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Ayman J, Palotai M, Dochnal R, Bagosi Z. Ghrelin Amplifies the Nicotine-Induced Release of Dopamine in the Bed Nucleus of Stria Terminalis (BNST). Biomedicines 2023; 11:2456. [PMID: 37760897 PMCID: PMC10525377 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11092456] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Ghrelin is an orexigenic neuropeptide that is known for stimulating the release of growth hormone (GH) and appetite. In addition, ghrelin has been implicated in addiction to drugs such as nicotine. Nicotine is the principal psychoactive component in tobacco and is responsible for the reward sensation produced by smoking. In our previous in vitro superfusion studies, it was demonstrated that ghrelin and nicotine stimulate equally the dopamine release in the rat amygdala, and ghrelin amplifies the nicotine-induced dopamine release in the rat striatum. However, less attention was paid to the actions of ghrelin and nicotine in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Therefore, in the present study, nicotine and ghrelin were superfused to the BNST of male Wistar rats, and the dopamine release from the BNST was measured in vitro. In order to determine which receptors mediate these effects, mecamylamine, a non-selective nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAchR) antagonist, and GHRP-6, a selective growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R1A) antagonist, were also superfused to the rat BNST. Nicotine significantly increased the release of dopamine, and this effect was significantly inhibited by mecamylamine. Ghrelin increased dopamine release even more significantly than nicotine did, and this effect was significantly inhibited by GHRP-6. Moreover, when administered together, ghrelin significantly amplified the nicotine-induced release of dopamine in the BNST, and this additive effect was reversed partly by mecamylamine and partly by GHRP-6. Therefore, the present study provides a new base of evidence for the involvement of ghrelin in dopamine signaling implicated in nicotine addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jázmin Ayman
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Albert Szent-Györgyi School of Medicine, University of Szeged, H-6701 Szeged, Hungary;
| | - Miklós Palotai
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
| | - Roberta Dochnal
- Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Health Center, Albert Szent-Györgyi School of Medicine, University of Szeged, H-6701 Szeged, Hungary;
| | - Zsolt Bagosi
- Department of Pathophysiology, Albert Szent-Györgyi School of Medicine, University of Szeged, H-6725 Szeged, Hungary
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Wills L, Ables JL, Braunscheidel KM, Caligiuri SPB, Elayouby KS, Fillinger C, Ishikawa M, Moen JK, Kenny PJ. Neurobiological Mechanisms of Nicotine Reward and Aversion. Pharmacol Rev 2022; 74:271-310. [PMID: 35017179 PMCID: PMC11060337 DOI: 10.1124/pharmrev.121.000299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) regulate the rewarding actions of nicotine contained in tobacco that establish and maintain the smoking habit. nAChRs also regulate the aversive properties of nicotine, sensitivity to which decreases tobacco use and protects against tobacco use disorder. These opposing behavioral actions of nicotine reflect nAChR expression in brain reward and aversion circuits. nAChRs containing α4 and β2 subunits are responsible for the high-affinity nicotine binding sites in the brain and are densely expressed by reward-relevant neurons, most notably dopaminergic, GABAergic, and glutamatergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area. High-affinity nAChRs can incorporate additional subunits, including β3, α6, or α5 subunits, with the resulting nAChR subtypes playing discrete and dissociable roles in the stimulatory actions of nicotine on brain dopamine transmission. nAChRs in brain dopamine circuits also participate in aversive reactions to nicotine and the negative affective state experienced during nicotine withdrawal. nAChRs containing α3 and β4 subunits are responsible for the low-affinity nicotine binding sites in the brain and are enriched in brain sites involved in aversion, including the medial habenula, interpeduncular nucleus, and nucleus of the solitary tract, brain sites in which α5 nAChR subunits are also expressed. These aversion-related brain sites regulate nicotine avoidance behaviors, and genetic variation that modifies the function of nAChRs in these sites increases vulnerability to tobacco dependence and smoking-related diseases. Here, we review the molecular, cellular, and circuit-level mechanisms through which nicotine elicits reward and aversion and the adaptations in these processes that drive the development of nicotine dependence. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Tobacco use disorder in the form of habitual cigarette smoking or regular use of other tobacco-related products is a major cause of death and disease worldwide. This article reviews the actions of nicotine in the brain that contribute to tobacco use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Wills
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York
| | - Jessica L Ables
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York
| | - Kevin M Braunscheidel
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York
| | - Stephanie P B Caligiuri
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York
| | - Karim S Elayouby
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York
| | - Clementine Fillinger
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York
| | - Masago Ishikawa
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York
| | - Janna K Moen
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York
| | - Paul J Kenny
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York
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Avegno EM, Kasten CR, Snyder WB, Kelley LK, Lobell TD, Templeton TJ, Constans M, Wills TA, Middleton JW, Gilpin NW. Alcohol dependence activates ventral tegmental area projections to central amygdala in male mice and rats. Addict Biol 2021; 26:e12990. [PMID: 33331103 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The neural adaptations that occur during the transition to alcohol dependence are not entirely understood but may include a gradual recruitment of brain stress circuitry by mesolimbic reward circuitry that is activated during early stages of alcohol use. Here, we focused on dopaminergic and nondopaminergic projections from the ventral tegmental area (VTA), important for mediating acute alcohol reinforcement, to the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), important for alcohol dependence-related negative affect and escalated alcohol drinking. The VTA projects directly to the CeA, but the functional relevance of this circuit is not fully established. Therefore, we combined retrograde and anterograde tracing, anatomical, and electrophysiological experiments in mice and rats to demonstrate that the CeA receives input from both dopaminergic and nondopaminergic projection neurons primarily from the lateral VTA. We then used slice electrophysiology and fos immunohistochemistry to test the effects of alcohol dependence on activity and activation profiles of CeA-projecting neurons in the VTA. Our data indicate that alcohol dependence activates midbrain projections to the central amygdala, suggesting that VTA projections may trigger plasticity in the CeA during the transition to alcohol dependence and that this circuit may be involved in mediating behavioral dysregulation associated with alcohol dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M. Avegno
- Departments of Physiology Louisiana State University Health Science Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
- Alcohol and Drug Center of Excellence, School of Medicine Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
| | - Chelsea R. Kasten
- Alcohol and Drug Center of Excellence, School of Medicine Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
- Cell Biology and Anatomy Louisiana State University Health Science Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
| | - William B. Snyder
- Departments of Physiology Louisiana State University Health Science Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
| | - Leslie K. Kelley
- Departments of Physiology Louisiana State University Health Science Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
| | - Thomas D. Lobell
- Departments of Physiology Louisiana State University Health Science Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
| | - Taylor J. Templeton
- Departments of Physiology Louisiana State University Health Science Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
| | - Michael Constans
- Departments of Physiology Louisiana State University Health Science Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
| | - Tiffany A. Wills
- Alcohol and Drug Center of Excellence, School of Medicine Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
- Cell Biology and Anatomy Louisiana State University Health Science Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
| | - Jason W. Middleton
- Alcohol and Drug Center of Excellence, School of Medicine Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
- Cell Biology and Anatomy Louisiana State University Health Science Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, School of Medicine Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
| | - Nicholas W. Gilpin
- Departments of Physiology Louisiana State University Health Science Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
- Alcohol and Drug Center of Excellence, School of Medicine Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, School of Medicine Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans Louisiana USA
- Southeast Louisiana VA Healthcare System (SLVHCS) New Orleans Louisiana USA
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Park J, Bucher ES, Fontillas K, Owesson-White C, Ariansen JL, Carelli RM, Wightman RM. Opposing catecholamine changes in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis during intracranial self-stimulation and its extinction. Biol Psychiatry 2013; 74:69-76. [PMID: 23260335 PMCID: PMC3609919 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2012] [Revised: 10/24/2012] [Accepted: 11/12/2012] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While studies suggest that both dopamine and norepinephrine neurotransmission support reinforcement learning, the role of dopamine has been emphasized. As a result, little is known about norepinephrine signaling during reward learning and extinction. Both dopamine and norepinephrine projections innervate distinct regions of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a structure that mediates behavioral and autonomic responses to stress and anxiety. We investigated whether norepinephrine release in the ventral BNST (vBNST) and dopamine release in the dorsolateral BNST (dlBNT) correlate with reward learning during intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS). METHODS Using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, norepinephrine concentration changes in the vBNST (n = 12 animals) during ICSS were compared with dopamine changes in the dlBNST (n = 7 animals) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) (n = 5 animals). Electrical stimulation was in the ventral tegmental area/substantia nigra region. RESULTS Whereas dopamine release was evoked by presentation of a cue predicting reward availability in both dlBNST and NAc, cue-evoked norepinephrine release did not occur in the vBNST. Release of both catecholamines was evoked by the electrical stimulation. Extracellular changes in norepinephrine were also studied during extinction of ICSS and compared with results obtained for dopamine. During extinction of ICSS, norepinephrine release in the vBNST occurred at the time where the stimulation was anticipated, whereas dopamine release transiently decreased. CONCLUSIONS The data demonstrate that norepinephrine release in the vBNST differs from dopamine release in the dlBNST and the NAc in that it signals the absence of reward rather than responding to reward predictive cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinwoo Park
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - Elizabeth S. Bucher
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - Khristy Fontillas
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - Catarina Owesson-White
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - Jennifer L. Ariansen
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - Regina M. Carelli
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - R. Mark Wightman
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
,Corresponding author: R. Mark Wightman, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry, CB # 3290, Venable Hall, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3290, USA, Tel : +1 (919) 962-1472, Fax : +1 (919) 962-2388,
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Hypocretin/orexin signaling in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus is essential for the expression of nicotine withdrawal. Biol Psychiatry 2012; 71:214-23. [PMID: 21831361 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2011] [Revised: 06/14/2011] [Accepted: 06/27/2011] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hypocretin (orexin) signaling is involved in drug addiction. In this study, we investigated the role of these hypothalamic neuropeptides in nicotine withdrawal by using behavioral and neuroanatomical approaches. METHODS Nicotine withdrawal syndrome was precipitated by mecamylamine (2 mg/kg, subcutaneous) in C57BL/6J nicotine-dependent mice (25 mg/kg/day for 14 days) pretreated with the hypocretin receptor 1 (Hcrtr-1) antagonist SB334867 (5 and 10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal), the hypocretin receptor 2 antagonist TCSOX229 (5 and 10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal), and in preprohypocretin knockout mice. c-Fos expression was analyzed in several brain areas related to nicotine dependence by immunofluorescence techniques. Retrograde tracing with rhodamine-labeled fluorescent latex microspheres was used to determine whether the hypocretin neurons project directly to the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), and SB334867 was locally administered intra-PVN (10 nmol/side) to test the specific involvement of Hcrtr-1 in this brain area during nicotine withdrawal. RESULTS Somatic signs of nicotine withdrawal were attenuated in mice pretreated with SB334867 and in preprohypocretin knockout mice. No changes were found in TCSOX229 pretreated animals. Nicotine withdrawal increased the percentage of hypocretin cells expressing c-Fos in the perifornical, dorsomedial, and lateral hypothalamus. In addition, the increased c-Fos expression in the PVN during withdrawal was dependent on hypocretin transmission through Hcrtr-1 activation. Hypocretin neurons directly innervate the PVN and the local infusion of SB334867 into the PVN decreased the expression of nicotine withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate that hypocretin signaling acting on Hcrtr-1 in the PVN plays a crucial role in the expression of nicotine withdrawal.
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Corrigall WA. Hypocretin mechanisms in nicotine addiction: evidence and speculation. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2009; 206:23-37. [PMID: 19529922 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-009-1588-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2009] [Accepted: 06/01/2009] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The hypocretin/orexin system has been implicated in arousal mechanisms, sleep, and sleep disorders, including narcolepsy, and more recently in drug addiction. Theoretically, hypocretin (hcrt) mechanisms appear to be potential substrates for nicotine addiction: arousal and attentional mechanisms influence use and withdrawal symptoms, and hcrt systems overlap anatomically with a number of brain regions associated with nicotine addiction. OBJECTIVE This review summarizes the studies that have examined hcrt mechanisms in the effects of nicotine and describes hcrt innervation of, and effects in, several brain regions implicated in nicotine addiction. The review speculates on the possible mechanisms by which hcrt may contribute to nicotine addiction in these regions, with the objective of encouraging research in this area. RESULTS In a small literature, both experimenter-administered and self-administered nicotine have been shown to elicit or depend on hcrt signaling. However, although untested in experimental designs, there is compelling evidence that hcrt mechanisms in the ventral tegmental area, the pontine region, thalamocortical circuits, the prefrontal cortex, and the amygdala could have a broad influence on nicotine addiction. CONCLUSIONS Evidence reviewed leads to the conclusion that hcrt mechanisms could mediate several dimensions of nicotine addiction, including a multi-faceted regulation of mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic function, but beyond dopaminergic mechanisms, hcrt could influence nicotine use and relapse during abstinence through broadly based arousal/attentional effects. These speculative ideas need to be examined experimentally; the potential gains are a more thorough understanding of the pathophysiology of nicotine addiction, and the discovery of novel targets for the development of pharmacotherapeutics.
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Abstract
Simple, rapid and inexpensive rodent models of nicotine physical dependence and withdrawal syndrome have proved useful for preliminary screening of smoking cessation treatments. They have led to an exponential increase of knowledge regarding the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of dependence and withdrawal syndrome. The human nicotine withdrawal syndrome in smoking cessation is variable and multidimensional, involving irritability, anxiety, depression, cognitive and attentional impairments, weight gain, sleep disturbances, and craving for nicotine. Aside from sleep disturbances, analogous phenomena have been seen in rodent models using different measures of withdrawal intensity. It appears likely that different withdrawal phenomena may involve some partially divergent mechanisms. For example, depression-like phenomena may involve alterations in mechanisms such as the mesolimbic dopamine pathway from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens. Irritability and anxiety may involve alterations in endogenous opioid systems and other regions, such as the amygdala. This chapter reviews many additional anatomical, neurochemical, and developmental elements that impact nicotine physical dependence.
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