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Pan Y, Cai Z, Wang Y, Zhang J, Sheng H, Shao D, Cui D, Guo X, Zheng P, Lai B. Formation of chronic morphine withdrawal memories requires C1QL3-mediated regulation of PSD95 in the mouse basolateral amygdala. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 720:150076. [PMID: 38772224 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.150076] [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: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Chronic morphine withdrawal memory formation is a complex process influenced by various molecular mechanisms. In this study, we aimed to investigate the contributions of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and complement component 1, q subcomponent-like 3 (C1QL3), a secreted and presynaptically targeted protein, to the formation of chronic morphine (repeat dosing of morphine) withdrawal memory using conditioned place aversion (CPA) and chemogenetic methods. We conducted experiments involving the inhibition of the BLA during naloxone-induced withdrawal to assess its impact on CPA scores, providing insights into the significance of the BLA in the chronic morphine memory formation process. We also examined changes in C1ql3/C1QL3 expression within the BLA following conditioning. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed the colocalization of C1QL3 and the G protein-coupled receptor, brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 3 (BAI3) in the BLA, supporting their involvement in synaptic development. Moreover, we downregulated C1QL3 expression in the BLA to investigate its role in chronic morphine withdrawal memory formation. Our findings revealed that BLA inhibition during naloxone-induced withdrawal led to a significant reduction in CPA scores, confirming the critical role of the BLA in this memory process. Additionally, the upregulation of C1ql3 expression within the BLA postconditioning suggested its participation in withdrawal memory formation. The colocalization of C1QL3 and BAI3 in the BLA further supported their involvement in synaptic development. Furthermore, downregulation of C1QL3 in the BLA effectively hindered chronic morphine withdrawal memory formation, emphasizing its pivotal role in this process. Notably, we identified postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) as a potential downstream effector of C1QL3 during chronic morphine withdrawal memory formation. Blocking PSD95 led to a significant reduction in the CPA score, and it appeared that C1QL3 modulated the ubiquitination-mediated degradation of PSD95, resulting in decreased PSD95 protein levels. This study underscores the importance of the BLA, C1QL3 and PSD95 in chronic morphine withdrawal memory formation. It provides valuable insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms, emphasizing their significance in this intricate process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Pan
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zhangyin Cai
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yingqi Wang
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Junfang Zhang
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Huan Sheng
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Da Shao
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dongyang Cui
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinli Guo
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ping Zheng
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Bin Lai
- MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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Ghane M, Trambaiolli L, Bertocci MA, Martinez-Rivera FJ, Chase HW, Brady T, Skeba A, Graur S, Bonar L, Iyengar S, Quirk GJ, Rasmussen SA, Haber SN, Phillips ML. Specific Patterns of Endogenous Functional Connectivity Are Associated With Harm Avoidance in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2024; 96:137-146. [PMID: 38336216 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.12.027] [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: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) show persistent avoidance behaviors, often in the absence of actual threat. Quality-of-life costs and heterogeneity support the need for novel brain-behavior intervention targets. Informed by mechanistic and anatomical studies of persistent avoidance in rodents and nonhuman primates, our goal was to test whether connections within a hypothesized persistent avoidance-related network predicted OCD-related harm avoidance (HA), a trait measure of persistent avoidance. We hypothesized that 1) HA, not an OCD diagnosis, would be associated with altered endogenous connectivity in at least one connection in the network; 2) HA-specific findings would be robust to comorbid symptoms; and 3) reliable findings would replicate in a holdout testing subsample. METHODS Using resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging, cross-validated elastic net for feature selection, and Poisson generalized linear models, we tested which connections significantly predicted HA in our training subsample (n = 73; 71.8% female; healthy control group n = 36, OCD group n = 37); robustness to comorbidities; and replicability in a testing subsample (n = 30; 56.7% female; healthy control group n = 15, OCD group n = 15). RESULTS Stronger inverse connectivity between the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and right basolateral amygdala and stronger positive connectivity between the right ventral anterior insula and left ventral striatum were associated with greater HA across groups. Network connections did not discriminate OCD diagnostic status or predict HA-correlated traits, suggesting sensitivity to trait HA. The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex-basolateral amygdala relationship was robust to controlling for comorbidities and medication in individuals with OCD and was also predictive of HA in our testing subsample. CONCLUSIONS Stronger inverse dorsal anterior cingulate cortex-basolateral amygdala connectivity was robustly and reliably associated with HA across groups and in OCD. Results support the relevance of a cross-species persistent avoidance-related network to OCD, with implications for precision-based approaches and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merage Ghane
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
| | - Lucas Trambaiolli
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Michele A Bertocci
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | | | - Henry W Chase
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Tyler Brady
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Alex Skeba
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Simona Graur
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Lisa Bonar
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Satish Iyengar
- Department of Statistics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Gregory J Quirk
- School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Steven A Rasmussen
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Suzanne N Haber
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York
| | - Mary L Phillips
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Downs AM, Kmiec G, McElligott ZA. Oral Fentanyl Consumption and Withdrawal Impairs Fear Extinction Learning and Enhances Basolateral Amygdala Principal Neuron Excitatory-Inhibitory Balance in Male and Female Mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.11.28.569085. [PMID: 38076868 PMCID: PMC10705490 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.28.569085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
The number of opioid overdose deaths has increased over the past several years, mainly driven by an increase in the availability of highly potent synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, in the un-regulated drug supply. Over the last few years, changes in the drug supply, and in particular the availability of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, have made oral use of opioids a more common route of administration. Here, we used a drinking in the dark (DiD) paradigm to model oral fentanyl self-administration using increasing fentanyl concentrations in male and female mice over 5 weeks. Fentanyl consumption peaked in both female and male mice at the 30 µg/mL dose, with female mice consuming significantly more fentanyl than male mice. Mice consumed sufficient fentanyl such that withdrawal was precipitated with naloxone, with males having more withdrawal symptoms, despite lower pharmacological exposure. We also performed behavioral assays to measure avoidance behavior and reward-seeking during fentanyl abstinence. Female mice displayed reduced avoidance behaviors in the open field assay, whereas male mice showed increased avoidance in the light/dark box assay. Female mice also exhibited increased reward-seeking in the sucrose preference test. Fentanyl-consuming mice of both sexes showed impaired cued fear extinction learning following fear conditioning and increased excitatory synaptic drive and increased excitability of BLA principal neurons. Our experiments demonstrate that long-term oral fentanyl consumption results in wide-ranging physiological and behavioral disruptions. This model could be useful to further study fentanyl withdrawal syndrome and behaviors and neuroplasticity associated with protracted fentanyl withdrawal.
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Germé K, Pfaus JG. Acute ethanol disrupts conditioned inhibition in the male rat. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024:10.1007/s00213-024-06618-5. [PMID: 38822097 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-024-06618-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
RATIONALE Alcohol can disrupt conditioned sexual inhibition (CSI) established by first-order conditioning in male rats. CSI can also be induced using second-order conditioning, during which male rats are trained to associate a neutral odor with a nonreceptive female. As a result, when given access to two receptive females (one scented and one unscented) during a copulatory preference test, they display CSI toward the scented female. OBJECTIVE The present study examined the effect of low-to-moderate doses of alcohol on CSI and brain activation following exposure to alcohol and the olfactory cue alone. METHODS Sexually-naïve Long-Evans rats received alternate conditioning sessions with unscented receptive or scented (almond extract) non-receptive females. Following the conditioning phase, males were injected with saline, alcohol 0.5 g/kg or 1 g/kg, 45 min before a copulatory test with two receptive females, with one bearing the olfactory cue. Fos activation was later assessed, following exposure to alcohol and the olfactory cue alone, in several brain regions involved in the expression and regulation of male sexual behavior. RESULTS While males in the saline group displayed sexual avoidance towards the scented female, those injected with alcohol before the copulatory test, regardless of the dose, copulated indiscriminately with both females. Subsequent exposure to alcohol and the olfactory cue alone induced different Fos expression between groups in several brain regions. CONCLUSIONS Low to moderate doses of alcohol disrupt conditioned sexual inhibition in male rats and induce a differential pattern of neural activation, particularly in regions involved in the expression and regulation of sexual behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katuschia Germé
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC, H4B 1R7, Canada
| | - James G Pfaus
- Center for Sexual Health and Intervention, Czech National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, 25067, Czech Republic.
- Department of Psychology and Life Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, 18200, Czech Republic.
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Ataei A, Amini A, Ghazizadeh A. Robust memory of face moral values is encoded in the human caudate tail: a simultaneous EEG-fMRI study. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12629. [PMID: 38824168 PMCID: PMC11144224 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63085-w] [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: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Moral judgements about people based on their actions is a key component that guides social decision making. It is currently unknown how positive or negative moral judgments associated with a person's face are processed and stored in the brain for a long time. Here, we investigate the long-term memory of moral values associated with human faces using simultaneous EEG-fMRI data acquisition. Results show that only a few exposures to morally charged stories of people are enough to form long-term memories a day later for a relatively large number of new faces. Event related potentials (ERPs) showed a significant differentiation of remembered good vs bad faces over centerofrontal electrode sites (value ERP). EEG-informed fMRI analysis revealed a subcortical cluster centered on the left caudate tail (CDt) as a correlate of the face value ERP. Importantly neither this analysis nor a conventional whole-brain analysis revealed any significant coding of face values in cortical areas, in particular the fusiform face area (FFA). Conversely an fMRI-informed EEG source localization using accurate subject-specific EEG head models also revealed activation in the left caudate tail. Nevertheless, the detected caudate tail region was found to be functionally connected to the FFA, suggesting FFA to be the source of face-specific information to CDt. A further psycho-physiological interaction analysis also revealed task-dependent coupling between CDt and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), a region previously identified as retaining emotional working memories. These results identify CDt as a main site for encoding the long-term value memories of faces in humans suggesting that moral value of faces activates the same subcortical basal ganglia circuitry involved in processing reward value memory for objects in primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Ataei
- EE Department, Sharif University of Technology, Azadi Avenue, Tehran, 1458889694, Iran
- Sharif Brain Center, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Arash Amini
- EE Department, Sharif University of Technology, Azadi Avenue, Tehran, 1458889694, Iran
| | - Ali Ghazizadeh
- EE Department, Sharif University of Technology, Azadi Avenue, Tehran, 1458889694, Iran.
- Sharif Brain Center, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Sequeira SL, Silk JS, Jones NP, Forbes EE, Hanson JL, Hallion LS, Ladouceur CD. Pathways to adolescent social anxiety: Testing interactions between neural social reward function and perceived social threat in daily life. Dev Psychopathol 2024:1-16. [PMID: 38801123 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579424001068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Recent theories suggest that for youth highly sensitive to incentives, perceiving more social threat may contribute to social anxiety (SA) symptoms. In 129 girls (ages 11-13) oversampled for shy/fearful temperament, we thus examined how interactions between neural responses to social reward (vs. neutral) cues (measured during anticipation of peer feedback) and perceived social threat in daily peer interactions (measured using ecological momentary assessment) predict SA symptoms two years later. No significant interactions emerged when neural reward function was modeled as a latent factor. Secondary analyses showed that higher perceived social threat was associated with more severe SA symptoms two years later only for girls with higher basolateral amygdala (BLA) activation to social reward cues at baseline. Interaction effects were specific to BLA activation to social reward (not threat) cues, though a main effect of BLA activation to social threat (vs. neutral) cues on SA emerged. Unexpectedly, interactions between social threat and BLA activation to social reward cues also predicted generalized anxiety and depression symptoms two years later, suggesting possible transdiagnostic risk pathways. Perceiving high social threat may be particularly detrimental for youth highly sensitive to reward incentives, potentially due to mediating reward learning processes, though this remains to be tested.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jennifer S Silk
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Neil P Jones
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Erika E Forbes
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jamie L Hanson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Lauren S Hallion
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Vázquez-Ágredos A, Valero M, Aparicio-Mescua T, García-Rodríguez R, Gámiz F, Gallo M. Adolescent alcohol exposure modifies adult anxiety-like behavior and amygdala sensitivity to alcohol in rats: Increased c-Fos activity and sex-dependent microRNA-182 expression. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024; 238:173741. [PMID: 38437922 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173741] [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: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Adolescent binge alcohol drinking is a serious health concern contributing to adult alcohol abuse often associated with anxiety disorders. We have used adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) administration as a model of binge drinking in rats in order to explore its long-term effect on the basolateral amygdala (BLA) responsiveness to alcohol and anxiety-like behavior. AIE increased the number of BLA c-Fos positive cells in adult Wistar rats and anxiety-like behavior assessed by the open field test (OFT). Additionally, in adult female rats receiving AIE BLA over expression of miR-182 was found. Therefore, our results indicate that alcohol consumption during adolescence can lead to enduring changes in anxiety-like behavior and BLA susceptibility to alcohol that may be mediated by sex-dependent epigenetic changes. These results contribute to understanding the mechanisms involved in the development of alcohol use disorders (AUD) and anxiety-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Vázquez-Ágredos
- Department of Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences (CIBM), University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
| | - Marta Valero
- Department of Psychology, University of Jaén, Jaén, Spain
| | - Teresa Aparicio-Mescua
- Department of Psychobiology and Centre of Investigation of Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CIMCYC), Faculty of Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Raquel García-Rodríguez
- Department of Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences (CIBM), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Fernando Gámiz
- Department of Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences (CIBM), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Milagros Gallo
- Department of Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences (CIBM), University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (IBS), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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Amaya KA, Teboul E, Weiss GL, Antonoudiou P, Maguire JL. Basolateral amygdala parvalbumin interneurons coordinate oscillations to drive reward behaviors. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1561-1568.e4. [PMID: 38479389 PMCID: PMC11003843 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) mediates both fear and reward learning.1,2 Previous work has shown that parvalbumin (PV) interneurons in the BLA contribute to BLA oscillatory states integral to fear expression.3,4,5,6,7 However, despite it being critical to our understanding of reward behaviors, it is unknown whether BLA oscillatory states and PV interneurons similarly contribute to reward processing. Local field potentials in the BLA were collected as male and female mice consumed sucrose reward, where prominent changes in the beta band (15-30 Hz) emerged with reward experience. During consumption of one water bottle during a two-water-bottle choice test, rhythmic optogenetic stimulation of BLA PVs produced a robust bottle preference, showing that PVs can sufficiently drive reward seeking. Finally, to demonstrate that PV activity is necessary for reward value use, PVs were chemogenetically inhibited following outcome devaluation, rendering mice incapable of using updated reward representations to guide their behavior. Taken together, these experiments provide novel information about the physiological signatures of reward while highlighting BLA PV interneuron contributions to behaviors that are BLA dependent. This work builds upon established knowledge of PV involvement in fear expression and provides evidence that PV orchestration of unique BLA network states is involved in both learning types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth A Amaya
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
| | - Eric Teboul
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Grant L Weiss
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Pantelis Antonoudiou
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Jamie L Maguire
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
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DiLeo A, Antonodiou P, Blandino K, Conlin E, Melón L, Maguire JL. Network States in the Basolateral Amygdala Predicts Voluntary Alcohol Consumption. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.06.21.545962. [PMID: 38464012 PMCID: PMC10925084 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.21.545962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Although most adults in the United States will drink alcohol in their life, only about 6% will go on to develop an alcohol use disorder (AUD). While a great deal of work has furthered our understanding of the cycle of addiction, it remains unclear why certain people transition to disordered drinking. Altered activity in regions implicated in AUDs, like the basolateral amygdala (BLA), has been suggested to play a role in the pathophysiology of AUDs, but how these networks contribute to alcohol misuse remains unclear. Our recent work demonstrated that alcohol can modulate BLA network states and that GABAergic parvalbumin (PV) interneurons are crucial modulators of network activity in the BLA. Further, our lab has demonstrated that δ subunit-containing GABA A receptors, which are modulated by alcohol, are highly expressed on PV interneurons in the BLA. These receptors on PV interneurons have also been shown to influence alcohol intake in a voluntary binge drinking paradigm and anxiety-like behavior in withdrawal. Therefore, we hypothesized that alcohol may impact BLA network states via δ subunit-containing GABA A receptors on PV interneurons to impact the extent of alcohol use. To test this hypothesis, we measured the impact of acute alcohol exposure on oscillatory states in the basolateral amygdala and then assessed the relationship to the extent of voluntary ethanol consumption in the Intermittent Access, Drinking-in-the-Dark-Multiple Scheduled Access, and Chronic Intermittent Ethanol exposure paradigms. Remarkably, we demonstrate that the average alcohol intake negatively correlates with δ subunit-containing GABA A receptor expression on PV interneurons and gamma power in the BLA after the first exposure to alcohol. These data implicate δ subunit-containing GABA A receptor expression on PV interneurons in the BLA in voluntary alcohol intake and suggest that BLA network states may serve as a useful biomarker for those at risk for alcohol misuse. Significance Statement Oscillatory states in the BLA have been demonstrated to drive behavioral states involved in emotional processing, including negative valence processing. Given that negative emotional states/hyperkatifeia contribute to the cycle of AUDs, our previous work demonstrating the ability of alcohol to modulate BLA network states and thereby behavioral states suggests that this mechanism may influence alcohol intake. Here we demonstrate a relationship between the ability of alcohol to modulate oscillations in the BLA and future alcohol intake such that the extent to which alcohol influences BLA network states predict the extent of future voluntary alcohol intake. These findings suggest that individual variability in the sensitivity of the BLA network to alcohol influences voluntary alcohol consumption.
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Braunscheidel K, Okas M, Woodward JJ. Toluene alters the intrinsic excitability and excitatory synaptic transmission of basolateral amygdala neurons. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1366216. [PMID: 38595974 PMCID: PMC11002899 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1366216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Inhalant abuse is an important health issue especially among children and adolescents who often encounter these agents in the home. Research into the neurobiological targets of inhalants has lagged behind that of other drugs such as alcohol and psychostimulants. However, studies from our lab and others have begun to reveal how inhalants such as the organic solvent toluene affect neurons in key addiction related areas of the brain including the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens and medial prefrontal cortex. In the present study, we extend these findings and examine the effect of toluene on electrophysiological responses of pyramidal neurons in the basolateral amygdala BLA, a region important for generating emotional and reward based information needed to guide future behavior. Methods Whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology recordings of BLA pyramidal neurons in rat brain slices were used to assess toluene effects on intrinsic excitability and excitatory glutamatergic synaptic transmission. Results Acute application of 3 mM but not 0.3 mM toluene produced a small but significant (~20%) increase in current-evoked action potential (AP) firing that reversed following washout of the toluene containing solution. The change in firing during exposure to 3 mM toluene was accompanied by selective changes in AP parameters including reduced latency to first spike, increased AP rise time and decay and a reduction in the fast after-hyperpolization. To examine whether toluene also affects excitatory synaptic signaling, we expressed channelrhodopsin-2 in medial prefrontal cortex neurons and elicited synaptic currents in BLA neurons via light pulses. Toluene (3 mM) reduced light-evoked AMPA-mediated synaptic currents while a lower concentration (0.3 mM) had no effect. The toluene-induced reduction in AMPA-mediated BLA synaptic currents was prevented by the cannabinoid receptor-1 antagonist AM281. Discussion These findings are the first to demonstrate effects of acute toluene on BLA pyramidal neurons and add to existing findings showing that abused inhalants such as toluene have significant effects on neurons in brain regions involved in natural and drug induced reward.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - John J. Woodward
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
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Plasil SL, Farris SP, Blednov Y, Mayfield RD, Mangieri RA, Nwokeji UJ, Aziz HC, Lambeth PS, Harris RA, Homanics GE. Mutation of novel ethanol-responsive lncRNA Gm41261 impacts ethanol-related behavioral responses in mice. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2024; 23:e12886. [PMID: 38373108 PMCID: PMC10876150 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Chronic alcohol exposure results in widespread dysregulation of gene expression that contributes to the pathogenesis of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Long noncoding RNAs are key regulators of the transcriptome that we hypothesize coordinate alcohol-induced transcriptome dysregulation and contribute to AUD. Based on RNA-Sequencing data of human prefrontal cortex, basolateral amygdala and nucleus accumbens of AUD versus non-AUD brain, the human LINC01265 and its predicted murine homolog Gm41261 (i.e., TX2) were selected for functional interrogation. We tested the hypothesis that TX2 contributes to ethanol drinking and behavioral responses to ethanol. CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis was used to create a TX2 mutant mouse line in which 306 base-pairs were deleted from the locus. RNA analysis revealed that an abnormal TX2 transcript was produced at an unchanged level in mutant animals. Behaviorally, mutant mice had reduced ethanol, gaboxadol and zolpidem-induced loss of the righting response and reduced tolerance to ethanol in both sexes. In addition, a male-specific reduction in two-bottle choice every-other-day ethanol drinking was observed. Male TX2 mutants exhibited evidence of enhanced GABA release and altered GABAA receptor subunit composition in neurons of the nucleus accumbens shell. In C57BL6/J mice, TX2 within the cortex was cytoplasmic and largely present in Rbfox3+ neurons and IBA1+ microglia, but not in Olig2+ oligodendrocytes or in the majority of GFAP+ astrocytes. These data support the hypothesis that TX2 mutagenesis and dysregulation impacts ethanol drinking behavior and ethanol-induced behavioral responses in mice, likely through alterations in the GABAergic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. L. Plasil
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical BiologyUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - S. P. Farris
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative MedicineUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Biomedical InformaticsUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
- The Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction ResearchThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
| | - Y. Blednov
- The Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction ResearchThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
| | - R. D. Mayfield
- The Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction ResearchThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
- Department of NeuroscienceThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
| | - R. A. Mangieri
- The Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction ResearchThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of PharmacyThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
| | - U. J. Nwokeji
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical BiologyUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - H. C. Aziz
- The Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction ResearchThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of PharmacyThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
| | - P. S. Lambeth
- The Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction ResearchThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
- Department of NeuroscienceThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
| | - R. A. Harris
- The Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction ResearchThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
| | - G. E. Homanics
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical BiologyUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative MedicineUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
- Department of NeurobiologyUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
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12
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Yang WFZ, Chowdhury A, Bianciardi M, van Lutterveld R, Sparby T, Sacchet MD. Intensive whole-brain 7T MRI case study of volitional control of brain activity in deep absorptive meditation states. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad408. [PMID: 37943791 PMCID: PMC10793575 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad408] [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: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Jhanas are profound states of mind achieved through advanced meditation, offering valuable insights into the nature of consciousness and tools to enhance well-being. Yet, its neurophenomenology remains limited due to methodological difficulties and the rarity of advanced meditation practitioners. We conducted a highly exploratory study to investigate the neurophenomenology of jhanas in an intensively sampled adept meditator case study (4 hr 7T fMRI collected in 27 sessions) who performed jhana meditation and rated specific aspects of experience immediately thereafter. Linear mixed models and correlations were used to examine relations among brain activity and jhana phenomenology. We identified distinctive patterns of brain activity in specific cortical, subcortical, brainstem, and cerebellar regions associated with jhana. Furthermore, we observed correlations between brain activity and phenomenological qualities of attention, jhanic qualities, and narrative processing, highlighting the distinct nature of jhanas compared to non-meditative states. Our study presents the most rigorous evidence yet that jhana practice deconstructs consciousness, offering unique insights into consciousness and significant implications for mental health and well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winson Fu Zun Yang
- Meditation Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Avijit Chowdhury
- Meditation Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Marta Bianciardi
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
- Brainstem Imaging Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Remko van Lutterveld
- Department of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, CX Utrecht 3584, the Netherlands
- Brain Research & Innovation Centre, Ministry of Defence, AA Utrecht 3509, the Netherlands
| | - Terje Sparby
- Steiner University College, Oslo 0260, Norway
- Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten 58448, Germany
- Integrated Curriculum for Anthroposophic Psychology, Witten/Herdecke University, 58448 Witten, Germany
| | - Matthew D Sacchet
- Meditation Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
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13
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Aguirre CG, Woo JH, Romero-Sosa JL, Rivera ZM, Tejada AN, Munier JJ, Perez J, Goldfarb M, Das K, Gomez M, Ye T, Pannu J, Evans K, O'Neill PR, Spigelman I, Soltani A, Izquierdo A. Dissociable Contributions of Basolateral Amygdala and Ventrolateral Orbitofrontal Cortex to Flexible Learning Under Uncertainty. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e0622232023. [PMID: 37968116 PMCID: PMC10860573 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0622-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Reversal learning measures the ability to form flexible associations between choice outcomes with stimuli and actions that precede them. This type of learning is thought to rely on several cortical and subcortical areas, including the highly interconnected orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA), and is often impaired in various neuropsychiatric and substance use disorders. However, the unique contributions of these regions to stimulus- and action-based reversal learning have not been systematically compared using a chemogenetic approach particularly before and after the first reversal that introduces new uncertainty. Here, we examined the roles of ventrolateral OFC (vlOFC) and BLA during reversal learning. Male and female rats were prepared with inhibitory designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs targeting projection neurons in these regions and tested on a series of deterministic and probabilistic reversals during which they learned about stimulus identity or side (left or right) associated with different reward probabilities. Using a counterbalanced within-subject design, we inhibited these regions prior to reversal sessions. We assessed initial and pre-/post-reversal changes in performance to measure learning and adjustments to reversals, respectively. We found that inhibition of the ventrolateral orbitofrontal cortex (vlOFC), but not BLA, eliminated adjustments to stimulus-based reversals. Inhibition of BLA, but not vlOFC, selectively impaired action-based probabilistic reversal learning, leaving deterministic reversal learning intact. vlOFC exhibited a sex-dependent role in early adjustment to action-based reversals, but not in overall learning. These results reveal dissociable roles for BLA and vlOFC in flexible learning and highlight a more crucial role for BLA in learning meaningful changes in the reward environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- C G Aguirre
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - J H Woo
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755
| | - J L Romero-Sosa
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Z M Rivera
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - A N Tejada
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - J J Munier
- Section of Biosystems and Function, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - J Perez
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - M Goldfarb
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - K Das
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - M Gomez
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - T Ye
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - J Pannu
- Section of Biosystems and Function, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - K Evans
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - P R O'Neill
- Shirley and Stefan Hatos Center for Neuropharmacology, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - I Spigelman
- Section of Biosystems and Function, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - A Soltani
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755
| | - A Izquierdo
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
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14
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Sherman BE, Turk-Browne NB, Goldfarb EV. Multiple Memory Subsystems: Reconsidering Memory in the Mind and Brain. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2024; 19:103-125. [PMID: 37390333 PMCID: PMC10756937 DOI: 10.1177/17456916231179146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
The multiple-memory-systems framework-that distinct types of memory are supported by distinct brain systems-has guided learning and memory research for decades. However, recent work challenges the one-to-one mapping between brain structures and memory types central to this taxonomy, with key memory-related structures supporting multiple functions across substructures. Here we integrate cross-species findings in the hippocampus, striatum, and amygdala to propose an updated framework of multiple memory subsystems (MMSS). We provide evidence for two organizational principles of the MMSS theory: First, opposing memory representations are colocated in the same brain structures; second, parallel memory representations are supported by distinct structures. We discuss why this burgeoning framework has the potential to provide a useful revision of classic theories of long-term memory, what evidence is needed to further validate the framework, and how this novel perspective on memory organization may guide future research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Elizabeth V Goldfarb
- Department of Psychology, Yale University
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University
- National Center for PTSD, West Haven, USA
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15
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Ottenheimer DJ, Vitale KR, Ambroggi F, Janak PH, Saunders BT. Basolateral amygdala population coding of a cued reward seeking state depends on orbitofrontal cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.12.31.573789. [PMID: 38260546 PMCID: PMC10802313 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.31.573789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Basolateral amygdala (BLA) neuronal responses to conditioned stimuli are closely linked to the expression of conditioned behavior. An area of increasing interest is how the dynamics of BLA neurons relate to evolving behavior. Here, we recorded the activity of individual BLA neurons across the acquisition and extinction of conditioned reward seeking and employed population-level analyses to assess ongoing neural dynamics. We found that, with training, sustained cue-evoked activity emerged that discriminated between the CS+ and CS- and correlated with conditioned responding. This sustained population activity continued until reward receipt and rapidly extinguished along with conditioned behavior during extinction. To assess the contribution of orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), a major reciprocal partner to BLA, to this component of BLA neural activity, we inactivated OFC while recording in BLA and found blunted sustained cue-evoked activity in BLA that accompanied reduced reward seeking. Optogenetic disruption of BLA activity and OFC terminals in BLA also reduced reward seeking. Our data suggest that sustained cue-driven activity in BLA, which in part depends on OFC input, underlies conditioned reward-seeking states.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Ottenheimer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington
| | | | - Frederic Ambroggi
- Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, Aix-Marseilles Universite, CNRS, INT
| | - Patricia H Janak
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University
| | - Benjamin T Saunders
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota
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16
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Basile BM, Costa VD, Schafroth JL, Karaskiewicz CL, Lucas DR, Murray EA. The amygdala is not necessary for the familiarity aspect of recognition memory. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8109. [PMID: 38062014 PMCID: PMC10703781 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43906-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Dual-process accounts of item recognition posit two memory processes: slow but detailed recollection, and quick but vague familiarity. It has been proposed, based on prior rodent work, that the amygdala is critical for the familiarity aspect of item recognition. Here, we evaluated this proposal in male rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) with selective bilateral excitotoxic amygdala damage. We used four established visual memory tests designed to assess different aspects of familiarity, all administered on touchscreen computers. Specifically, we assessed monkeys' tendencies to make low-latency false alarms, to make false alarms to recently seen lures, to produce curvilinear ROC curves, and to discriminate stimuli based on repetition across days. Three of the four tests showed no familiarity impairment and the fourth was explained by a deficit in reward processing. Consistent with this, amygdala damage did produce an anticipated deficit in reward processing in a three-arm-bandit gambling task, verifying the effectiveness of the lesions. Together, these results contradict prior rodent work and suggest that the amygdala is not critical for the familiarity aspect of item recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M Basile
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
- Department of Psychology, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA, USA.
| | - Vincent D Costa
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Jamie L Schafroth
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Chloe L Karaskiewicz
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- Department of Psychology, UC Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Daniel R Lucas
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Elisabeth A Murray
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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17
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Savchenko A, Belozertseva I, Leo D, Sukhanov I. Hyperdopaminergia in rats is associated with reverse effort-cost dependent performance. J Psychopharmacol 2023; 37:1238-1248. [PMID: 37962090 DOI: 10.1177/02698811231211225] [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] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dopamine is implicated in the effort-based control of motivational processes; however, whether tonic dopamine regulates the effort-cost impact on motivation, is still debated. AIMS The rats lacking the dopamine transporter (DAT), which have dramatically increased levels of the synaptic dopamine, were used in the present study to elucidate the role of the synaptic dopamine in motivational processes. METHODS To study the reward-related processes, the progressive ratio 3 (PR3) operant schedule of food reinforcement (the ratio increases by 3 after each earned reinforcer) was performed in adult male rats (DAT knockouts (DAT-KO), heterozygotes (DAT-HT) and wild-types (DAT-WT)). RESULTS During the PR3 session, the response rate of DAT-KO rats was gradually increased following the augmented required number of responses. In contrast, the local response rate of DAT-WT and DAT-HT decreased. d-Amphetamine sulfate salt (3 mg/kg, i.p.) altered the local response rate dynamics in DAT-WT, which became similar to that of DAT-KO. Interestingly, the reduction in response rate at low effort demands was associated with decreased rate of entries into the magazine tray in DAT-WT rats treated with amphetamine (3 mg/kg) but not in DAT-KO rats. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the elevated tonic synaptic dopamine can strongly affect motivation/effort-cost relation in rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artem Savchenko
- Programme for Proteomics, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Psychopharmacology, Valdman Institute of Pharmacology, Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Irina Belozertseva
- Department of Psychopharmacology, Valdman Institute of Pharmacology, Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Damiana Leo
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | - Ilya Sukhanov
- Department of Psychopharmacology, Valdman Institute of Pharmacology, Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
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18
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He Y, Huang YH, Schlüter OM, Dong Y. Cue- versus reward-encoding basolateral amygdala projections to nucleus accumbens. eLife 2023; 12:e89766. [PMID: 37963179 PMCID: PMC10645419 DOI: 10.7554/elife.89766] [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: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In substance use disorders, drug use as unconditioned stimulus (US) reinforces drug taking. Meanwhile, drug-associated cues (conditioned stimulus [CS]) also gain incentive salience to promote drug seeking. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is implicated in both US- and CS-mediated responses. Here, we show that two genetically distinct BLA neuronal types, expressing Rspo2 versus Ppp1r1b, respectively, project to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and form monosynaptic connections with both dopamine D1 and D2 receptor-expressing neurons. While intra-NAc stimulation of Rspo2 or Ppp1r1b presynaptic terminals establishes intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS), only Ppp1r1b-stimulated mice exhibit cue-induced ICSS seeking. Furthermore, increasing versus decreasing the Ppp1r1b-to-NAc, but not Rspo2-to-NAc, subprojection increases versus decreases cue-induced cocaine seeking after cocaine withdrawal. Thus, while both BLA-to-NAc subprojections contribute to US-mediated responses, the Ppp1r1b subprojection selectively encodes CS-mediated reward and drug reinforcement. Such differential circuit representations may provide insights into precise understanding and manipulation of drug- versus cue-induced drug seeking and relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi He
- Departments of Neuroscience, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Yanhua H Huang
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Oliver M Schlüter
- Departments of Neuroscience, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Yan Dong
- Departments of Neuroscience, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
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19
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Smail MA, Smith BL, Shukla R, Alganem K, Eby HM, Bollinger JL, Parikh RK, Chambers JB, Reigle JK, Moloney RD, Nawreen N, Wohleb ES, Pantazopoulos H, McCullumsmith RE, Herman JP. Molecular neurobiology of loss: a role for basolateral amygdala extracellular matrix. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:4729-4741. [PMID: 37644175 PMCID: PMC10914625 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02231-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Psychological loss is a common experience that erodes well-being and negatively impacts quality of life. The molecular underpinnings of loss are poorly understood. Here, we investigate the mechanisms of loss using an environmental enrichment removal (ER) paradigm in male rats. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) was identified as a region of interest, demonstrating differential Fos responsivity to ER and having an established role in stress processing and adaptation. A comprehensive multi-omics investigation of the BLA, spanning multiple cohorts, platforms, and analyses, revealed alterations in microglia and the extracellular matrix (ECM). Follow-up studies indicated that ER decreased microglia size, complexity, and phagocytosis, suggesting reduced immune surveillance. Loss also substantially increased ECM coverage, specifically targeting perineuronal nets surrounding parvalbumin interneurons, suggesting decreased plasticity and increased inhibition within the BLA following loss. Behavioral analyses suggest that these molecular effects are linked to impaired BLA salience evaluation, leading to a mismatch between stimulus and reaction intensity. These loss-like behaviors could be rescued by depleting BLA ECM during the removal period, helping us understand the mechanisms underlying loss and revealing novel molecular targets to ameliorate its impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa A Smail
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
| | - Brittany L Smith
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Rammohan Shukla
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Khaled Alganem
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Hunter M Eby
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Justin L Bollinger
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Ria K Parikh
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - James B Chambers
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - James K Reigle
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Rachel D Moloney
- School of Pharmacy, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland, UK
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland, UK
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland, UK
| | - Nawshaba Nawreen
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Eric S Wohleb
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Harry Pantazopoulos
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - Robert E McCullumsmith
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
- Neurosciences Institute, ProMedica, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - James P Herman
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
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20
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Aguirre CG, Woo JH, Romero-Sosa JL, Rivera ZM, Tejada AN, Munier JJ, Perez J, Goldfarb M, Das K, Gomez M, Ye T, Pannu J, Evans K, O'Neill PR, Spigelman I, Soltani A, Izquierdo A. Dissociable contributions of basolateral amygdala and ventrolateral orbitofrontal cortex to flexible learning under uncertainty. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.03.535471. [PMID: 37066321 PMCID: PMC10104064 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.03.535471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Reversal learning measures the ability to form flexible associations between choice outcomes with stimuli and actions that precede them. This type of learning is thought to rely on several cortical and subcortical areas, including highly interconnected orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA), and is often impaired in various neuropsychiatric and substance use disorders. However, unique contributions of these regions to stimulus- and action-based reversal learning have not been systematically compared using a chemogenetic approach and particularly before and after the first reversal that introduces new uncertainty. Here, we examined the roles of ventrolateral OFC (vlOFC) and BLA during reversal learning. Male and female rats were prepared with inhibitory DREADDs targeting projection neurons in these regions and tested on a series of deterministic and probabilistic reversals during which they learned about stimulus identity or side (left or right) associated with different reward probabilities. Using a counterbalanced within-subject design, we inhibited these regions prior to reversal sessions. We assessed initial and pre-post reversal changes in performance to measure learning and adjustments to reversals, respectively. We found that inhibition of vlOFC, but not BLA, eliminated adjustments to stimulus-based reversals. Inhibition of BLA, but not vlOFC, selectively impaired action-based probabilistic reversal learning, leaving deterministic reversal learning intact. vlOFC exhibited a sex-dependent role in early adjustment to action-based reversals, but not in overall learning. These results reveal dissociable roles for BLA and vlOFC in flexible learning and highlight a more crucial role for BLA in learning meaningful changes in the reward environment.
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21
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Salin A, Dugast E, Lardeux V, Solinas M, Belujon P. The amygdala-ventral pallidum pathway contributes to a hypodopaminergic state in the ventral tegmental area during protracted abstinence from chronic cocaine. Br J Pharmacol 2023; 180:1819-1831. [PMID: 36645812 DOI: 10.1111/bph.16034] [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: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Incubation of craving, the progressive increase in drug seeking over the first weeks of abstinence, is associated with temporal changes during abstinence in the activity of several structures involved in drug-seeking behaviour. Decreases of dopamine (DA) release and DA neuronal activity (hypodopaminergic state) have been reported in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) during cocaine abstinence, but the mechanisms underlying these neuroadaptations are not well understood. We investigated the potential involvement of a VTA inhibiting circuit (basolateral amygdala [BLA]-ventral pallidum [VP] pathway) in the hypodopaminergic state associated with abstinence from chronic cocaine. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH In a model of cocaine self-administration, we performed in vivo electrophysiological recordings of DA VTA neurons and BLA neurons from anaesthetised rats during early and protracted abstinence and evaluated the involvement of the BLA-VP pathway using a pharmacological approach. KEY RESULTS We found significant decreases in VTA DA population activity and significant increases in BLA activity after protracted but not after short-term abstinence from chronic cocaine. The decrease in VTA DA activity was restored by pharmacological inhibition of the activity of either the BLA or the VP, suggesting that these regions exert a negative influence on DA activity. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Our study sheds new lights on neuroadaptations occurring during incubation of craving leading to relapse. In particular, we describe the involvement of the BLA-VP pathway in cocaine-induced decreases of DA activity in the VTA. This study adds important information about the specific brain network dysfunctions underlying hypodopaminergic activity during abstinence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adélie Salin
- Université de Poitiers, INSERM, U-1084, Laboratoire des Neurosciences Expérimentales et Cliniques, Poitiers, France
- Université de Rennes, Institut Numecan INRAE, INSERM, Rennes, France
| | - Emilie Dugast
- Université de Poitiers, INSERM, U-1084, Laboratoire des Neurosciences Expérimentales et Cliniques, Poitiers, France
- CHU de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Virginie Lardeux
- Université de Poitiers, INSERM, U-1084, Laboratoire des Neurosciences Expérimentales et Cliniques, Poitiers, France
| | - Marcello Solinas
- Université de Poitiers, INSERM, U-1084, Laboratoire des Neurosciences Expérimentales et Cliniques, Poitiers, France
| | - Pauline Belujon
- Université de Poitiers, INSERM, U-1084, Laboratoire des Neurosciences Expérimentales et Cliniques, Poitiers, France
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22
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Monroe SC, Radke AK. Opioid withdrawal: role in addiction and neural mechanisms. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:1417-1433. [PMID: 37162529 PMCID: PMC11166123 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06370-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Withdrawal from opioids involves a negative affective state that promotes maintenance of drug-seeking behavior and relapse. As such, understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying withdrawal from opioid drugs is critical as scientists and clinicians seek to develop new treatments and therapies. In this review, we focus on the neural systems known to mediate the affective and somatic signs and symptoms of opioid withdrawal, including the mesolimbic dopaminergic system, basolateral amygdala, extended amygdala, and brain and hormonal stress systems. Evidence from preclinical studies suggests that these systems are altered following opioid exposure and that these changes mediate behavioral signs of negative affect such as aversion and anxiety during withdrawal. Adaptations in these systems also parallel the behavioral and psychological features of opioid use disorder (OUD), highlighting the important role of withdrawal in the development of addictive behavior. Implications for relapse and treatment are discussed as well as promising avenues for future research, with the hope of promoting continued progress toward characterizing neural contributors to opioid withdrawal and compulsive opioid use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean C Monroe
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, 90 N Patterson Ave, Oxford, OH, USA
| | - Anna K Radke
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, 90 N Patterson Ave, Oxford, OH, USA.
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23
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Mead EA, Wang Y, Patel S, Thekkumthala AP, Kepich R, Benn-Hirsch E, Lee V, Basaly A, Bergeson S, Siegelmann HT, Pietrzykowski AZ. miR-9 utilizes precursor pathways in adaptation to alcohol in mouse striatal neurons. ADVANCES IN DRUG AND ALCOHOL RESEARCH 2023; 3:11323. [PMID: 38116240 PMCID: PMC10730111 DOI: 10.3389/adar.2023.11323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
microRNA-9 (miR-9) is one of the most abundant microRNAs in the mammalian brain, essential for its development and normal function. In neurons, it regulates the expression of several key molecules, ranging from ion channels to enzymes, to transcription factors broadly affecting the expression of many genes. The neuronal effects of alcohol, one of the most abused drugs in the world, seem to be at least partially dependent on regulating the expression of miR-9. We previously observed that molecular mechanisms of the development of alcohol tolerance are miR-9 dependent. Since a critical feature of alcohol action is temporal exposure to the drug, we decided to better understand the time dependence of alcohol regulation of miR-9 biogenesis and expression. We measured the effect of intoxicating concentration of alcohol (20 mM ethanol) on the expression of all major elements of miR-9 biogenesis: three pri-precursors (pri-mir-9-1, pri-mir-9-2, pri-mir-9-3), three pre-precursors (pre-mir-9-1, pre-mir-9-2, pre-mir-9-3), and two mature microRNAs: miR-9-5p and miR-9-3p, using digital PCR and RT-qPCR, and murine primary medium spiny neurons (MSN) cultures. We subjected the neurons to alcohol based on an exposure/withdrawal matrix of different exposure times (from 15 min to 24 h) followed by different withdrawal times (from 0 h to 24 h). We observed that a short exposure increased mature miR-9-5p expression, which was followed by a gradual decrease and subsequent increase of the expression, returning to pre-exposure levels within 24 h. Temporal changes of miR-9-3p expression were complementing miR-9-5p changes. Interestingly, an extended, continuous presence of the drug caused a similar pattern. These results suggest the presence of the adaptive mechanisms of miR-9 expression in the presence and absence of alcohol. Measurement of miR-9 pre- and pri-precursors showed further that the primary effect of alcohol on miR-9 is through the mir-9-2 precursor pathway with a smaller contribution of mir-9-1 and mir-9-3 precursors. Our results provide new insight into the adaptive mechanisms of neurons to alcohol exposure. It would be of interest to determine next which microRNA-based mechanisms are involved in a transition from the acute, intoxicating effects of alcohol to the chronic, addictive effects of the drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Andrew Mead
- Laboratory of Adaptation, Reward and Addiction, Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Yongping Wang
- Laboratory of Adaptation, Reward and Addiction, Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Sunali Patel
- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Austin, TX, United States
| | - Austin P. Thekkumthala
- Laboratory of Adaptation, Reward and Addiction, Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Rebecca Kepich
- Laboratory of Adaptation, Reward and Addiction, Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Elizabeth Benn-Hirsch
- Laboratory of Adaptation, Reward and Addiction, Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Victoria Lee
- Laboratory of Adaptation, Reward and Addiction, Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Azra Basaly
- Laboratory of Adaptation, Reward and Addiction, Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Susan Bergeson
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Hava T. Siegelmann
- Department of Machine Learning, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Biologically Inspired Neural & Dynamical Systems Laboratory, The Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States
| | - Andrzej Zbigniew Pietrzykowski
- Laboratory of Adaptation, Reward and Addiction, Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
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24
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Xu J, Liu N, Polemiti E, Garcia-Mondragon L, Tang J, Liu X, Lett T, Yu L, Nöthen MM, Feng J, Yu C, Marquand A, Schumann G. Effects of urban living environments on mental health in adults. Nat Med 2023; 29:1456-1467. [PMID: 37322117 PMCID: PMC10287556 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02365-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Urban-living individuals are exposed to many environmental factors that may combine and interact to influence mental health. While individual factors of an urban environment have been investigated in isolation, no attempt has been made to model how complex, real-life exposure to living in the city relates to brain and mental health, and how this is moderated by genetic factors. Using the data of 156,075 participants from the UK Biobank, we carried out sparse canonical correlation analyses to investigate the relationships between urban environments and psychiatric symptoms. We found an environmental profile of social deprivation, air pollution, street network and urban land-use density that was positively correlated with an affective symptom group (r = 0.22, Pperm < 0.001), mediated by brain volume differences consistent with reward processing, and moderated by genes enriched for stress response, including CRHR1, explaining 2.01% of the variance in brain volume differences. Protective factors such as greenness and generous destination accessibility were negatively correlated with an anxiety symptom group (r = 0.10, Pperm < 0.001), mediated by brain regions necessary for emotion regulation and moderated by EXD3, explaining 1.65% of the variance. The third urban environmental profile was correlated with an emotional instability symptom group (r = 0.03, Pperm < 0.001). Our findings suggest that different environmental profiles of urban living may influence specific psychiatric symptom groups through distinct neurobiological pathways.
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Grants
- R01 DA049238 NIDA NIH HHS
- European Union-funded Horizon Europe project ‘environMENTAL’ (101057429 to G.S.), the Horizon 2020 funded ERC Advanced Grant ‘STRATIFY’ (695313 to G.S.), the Human Brain Project (HBP SGA3, 945539 to G.S.), the National Institute of Health (NIH) (R01DA049238 to G.S.), the German Research Foundation (DFG) (COPE; 675346 to G.S.), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82150710554 to G.S.),the Chinese National High-end Foreign Expert Recruitment Plan to G.S. and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to G.S.
- the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82001797 to J.X.),Tianjin Applied Basic Research Diversified Investment Foundation (21JCYBJC01360 to J.X.), Tianjin Health Technology Project (TJWJ2021QN002 to J.X.), Science&Technology Development Fund of Tianjin Education Commission for Higher Education (2019KJ195 to J.X.)
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (82202093)
- National Key R&D Program of China (2022YFE0209400), Tsinghua University Initiative Scientific Research Program (2021Z11GHX002), the National Key Scientific and Technological Infrastructure project “Earth System Science Numerical Simulator Facility” (EarthLab)
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (82030053);National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC1314301)
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayuan Xu
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
| | - Nana Liu
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Elli Polemiti
- Centre for Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine, Institute for Science and Technology of Brain-inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Centre for Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine (PONS), Charite Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, CCM, Charite Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Jie Tang
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoxuan Liu
- Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Tristram Lett
- Centre for Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine, Institute for Science and Technology of Brain-inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Centre for Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine (PONS), Charite Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, CCM, Charite Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Le Yu
- Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Ecological Field Station for East Asian Migratory Birds, Tsinghua University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Markus M Nöthen
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jianfeng Feng
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Chunshui Yu
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Andre Marquand
- Predictive Clinical Neuroscience Group at the Donders Institute, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Gunter Schumann
- Centre for Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine, Institute for Science and Technology of Brain-inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
- Centre for Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine (PONS), Charite Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, CCM, Charite Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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25
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Ferland JMN, Ellis RJ, Rompala G, Landry JA, Callens JE, Ly A, Frier MD, Uzamere TO, Hurd YL. Dose mediates the protracted effects of adolescent THC exposure on reward and stress reactivity in males relevant to perturbation of the basolateral amygdala transcriptome. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:2583-2593. [PMID: 35236956 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01467-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Despite the belief that cannabis is relatively harmless, exposure during adolescence is associated with increased risk of developing several psychopathologies in adulthood. In addition to the high levels of use amongst teenagers, the potency of ∆-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has increased more than fourfold compared to even twenty years ago, and it is unclear whether potency influences the presentation of THC-induced behaviors. Expanded knowledge about the impact of adolescent THC exposure, especially high dose, is important to delineating neural networks and molecular mechanisms underlying psychiatric risk. Here, we observed that repeated exposure to low (1.5 mg/kg) and high (5 mg/kg) doses of THC during adolescence in male rats produced divergent effects on behavior in adulthood. Whereas low dose rats showed greater sensitivity to reward devaluation and also self-administered more heroin, high dose animals were significantly more reactive to social isolation stress. RNA sequencing of the basolateral amygdala, a region linked to reward processing and stress, revealed significant perturbations in transcripts and gene networks related to synaptic plasticity and HPA axis that were distinct to THC dose as well as stress. In silico single-cell deconvolution of the RNAseq data revealed a significant reduction of astrocyte-specific genes related to glutamate regulation in stressed high dose animals, a result paired anatomically with greater astrocyte-to-neuron ratios and hypotrophic astrocytes. These findings emphasize the importance of dose and behavioral state on the presentation of THC-related behavioral phenotypes in adulthood and dysregulation of astrocytes as an interface for the protracted effects of high dose THC and subsequent stress sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline-Marie N Ferland
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Randall J Ellis
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gregory Rompala
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joseph A Landry
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - James E Callens
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Annie Ly
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Micah D Frier
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Teddy O Uzamere
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yasmin L Hurd
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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26
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Fassett-Carman AN, Moser AD, Ruzic L, Neilson C, Jones J, Barnes-Horowitz S, Schneck CD, Kaiser RH. Amygdala and nucleus accumbens activation during reward anticipation moderates the association between life stressor frequency and depressive symptoms. J Affect Disord 2023; 330:309-318. [PMID: 36871909 PMCID: PMC10695433 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.02.149] [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: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Life stressors confer risk for depressive symptoms, but individuals vary in the extent of their sensitivity to life stressors. One protective factor may be an individual's level of reward sensitivity, e.g., a stronger neurobiological response to environmental rewards may mitigate emotional responses to stressors. However, the nature of neurobiological reward sensitivity that corresponds with stress resilience is unknown. Further, this model is untested in adolescence, when life stressor frequency and depression increase. METHODS We tested the hypothesis that stronger reward-related activation in the left and right nucleus accumbens (NAc), amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) attenuates the strength of the stress-depression relation. We measured BOLD activation throughout Win and Lose blocks of a monetary reward task, as well as during anticipation and outcome phases of the task. Participants (N = 151, ages 13-19) were recruited to be stratified on risk for mood disorders to enhance variance in depressive symptoms. RESULTS Activation during anticipation of rewards in the bilateral amygdala and NAc, but not mPFC, buffered the association between life stressors and depressive symptoms. This buffering effect was not found for reward outcome activation or activation across Win blocks. CONCLUSIONS Results highlight the importance of reward anticipation activation of subcortical structures in attenuating the stress-depression link, suggesting that reward motivation may be a cognitive mechanism through which this stress buffering occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amelia D Moser
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, United States of America
| | - Luka Ruzic
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, United States of America
| | - Chiara Neilson
- University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, United States of America
| | - Jenna Jones
- University of Colorado Boulder, Institute of Cognitive Science, United States of America
| | - Sofia Barnes-Horowitz
- University of Colorado Boulder, Renée Crown Wellness Institute, United States of America
| | - Christopher D Schneck
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Psychiatry, United States of America
| | - Roselinde H Kaiser
- University of Colorado Boulder, Institute of Cognitive Science, United States of America; University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, United States of America
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27
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Mondello JE, Gano A, Vore AS, Deak T. Cues associated with repeated ethanol exposure facilitate the corticosterone response to ethanol and immunological challenges in adult male Sprague Dawley rats: implications for neuroimmune regulation. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE 2023; 49:359-369. [PMID: 36862971 PMCID: PMC10474242 DOI: 10.1080/00952990.2023.2169831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
Background: We previously found a conditioned increase in central neuroinflammatory markers (Interleukin 6; IL-6) following exposure to alcohol-associated cues. Recent studies suggest (unconditioned) induction of IL-6 is entirely dependent on ethanol-induced corticosterone.Objectives: The goals of these present studies were to test whether alcohol-paired cues facilitated the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to either a subthreshold priming alcohol dose or an immune or psychological stress challengeMethods: In Experiment 1 (N = 64), adult male Sprague Dawley rats were trained (paired or unpaired, four pairings total) with either vehicle or 2 g/kg alcohol [intragastric (i.g.) or intraperitoneal (i.p.)] injections. In Experiments 2 (N = 28) and 3 (N = 30), male rats were similarly trained but with 4 g/kg alcohol i.g. intubations. On test day, all rats were either administered a 0.5 g/kg alcohol dose (i.p. or i.g. Experiment 1), a 100 µg/kg i.p. lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge (Experiment 2), or a restraint challenge (Experiment 3), and exposed to alcohol-associated cues. Blood plasma was collected for analysis.Results: Alcohol-associated cues facilitated the plasma corticosterone response to a subthreshold dose of alcohol (F1,28 = 4.85, p < .05) and an immune challenge (F8,80 = 6.23, p < .001), but not a restraint challenge (F2,27 = 0.18, p > .05).Conclusion: These findings reveal that the impact of the cues associated with alcohol intoxication on the HPA axis may be context-specific. This work illustrates how HPA axis learning processes form in the early stages of alcohol use and has important implications for how the HPA and neuroimmune conditioning may develop in alcohol use disorder in humans and facilitate the response to a later immune challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie E. Mondello
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton NY 13902-6000, USA
| | - Anny Gano
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton NY 13902-6000, USA
| | - Andrew S. Vore
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton NY 13902-6000, USA
| | - Terrence Deak
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton NY 13902-6000, USA
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28
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Abdulmalek S, Hardiman G. Genetic and epigenetic studies of opioid abuse disorder - the potential for future diagnostics. Expert Rev Mol Diagn 2023; 23:361-373. [PMID: 37078260 PMCID: PMC10257799 DOI: 10.1080/14737159.2023.2190022] [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: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a global problem that often begins with prescribed medications. The available treatment and maintenance plans offer solutions for the consumption rate by individuals leaving the outstanding problem of relapse, which is a major factor hindering the long-term efficacy of treatments. AREAS COVERED Understanding the neurobiology of addiction and relapse would help identifying the core causes of relapse and distinguish vulnerable from resilient individuals, which would lead to more targeted and effective treatment and provide diagnostics to screen individuals who have a propensity to OUD. In this review, we cover the neurobiology of the reward system highlighting the role of multiple brain regions and opioid receptors in the development of the disorder. We also review the current knowledge of the epigenetics of addiction and the available screening tools for aberrant use of opioids. EXPERT OPINION Relapse remains an anticipated limitation in the way of recovery even after long period of abstinence. This highlights the need for diagnostic tools that identify vulnerable patients and prevent the cycle of addiction. Finally, we discuss the limitations of the available screening tools and propose possible solutions for the discovery of addiction diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Abdulmalek
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, NI, UK
| | - Gary Hardiman
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, NI, UK
- Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), 135 Cannon Street, Charleston, SC 29425
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29
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Tavares GEB, Bianchi PC, Yokoyama TS, Palombo P, Cruz FC. INVOLVEMENT OF CORTICAL PROJECTIONS TO BASOLATERAL AMYGDALA IN CONTEXT-INDUCED REINSTATEMENT OF ETHANOL-SEEKING IN RATS. Behav Brain Res 2023; 448:114435. [PMID: 37044222 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Ethanol is the most consumed substance of abuse in the world, and its misuse may lead to the development of alcohol use disorder (AUD). High relapse rates remain a relevant problem in the treatment of AUD. Exposure to environmental cues previously associated with ethanol intake could trigger ethanol-seeking behavior. However, the neural mechanisms involved in this phenomenon are not entirely clear. In this context, cortical projections to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) play a role in appetitive and aversive learned behaviors. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the activation of the cortical projections from the prelimbic (PL), orbitofrontal (OFC), and infralimbic (IL), to the BLA in the context-induced reinstatement of ethanol-seeking. Male Long-Evans rats were trained to self-administer 10% ethanol in Context A. Subsequently, lever pressing in the presence of the discrete cue was extinguished in Context B. After nine extinction sessions, rats underwent intracranial surgery for the unilateral injection of red fluorescent retrograde tracer into the BLA. The context-induced reinstatement of ethanol-seeking was assessed by re-exposing the rats to Context A or B under extinction conditions. Finally, we combined retrograde neuronal tracing with Fos to identify activated cortical inputs to BLA during the reinstatement of ethanol-seeking behavior. We found that PL, but not OFC or IL, retrogradely-labeled neurons from BLA presented increased Fos expression during the re-exposure to the ethanol-associated context, suggesting that PL projection to BLA is involved in the context-induced reinstatement of ethanol-seeking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paula Cristina Bianchi
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Thais Suemi Yokoyama
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Paola Palombo
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Fábio Cardoso Cruz
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
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30
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Gregoriou GC, Patel SD, Pyne S, Winters BL, Bagley EE. Opioid Withdrawal Abruptly Disrupts Amygdala Circuit Function by Reducing Peptide Actions. J Neurosci 2023; 43:1668-1681. [PMID: 36781220 PMCID: PMC10010477 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1317-22.2022] [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: 07/03/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
While the physical signs of opioid withdrawal are most readily observable, withdrawal insidiously drives relapse and contributes to compulsive drug use, by disrupting emotional learning circuits. How these circuits become disrupted during withdrawal is poorly understood. Because amygdala neurons mediate relapse, and are highly opioid sensitive, we hypothesized that opioid withdrawal would induce adaptations in these neurons, opening a window of disrupted emotional learning circuit function. Under normal physiological conditions, synaptic transmission between the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the neighboring main island (Im) of GABAergic intercalated cells (ITCs) is strongly inhibited by endogenous opioids. Using patch-clamp electrophysiology in brain slices prepared from male rats, we reveal that opioid withdrawal abruptly reduces the ability of these peptides to inhibit neurotransmission, a direct consequence of a protein kinase A (PKA)-driven increase in the synaptic activity of peptidases. Reduced peptide control of neurotransmission in the amygdala shifts the excitatory/inhibitory balance of inputs onto accumbens-projecting amygdala cells involved in relapse. These findings provide novel insights into how peptidases control synaptic activity within the amygdala and presents restoration of endogenous peptide activity during withdrawal as a viable option to mitigate withdrawal-induced disruptions in emotional learning circuits and rescue the relapse behaviors exhibited during opioid withdrawal and beyond into abstinence.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We find that opioid withdrawal dials down inhibitory neuropeptide activity in the amygdala. This disrupts both GABAergic and glutamatergic transmission through amygdala circuits, including reward-related outputs to the nucleus accumbens. This likely disrupts peptide-dependent emotional learning processes in the amygdala during withdrawal and may direct behavior toward compulsive drug use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle C Gregoriou
- Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health and Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2111
| | - Sahil D Patel
- Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health and Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2111
| | - Sebastian Pyne
- Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health and Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2111
| | - Bryony L Winters
- Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health and Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2111
| | - Elena E Bagley
- Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health and Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2111
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31
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Montanez-Miranda C, Bramlett SN, Hepler JR. RGS14 expression in CA2 hippocampus, amygdala, and basal ganglia: Implications for human brain physiology and disease. Hippocampus 2023; 33:166-181. [PMID: 36541898 PMCID: PMC9974931 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
RGS14 is a multifunctional scaffolding protein that is highly expressed within postsynaptic spines of pyramidal neurons in hippocampal area CA2. Known roles of RGS14 in CA2 include regulating G protein, H-Ras/ERK, and calcium signaling pathways to serve as a natural suppressor of synaptic plasticity and postsynaptic signaling. RGS14 also shows marked postsynaptic expression in major structures of the limbic system and basal ganglia, including the amygdala and both the ventral and dorsal subdivisions of the striatum. In this review, we discuss the signaling functions of RGS14 and its role in postsynaptic strength (long-term potentiation) and spine structural plasticity in CA2 hippocampal neurons, and how RGS14 suppression of plasticity impacts linked behaviors such as spatial learning, object memory, and fear conditioning. We also review RGS14 expression in the limbic system and basal ganglia and speculate on its possible roles in regulating plasticity in these regions, with a focus on behaviors related to emotion and motivation. Finally, we explore the functional implications of RGS14 in various brain circuits and speculate on its possible roles in certain disease states such as hippocampal seizures, addiction, and anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - John R. Hepler
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322-3090
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Birnie MT, Short AK, de Carvalho GB, Taniguchi L, Gunn BG, Pham AL, Itoga CA, Xu X, Chen LY, Mahler SV, Chen Y, Baram TZ. Stress-induced plasticity of a CRH/GABA projection disrupts reward behaviors in mice. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1088. [PMID: 36841826 PMCID: PMC9968307 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36780-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Disrupted operations of the reward circuit underlie major emotional disorders, including depression, which commonly arise following early life stress / adversity (ELA). However, how ELA enduringly impacts reward circuit functions remains unclear. We characterize a stress-sensitive projection connecting basolateral amygdala (BLA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) that co-expresses GABA and the stress-reactive neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). We identify a crucial role for this projection in executing disrupted reward behaviors provoked by ELA: chemogenetic and optogenetic stimulation of the projection in control male mice suppresses several reward behaviors, recapitulating deficits resulting from ELA and demonstrating the pathway's contributions to normal reward behaviors. In adult ELA mice, inhibiting-but not stimulating-the projection, restores typical reward behaviors yet has little effect in controls, indicating ELA-induced maladaptive plasticity of this reward-circuit component. Thus, we discover a stress-sensitive, reward inhibiting BLA → NAc projection with unique molecular features, which may provide intervention targets for disabling mental illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T Birnie
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Annabel K Short
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Gregory B de Carvalho
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Lara Taniguchi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Benjamin G Gunn
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Aidan L Pham
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Christy A Itoga
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Xiangmin Xu
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Lulu Y Chen
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Stephen V Mahler
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Yuncai Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
| | - Tallie Z Baram
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
- Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
- Department of Neurology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
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Jamali S, Dezfouli MP, Kalbasi A, Daliri MR, Haghparast A. Selective Modulation of Hippocampal Theta Oscillations in Response to Morphine versus Natural Reward. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13020322. [PMID: 36831866 PMCID: PMC9953863 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13020322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the overlapping neural circuits underlying natural and drug rewards, several studies have suggested different behavioral and neurochemical mechanisms in response to drug vs. natural rewards. The strong link between hippocampal theta oscillations (4-12 Hz) and reward-associated learning and memory has raised the hypothesis that this rhythm in hippocampal CA1 might be differently modulated by drug- and natural-conditioned place preference (CPP). Time-frequency analysis of recorded local field potentials (LFPs) from the CA1 of freely moving male rats previously exposed to a natural (in this case, food), drug (in this case, morphine), or saline (control) reward cue in the CPP paradigm showed that the hippocampal CA1 theta activity represents a different pattern for entrance to the rewarded compared to unrewarded compartment during the post-test session of morphine- and natural-CPP. Comparing LFP activity in the CA1 between the saline and morphine/natural groups showed that the maximum theta power occurred before entering the unrewarded compartment and after the entrance to the rewarded compartment in morphine and natural groups, respectively. In conclusion, our findings suggest that drug and natural rewards could differently affect the theta dynamic in the hippocampal CA1 region during reward-associated learning and contextual cueing in the CPP paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shole Jamali
- Neuroscience Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran P.O. Box 19615-1178, Iran
| | - Mohsen Parto Dezfouli
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences, Tehran P.O. Box 19395-5531, Iran
| | - AmirAli Kalbasi
- Department of Mechatronics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran P.O. Box 16315-1355, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Daliri
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences, Tehran P.O. Box 19395-5531, Iran
- Biomedical Engineering Department, School of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran P.O. Box 16846-13114, Iran
- Correspondence: (M.R.D.); or (A.H.); Tel./Fax: +98-21-2243-1624 (A.H.)
| | - Abbas Haghparast
- Neuroscience Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran P.O. Box 19615-1178, Iran
- Correspondence: (M.R.D.); or (A.H.); Tel./Fax: +98-21-2243-1624 (A.H.)
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History of suicide attempt associated with amygdala and hippocampus changes among individuals with schizophrenia. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2023:10.1007/s00406-023-01554-5. [PMID: 36788147 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-023-01554-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Abnormalities in subcortical brain structures may reflect higher suicide risk in mood disorders, but less is known about its associations for schizophrenia. This cross-sectional imaging study aimed to explore whether the history of suicide attempts was associated with subcortical changes among individuals with schizophrenia. We recruited 44 individuals with schizophrenia and a history of suicide attempts (SZ-SA) and 44 individuals with schizophrenia but without a history of suicide attempts (SZ-NSA) and 44 healthy controls. Linear regression showed that SZ-SA had smaller volumes of the hippocampus (Cohen's d = -0.72), the amygdala (Cohen's d = -0.69), and some nuclei of the amygdala (Cohen's d, -0.57 to -0.72) than SZ-NSA after adjusting for age, sex, illness phase, and intracranial volume. There was no difference in the volume of the subfields of the hippocampus. It suggests the history of suicide attempts is associated with subcortical volume alterations in schizophrenia.
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Lind EB, Sweis BM, Asp AJ, Esguerra M, Silvis KA, David Redish A, Thomas MJ. A quadruple dissociation of reward-related behaviour in mice across excitatory inputs to the nucleus accumbens shell. Commun Biol 2023; 6:119. [PMID: 36717646 PMCID: PMC9886947 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04429-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) is critically important for reward valuations, yet it remains unclear how valuation information is integrated in this region to drive behaviour during reinforcement learning. Using an optogenetic spatial self-stimulation task in mice, here we show that contingent activation of different excitatory inputs to the NAcSh change expression of different reward-related behaviours. Our data indicate that medial prefrontal inputs support place preference via repeated actions, ventral hippocampal inputs consistently promote place preferences, basolateral amygdala inputs produce modest place preferences but as a byproduct of increased sensitivity to time investments, and paraventricular inputs reduce place preferences yet do not produce full avoidance behaviour. These findings suggest that each excitatory input provides distinct information to the NAcSh, and we propose that this reflects the reinforcement of different credit assignment functions. Our finding of a quadruple dissociation of NAcSh input-specific behaviours provides insights into how types of information carried by distinct inputs to the NAcSh could be integrated to help drive reinforcement learning and situationally appropriate behavioural responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin B Lind
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 6-145 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, 3-432 McGuire Translational Research Facility, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Brian M Sweis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 6-145 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, 3-432 McGuire Translational Research Facility, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Pl, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Anders J Asp
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 6-145 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- Rehabilitation Medicine Research Center, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Manuel Esguerra
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 6-145 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, 3-432 McGuire Translational Research Facility, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Keelia A Silvis
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 6-145 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, 3-432 McGuire Translational Research Facility, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - A David Redish
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 6-145 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, 3-432 McGuire Translational Research Facility, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Mark J Thomas
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 6-145 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, 3-432 McGuire Translational Research Facility, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
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Anderson Z, Damme KSF, Carroll AL, Ka-Yi Chat I, Young KS, Craske MG, Bookheimer S, Zinbarg R, Nusslock R. Association between reward-related functional connectivity and tri-level mood and anxiety symptoms. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 37:103335. [PMID: 36736199 PMCID: PMC9926301 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Depression and anxiety are associated with abnormalities in brain regions that process rewards including the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC), the ventral striatum (VS), and the amygdala. However, there are inconsistencies in these findings. This may be due to past reliance on categorical diagnoses that, while valuable, provide less precision than may be required to understand subtle neural changes associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. In contrast, the tri-level model defines symptom dimensions that are common (General Distress) or relatively specific (Anhedonia-Apprehension, Fears) to depression and anxiety related disorders, which provide increased precision. In the current study, eligibility was assessed by quasi-orthogonal screening questionnaires measuring reward and threat sensitivity (Behavioral Activation Scale; Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Neuroticism). These participants were assessed on tri-level symptom severity and completed the Monetary Incentive Delay task during fMRI scanning. VS-mOFC and VS-amygdala connectivity were estimated during reward anticipation and reward outcome. Heightened General Distress was associated with lower VS-mOFC connectivity during reward anticipation (b = -0.064, p = 0.021) and reward outcome (b = -0.102, p = 0.014). Heightened Anhedonia-Apprehension was associated with greater VS-amygdala connectivity during reward anticipation (b = 0.065, p = 0.004). The present work has important implications for understanding the coupling between the mOFC and vS and the amygdala and the vS during reward processing in the pathophysiology of mood and anxiety symptoms and for developing targeted behavioral, pharmacological, and neuromodulatory interventions to help manage these symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Anderson
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
| | - Katherine S F Damme
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA; Institute for Innovation in Developmental Sciences, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ann L Carroll
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Iris Ka-Yi Chat
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Katherine S Young
- Social, Genetic and Development Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Michelle G Craske
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Susan Bookheimer
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA; Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Richard Zinbarg
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA; The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Robin Nusslock
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
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Avecillas-Chasin JM, Levinson S, Kuhn T, Omidbeigi M, Langevin JP, Pouratian N, Bari A. Connectivity-based parcellation of the amygdala and identification of its main white matter connections. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1305. [PMID: 36693904 PMCID: PMC9873600 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28100-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The amygdala plays a role in emotion, learning, and memory and has been implicated in behavioral disorders. Better understanding of the amygdala circuitry is crucial to develop new therapies for these disorders. We used data from 200 healthy-subjects from the human connectome project. Using probabilistic tractography, we created population statistical maps of amygdala connectivity to brain regions involved in limbic, associative, memory, and reward circuits. Based on the amygdala connectivity with these regions, we applied k-means clustering to parcellate the amygdala into three clusters. The resultant clusters were averaged across all subjects and the main white-matter pathways of the amygdala from each averaged cluster were generated. Amygdala parcellation into three clusters showed a medial-to-lateral pattern. The medial cluster corresponded with the centromedial and cortical nuclei, the basal cluster with the basal nuclei and the lateral cluster with the lateral nuclei. The connectivity analysis revealed different white-matter pathways consistent with the anatomy of the amygdala circuit. This in vivo connectivity-based parcellation of the amygdala delineates three clusters of the amygdala in a mediolateral pattern based on its connectivity with brain areas involved in cognition, memory, emotion, and reward. The human amygdala circuit presented in this work provides the first step for personalized amygdala circuit mapping for patients with behavioral disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josue M Avecillas-Chasin
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 988437 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-8437, USA. .,Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Simon Levinson
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Taylor Kuhn
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Mahmoud Omidbeigi
- Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jean-Philippe Langevin
- Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Neurosurgery Service, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nader Pouratian
- Department of Neurological Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Ausaf Bari
- Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Zühlsdorff K, López-Cruz L, Dutcher EG, Jones JA, Pama C, Sawiak S, Khan S, Milton AL, Robbins TW, Bullmore ET, Dalley JW. Sex-dependent effects of early life stress on reinforcement learning and limbic cortico-striatal functional connectivity. Neurobiol Stress 2023; 22:100507. [PMID: 36505960 PMCID: PMC9731893 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a stress-related condition hypothesized to involve aberrant reinforcement learning (RL) with positive and negative stimuli. The present study investigated whether repeated early maternal separation (REMS) stress, a procedure widely recognized to cause depression-like behaviour, affects how subjects learn from positive and negative feedback. The REMS procedure was implemented by separating male and female rats from their dam for 6 h each day from post-natal day 5-19. Control rat offspring were left undisturbed during this period. Rats were tested as adults for behavioral flexibility and feedback sensitivity on a probabilistic reversal learning task. A computational approach based on RL theory was used to derive latent behavioral variables related to reward learning and flexibility. To assess underlying brain substrates, a seed-based functional MRI connectivity analysis was applied both before and after an additional adulthood stressor in control and REMS rats. Female but not male rats exposed to REMS stress showed increased response 'stickiness' (repeated responses regardless of reward outcome). Following repeated adulthood stress, reduced functional connectivity from the basolateral amygdala (BLA) to the dorsolateral striatum (DLS), cingulate cortex (Cg), and anterior insula (AI) cortex was observed in females. By contrast, control male rats exposed to the second stressor showed impaired learning from negative feedback (i.e., non-reward) and reduced functional connectivity from the BLA to the DLS and AI compared to maternally separated males. RL in male rats exposed to REMS was unaffected. The fMRI data further revealed that connectivity between the mOFC and other prefrontal cortical and subcortical structures was positively correlated with response 'stickiness'. These findings reveal differences in how females and males respond to early life adversity and subsequent stress. These effects may be mediated by functional divergence in resting-state connectivity between the basolateral amygdala and fronto-striatal brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Zühlsdorff
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Corresponding author. Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
| | - Laura López-Cruz
- Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, The Open University, Walton Hall, Kents Hill, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Ethan G. Dutcher
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Jolyon A. Jones
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Claudia Pama
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Stephen Sawiak
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Box 65, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Shahid Khan
- GlaxoSmithKline Research & Development, Stevenage, UK
| | - Amy L. Milton
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Trevor W. Robbins
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Edward T. Bullmore
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, Herchel Smith Building for Brain and Mind Sciences, Forvie Site, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Jeffrey W. Dalley
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, Herchel Smith Building for Brain and Mind Sciences, Forvie Site, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK
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Hilz EN, Lee HJ. Estradiol and progesterone in female reward-learning, addiction, and therapeutic interventions. Front Neuroendocrinol 2023; 68:101043. [PMID: 36356909 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2022.101043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Sex steroid hormones like estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) guide the sexual organization and activation of the developing brain and control female reproductive behavior throughout the lifecycle; importantly, these hormones modulate functional activity of not just the endocrine system, but most of the nervous system including the brain reward system. The effects of E2 and P4 can be seen in the processing of and memory for rewarding stimuli and in the development of compulsive reward-seeking behaviors like those seen in substance use disorders. Women are at increased risk of developing substance use disorders; however, the origins of this sex difference are not well understood and therapeutic interventions targeting ovarian hormones have produced conflicting results. This article reviews the contribution of the E2 and P4 in females to functional modulation of the brain reward system, their possible roles in origins of addiction vulnerability, and the development and treatment of compulsive reward-seeking behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily N Hilz
- The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Pharmacology, USA.
| | - Hongjoo J Lee
- The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology, USA; The University of Texas at Austin, Institute for Neuroscience, USA
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Reciprocal cortico-amygdala connections regulate prosocial and selfish choices in mice. Nat Neurosci 2022; 25:1505-1518. [PMID: 36280797 PMCID: PMC7613781 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01179-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Decisions that favor one's own interest versus the interest of another individual depend on context and the relationships between individuals. The neurobiology underlying selfish choices or choices that benefit others is not understood. We developed a two-choice social decision-making task in which mice can decide whether to share a reward with their conspecifics. Preference for altruistic choices was modulated by familiarity, sex, social contact, hunger, hierarchical status and emotional state matching. Fiber photometry recordings and chemogenetic manipulations demonstrated that basolateral amygdala (BLA) neurons are involved in the establishment of prosocial decisions. In particular, BLA neurons projecting to the prelimbic (PL) region of the prefrontal cortex mediated the development of a preference for altruistic choices, whereas PL projections to the BLA modulated self-interest motives for decision-making. This provides a neurobiological model of altruistic and selfish choices with relevance to pathologies associated with dysfunctions in social decision-making.
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Rodríguez-Flores TC, Palomo-Briones GA, Robles F, Ramos F. Proposal for a computational model of incentive memory. COGN SYST RES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogsys.2022.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Keefer SE, Petrovich GD. Necessity and recruitment of cue-specific neuronal ensembles within the basolateral amygdala during appetitive reversal learning. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 194:107663. [PMID: 35870716 PMCID: PMC10326893 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Through Pavlovian appetitive conditioning, environmental cues can become predictors of food availability. Over time, however, the food, and thus the value of the associated cues, can change based on environmental variations. This change in outcome necessitates updating of the value of the cue to appropriately alter behavioral responses to these cues. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is critical in updating the outcomes of learned cues. However, it is unknown if the same BLA neuronal ensembles that are recruited in the initial associative memory are required when the new cue-outcome association is formed during reversal learning. The current study used the Daun02 inactivation method that enables selective targeting and disruption of activated neuronal ensembles in Fos-lacZ transgenic rats. Rats were implanted with bilateral cannulas that target the BLA and underwent appetitive discriminative conditioning in which rats had to discriminate between two auditory stimuli. One stimulus (CS+) co-terminated with food delivery, and the other stimulus was unrewarded (CS-; counterbalanced). Rats were then tested for CS+ or CS- memory retrieval and infused with either Daun02 or a vehicle solution into the BLA to inactivate either CS+ or CS- neuronal ensembles that were activated during that test. To assess if the same neuronal ensembles are necessary to update the value of the new association when the outcomes are changed, rats underwent reversal learning: the CS+ was no longer followed by food (reversal CS-, rCS-), and the CS- was now followed by food (reversal CS+; rCS+). The group that received Daun02 following CS+ session showed a decrease in conditioned responding and increased latency to the rCS- (previously CS+) during the first session of reversal learning, specifically during the first trial. This indicates that the neuronal ensemble that was activated during the recall of the CS+ memory was the same neuronal ensemble needed for learning the new outcome of the same CS, now rCS-. Additionally, the group that received Daun02 following CS- session was slower to respond to the rCS+ (previously CS-) during reversal learning. This indicates that the neuronal ensemble that was activated during the recall of the CS- memory was the same neuronal ensemble needed for learning the new outcome of the same CS. These results demonstrate that different neuronal ensembles within the BLA mediate memory recall of CS+ and CS- cues and reactivation of each cue-specific neuronal ensemble is necessary to update the value of that specific cue to respond appropriately during reversal learning. These results also indicate substantial plasticity within the BLA for behavioral flexibility as both groups eventually showed similar terminal levels of reversal learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara E Keefer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA.
| | - Gorica D Petrovich
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
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43
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Inactivation of the Basolateral Amygdala to Insular Cortex Pathway Makes Sign-Tracking Sensitive to Outcome Devaluation. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0156-22.2022. [PMID: 36127135 PMCID: PMC9522321 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0156-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Goal-tracking (GT) rats are sensitive to Pavlovian outcome devaluation while sign-tracking (ST) rats are devaluation insensitive. During outcome devaluation, GT rats flexibly modify responding to cues based on the current value of the associated outcome. However, ST rats rigidly respond to cues regardless of the current outcome value. Prior work demonstrated disconnection of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and anterior insular cortex (aIC) decreased both GT and ST behaviors. Given the role of these regions in appetitive motivation and behavioral flexibility, we predicted that disrupting BLA to aIC pathway during outcome devaluation would reduce flexibility in GT rats and reduce rigid appetitive motivation in ST rats. We inhibited the BLA to aIC pathway by infusing inhibitory DREADDs (hM4Di-mcherry) or control (mCherry) virus into the BLA and implanted cannulae into the aIC to inhibit BLA terminals using intracranial injections of clozapine N-oxide (CNO). After training, we used a within-subject satiety-induced outcome devaluation procedure in which we sated rats on training pellets (devalued condition) or homecage chow (valued condition). All rats received bilateral CNO infusions into the aIC before brief nonreinforced test sessions. Contrary to our hypothesis, BLA-IC inhibition did not interfere with devaluation sensitivity in GT rats but did make ST behaviors sensitive to devaluation. Intermediate rats showed the opposite effect, showing rigid responding to cues with BLA-aIC pathway inactivation. Together, these results demonstrate BLA-IC projections mediate tracking-specific Pavlovian devaluation sensitivity and highlights the importance of considering individual differences in Pavlovian approach when evaluating circuitry contributions to behavioral flexibility.
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Infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex signalling to calbindin 1 positive neurons in posterior basolateral amygdala suppresses anxiety- and depression-like behaviours. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5462. [PMID: 36115848 PMCID: PMC9482654 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33139-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Generalization is a fundamental cognitive ability of organisms to deal with the uncertainty in real-world situations. Excessive fear generalization and impaired reward generalization are closely related to many psychiatric disorders. However, the neural circuit mechanism for reward generalization and its role in anxiety-like behaviours remain elusive. Here, we found a robust activation of calbindin 1-neurons (Calb 1) in the posterior basolateral amygdala (pBLA), simultaneous with reward generalization to an ambiguous cue after reward conditioning in mice. We identify the infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex (IL) to the pBLACalb1 (Calb 1 neurons in the pBLA) pathway as being involved in reward generalization for the ambiguity. Activating IL–pBLA inputs strengthens reward generalization and reduces chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced anxiety- and depression-like behaviours in a manner dependent on pBLACalb1 neuron activation. These findings suggest that the IL–pBLACalb1 circuit could be a target to promote stress resilience via reward generalization and consequently ameliorate anxiety- and depression-like behaviours. The neural mechanisms for reward generalization are not fully understood. Here the authors investigate the role of posterior basolateral amygdala calbindin-expressing cells in modulating behavioural responses related to reward and aversion.
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Wassum KM. Amygdala-cortical collaboration in reward learning and decision making. eLife 2022; 11:80926. [PMID: 36062909 PMCID: PMC9444241 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptive reward-related decision making requires accurate prospective consideration of the specific outcome of each option and its current desirability. These mental simulations are informed by stored memories of the associative relationships that exist within an environment. In this review, I discuss recent investigations of the function of circuitry between the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and lateral (lOFC) and medial (mOFC) orbitofrontal cortex in the learning and use of associative reward memories. I draw conclusions from data collected using sophisticated behavioral approaches to diagnose the content of appetitive memory in combination with modern circuit dissection tools. I propose that, via their direct bidirectional connections, the BLA and OFC collaborate to help us encode detailed, outcome-specific, state-dependent reward memories and to use those memories to enable the predictions and inferences that support adaptive decision making. Whereas lOFC→BLA projections mediate the encoding of outcome-specific reward memories, mOFC→BLA projections regulate the ability to use these memories to inform reward pursuit decisions. BLA projections to lOFC and mOFC both contribute to using reward memories to guide decision making. The BLA→lOFC pathway mediates the ability to represent the identity of a specific predicted reward and the BLA→mOFC pathway facilitates understanding of the value of predicted events. Thus, I outline a neuronal circuit architecture for reward learning and decision making and provide new testable hypotheses as well as implications for both adaptive and maladaptive decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate M Wassum
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.,Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.,Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.,Integrative Center for Addictive Disorders, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
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Zbozinek TD, Perez OD, Wise T, Fanselow M, Mobbs D. Ambiguity drives higher-order Pavlovian learning. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010410. [PMID: 36084131 PMCID: PMC9491594 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the natural world, stimulus-outcome associations are often ambiguous, and most associations are highly complex and situation-dependent. Learning to disambiguate these complex associations to identify which specific outcomes will occur in which situations is critical for survival. Pavlovian occasion setters are stimuli that determine whether other stimuli will result in a specific outcome. Occasion setting is a well-established phenomenon, but very little investigation has been conducted on how occasion setters are disambiguated when they themselves are ambiguous (i.e., when they do not consistently signal whether another stimulus will be reinforced). In two preregistered studies, we investigated the role of higher-order Pavlovian occasion setting in humans. We developed and tested the first computational model predicting direct associative learning, traditional occasion setting (i.e., 1st-order occasion setting), and 2nd-order occasion setting. This model operationalizes stimulus ambiguity as a mechanism to engage in higher-order Pavlovian learning. Both behavioral and computational modeling results suggest that 2nd-order occasion setting was learned, as evidenced by lack and presence of transfer of occasion setting properties when expected and the superior fit of our 2nd-order occasion setting model compared to the 1st-order occasion setting or direct associations models. These results provide a controlled investigation into highly complex associative learning and may ultimately lead to improvements in the treatment of Pavlovian-based mental health disorders (e.g., anxiety disorders, substance use).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomislav D. Zbozinek
- California Institute of Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences, Pasadena, California, United States of America
| | - Omar D. Perez
- California Institute of Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences, Pasadena, California, United States of America
- University of Santiago, CESS-Santiago, Faculty of Business and Economics, Santiago, Chile
- University of Chile, Department of Industrial Engineering, Santiago, Chile
| | - Toby Wise
- California Institute of Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences, Pasadena, California, United States of America
| | - Michael Fanselow
- University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- University of California, Los Angeles, Staglin Center for Brain and Behavioral Health, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- University of California, Los Angeles, Brain Research Institute, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Dean Mobbs
- California Institute of Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences, Pasadena, California, United States of America
- California Institute of Technology, Computation and Neural Systems Program, Pasadena, California, United States of America
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Liley AE, Gabriel DBK, Simon NW. Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex and Basolateral Amygdala Regulate Sensitivity to Delayed Punishment during Decision-making. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0170-22.2022. [PMID: 36038251 PMCID: PMC9463980 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0170-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In real-world decision-making scenarios, negative consequences do not always occur immediately after a choice. This delay between action and outcome drives the underestimation, or "delay discounting", of punishment. While the neural substrates underlying sensitivity to immediate punishment have been well-studied, there has been minimal investigation of delayed consequences. Here, we assessed the role of lateral orbitofrontal cortex (LOFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA), two regions implicated in cost/benefit decision-making, in sensitivity to delayed vs immediate punishment. The delayed punishment decision-making task (DPDT) was used to measure delay discounting of punishment in rodents. During DPDT, rats choose between a small, single pellet reward and a large, three pellet reward accompanied by a mild foot shock. As the task progresses, the shock is preceded by a delay that systematically increases or decreases throughout the session. We observed that rats avoid choices associated with immediate punishment, then shift preference toward these options when punishment is delayed. LOFC inactivation did not influence choice of rewards with immediate punishment, but decreased choice of delayed punishment. We also observed that BLA inactivation reduced choice of delayed punishment for ascending but not descending delays. Inactivation of either brain region produced comparable effects on decision-making in males and females, but there were sex differences observed in omissions and latency to make a choice. In summary, both LOFC and BLA contribute to the delay discounting of punishment and may serve as promising therapeutic targets to improve sensitivity to delayed punishment during decision-making.Significance StatementNegative consequences occurring after a delay are often underestimated, which can lead to maladaptive decision-making. While sensitivity to immediate punishment during reward-seeking has been well-studied, the neural substrates underlying sensitivity to delayed punishment remain unclear. Here, we used the Delayed Punishment Decision-making Task to determine that lateral orbitofrontal cortex and basolateral amygdala both regulate the discounting of delayed punishment, suggesting that these regions may be potential targets to improve decision-making in psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna E Liley
- Department of Psychology, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152
| | - Daniel B K Gabriel
- Department of Psychology, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152
| | - Nicholas W Simon
- Department of Psychology, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152
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Cannabinoid Type 1 Receptors in the Basolateral Amygdala Regulate ACPA-Induced Place Preference and Anxiolytic-Like Behaviors. Neurochem Res 2022; 47:2899-2908. [PMID: 35984590 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-022-03708-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
The number of cannabis users is increasing in the world. However, the mechanisms involved in the psychiatric effects and addiction formation remain unclear. Medical treatments against cannabis addiction have not yet been established. Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active substance in cannabis, binds and affects cannabinoid type 1 receptors (CB1R) in the brain. The mice were intraperitoneally (i.p.) administered arachidonylcyclopropylamide (ACPA), a CB1R-selective agonist, and then two behavioral experiments on anxiety and addiction were performed. Administration of ACPA caused anxiolytic-like behavior in the elevated plus maze test. In addition, ACPA increased place preference in a conditioned place preference (CPP) test. The basolateral amygdala (BLA), which is the focus of this study, is involved in anxiety-like behavior and reward and is reported to express high levels of CB1R. We aimed to reveal the role of CB1R in BLA for ACPA-induced behavior. AM251, a CB1R selective antagonist, was administered intra-BLA before i.p. administration of ACPA. Intra-BLA administration of AM251 inhibited ACPA-induced anxiolytic-like behavior and place preference. These results suggest that CB1R in the BLA contributes to behavior disorders caused by the acute or chronic use of cannabis.
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49
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Vázquez D, Schneider KN, Roesch MR. Neural signals implicated in the processing of appetitive and aversive events in social and non-social contexts. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:926388. [PMID: 35993086 PMCID: PMC9381696 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.926388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In 2014, we participated in a special issue of Frontiers examining the neural processing of appetitive and aversive events. Specifically, we reviewed brain areas that contribute to the encoding of prediction errors and value versus salience, attention and motivation. Further, we described how we disambiguated these cognitive processes and their neural substrates by using paradigms that incorporate both appetitive and aversive stimuli. We described a circuit in which the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) signals expected value and the basolateral amygdala (BLA) encodes the salience and valence of both appetitive and aversive events. This information is integrated by the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and dopaminergic (DA) signaling in order to generate prediction and prediction error signals, which guide decision-making and learning via the dorsal striatum (DS). Lastly, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is monitoring actions and outcomes, and signals the need to engage attentional control in order to optimize behavioral output. Here, we expand upon this framework, and review our recent work in which within-task manipulations of both appetitive and aversive stimuli allow us to uncover the neural processes that contribute to the detection of outcomes delivered to a conspecific and behaviors in social contexts. Specifically, we discuss the involvement of single-unit firing in the ACC and DA signals in the NAc during the processing of appetitive and aversive events in both social and non-social contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Vázquez
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, United States
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Kevin N. Schneider
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, United States
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Matthew R. Roesch
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, United States
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Matthew R. Roesch,
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50
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Orsini CA, Truckenbrod LM, Wheeler AR. Regulation of sex differences in risk-based decision making by gonadal hormones: Insights from rodent models. Behav Processes 2022; 200:104663. [PMID: 35661794 PMCID: PMC9893517 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Men and women differ in their ability to evaluate options that vary in their rewards and the risks that are associated with these outcomes. Most studies have shown that women are more risk averse than men and that gonadal hormones significantly contribute to this sex difference. Gonadal hormones can influence risk-based decision making (i.e., risk taking) by modulating the neurobiological substrates underlying this cognitive process. Indeed, estradiol, progesterone and testosterone modulate activity in the prefrontal cortex, amygdala and nucleus accumbens associated with reward and risk-related information. The use of animal models of decision making has advanced our understanding of the intersection between the behavioral, neural and hormonal mechanisms underlying sex differences in risk taking. This review will outline the current state of this literature, identify the current gaps in knowledge and suggest the neurobiological mechanisms by which hormones regulate risky decision making. Collectively, this knowledge can be used to understand the potential consequences of significant hormonal changes, whether endogenously or exogenously induced, on risk-based decision making as well as the neuroendocrinological basis of neuropsychiatric diseases that are characterized by impaired risk taking, such as substance use disorder and schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin A. Orsini
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA,Department of Neurology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA,Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA,Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA,Correspondence to: Department of Psychology & Neurology, Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, 108 E. Dean Keaton St., Stop A8000, Austin, TX 78712, USA. (C.A. Orsini)
| | - Leah M. Truckenbrod
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA,Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA,Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Alexa-Rae Wheeler
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA,Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA,Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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