs exhibit complex and differential adaptations dependent on cocaine regimen, withdrawal time, cell type, location (NAc core versus shell), and related input and output projections, or any combination of these factors. Detailed characterization of these cellular adaptations has been greatly facilitated by the recent development of optogenetic/chemogenetic techniques combined with transgenic tools. In this review, we discuss such cell type- and projection-specific adaptations induced by cocaine experience. Specifically, (1) D1 and D2 NAc MSNs frequently exhibit differential adaptations in spinogenesis, glutamatergic receptor trafficking, and intrinsic membrane excitability, (2) cocaine experience differentially changes the synaptic transmission at different afferent projections onto NAc MSNs, (3) cocaine-induced NAc adaptations exhibit output specificity, e.g., being different at NAc-ventral pallidum versus NAc-ventral tegmental area synapses, and (4) the input, output, subregion, and D1/D2 cell type may together determine cocaine-induced circuit plasticity in the NAc. In light of the projection- and cell-type specificity, we also briefly discuss ensemble and circuit mechanisms contributing to cocaine craving and relapse after drug withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yan Dong
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219,Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
| | - Yanhua H. Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
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15
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Kappa opioid receptor modulation of excitatory drive onto nucleus accumbens fast-spiking interneurons. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:2340-2349. [PMID: 34400782 PMCID: PMC8581025 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01146-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor (KOR) system within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) contributes to affective states. Parvalbumin fast-spiking interneurons (PV-FSIs), a key component of feedforward inhibition, participate in integration of excitatory inputs to the NAc by robustly inhibiting select populations of medium spiny output neurons, therefore greatly influencing NAc dependent behavior. How the dynorphin/KOR system regulates feedforward inhibition in the NAc remains unknown. Here, we elucidate the molecular mechanisms of KOR inhibition of excitatory transmission onto NAc PV-FSIs using a combination of whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology, optogenetics, pharmacology, and a parvalbumin reporter mouse. We find that postsynaptic KOR stimulation induces long-term depression (LTD) of excitatory synapses onto PV-FSI by stimulating the endocytosis of AMPARs via a PKA and calcineurin-dependent mechanism. Furthermore, KOR regulation of PV-FSI synapses are input specific, inhibiting thalamic but not cortical inputs. Finally, following acute stress, a protocol known to elevate dynorphin/KOR signaling in the NAc, KOR agonists no longer inhibit excitatory transmission onto PV-FSI. In conclusion, we delineate pathway-specific mechanisms mediating KOR control of feedforward inhibitory circuits in the NAc and provide evidence for the recruitment of this system in response to stress.
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16
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Lucantonio F, Kim E, Su Z, Chang AJ, Bari BA, Cohen JY. Aversive stimuli bias corticothalamic responses to motivationally significant cues. eLife 2021; 10:57634. [PMID: 34738905 PMCID: PMC8570692 DOI: 10.7554/elife.57634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Making predictions about future rewards or punishments is fundamental to adaptive behavior. These processes are influenced by prior experience. For example, prior exposure to aversive stimuli or stressors changes behavioral responses to negative- and positive-value predictive cues. Here, we demonstrate a role for medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neurons projecting to the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT; mPFC→PVT) in this process. We found that a history of aversive stimuli negatively biased behavioral responses to motivationally relevant cues in mice and that this negative bias was associated with hyperactivity in mPFC→PVT neurons during exposure to those cues. Furthermore, artificially mimicking this hyperactive response with selective optogenetic excitation of the same pathway recapitulated the negative behavioral bias induced by aversive stimuli, whereas optogenetic inactivation of mPFC→PVT neurons prevented the development of the negative bias. Together, our results highlight how information flow within the mPFC→PVT circuit is critical for making predictions about motivationally-relevant outcomes as a function of prior experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Lucantonio
- The Solomon H Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Eunyoung Kim
- The Solomon H Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Zhixiao Su
- The Solomon H Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Anna J Chang
- The Solomon H Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Bilal A Bari
- The Solomon H Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Jeremiah Y Cohen
- The Solomon H Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
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17
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Hartmann MC, Pleil KE. Circuit and neuropeptide mechanisms of the paraventricular thalamus across stages of alcohol and drug use. Neuropharmacology 2021; 198:108748. [PMID: 34389397 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) is a midline thalamic brain region that has emerged as a critical circuit node in the regulation of behaviors across domains of affect and motivation, stress responses, and alcohol- and drug-related behaviors. The influence of the PVT in this diverse array of behaviors is a function of its ability to integrate and convey information about salience and valence through its connections with cortical, hypothalamic, hindbrain, and limbic brain regions. While understudied to date, recent studies suggest that several PVT efferents play critical and complex roles in drug and alcohol-related phenotypes. The PVT is also the site of signaling for many neuropeptides released from the synaptic terminals of distal inputs and local neuropeptidergic neurons within. While there is some evidence that neuropeptides including orexin, neurotensin, substance P, and cocaine and amphetamine-related transcript (CART) signal in the PVT to regulate alcohol/drug intake and reinstatement, there remains an overall lack of understanding of the roles of neuropeptides in the PVT in addiction-related behaviors, especially in a circuit-specific context. In this review, we present the current status of preclinical research regarding PVT circuits and neuropeptide modulation of the PVT in three aspects of the addiction cycle: reward/acquisition, withdrawal, and relapse, with a focus on alcohol, opioids (particularly morphine), and psychostimulants (particularly cocaine). Given the PVT's unique position within the broader neural landscape, we further discuss the potential ways in which neuropeptides may regulate these behaviors through their actions upon PVT circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew C Hartmann
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Kristen E Pleil
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA; Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
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18
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De Groote A, de Kerchove d'Exaerde A. Thalamo-Nucleus Accumbens Projections in Motivated Behaviors and Addiction. Front Syst Neurosci 2021; 15:711350. [PMID: 34335197 PMCID: PMC8322971 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2021.711350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The ventral striatum, also called nucleus accumbens (NAc), has long been known to integrate information from cortical, thalamic, midbrain and limbic nuclei to mediate goal-directed behaviors. Until recently thalamic afferents have been overlooked when studying the functions and connectivity of the NAc. However, findings from recent studies have shed light on the importance and roles of precise Thalamus to NAc connections in motivated behaviors and in addiction. In this review, we summarize studies using techniques such as chemo- and optogenetics, electrophysiology and in vivo calcium imaging to elucidate the complex functioning of the thalamo-NAc afferents, with a particular highlight on the projections from the Paraventricular Thalamus (PVT) to the NAc. We will focus on the recent advances in the understanding of the roles of these neuronal connections in motivated behaviors, with a special emphasis on their implications in addiction, from cue-reward association to the mechanisms driving relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélie De Groote
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Alban de Kerchove d'Exaerde
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
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19
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Kooiker CL, Birnie MT, Baram TZ. The Paraventricular Thalamus: A Potential Sensor and Integrator of Emotionally Salient Early-Life Experiences. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:673162. [PMID: 34079442 PMCID: PMC8166219 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.673162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Early-life experiences influence a broad spectrum of behaviors throughout the lifespan that contribute to resilience or vulnerability to mental health disorders. Yet, how emotionally salient experiences early in life are encoded, stored, and processed and the mechanisms by which they influence future behaviors remain poorly understood. The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) is a key structure in modulating positive and negative experiences and behaviors in adults. However, little is known of the PVT's role in encoding and integrating emotionally salient experiences that occur during neonatal, infancy, and childhood periods. In this review, we (1) describe the functions and connections of the PVT and its regulation of behavior, (2) introduce novel technical approaches to elucidating the role of the PVT in mediating enduring changes in adult behaviors resulting from early-life experiences, and (3) conclude that PVT neurons of neonatal rodents are engaged by both positive and negative emotionally salient experiences, and their activation may enduringly govern future behavior-modulating PVT activity during emotionally salient contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra L. Kooiker
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Matthew T. Birnie
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Tallie Z. Baram
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
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20
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Zhou K, Zhu L, Hou G, Chen X, Chen B, Yang C, Zhu Y. The Contribution of Thalamic Nuclei in Salience Processing. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:634618. [PMID: 33664657 PMCID: PMC7920982 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.634618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain continuously receives diverse information about the external environment and changes in the homeostatic state. The attribution of salience determines which stimuli capture attention and, therefore, plays an essential role in regulating emotions and guiding behaviors. Although the thalamus is included in the salience network, the neural mechanism of how the thalamus contributes to salience processing remains elusive. In this mini-review, we will focus on recent advances in understanding the specific roles of distinct thalamic nuclei in salience processing. We will summarize the functional connections between thalamus nuclei and other key nodes in the salience network. We will highlight the convergence of neural circuits involved in reward and pain processing, arousal, and attention control in thalamic structures. We will discuss how thalamic activities represent salience information in associative learning and how thalamic neurons modulate adaptive behaviors. Lastly, we will review recent studies which investigate the contribution of thalamic dysfunction to aberrant salience processing in neuropsychiatric disorders, such as drug addiction, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and schizophrenia. Based on emerging evidence from both human and rodent research, we propose that the thalamus, different from previous studies that as an information relay, has a broader role in coordinating the cognitive process and regulating emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuikui Zhou
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Drug Addiction, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, China
| | - Lin Zhu
- Department of Neonatology, Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Guoqiang Hou
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Drug Addiction, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xueyu Chen
- Department of Neonatology, Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Bo Chen
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Drug Addiction, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chuanzhong Yang
- Department of Neonatology, Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yingjie Zhu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Drug Addiction, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, China
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21
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McGinty JF, Otis JM. Heterogeneity in the Paraventricular Thalamus: The Traffic Light of Motivated Behaviors. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:590528. [PMID: 33177999 PMCID: PMC7596164 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.590528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVT) is highly interconnected with brain areas that control reward-seeking behavior. Despite this known connectivity, broad manipulations of PVT often lead to mixed, and even opposing, behavioral effects, clouding our understanding of how PVT precisely contributes to reward processing. Although the function of PVT in influencing reward-seeking is poorly understood, recent studies show that forebrain and hypothalamic inputs to, and nucleus accumbens (NAc) and amygdalar outputs from, PVT are strongly implicated in PVT responses to conditioned and appetitive or aversive stimuli that determine whether an animal will approach or avoid specific rewards. These studies, which have used an array of chemogenetic, optogenetic, and calcium imaging technologies, have shown that activity in PVT input and output circuits is highly heterogeneous, with mixed activity patterns that contribute to behavior in highly distinct manners. Thus, it is important to perform experiments in precisely defined cell types to elucidate how the PVT network contributes to reward-seeking behaviors. In this review, we describe the complex heterogeneity within PVT circuitry that appears to influence the decision to seek or avoid a reward and point out gaps in our understanding that should be investigated in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline F. McGinty
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
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22
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Munkhzaya U, Chinzorig C, Matsumoto J, Nishimaru H, Ono T, Nishijo H. Rat Paraventricular Neurons Encode Predictive and Incentive Information of Reward Cues. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:565002. [PMID: 33033475 PMCID: PMC7509094 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.565002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) has been implicated in cue-induced motivated behaviors. Although reward-associated cues (conditioned stimuli, CSs) contain different types of information including predictive information of future reward delivery and incentive (motivational) value of the reward, it remains unknown whether PVT neurons represent predictive and incentive information of CSs. It is suggested that neural activity just after the onset of CSs (early activity) and that just before reward delivery (late activity) might more strongly represent predictive and incentive information, respectively. In this study, rats were trained to lick a tube, which was protruded close to their mouth just after a CS, to obtain a reward (sucrose or water) (cue-induced licking task). Auditory and visual CSs were used: each elemental cue (CS) predicted reward or non-reward outcome, while simultaneous presentation of the two elemental cues (configural cues) predicted the opposite reward outcome. We recorded PVT neurons in the cue-induced licking task, and report that half of the CS-responsive PVT neurons responded selectively to the CSs predicting reward outcome regardless of physical property of the cues (CS+-selective). In addition, the early activity of the CS+-selective neurons discriminated reward/non-reward association (predictive information) and was less sensitive to reward value and motivation reflected by lick latency (incentive information), while the late activity of the CS+-selective neurons was correlated with reward value and motivation rather than reward/non-reward association. Early and late population activity of the CS+-selective neurons also represented predictive and incentive information of the CSs, respectively. On the other hand, activity of more than half of the PVT neurons was correlated with individual licking during licking to acquire reward. Taken together, the results suggest that the PVT neurons engage in different neural processes involved in cue-induced motivated behaviors: CS encoding to determine reward availability and form motivation for reward-seeking behavior, and hedonic mouth movements during reward consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Unur Munkhzaya
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Choijiljav Chinzorig
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Department of Physiology, School of Bio-Medicine, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Jumpei Matsumoto
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Nishimaru
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Taketoshi Ono
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Hisao Nishijo
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
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23
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Carr KD. Homeostatic regulation of reward via synaptic insertion of calcium-permeable AMPA receptors in nucleus accumbens. Physiol Behav 2020; 219:112850. [PMID: 32092445 PMCID: PMC7108974 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.112850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Revised: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The incentive effects of food and related cues are determined by stimulus properties and the internal state of the organism. Enhanced hedonic reactivity and incentive motivation in energy deficient subjects have been demonstrated in animal models and humans. Defining the neurobiological underpinnings of these state-based modulatory effects could illuminate fundamental mechanisms of adaptive behavior, as well as provide insight into maladaptive consequences of weight loss dieting and the relationship between disturbed eating behavior and substance abuse. This article summarizes research of our laboratory aimed at identifying neuroadaptations induced by chronic food restriction (FR) that increase the reward magnitude of drugs and associated cues. The main findings are that FR decreases basal dopamine (DA) transmission, upregulates signaling downstream of the D1 DA receptor (D1R), and triggers synaptic incorporation of calcium-permeable AMPA receptors (CP-AMPARs) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Selective antagonism of CP-AMPARs decreases excitatory postsynaptic currents in NAc medium spiny neurons of FR rats and blocks the enhanced rewarding effects of d-amphetamine and a D1R, but not a D2R, agonist. These results suggest that FR drives CP-AMPARs into the synaptic membrane of D1R-expressing MSNs, possibly as a homeostatic response to reward loss. FR subjects also display diminished aversion for contexts associated with LiCl treatment and centrally infused cocaine. An encompassing, though speculative, hypothesis is that NAc synaptic incorporation of CP-AMPARs in response to food scarcity and other forms of sustained reward loss adaptively increases incentive effects of reward stimuli and, at the same time, diminishes responsiveness to aversive stimuli that have potential to interfere with goal pursuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth D Carr
- Departments of Psychiatry and Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, 435 East 30th Street, New York, NY 10016, United States.
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24
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Chisholm A, Iannuzzi J, Rizzo D, Gonzalez N, Fortin É, Bumbu A, Batallán Burrowes AA, Chapman CA, Shalev U. The role of the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus in the augmentation of heroin seeking induced by chronic food restriction. Addict Biol 2020; 25:e12708. [PMID: 30623532 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Drug addiction is a chronic disorder that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and involves cycling between periods of compulsive drug use, abstinence, and relapse. In both human addicts and animal models of addiction, chronic food restriction has been shown to increase rates of relapse. Previously, our laboratory has demonstrated a robust increase in drug seeking following a period of withdrawal in chronically food-restricted rats compared with sated rats. To date, the neural mechanisms that mediate the effect of chronic food restriction on drug seeking have not been elucidated. However, the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) appears to be a promising target to investigate. The objective of the current study was to examine the role of the PVT in the augmentation of heroin seeking induced by chronic food restriction. Male Long-Evans rats were trained to self-administer heroin for 10 days. Rats were then removed from the training chambers and experienced a 14-day withdrawal period with either unrestricted (sated) or mildly restricted (FDR) access to food. On day 14, rats underwent a 1-hour heroin-seeking test under extinction conditions, during which neural activity in the PVT was either inhibited or increased using pharmacological or chemogenetic approaches. Unexpectedly, inhibition of the PVT did not alter heroin seeking in food-restricted or sated rats, while enhancing neural activity in the PVT-attenuated heroin seeking in food-restricted rats. These results indicate that PVT activity can modulate heroin seeking induced by chronic food restriction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Chisholm
- Department of Psychology, Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology/Groupe de Recherche en Neurobiologie ComportementaleConcordia University Montreal Canada
| | - Jessica Iannuzzi
- Department of Psychology, Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology/Groupe de Recherche en Neurobiologie ComportementaleConcordia University Montreal Canada
| | - Damaris Rizzo
- Department of Psychology, Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology/Groupe de Recherche en Neurobiologie ComportementaleConcordia University Montreal Canada
| | - Natasha Gonzalez
- Department of Psychology, Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology/Groupe de Recherche en Neurobiologie ComportementaleConcordia University Montreal Canada
| | - Émilie Fortin
- Department of Psychology, Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology/Groupe de Recherche en Neurobiologie ComportementaleConcordia University Montreal Canada
| | - Alexandra Bumbu
- Department of Psychology, Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology/Groupe de Recherche en Neurobiologie ComportementaleConcordia University Montreal Canada
| | - Ariel A. Batallán Burrowes
- Department of Psychology, Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology/Groupe de Recherche en Neurobiologie ComportementaleConcordia University Montreal Canada
| | - C. Andrew Chapman
- Department of Psychology, Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology/Groupe de Recherche en Neurobiologie ComportementaleConcordia University Montreal Canada
| | - Uri Shalev
- Department of Psychology, Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology/Groupe de Recherche en Neurobiologie ComportementaleConcordia University Montreal Canada
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25
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Timing of Morphine Administration Differentially Alters Paraventricular Thalamic Neuron Activity. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0377-19.2019. [PMID: 31801741 PMCID: PMC6920517 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0377-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVT) is a brain region involved in regulating arousal, goal-oriented behaviors, and drug seeking, all key factors playing a role in substance use disorder. Given this, we investigated the temporal effects of administering morphine, an opioid with strongly addictive properties, on PVT neuronal function in mice using acute brain slices. Here, we show that morphine administration and electrophysiological recordings that occur during periods of animal inactivity (light cycle) elicit increases in PVT neuronal function during a 24-h abstinence time point. Furthermore, we show that morphine-induced increases in PVT neuronal activity at 24-h abstinence are occluded when morphine administration and recordings are performed during an animals' active state (dark cycle). Based on our electrophysiological results combined with previous findings demonstrating that PVT neuronal activity regulates drug-seeking behaviors, we investigated whether timing morphine administration with periods of vigilance (dark cycle) would decrease drug-seeking behaviors in an animal model of substance use disorder. We found that context-induced morphine-seeking behaviors were intact regardless of the time morphine was administered (e.g., light cycle or dark cycle). Our electrophysiological results suggest that timing morphine with various states of arousal may impact the firing of PVT neurons during abstinence. Although, this may not impact context-induced drug-seeking behaviors.
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26
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Paraventricular Thalamus Controls Behavior during Motivational Conflict. J Neurosci 2019; 39:4945-4958. [PMID: 30979815 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2480-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Revised: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Decision-making often involves motivational conflict because of the competing demands of approach and avoidance for a common resource: behavior. This conflict must be resolved as a necessary precursor for adaptive behavior. Here we show a role for the paraventricular thalamus (PVT) in behavioral control during motivational conflict. We used Pavlovian counterconditioning in male rats to establish a conditioned stimulus (CS) as a signal for reward (or danger) and then transformed the same CS into a signal for danger (or reward). After such training, the CS controls conflicting appetitive and aversive behaviors. To assess PVT involvement in conflict, we injected an adeno-associated virus (AAV) expressing the genetically encoded Ca2+ indicator GCaMP and used fiber photometry to record population PVT Ca2+ signals. We show distinct profiles of responsivity across the anterior-posterior axis of PVT during conflict, including an ordinal relationship between posterior PVT CS responses and behavior strength. To study the causal role of PVT in behavioral control during conflict, we injected AAV expressing the inhibitory hM4Di DREADD and determined the effects of chemogenetic PVT inhibition on behavior. We show that chemogenetic inhibition across the anterior-posterior axis of the PVT, but not anterior or posterior PVT alone, disrupts arbitration between appetitive and aversive behaviors when they are in conflict but has no effect when these behaviors are assessed in isolation. Together, our findings identify PVT as central to behavioral control during motivational conflict.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Animals, including humans, approach attractive stimuli and avoid aversive ones. However, they frequently face conflict when the demands of approach and avoidance are incompatible. Resolution of this conflict is fundamental to adaptive behavior. Here we show a role for the paraventricular thalamus, a nucleus of the dorsal midline thalamus, in the arbitration of appetitive and aversive behavior during motivational conflict.
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Zhou K, Zhu Y. The paraventricular thalamic nucleus: A key hub of neural circuits underlying drug addiction. Pharmacol Res 2019; 142:70-76. [PMID: 30772461 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2019.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2018] [Revised: 01/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive, out-of-control drug use and the appearance of negative somatic and emotional consequences when drug access is prevented. The limited efficacy of treatment urges researchers toward a deeper understanding of the neural mechanism of drug addiction. Brain circuits that regulate reward and motivation are considered to be the neural substrate of drug addiction. An increasing body of literature indicates that the paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVT) could serve as a key node in the neurocircuits that control goal-directed behaviors. In this review, we summarize the anatomical and functional evidence that the PVT regulates drug-related behaviors. The PVT receives extensive inputs from the brainstem and hypothalamus, and is reciprocally connected with the limbic system. Neurons in the PVT are recruited by drug exposure as well as cues and context associated with drug taking. Pathway-specific perturbation studies have begun to decipher the precise role of PVT circuits in drug-related behaviors. We also highlight recent findings about the involvement of neural plasticity of the PVT pathways in drug addiction and provide perspectives on future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuikui Zhou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Yingjie Zhu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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28
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Huang AS, Mitchell JA, Haber SN, Alia-Klein N, Goldstein RZ. The thalamus in drug addiction: from rodents to humans. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0028. [PMID: 29352027 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Impairments in response inhibition and salience attribution (iRISA) have been proposed to underlie the clinical symptoms of drug addiction as mediated by cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical networks. The bulk of evidence supporting the iRISA model comes from neuroimaging research that has focused on cortical and striatal influences with less emphasis on the role of the thalamus. Here, we highlight the importance of the thalamus in drug addiction, focusing on animal literature findings on thalamic nuclei in the context of drug-seeking, structural and functional changes of the thalamus as measured by imaging studies in human drug addiction, particularly during drug cue and non-drug reward processing, and response inhibition tasks. Findings from the animal literature suggest that the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus, the lateral habenula and the mediodorsal nucleus may be involved in the reinstatement, extinction and expression of drug-seeking behaviours. In support of the iRISA model, the human addiction imaging literature demonstrates enhanced thalamus activation when reacting to drug cues and reduced thalamus activation during response inhibition. This pattern of response was further associated with the severity of, and relapse in, drug addiction. Future animal studies could widen their field of focus by investigating the specific role(s) of different thalamic nuclei in different phases of the addiction cycle. Similarly, future human imaging studies should aim to specifically delineate the structure and function of different thalamic nuclei, for example, through the application of advanced imaging protocols at higher magnetic fields (7 Tesla).This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Of mice and mental health: facilitating dialogue between basic and clinical neuroscientists'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna S Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Suzanne N Haber
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Nelly Alia-Klein
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rita Z Goldstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA .,Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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29
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Salti A, Apostolova G, Kummer KK, Lemos C, Dechant G, El Rawas R. Cocaine Paired Environment Increases SATB2 Levels in the Rat Paraventricular Thalamus. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:224. [PMID: 30356831 PMCID: PMC6190852 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
SATB2 is a DNA binding protein that specifically binds the nuclear matrix attachment region and functions as a regulator of the transcription of large chromatin domains. Unlike its well addressed role during brain development, the role of SATB2 in adult brain is under-investigated. It has been shown that deletion of SATB2 from the forebrain of adult mice significantly impaired long-term memory for contextual fear and object recognition memory. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of appetitive stimuli such as cocaine and social interaction (SI) on SATB2 expression in the adult rat brain. For that, we performed conditioned place preference (CPP) to cocaine (15 mg/kg) and to SI, then assessed SATB2 expression in the brain 1 h (24 h after the last conditioning) and 24 h (48 h after the last conditioning) after the CPP test. We found that SATB2 expression in the paraventricular thalamus of rats was increased 1 h after the cocaine CPP test. This increase was selective for the cocaine-paired environment since the SI-paired environment did not increase SATB2 expression in the paraventricular thalamus. Also, the cocaine paired environment-induced increase of SATB2 levels in the paraventricular thalamus was due to cocaine conditioning as the unpaired cocaine group did not show an increase of SATB2 in the paraventricular thalamus. These results suggest that SATB2 in the paraventricular thalamus appears to be involved in the association between cocaine effects and environmental context. Further studies are needed to address the functional role of SATB2 in cocaine conditioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Salti
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.,Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Galina Apostolova
- Institute for Neuroscience, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Kai K Kummer
- Division of Physiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Cristina Lemos
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Georg Dechant
- Institute for Neuroscience, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Rana El Rawas
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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Harris NA, Winder DG. Synaptic Plasticity in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis: Underlying Mechanisms and Potential Ramifications for Reinstatement of Drug- and Alcohol-Seeking Behaviors. ACS Chem Neurosci 2018; 9:2173-2187. [PMID: 29851347 PMCID: PMC6146063 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a component of the extended amygdala that shows significant changes in activity and plasticity through chronic exposure to drugs and stress. The region is critical for stress- and cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behaviors and is thus a candidate region for the plastic changes that occur in abstinence that prime addicted patients for reinstatement behaviors. Here, we discuss the various forms of long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) in the rodent BNST and highlight the way that these changes in excitatory transmission interact with exposure to alcohol and other drugs of abuse, as well as other stressors. In addition, we highlight potential areas for future research in this area, including investigating input- and cell-specific bidirectional changes in activity. As we continue to accrue foundational knowledge in the mechanisms and effects of plasticity in the BNST, molecular targets and treatment strategies that are relevant to reinstatement behaviors will also begin to emerge. Here, we briefly discuss the effects of catecholamine receptor modulators on synaptic plasticity in the BNST due to the role of norepinephrine in LTD and dopamine on the short-term component of LTP as well as the role that signaling at these receptors plays in reinstatement of drug- and alcohol-seeking behaviors. We hope that insights gained on the specific changes in plasticity that occur within the BNST during abstinence from alcohol and other drugs of abuse will provide insight into the biological underpinnings of relapse behavior in human addicts and inform future treatment modalities for addiction that tackle this complex biological problem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A. Harris
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
| | - Danny G. Winder
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
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Divergent Prelimbic Cortical Pathways Interact with BDNF to Regulate Cocaine-seeking. J Neurosci 2018; 38:8956-8966. [PMID: 30185459 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1332-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Revised: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A single BDNF microinfusion into prelimbic (PrL) cortex immediately after the last cocaine self-administration session decreases relapse to cocaine-seeking. The BDNF effect is blocked by NMDAR antagonists. To determine whether synaptic activity in putative excitatory projection neurons in PrL cortex is sufficient for BDNF's effect on relapse, the PrL cortex of male rats was infused with an inhibitory Designer Receptor Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADD) viral vector driven by an αCaMKII promoter. Immediately after the last cocaine self-administration session, rats were injected with clozapine-N-oxide 30 min before an intra-PrL BDNF microinfusion. DREADD-mediated inhibition of the PrL cortex blocked the BDNF-induced decrease in cocaine-seeking after abstinence and cue-induced reinstatement after extinction. Unexpectedly, DREADD inhibition of PrL neurons in PBS-infused rats also reduced cocaine-seeking, suggesting that divergent PrL pathways affect relapse. Next, using a cre-dependent retroviral approach, we tested the ability of DREADD inhibition of PrL projections to the NAc core or the paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVT) to alter cocaine-seeking in BDNF- and PBS-infused rats. Selective inhibition of the PrL-NAc pathway at the end of cocaine self-administration blocked the BDNF-induced decrease in cocaine-seeking but had no effect in PBS-infused rats. In contrast, selective inhibition of the PrL-PVT pathway in PBS-infused rats decreased cocaine-seeking, and this effect was prevented in BDNF-infused rats. Thus, activity in the PrL-NAc pathway is responsible for the therapeutic effect of BDNF on cocaine-seeking whereas inhibition of activity in the PrL-pPVT pathway elicits a similar therapeutic effect in the absence of BDNF.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The major issue in cocaine addiction is the high rate of relapse. However, the neuronal pathways governing relapse remain unclear. Using a pathway-specific chemogenetic approach, we found that BDNF differentially regulates two key prelimbic pathways to guide long-term relapse. Infusion of BDNF in the prelimbic cortex during early withdrawal from cocaine self-administration decreases relapse that is prevented when neurons projecting from the prelimbic cortex to the nucleus accumbens core are inhibited. In contrast, BDNF restores relapse when neurons projecting from the prelimbic cortex to the posterior paraventricular thalamic nucleus are inhibited. This study demonstrates that two divergent cortical outputs mediate relapse that is regulated in opposite directions by infusing BDNF in the prelimbic cortex during early withdrawal from cocaine.
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Transient inactivation of the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus enhances cue-induced reinstatement in goal-trackers, but not sign-trackers. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2018; 235:999-1014. [PMID: 29285634 PMCID: PMC5871598 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-017-4816-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) has been shown to mediate cue-motivated behaviors, such as sign- and goal-tracking, as well as reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior. However, the role of the PVT in mediating individual variation in cue-induced drug-seeking behavior remains unknown. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to determine if inactivation of the PVT differentially mediates cue-induced drug-seeking behavior in sign-trackers and goal-trackers. METHODS Rats were characterized as sign-trackers (STs) or goal-trackers (GTs) based on their Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior. Rats were then exposed to 15 days of cocaine self-administration, followed by a 2-week forced abstinence period and then extinction training. Rats then underwent tests for cue-induced reinstatement and general locomotor activity, prior to which they received an infusion of either saline (control) or baclofen/muscimol (B/M) to inactivate the PVT. RESULTS Relative to control animals of the same phenotype, GTs show a robust increase in cue-induced drug-seeking behavior following PVT inactivation, whereas the behavior of STs was not affected. PVT inactivation did not affect locomotor activity in either phenotype. CONCLUSION In GTs, the PVT appears to inhibit the expression of drug-seeking, presumably by attenuating the incentive value of the drug cue. Thus, inactivation of the PVT releases this inhibition in GTs, resulting in an increase in cue-induced drug-seeking behavior. PVT inactivation did not affect cue-induced drug-seeking behavior in STs, suggesting that the role of the PVT in encoding the incentive motivational value of drug cues differs between STs and GTs.
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Boosting of Thalamic D2 Dopaminergic Transmission: A Potential Strategy for Drug-Seeking Attenuation. eNeuro 2017; 4:eN-COM-0378-17. [PMID: 29279859 PMCID: PMC5738865 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0378-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Revised: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
This commentary focuses on novel findings by Clark et al. (2017) published in eNeuro, which show that dopamine D2 receptors (D2Rs) in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) are involved in cocaine sensitization. We extend the discussion on how their findings contribute to our understanding of the role of the PVT in drug seeking by providing new insight on the role of the PVT in the regulation of food-seeking and fear responses. We also consider the significance of the neuroanatomical findings reported by Clark et al., that the PVT is reciprocally connected with areas of the brain involved in addiction and discuss the implications associated with the source and type of dopaminergic fibers innervating this area of the thalamus.
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Clark AM, Leroy F, Martyniuk KM, Feng W, McManus E, Bailey MR, Javitch JA, Balsam PD, Kellendonk C. Dopamine D2 Receptors in the Paraventricular Thalamus Attenuate Cocaine Locomotor Sensitization. eNeuro 2017; 4:ENEURO.0227-17.2017. [PMID: 29071300 PMCID: PMC5654238 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0227-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Alterations in thalamic dopamine (DA) or DA D2 receptors (D2Rs) have been measured in drug addiction and schizophrenia, but the relevance of thalamic D2Rs for behavior is largely unknown. Using in situ hybridization and mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the Drd2 promoter, we found that D2R expression within the thalamus is enriched in the paraventricular nucleus (PVT) as well as in more ventral midline thalamic nuclei. Within the PVT, D2Rs are inhibitory as their activation inhibits neuronal action potentials in brain slices. Using Cre-dependent anterograde and retrograde viral tracers, we further determined that PVT neurons are reciprocally interconnected with multiple areas of the limbic system including the amygdala and the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Based on these anatomical findings, we analyzed the role of D2Rs in the PVT in behaviors that are supported by these areas and that also have relevance for schizophrenia and drug addiction. Male and female mice with selective overexpression of D2Rs in the PVT showed attenuated cocaine locomotor sensitization, whereas anxiety levels, fear conditioning, sensorimotor gating, and food-motivated behaviors were not affected. These findings suggest the importance of PVT inhibition by D2Rs in modulating the sensitivity to cocaine, a finding that may have novel implications for human drug use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail M. Clark
- Graduate Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
| | - Felix Leroy
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
| | - Kelly M. Martyniuk
- Graduate Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
| | - Wendy Feng
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
| | - Erika McManus
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
| | - Matthew R. Bailey
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
| | - Jonathan A. Javitch
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032
| | - Peter D. Balsam
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
- Department of Psychology, Barnard College Columbia University, New York, NY 10027
| | - Christoph Kellendonk
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032
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Wunsch AM, Yager LM, Donckels EA, Le CT, Neumaier JF, Ferguson SM. Chemogenetic inhibition reveals midline thalamic nuclei and thalamo-accumbens projections mediate cocaine-seeking in rats. Eur J Neurosci 2017; 46:1850-1862. [PMID: 28664636 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Revised: 06/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Drug addiction is a chronic disease that is shaped by alterations in neuronal function within the cortical-basal ganglia-thalamic circuit. However, our understanding of how this circuit regulates drug-seeking remains incomplete, and relapse rates remain high. The midline thalamic nuclei are an integral component of the cortical-basal ganglia-thalamic circuit and are poised to mediate addiction behaviors, including relapse. It is surprising that little research has examined the contribution of midline thalamic nuclei and their efferent projections in relapse. To address this, we expressed inhibitory, Gi/o -coupled DREADDs (Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs) in a subset of the midline thalamic nuclei or in midline thalamic nuclei neurons projecting to either the nucleus accumbens or the amygdala. We examined the effect of transiently decreasing activity of these neuronal populations on cue-induced and cocaine-primed reinstatement of cocaine-seeking. Reducing activity of midline thalamic nuclei neurons attenuated both cue-induced and cocaine-primed reinstatement, but had no effect on cue-induced reinstatement of sucrose-seeking or locomotor activity. Interestingly, attenuating activity of efferent projections from the anterior portion of midline thalamic nuclei to the nucleus accumbens blocked cocaine-primed reinstatement but enhanced cue-induced reinstatement. Decreasing activity of efferent projections from either the posterior midline thalamic nuclei to the nucleus accumbens or the midline thalamic nuclei to amygdala had no effect. These results reveal a novel contribution of subsets of midline thalamic nuclei neurons in drug-seeking behaviors and suggest that modulation of midline thalamic nuclei activity may be a promising therapeutic target for preventing relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Wunsch
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1900 9th Ave, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Lindsay M Yager
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1900 9th Ave, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Donckels
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1900 9th Ave, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| | - Calvin T Le
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1900 9th Ave, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| | - John F Neumaier
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Susan M Ferguson
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1900 9th Ave, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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36
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Abstract
Understanding the brain circuitry that underlies reward is critical to improve treatment for many common health issues, including obesity, depression, and addiction. Here we focus on insights into the organization and function of reward circuitry and its synaptic and structural adaptations in response to cocaine exposure. While the importance of certain circuits, such as the mesocorticolimbic dopamine pathway, are well established in drug reward, recent studies using genetics-based tools have revealed functional changes throughout the reward circuitry that contribute to different facets of addiction, such as relapse and craving. The ability to observe and manipulate neuronal activity within specific cell types and circuits has led to new insight into not only the basic connections between brain regions, but also the molecular changes within these specific microcircuits, such as neurotrophic factor and GTPase signaling or α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor function, that underlie synaptic and structural plasticity evoked by drugs of abuse. Excitingly, these insights from preclinical rodent work are now being translated into the clinic, where transcranial magnetic simulation and deep brain stimulation therapies are being piloted in human cocaine dependence. Thus, this review seeks to summarize current understanding of the major brain regions implicated in drug-related behaviors and the molecular mechanisms that contribute to altered connectivity between these regions, with the postulation that increased knowledge of the plasticity within the drug reward circuit will lead to new and improved treatments for addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Cooper
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - A J Robison
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Michelle S Mazei-Robison
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
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37
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Dong X, Li S, Kirouac GJ. Collateralization of projections from the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus to the nucleus accumbens, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and central nucleus of the amygdala. Brain Struct Funct 2017; 222:3927-3943. [PMID: 28528379 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-017-1445-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) is a midline thalamic nucleus with dense projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc), dorsolateral region of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTDL) and the lateral/capsular region of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeL/CeC). Recent experimental evidence indicates that the PVT is involved in both appetitive and aversive behaviors. However, it is unknown if subgroups of neurons in the PVT innervate different subcortical targets or if the same neurons issue collaterals to multiple areas. To address this issue, we injected two different fluorescent retrograde tracers, cholera toxin subunit B conjugated to Alexa Fluor-488 or Alexa Fluor-594, into different pairs of the subcortical targets including different parts of the NAc (shell, core, dorsomedial shell, and ventromedial shell), BSTDL, and amygdala (basolateral amygdala and CeL/CeC). The results indicate a moderate to high level of collateralization of projections from neurons in the PVT to NAc, BSTDL, and CeL/CeC suggesting a potential importance of the PVT in simultaneously coordinating the activity of key regions of the brain involved in mediating emotional and motivational behaviors. We also observed a difference in the subcortical targets innervated by the anterior PVT (aPVT) and posterior PVT (pPVT) showing that more neurons in the aPVT innervate the dorsomedial part of the NAc shell, while more neurons in the pPVT innervate the ventromedial NAc shell, BSTDL, and CeL/CeC. This observation is suggestive of a potential functional difference between the aPVT and pPVT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinwen Dong
- Department of Oral Biology, College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, 780 Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0W2, Canada
| | - Sa Li
- Department of Oral Biology, College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, 780 Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0W2, Canada
| | - Gilbert J Kirouac
- Department of Oral Biology, College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, 780 Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0W2, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0W2, Canada.
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38
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Multi-system state shifts and cognitive deficits induced by chronic morphine during abstinence. Neurosci Lett 2017; 640:144-151. [PMID: 27984200 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.10.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2016] [Revised: 10/27/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Chronic morphine administration induces neural plasticity followed by withdraw. And clinic observation indicates that obvious cognitive deficits are found during withdrawal. However, current neural substrates that regulate dysfunction in withdrawal are unknown. In our studies, chronic morphine administration was used to induce the spontaneous withdrawal model in rats. A series of cognitive abilities was tested to explore brain function. To further evaluate the neural substrates of dysfunction, Manganese-enhanced MRI(MEMRI) was used to map the dysfunctional regions in vivo.We observed that chronic morphine administration could induce obvious withdrawal behaviors in abstinence followed by cognitive impairments, such as impairments in working memory, reward, interaction and enhancement of anxiety. Our in-vivo MEMRI data using the voxel-wise comparisons showed that the manganese-enhanced signal intensity (VMI) within morphine withdrawal groups was increased in cingulate cortex (Cg), secondary motor cortex (M2), CA3 subfield of hippocampus, dorsal striatum (D-striatum), retrosplenial cortex (RS), shell subregion of NAc (AcbSh), core subregion of NAc (AcbC), central nucleus of amygdala (CeC), basolateral amygdaloid nucleus (BLA), central amygdaloid nucleus (CeM), anterior hypothalamic area, central (AHC), ventral tegmental area (VTA) and scaphoid thalamic nucleus (SC).However, decreasing of VMI was found in the ventrolateral striatum (V-striatum) and lateral posterior thalamic nucleus (LP) compared to the control group. These brain regions were beleived to be components of the memory, executive, limbic and regulatory systems. Therefore, our present studies indicate that withdrawal induced by chronic morphine adiministration could disturb brain function leading to multi-systems state shifts and cognitive deficits in abstinence.
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39
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Millan EZ, Ong Z, McNally GP. Paraventricular thalamus: Gateway to feeding, appetitive motivation, and drug addiction. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2017; 235:113-137. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2017.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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40
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Joffe ME, Grueter BA. Cocaine Experience Enhances Thalamo-Accumbens N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Function. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 80:671-681. [PMID: 27209241 PMCID: PMC5050082 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2015] [Revised: 03/17/2016] [Accepted: 04/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Excitatory synaptic transmission in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key biological substrate underlying behavioral responses to psychostimulants and susceptibility to relapse. Studies have demonstrated that cocaine induces changes in glutamatergic signaling at distinct inputs to the NAc. However, consequences of cocaine experience on synaptic transmission from the midline nuclei of the thalamus (mThal) to the NAc have yet to be reported. METHODS To examine synapses from specific NAc core inputs, we recorded light-evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents following viral-mediated expression of channelrhodopsin-2 in the mThal, prefrontal cortex (PFC), or basolateral amygdala from acute brain slices. To identify NAc medium spiny neuron subtypes, we used mice expressing tdTomato driven by the promoter for dopamine receptor subtype 1 (D1). We recorded N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor (AMPAR) properties to evaluate synaptic adaptations induced by cocaine experience, a 5-day cocaine exposure followed by 2 weeks of abstinence. RESULTS Excitatory inputs to the NAc core displayed differential NMDAR properties, and cocaine experience uniquely altered AMPAR and NMDAR properties at mThal-D1(+), mThal-D1(-), and PFC-D1(+) synapses, but not at PFC-D1(-) synapses. Finally, at mThal-D1(+) synapses, cocaine enhanced GluN2C/D function and NMDAR-dependent synaptic plasticity. CONCLUSIONS Our results identify contrasting cocaine-induced AMPAR and NMDAR modifications at mThal-NAc and PFC-NAc core synapses. These changes include an enhancement of NMDAR function and plasticity at mThal-D1(+) synapses. Incorporation of GluN2C/D-containing NMDARs most likely underlies these phenomena and represents a potential therapeutic target for psychostimulant use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max E Joffe
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Brad A Grueter
- Department ofAnesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee; Department ofPsychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee; Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee; Department of Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.
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41
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Haight JL, Fuller ZL, Fraser KM, Flagel SB. A food-predictive cue attributed with incentive salience engages subcortical afferents and efferents of the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus. Neuroscience 2016; 340:135-152. [PMID: 27793779 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.10.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Revised: 09/27/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) has been implicated in behavioral responses to reward-associated cues. However, the precise role of the PVT in these behaviors has been difficult to ascertain since Pavlovian-conditioned cues can act as both predictive and incentive stimuli. The "sign-tracker/goal-tracker" rat model has allowed us to further elucidate the role of the PVT in cue-motivated behaviors, identifying this structure as a critical component of the neural circuitry underlying individual variation in the propensity to attribute incentive salience to reward cues. The current study assessed differences in the engagement of specific PVT afferents and efferents in response to presentation of a food-cue that had been attributed with only predictive value or with both predictive and incentive value. The retrograde tracer fluorogold (FG) was injected into the PVT or the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of rats, and cue-induced c-Fos in FG-labeled cells was quantified. Presentation of a predictive stimulus that had been attributed with incentive value elicited c-Fos in PVT afferents from the lateral hypothalamus, medial amygdala (MeA), and the prelimbic cortex (PrL), as well as posterior PVT efferents to the NAc. PVT afferents from the PrL also showed elevated c-Fos levels following presentation of a predictive stimulus alone. Thus, presentation of an incentive stimulus results in engagement of subcortical brain regions; supporting a role for the hypothalamic-thalamic-striatal axis, as well as the MeA, in mediating responses to incentive stimuli; whereas activity in the PrL to PVT pathway appears to play a role in processing the predictive qualities of reward-paired stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua L Haight
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Zachary L Fuller
- Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Kurt M Fraser
- Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Shelly B Flagel
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Department of Psychiatry, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
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42
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Matzeu A, Kerr TM, Weiss F, Martin-Fardon R. Orexin-A/Hypocretin-1 Mediates Cocaine-Seeking Behavior in the Posterior Paraventricular Nucleus of the Thalamus via Orexin/Hypocretin Receptor-2. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2016; 359:273-279. [PMID: 27540003 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.116.235945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Orexin/hypocretin (Orx/Hcrt) projections from the lateral hypothalamus to the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) are implicated in drug addiction. Specifically, the posterior section of the PVT (pPVT) innervates brain structures that modulate motivated behavior. This study investigated the role of pPVT-Orx/Hcrt transmission in cocaine-seeking behavior. Because the effects of Orx/Hcrt are mediated by two Orx/Hcrt receptors (Hcrt-r1 and Hcrt-r2), we examined the extent to which Hcrt-r1 and Hcrt-r2 are involved in Orx/Hcrt-induced cocaine seeking. Male Wistar rats were made cocaine dependent by self-administering cocaine 6 hours/day (long access) for 21 days. After self-administration training, the rats underwent daily extinction training, during which cocaine was withheld. After extinction, the rats were injected into the pPVT with Orx-A/Hcrt-1 (0-2 µg) alone or, using a single dose of 0.5 µg, in combination with an Hcrt-r1 antagonist (SB334867; 0-15 µg) or an Hcrt-r2 antagonist (TCSOX229; 0-15 µg). Orx-A/Hcrt-1 alone reinstated (primed) cocaine seeking. Unexpectedly, coadministration of Orx-A/Hcrt-1 with SB334867 did not have any effects on Orx-A/Hcrt-1-induced reinstatement, whereas when coadministered with Orx-A/Hcrt-1, TCSOX229 prevented cocaine-seeking behavior. These results indicate that Hcrt-r2 in the pPVT mediates the reinstating effect of Orx-A/Hcrt-1 in animals with a history of cocaine dependence and further identify Hcrt-r2 as a possible molecular target that can guide future therapeutic approaches for the prevention of drug-seeking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Matzeu
- Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Department, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California
| | - Tony M Kerr
- Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Department, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California
| | - Friedbert Weiss
- Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Department, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California
| | - Rémi Martin-Fardon
- Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Department, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California
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43
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Cocaine-Induced Synaptic Alterations in Thalamus to Nucleus Accumbens Projection. Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:2399-410. [PMID: 27074816 PMCID: PMC4946070 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2016.52] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Revised: 03/09/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to cocaine induces addiction-associated behaviors partially through remodeling neurocircuits in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). The paraventricular nucleus of thalamus (PVT), which projects to the NAc monosynaptically, is activated by cocaine exposure and has been implicated in several cocaine-induced emotional and motivational states. Here we show that disrupting synaptic transmission of select PVT neurons with tetanus toxin activated via retrograde trans-synaptic transport of cre from NAc efferents decreased cocaine self-administration in rats. This projection underwent complex adaptations after self-administration of cocaine (0.75 mg/kg/infusion; 2 h/d × 5 d, 1d overnight training). Specifically, 1d after cocaine self-administration, we observed increased levels of AMPA receptor (AMPAR)-silent glutamatergic synapses in this projection, accompanied by a decreased ratio of AMPAR-to-NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-mediated EPSCs. Furthermore, the decay kinetics of NMDAR EPSCs was significantly prolonged, suggesting insertion of new GluN2B-containing NMDARs to PVT-to-NAc synapses. After 45-d withdrawal, silent synapses within this projection returned to the basal levels, accompanied by a return of the AMPAR/NMDAR ratio and NMDAR decay kinetics to the basal levels. In amygdala and infralimbic prefrontal cortical projections to the NAc, a portion of cocaine-generated silent synapses becomes unsilenced by recruiting calcium-permeable AMPARs (CP-AMPARs) after drug withdrawal. However, the sensitivity of PVT-to-NAc synapses to CP-AMPAR-selective antagonists was not changed after withdrawal, suggesting that CP-AMPAR trafficking is not involved in the evolution of cocaine-generated silent synapses within this projection. Meanwhile, the release probability of PVT-to-NAc synapses was increased after short- and long-term cocaine withdrawal. These results reveal complex and profound alterations at PVT-to-NAc synapses after cocaine exposure and withdrawal.
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44
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Shelton K, Bogyo K, Schick T, Ettenberg A. Pharmacological modulation of lateral habenular dopamine D2 receptors alters the anxiogenic response to cocaine in a runway model of drug self-administration. Behav Brain Res 2016; 310:42-50. [PMID: 27155504 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2015] [Revised: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 05/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Cocaine has long been known to produce an initial "high" followed by an aversive/anxiogenic "crash". While much is known about the neurobiology of cocaine's positive/rewarding effects, the mechanisms that give rise to the drug's negative/anxiogenic actions remain unclear. Recent research has implicated the lateral habenula (LHb) in the encoding of aversive events including the anxiogenic response to cocaine. Of particular interest in this regard are the reciprocal connections between the LHb and the ventral tegmental area (VTA). VTA-DA neurons innervate different subsets of LHb cells that in turn feedback upon and modulate VTA neuronal activity. Here we examined the impact of D2 receptor activation and inhibition on the anxiogenic response to cocaine using a runway model of self-administration that is sensitive to the dual and opposing effects of the drug. Male rats ran a straight alley for IV cocaine (1.0mg/kg) following bilateral intra-LHb infusions of the D2 receptor antagonist, cis-flupenthixol (0, 7.5 or 15μg/side) or the D2 agonist, sumanirole (0, 5 or 10μg/side). Vehicle-pretreated controls developed approach-avoidance conflict behaviors about goal-box entry reflective of the dual positive and negative effects of cocaine. These behaviors were significantly diminished during LHb-D2 receptor antagonism and increased by the LHb D2 receptor agonist. These results demonstrate that activity at the D2 receptor in the lateral habenula serves to modulate the anxiogenic response to cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerisa Shelton
- Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660, United States
| | - Kelsie Bogyo
- Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660, United States
| | - Tinisha Schick
- Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660, United States
| | - Aaron Ettenberg
- Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660, United States.
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45
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A thalamic input to the nucleus accumbens mediates opiate dependence. Nature 2016; 530:219-22. [PMID: 26840481 DOI: 10.1038/nature16954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 275] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Chronic opiate use induces opiate dependence, which is characterized by extremely unpleasant physical and emotional feelings after drug use is terminated. Both the rewarding effects of a drug and the desire to avoid withdrawal symptoms motivate continued drug use, and the nucleus accumbens is important for orchestrating both processes. While multiple inputs to the nucleus accumbens regulate reward, little is known about the nucleus accumbens circuitry underlying withdrawal. Here we identify the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus as a prominent input to the nucleus accumbens mediating the expression of opiate-withdrawal-induced physical signs and aversive memory. Activity in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus to nucleus accumbens pathway is necessary and sufficient to mediate behavioural aversion. Selectively silencing this pathway abolishes aversive symptoms in two different mouse models of opiate withdrawal. Chronic morphine exposure selectively potentiates excitatory transmission between the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus and D2-receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons via synaptic insertion of GluA2-lacking AMPA receptors. Notably, in vivo optogenetic depotentiation restores normal transmission at these synapses and robustly suppresses morphine withdrawal symptoms. This links morphine-evoked pathway- and cell-type-specific plasticity in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus to nucleus accumbens circuit to opiate dependence, and suggests that reprogramming this circuit holds promise for treating opiate addiction.
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46
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Matzeu A, Weiss F, Martin-Fardon R. Transient inactivation of the posterior paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus blocks cocaine-seeking behavior. Neurosci Lett 2015; 608:34-9. [PMID: 26455867 PMCID: PMC4639449 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2015.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2015] [Revised: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Originally studied for its role in energy homeostasis, the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) has recently gained attention because of its involvement in the modulation of drug-directed behavior. The posterior part of the PVT (pPVT) is connected with brain structures that modulate motivated behavior, and we tested whether the pPVT plays a pivotal role in cocaine seeking. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether transient inactivation of the pPVT prevents cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking but not natural reward seeking. Male Wistar rats were trained to associate a discriminative stimulus (S(+)) with the availability of cocaine or a highly palatable conventional reinforcer, sweetened condensed milk (SCM). Following extinction, the cocaine S(+) and SCM S(+) elicited comparable levels of reinstatement. Intra-pPVT administration of the γ-aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) and GABAB receptor agonists muscimol and baclofen (0.06 and 0.6mM, respectively) prior to the presentation of the cocaine or SCM S(+) completely prevented the reinstatement of cocaine seeking, with no statistically significant effects on SCM seeking. These data show that the pPVT plays an important role in neuronal mechanisms that drive cocaine-seeking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Matzeu
- Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Department, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - F Weiss
- Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Department, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - R Martin-Fardon
- Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Department, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
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47
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Kirouac GJ. Placing the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus within the brain circuits that control behavior. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 56:315-29. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 221] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2015] [Revised: 07/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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48
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Haight JL, Fraser KM, Akil H, Flagel SB. Lesions of the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus differentially affect sign- and goal-tracking conditioned responses. Eur J Neurosci 2015; 42:2478-88. [PMID: 26228683 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2015] [Accepted: 07/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Recently, evidence has emerged suggesting a role for the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) in the processing of reward-associated cues. However, the specific role of the PVT in these processes has yet to be elucidated. Here we use an animal model that captures individual variation in response to discrete reward-associated cues to further assess the role of the PVT in stimulus-reward learning. When rats are exposed to a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm, wherein a discrete cue predicts food reward, two distinct conditioned responses emerge. Some rats, termed sign-trackers, approach and manipulate the cue, whereas others, termed goal-trackers, approach the location of reward delivery upon cue presentation. For both sign- and goal-trackers the cue is a predictor, but only for sign-trackers is it also an incentive stimulus. We investigated the role of the PVT in the acquisition and expression of these conditioned responses using an excitotoxic lesion. Results indicate that PVT lesions prior to acquisition amplify the differences between phenotypes - increasing sign-tracking and attenuating goal-tracking behavior. Lesions of the PVT after rats had acquired their respective conditioned responses also attenuated the expression of the goal-tracking response, and increased the sign-tracking response, but did so selectively in goal-trackers. These results suggest that the PVT acts to suppress the attribution of incentive salience to reward cues, as disruption of the functional activity within this structure enhances the tendency to sign-track.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua L Haight
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Kurt M Fraser
- Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Huda Akil
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5720, USA
| | - Shelly B Flagel
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5720, USA
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49
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Christoffel DJ, Golden SA, Walsh JJ, Guise KG, Heshmati M, Friedman AK, Dey A, Smith M, Rebusi N, Pfau M, Ables JL, Hodes GE, Ben–Dor GA, Deisseroth K, Shapiro ML, Malenka RC, Ibanez–Tallon I, Hu–Han M, Russo SJ. Excitatory transmission at thalamo-striatal synapses mediates susceptibility to social stress. Nat Neurosci 2015; 18:962-4. [PMID: 26030846 PMCID: PMC4482771 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2015] [Accepted: 05/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Postsynaptic remodeling of glutamatergic synapses on ventral striatum (vSTR) medium spiny neurons (MSNs) is critical for shaping stress responses. However, it is unclear which presynaptic inputs are involved. Susceptible mice exhibited increased synaptic strength at intralaminar thalamus (ILT), but not prefrontal cortex (PFC), inputs to vSTR MSNs following chronic social stress. Modulation of ILT-vSTR versus PFC-vSTR neuronal activity differentially regulated dendritic spine plasticity and social avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Christoffel
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Sam A. Golden
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Jessica J. Walsh
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Kevin G. Guise
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Mitra Heshmati
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Allyson K. Friedman
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Aditi Dey
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Milo Smith
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Nicole Rebusi
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Madeline Pfau
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Jessica L. Ables
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10056, USA
| | - Georgia E. Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Gabriel A. Ben–Dor
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- Departments of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Matthew L. Shapiro
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Robert C. Malenka
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Ines Ibanez–Tallon
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10056, USA
| | - Ming Hu–Han
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Scott J. Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
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50
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Kash TL, Pleil KE, Marcinkiewcz CA, Lowery-Gionta EG, Crowley N, Mazzone C, Sugam J, Hardaway JA, McElligott ZA. Neuropeptide regulation of signaling and behavior in the BNST. Mol Cells 2015; 38:1-13. [PMID: 25475545 PMCID: PMC4314126 DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2015.2261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2014] [Accepted: 09/29/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent technical developments have transformed how neuroscientists can probe brain function. What was once thought to be difficult and perhaps impossible, stimulating a single set of long range inputs among many, is now relatively straight-forward using optogenetic approaches. This has provided an avalanche of data demonstrating causal roles for circuits in a variety of behaviors. However, despite the critical role that neuropeptide signaling plays in the regulation of behavior and physiology of the brain, there have been remarkably few studies demonstrating how peptide release is causally linked to behaviors. This is likely due to both the different time scale by which peptides act on and the modulatory nature of their actions. For example, while glutamate release can effectively transmit information between synapses in milliseconds, peptide release is potentially slower [See the excellent review by Van Den Pol on the time scales and mechanisms of release (van den Pol, 2012)] and it can only tune the existing signals via modulation. And while there have been some studies exploring mechanisms of release, it is still not as clearly known what is required for efficient peptide release. Furthermore, this analysis could be complicated by the fact that there are multiple peptides released, some of which may act in contrast. Despite these limitations, there are a number of groups making progress in this area. The goal of this review is to explore the role of peptide signaling in one specific structure, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, that has proven to be a fertile ground for peptide action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas L. Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
USA
| | - Kristen E. Pleil
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
USA
| | - Catherine A. Marcinkiewcz
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
USA
| | - Emily G. Lowery-Gionta
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
USA
| | - Nicole Crowley
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
USA
| | - Christopher Mazzone
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
USA
| | - Jonathan Sugam
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
USA
| | - J. Andrew Hardaway
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
USA
| | - Zoe A. McElligott
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
USA
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