1
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Zhu J, Hou Y, Li W, Wang X, Li F, Li N, Hu Y, Wang X, Ge SN. miR-181a expressed in the dorsal hippocampus regulates the reinstatement of cocaine CPP by targeting PRKAA1. Behav Brain Res 2024; 471:115097. [PMID: 38878971 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115097] [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: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Neuroadaptive changes in the hippocampus underlie addictive-like behaviors in humans or animals chronically exposed to cocaine. miR-181a, which is widely expressed in the hippocampus, acts as a regulator for synaptic plasticity, while its role in drug reinstatement is unclear. In this study, we found that miR-181a regulates the reinstatement of cocaine conditioned place preference(CPP), and altered miR-181a expression changes the complexity of hippocampal neurons and the density and morphology of dendritic spines. By using a luciferase gene reporter, we found that miR-181a targets PRKAA1, an upstream molecule in the mTOR pathway. High miR-181a expression reduced the expression of the PRKAA1 mRNA and promoted mTOR activity and the reinstatement of cocaine CPP. These results indicate that miR-181a is involved in neuronal structural plasticity induced by reinstatement of cocaine CPP, possibly through the activation of the mTOR signaling pathway. This study provides new microRNA targets and a theoretical foundation for the prevention of cocaine-induced reinstatement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Zhu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710038, China; Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xian Yang, Shaanxi 712046, China
| | - Yueru Hou
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710038, China; Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xian Yang, Shaanxi 712046, China
| | - Wan Li
- Xi'an Technological University, Xi'an 710021, China
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710038, China
| | - Fei Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710038, China
| | - Nan Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710038, China
| | - Yan Hu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710038, China
| | - Xuelian Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710038, China.
| | - Shun-Nan Ge
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710038, China.
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2
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Corley C, Craig A, Sadek S, Marusich JA, Chehimi SN, White AM, Holdiness LJ, Reiner BC, Gipson CD. Enhancing translation: A need to leverage complex preclinical models of addictive drugs to accelerate substance use treatment options. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024:173836. [PMID: 39067531 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173836] [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: 02/12/2024] [Revised: 07/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Preclinical models of addictive drugs have been developed for decades to model aspects of the clinical experience in substance use disorders (SUDs). These include passive exposure as well as volitional intake models across addictive drugs and have been utilized to also measure withdrawal symptomatology and potential neurobehavioral mechanisms underlying relapse to drug seeking or taking. There are a number of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications for SUDs, however, many demonstrate low clinical efficacy as well as potential sex differences, and we also note gaps in the continuum of care for certain aspects of clinical experiences in individuals who use drugs. In this review, we provide a comprehensive update on both frequently utilized and novel behavioral models of addiction with a focus on translational value to the clinical experience and highlight the need for preclinical research to follow epidemiological trends in drug use patterns to stay abreast of clinical treatment needs. We then note areas in which models could be improved to enhance the medications development pipeline through efforts to enhance translation of preclinical models. Next, we describe neuroscience efforts that can be leveraged to identify novel biological mechanisms to enhance medications development efforts for SUDs, focusing specifically on advances in brain transcriptomics approaches that can provide comprehensive screening and identification of novel targets. Together, the confluence of this review demonstrates the need for careful selection of behavioral models and methodological parameters that better approximate the clinical experience combined with cutting edge neuroscience techniques to advance the medications development pipeline for SUDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christa Corley
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Ashley Craig
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Safiyah Sadek
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | | | - Samar N Chehimi
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ashley M White
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Lexi J Holdiness
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Benjamin C Reiner
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Cassandra D Gipson
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
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3
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Borruto AM, Calpe-López C, Spanagel R, Bernardi RE. Conditional deletion of the AMPA-GluA1 and NMDA-GluN1 receptor subunit genes in midbrain D1 neurons does not alter cocaine reward in mice. Neuropharmacology 2024; 258:110081. [PMID: 39002853 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.110081] [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: 04/29/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
Synaptic plasticity in the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system contributes to the neural adaptations underlying addictive behaviors and relapse. However, the specific behavioral relevance of glutamatergic excitatory drive onto dopamine D1 receptor (D1R)-expressing neurons in mediating the reinforcing effect of cocaine remains unclear. Here, we investigated how midbrain AMPAR and NMDAR function modulate cocaine reward-related behavior using mutant mouse lines lacking the glutamate receptor genes Gria1 or Grin1 in D1R-expressing neurons (GluA1D1CreERT2 or GluN1D1CreERT2, respectively). We found that conditional genetic deletion of either GluA1 or GluN1 within this neuronal sub-population did not impact the ability of acute cocaine injection to increase intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) ratio or reduced brain reward threshold compared to littermate controls. Additionally, our data demonstrate that deletion of GluA1 and GluN1 receptor subunits within D1R-expressing neurons did not affect cocaine reinforcement in an operant self-administration paradigm, as mutant mice showed comparable cocaine responses and intake to controls. Given the pivotal role of glutamate receptors in mediating relapse behavior, we further explored the impact of genetic deletion of AMPAR and NMDAR onto D1R-expressing neurons on cue-induced reinstatement following extinction. Surprisingly, deletion of AMPAR and NMDAR onto these neurons did not impair cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior. These findings suggest that glutamatergic activity via NMDAR and AMPAR in D1R-expressing neurons may not exclusively mediate the reinforcing effects of cocaine and cue-induced reinstatement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Maria Borruto
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Claudia Calpe-López
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Rainer Spanagel
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner Site Mannheim, Heidelberg, Ulm, Germany
| | - Rick E Bernardi
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.
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4
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Khatri SN, Ulangkaya H, Maher EE, Sadek S, Hong M, Woodcox AM, Stoops WW, Gipson CD. Oxycodone withdrawal is associated with increased cocaine self-administration and aberrant accumbens glutamate plasticity in rats. Neuropharmacology 2024; 242:109773. [PMID: 37865136 PMCID: PMC10842432 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109773] [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: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) frequently use other substances, including cocaine. Opioid withdrawal is associated with increased likelihood of cocaine use, which may represent an attempt to ameliorate opioid withdrawal effects. Clinically, 30% of co-using individuals take opioids and cocaine exclusively in a sequential manner. Preclinical studies evaluating mechanisms of drug use typically study drugs in isolation. However, polysubstance use is a highly prevalent clinical issue and thus, we established a novel preclinical model of sequential oxycodone and cocaine self-administration (SA) whereby rats acquired oxycodone and cocaine SA in an A-B-A-B design. Somatic signs of withdrawal were evaluated at 0, 22, and 24h following oxycodone SA, with the 24h timepoint representing somatic signs immediately following cocaine SA. Preclinically, aberrant glutamate signaling within the nucleus accumbens core (NAcore) occurs following use of cocaine or opioids, whereby medium spiny neurons (MSNs) rest in a potentiated or depotentiated state, respectively. Further, NAcore glial glutamate transport via GLT-1 is downregulated following SA of either drug alone. However, it is not clear if cocaine can exacerbate opioid-induced changes in glutamate signaling. In this study, NAcore GLT-1 protein and glutamate plasticity were measured (via AMPA/NMDA ratio) following SA. Rats acquired SA of both oxycodone and cocaine regardless of sex, and the acute oxycodone-induced increase in somatic signs at 22h was positively correlated with cocaine consumption during the cocaine testing phase. Cocaine use following oxycodone SA downregulated GLT-1 and reduced AMPA/NMDA ratios compared to cocaine use following food SA. Further, oxycodone SA alone was associated with reduced AMPA/NMDA ratio. Together, behavioral signs of oxycodone withdrawal may drive cocaine use and further dysregulate NAcore glutamate signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shailesh N Khatri
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Hanaa Ulangkaya
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Erin E Maher
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Safiyah Sadek
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Mei Hong
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Andrea M Woodcox
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - William W Stoops
- Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Cassandra D Gipson
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
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5
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Campbell RR, Lobo MK. Neurobiological mechanisms underlying psychostimulant use. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 83:102786. [PMID: 37776675 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023]
Abstract
Rates of individuals struggling with psychostimulant use disorder (PSUD), defined as chronic use of psychostimulants despite negative consequences, are growing rapidly over the last few decades. However, there are no current pharmacotherapeutics to aid individuals in maintaining drug abstinence. Identifying the underlying neurobiological mechanisms that promote persistent craving and taking of psychostimulants is critical to creating novel pharmacological treatments for PSUD. Psychostimulant use dysregulates processes within the brain that are responsible for decision-making, reward, and memory formation to drive future drug-seeking. Here, we describe novel findings and theories on how psychostimulants impact mechanisms related to transcription, mitochondrial function, and synaptic plasticity within the reward system to drive drug-seeking. We also highlight work examining how psychostimulants impact neural networks through rewiring circuitry to drive addiction-related behaviors. Overall, this review aims to feature the latest progress in understanding the biological basis of PSUD and promising mechanisms for PSUD pharmacotherapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rianne R Campbell
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. https://twitter.com/RianneThoughts
| | - Mary Kay Lobo
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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6
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Garcia-Keller C, Hohmeister M, Seidling K, Beloate L, Chioma V, Spencer S, Kalivas P, Neuhofer D. Δ 9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol self-administration induces cell type-specific adaptations in the nucleus accumbens core. Addict Biol 2023; 28:e13286. [PMID: 37500492 PMCID: PMC10924663 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13286] [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: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Drugs of abuse induce cell type-specific adaptations in D1- and D2-medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the nucleus accumbens core (NAcore) that can bias signalling towards D1-MSNs and enhance relapse vulnerability. Whether Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) use initiates similar neuroadaptations is unknown. D1- and D2-Cre transgenic rats were transfected with Cre-dependent reporters and trained to self-administer THC + cannabidiol (THC + CBD). After extinction training spine morphology, glutamate transmission, CB1R function and cFOS expression were quantified. We found that extinction from THC + CBD induced a loss of large spine heads in D1- but not D2-MSNs and commensurate reductions in glutamate synaptic transmission. Also, presynaptic CB1R function was impaired selectively at glutamatergic synapses on D1-MSNs, which augmented the capacity to potentiate glutamate transmission. Using cFOS expression as an activity marker, we found no change after extinction but increased cFOS expression in D1-MSNs after cue-induced drug seeking. Contrasting D1-MSNs, CB1R function and glutamate synaptic transmission on D2-MSN synapses were unaffected by THC + CBD use. However, cFOS expression was decreased in D2-MSNs of THC + CBD-extinguished rats and was restored after drug seeking. Thus, CB1R adaptations in D1-MSNs partially predicted neuronal activity changes, posing pathway specific modulation of eCB signalling in D1-MSNs as a potential treatment avenue for cannabis use disorder (CUD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Constanza Garcia-Keller
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 403-MSC 510, Charleston, SC 29425
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 W Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | - Madeline Hohmeister
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 403-MSC 510, Charleston, SC 29425
| | - Kailyn Seidling
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 403-MSC 510, Charleston, SC 29425
| | - Lauren Beloate
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 403-MSC 510, Charleston, SC 29425
| | - Vivian Chioma
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 403-MSC 510, Charleston, SC 29425
| | - Sade Spencer
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, MN 55455
| | - Peter Kalivas
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 403-MSC 510, Charleston, SC 29425
| | - Daniela Neuhofer
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 403-MSC 510, Charleston, SC 29425
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7
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Vilca S, Wahlestedt C, Izenwasser S, Gainetdinov RR, Pardo M. Dopamine Transporter Knockout Rats Display Epigenetic Alterations in Response to Cocaine Exposure. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1107. [PMID: 37509143 PMCID: PMC10377455 DOI: 10.3390/biom13071107] [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: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: There is an urgent need for effective treatments for cocaine use disorder (CUD), and new pharmacological approaches targeting epigenetic mechanisms appear to be promising options for the treatment of this disease. Dopamine Transporter (DAT) transgenic rats recently have been proposed as a new animal model for studying susceptibility to CUD. (2) Methods: DAT transgenic rats were treated chronically with cocaine (10 mg/kg) for 8 days, and the expression of epigenetic modulators, Lysine Demethylase 6B (KDM6B) and Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4), was examined in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). (3) Results: We show that only full knockout (KO) of DAT impacts basal levels of KDM6B in females. Additionally, cocaine altered the expression of both epigenetic markers in a sex- and genotype-dependent manner. In response to chronic cocaine, KDM6B expression was decreased in male rats with partial DAT mutation (HET), while no changes were observed in wild-type (WT) or KO rats. Indeed, while HET male rats have reduced KDM6B and BRD4 expression, HET female rats showed increased KDM6B and BRD4 expression levels, highlighting the impact of sex on epigenetic mechanisms in response to cocaine. Finally, both male and female KO rats showed increased expression of BRD4, but only KO females exhibited significantly increased KDM6B expression in response to cocaine. Additionally, the magnitude of these effects was bigger in females when compared to males for both epigenetic enzymes. (4) Conclusions: This preliminary study provides additional support that targeting KDM6B and/or BRD4 may potentially be therapeutic in treating addiction-related behaviors in a sex-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samara Vilca
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (S.V.); (C.W.); (S.I.)
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Claes Wahlestedt
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (S.V.); (C.W.); (S.I.)
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Sari Izenwasser
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (S.V.); (C.W.); (S.I.)
| | - Raul R. Gainetdinov
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg University Hospital, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya Emb. 7-9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia;
| | - Marta Pardo
- Department of Neurology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
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8
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Siemsen BM, Denton AR, Parrila-Carrero J, Hooker KN, Carpenter EA, Prescot ME, Brock AG, Westphal AM, Leath MN, McFaddin JA, Jhou TC, McGinty JF, Scofield MD. Heroin Self-Administration and Extinction Increase Prelimbic Cortical Astrocyte-Synapse Proximity and Alter Dendritic Spine Morphometrics That Are Reversed by N-Acetylcysteine. Cells 2023; 12:1812. [PMID: 37508477 PMCID: PMC10378353 DOI: 10.3390/cells12141812] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Clinical and preclinical studies indicate that adaptations in corticostriatal neurotransmission significantly contribute to heroin relapse vulnerability. In animal models, heroin self-administration and extinction produce cellular adaptations in both neurons and astrocytes within the nucleus accumbens (NA) core that are required for cue-induced heroin seeking. Specifically, decreased glutamate clearance and reduced association of perisynaptic astrocytic processes with NAcore synapses allow glutamate release from prelimbic (PrL) cortical terminals to engage synaptic and structural plasticity in NAcore medium spiny neurons. Normalizing astrocyte glutamate homeostasis with drugs like the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) prevents cue-induced heroin seeking. Surprisingly, little is known about heroin-induced alterations in astrocytes or pyramidal neurons projecting to the NAcore in the PrL cortex (PrL-NAcore). Here, we observe functional adaptations in the PrL cortical astrocyte following heroin self-administration (SA) and extinction as measured by the electrophysiologically evoked plasmalemmal glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1)-dependent current. We likewise observed the increased complexity of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) cytoskeletal arbor and increased association of the astrocytic plasma membrane with synaptic markers following heroin SA and extinction training in the PrL cortex. Repeated treatment with NAC during extinction reversed both the enhanced astrocytic complexity and synaptic association. In PrL-NAcore neurons, heroin SA and extinction decreased the apical tuft dendritic spine density and enlarged dendritic spine head diameter in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Repeated NAC treatment during extinction prevented decreases in spine density but not dendritic spine head expansion. Moreover, heroin SA and extinction increased the co-registry of the GluA1 subunit of AMPA receptors in both the dendrite shaft and spine heads of PrL-NAcore neurons. Interestingly, the accumulation of GluA1 immunoreactivity in spine heads was further potentiated by NAC treatment during extinction. Finally, we show that the NAC treatment and elimination of thrombospondin 2 (TSP-2) block cue-induced heroin relapse. Taken together, our data reveal circuit-level adaptations in cortical dendritic spine morphology potentially linked to heroin-induced alterations in astrocyte complexity and association at the synapses. Additionally, these data demonstrate that NAC reverses PrL cortical heroin SA-and-extinction-induced adaptations in both astrocytes and corticostriatal neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M. Siemsen
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Adam R. Denton
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | | | - Kaylee N. Hooker
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Eilish A. Carpenter
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Meagan E. Prescot
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Ashley G. Brock
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Annaka M. Westphal
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Mary-Nan Leath
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - John A. McFaddin
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Thomas C. Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Jacqueline F. McGinty
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Michael D. Scofield
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
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9
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Kalivas PW, Gourley SL, Paulus MP. Intrusive thinking: Circuit and synaptic mechanisms of a transdiagnostic psychiatric symptom. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 150:105196. [PMID: 37094741 PMCID: PMC10249786 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105196] [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: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Spontaneous thought is an adaptive cognitive process that can produce novel and insightful thought sequences useful in guiding future behavior. In many psychiatric disorders, spontaneous thinking becomes intrusive and uncontrolled, and can trigger symptoms such as craving, repetitive negative thinking and trauma-related memories. We link studies using clinical imaging and rodent modeling towards understanding the neurocircuitry and neuroplasticity of intrusive thinking. We propose a framework in which drugs or stress change the homeostatic set point of brain reward circuitry, which then impacts subsequent plasticity induced by drug/stress conditioned cues (metaplastic allostasis). We further argue for the importance of examining not only the canonical pre- and postsynapse, but also the adjacent astroglial protrusions and extracellular matrix that together form the tetrapartite synapse and that plasticity throughout the tetrapartite synapse is necessary for cue-induced drug or stress behaviors. This analysis reveals that drug use or trauma cause long-lasting allostatic brain plasticity that sets the stage for subsequent drug/trauma-associated cues to induce transient plasticity that can lead to intrusive thinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter W Kalivas
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
| | - Shannon L Gourley
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Department of Pediatrics and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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10
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Ziółkowska M, Borczyk M, Cały A, Tomaszewski KF, Nowacka A, Nalberczak-Skóra M, Śliwińska MA, Łukasiewicz K, Skonieczna E, Wójtowicz T, Wlodarczyk J, Bernaś T, Salamian A, Radwanska K. Phosphorylation of PSD-95 at serine 73 in dCA1 is required for extinction of contextual fear. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002106. [PMID: 37155709 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The updating of contextual memories is essential for survival in a changing environment. Accumulating data indicate that the dorsal CA1 area (dCA1) contributes to this process. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of contextual fear memory updating remain poorly understood. Postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95) regulates the structure and function of glutamatergic synapses. Here, using dCA1-targeted genetic manipulations in vivo, combined with ex vivo 3D electron microscopy and electrophysiology, we identify a novel, synaptic mechanism that is induced during attenuation of contextual fear memories and involves phosphorylation of PSD-95 at Serine 73 in dCA1. Our data provide the proof that PSD-95-dependent synaptic plasticity in dCA1 is required for updating of contextual fear memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Ziółkowska
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Borczyk
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
- Department Molecular Neuropharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Anna Cały
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kamil F Tomaszewski
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agata Nowacka
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Maria Nalberczak-Skóra
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Alicja Śliwińska
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
- Laboratory of Imaging Tissue Structure and Function, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kacper Łukasiewicz
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
- Psychiatry Clinic, Medical University of Bialystok, Białystok, Poland
| | - Edyta Skonieczna
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Tomasz Wójtowicz
- Laboratory of Cell Biophysics, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jakub Wlodarczyk
- Laboratory of Cell Biophysics, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Tytus Bernaś
- Laboratory of Imaging Tissue Structure and Function, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Anatomy and Neurology, VCU School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Ahmad Salamian
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kasia Radwanska
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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11
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Li JY, Yu YJ, Su CL, Shen YQ, Chang CH, Gean PW. Modulation of methamphetamine memory reconsolidation by neural projection from basolateral amygdala to nucleus accumbens. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:478-488. [PMID: 36109595 PMCID: PMC9852248 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01417-y] [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: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Drug-associated conditioned cues promote subjects to recall drug reward memory, resulting in drug-seeking and reinstatement. A consolidated memory becomes unstable after recall, such that the amnestic agent can disrupt the memory during the reconsolidation stage, which implicates a potential therapeutic strategy for weakening maladaptive memories. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) involves the association of conditioned cues with reward and aversive valences and projects the information to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) that mediates reward-seeking. However, whether the BLA-NAc projection plays a role in drug-associated memory reactivation and reconsolidation is unknown. We used methamphetamine (MeAM) conditioned place preference (CPP) to investigate the role of BLA-NAc neural projection in the memory reconsolidation. Two weeks before CPP training, we infused adeno-associated virus (AAV) carrying the designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADD) or control constructs. We infused clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) after the recall test to manipulate the neural activity of BLA-NAc projections in mice. We found that after recall, DREADD-mediated inhibition of BLA neurons projecting to the NAc core blunted consolidated MeAM-associated memory. Inhibition of BLA glutamatergic nerve terminals in the NAc core 1 h after recall disrupted consolidated MeAM-associated memory. However, inhibiting this pathway after the time window of reconsolidation failed to affect memory. Furthermore, under the condition without memory retrieval, DREADD-mediated activation of BLA-NAc core projection was required for amnesic agents to disrupt consolidated MeAM-associated memory. Our findings provide evidence that the BLA-NAc pathway activity is involved in the post-retrieval processing of MeAM-associated memory in CPP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Ying Li
- Department of Pharmacology, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, 701, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Yang-Jung Yu
- Department of Pharmacology, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, 701, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chun-Lin Su
- Department of Pharmacology, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, 701, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Yu-Qi Shen
- Department of Pharmacology, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, 701, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chih-Hua Chang
- Department of Pharmacology, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, 701, Taiwan, ROC.
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioindustry Sciences, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, 701, Taiwan, ROC.
| | - Po-Wu Gean
- Department of Pharmacology, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, 701, Taiwan, ROC.
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioindustry Sciences, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, 701, Taiwan, ROC.
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12
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Nalberczak-Skóra M, Beroun A, Skonieczna E, Cały A, Ziółkowska M, Pagano R, Taheri P, Kalita K, Salamian A, Radwanska K. Impaired synaptic transmission in dorsal dentate gyrus increases impulsive alcohol seeking. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:436-447. [PMID: 36182989 PMCID: PMC9852589 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01464-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Both human and animal studies indicate that the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus is highly exploited by drug and alcohol abuse. Yet, it is poorly understood how DG dysfunction affects addiction-related behaviors. Here, we used an animal model of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in automated IntelliCages and performed local genetic manipulation to investigate how synaptic transmission in the dorsal DG (dDG) affects alcohol-related behaviors. We show that a cue light induces potentiation-like plasticity of dDG synapses in alcohol-naive mice. This process is impaired in mice trained to drink alcohol. Acamprosate (ACA), a drug that reduces alcohol relapse, rescues the impairment of dDG synaptic transmission in alcohol mice. A molecular manipulation that reduces dDG synaptic AMPAR and NMDAR levels increases impulsive alcohol seeking during cue relapse (CR) in alcohol mice but does not affect alcohol reward, motivation or craving. These findings suggest that hindered dDG synaptic transmission specifically underlies impulsive alcohol seeking induced by alcohol cues, a core symptom of AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Nalberczak-Skóra
- grid.419305.a0000 0001 1943 2944Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland ,grid.460447.50000 0001 2161 9572Experimental Psychopathology Lab, Institute of Psychology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Beroun
- grid.419305.a0000 0001 1943 2944BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Edyta Skonieczna
- grid.419305.a0000 0001 1943 2944Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Cały
- grid.419305.a0000 0001 1943 2944Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Magdalena Ziółkowska
- grid.419305.a0000 0001 1943 2944Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Roberto Pagano
- grid.419305.a0000 0001 1943 2944Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Pegah Taheri
- grid.419305.a0000 0001 1943 2944Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Kalita
- grid.419305.a0000 0001 1943 2944BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ahmad Salamian
- grid.419305.a0000 0001 1943 2944Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kasia Radwanska
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Behavior, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
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13
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Jarczak J, Miszczak M, Radwanska K. Is DNA methylation in the brain a mechanism of alcohol use disorder? Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:957203. [PMID: 36778133 PMCID: PMC9908583 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.957203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a worldwide problem. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanisms of alcohol misuse are still poorly understood, therefore successful therapeutic approaches are limited. Accumulating data indicate that the tendency for compulsive alcohol use is inherited, suggesting a genetic background as an important factor. However, the probability to develop AUD is also affected by life experience and environmental factors. Therefore, the epigenetic modifications that are altered over lifetime likely contribute to increased risk of alcohol misuse. Here, we review the literature looking for the link between DNA methylation in the brain, a common epigenetic modification, and AUD-related behaviors in humans, mice and rats. We sum up the main findings, identify the existing gaps in our knowledge and indicate future directions of the research.
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Domi A, Lucente E, Cadeddu D, Adermark L. Nicotine but not saline self-administering or yoked control conditions produces sustained neuroadaptations in the accumbens shell. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1105388. [PMID: 36760603 PMCID: PMC9907443 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1105388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Using yoked animals as the control when monitoring operant drug-self-administration is considered the golden standard. However, instrumental learning per se recruits several neurocircuits that may produce distinct or overlapping neuroadaptations with drugs of abuse. The aim of this project was to assess if contingent responding for nicotine or saline in the presence of a light stimulus as a conditioned reinforcer is associated with sustained neurophysiological adaptations in the nucleus accumbens shell (nAcS), a brain region repeatedly associated with reward related behaviors. Methods To this end, nicotine-or saline-administrating rats and yoked-saline stimulus-unpaired training conditions were assessed in operant boxes over four consecutive weeks. After four additional weeks of home cage forced abstinence and subsequent cue reinforced responding under extinction conditions, ex vivo electrophysiology was performed in the nAcS medium spiny neurons (MSNs). Results Whole cell recordings conducted in voltage and current-clamp mode showed that excitatory synapses in the nAcS were altered after prolonged forced abstinence from nicotine self-administration. We observed an increase in sEPSC amplitude in animals with a history of contingent nicotine SA potentially indicating higher excitability of accumbal MSNs, which was further supported by current clamp recordings. Interestingly no sustained neuroadaptations were elicited in saline exposed rats from nicotine associated visual cues compared to the yoked controls. Conclusion The data presented here indicate that nicotine self-administration produces sustained neuroadaptations in the nAcS while operant responding driven by nicotine visual stimuli has no long-term effects on MSNs in nAcS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Domi
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden,Addiction Biology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden,*Correspondence: Ana Domi, ✉
| | - Erika Lucente
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Davide Cadeddu
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Louise Adermark
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden,Addiction Biology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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15
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Siemsen BM, Franco D, Lobo MK. Corticostriatal contributions to dysregulated motivated behaviors in stress, depression, and substance use disorders. Neurosci Res 2022:S0168-0102(22)00304-2. [PMID: 36565858 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2022.12.014] [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: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Coordinated network activity, particularly in circuits arising from the prefrontal cortex innervating the ventral striatum, is crucial for normal processing of reward-related information which is perturbed in several psychiatric disorders characterized by dysregulated reward-related behaviors. Stress-induced depression and substance use disorders (SUDs) both share this common underlying pathology, manifested as deficits in perceived reward in depression, and increased attribution of positive valence to drug-predictive stimuli and dysfunctional cognition in SUDs. Here we review preclinical and clinical data that support dysregulation of motivated and reward-related behaviors as a core phenotype shared between these two disorders. We posit that altered processing of reward-related stimuli arises from dysregulated control of subcortical circuits by upstream regions implicated in executive control. Although multiple circuits are directly involved in reward processing, here we focus specifically on the role of corticostriatal circuit dysregulation. Moreover, we highlight the growing body of evidence indicating that such abnormalities may be due to heightened neuroimmune signaling by microglia, and that targeting the neuroimmune system may be a viable approach to treating this shared symptom.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniela Franco
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mary Kay Lobo
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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16
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Zhang LY, Kim AY, Cheer JF. Regulation of glutamate homeostasis in the nucleus accumbens by astrocytic CB1 receptors and its role in cocaine-motivated behaviors. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 3:100022. [PMID: 36419922 PMCID: PMC9681119 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2022.100022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Cannabinoid type 1 receptors (CB1Rs) orchestrate brain reward circuitry and are prevalent neurobiological targets for endocannabinoids and cannabis in the mammalian brain. Decades of histological and electrophysiological studies have established CB1R as presynaptic G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) that inhibit neurotransmitter release through retrograde signaling mechanisms. Recent seminal work demonstrates CB1R expression on astrocytes and the pivotal function of glial cells in endocannabinoid-mediated modulation of neuron-astrocyte signaling. Here, we review key facets of CB1R-mediated astroglia regulation of synaptic glutamate transmission in the nucleus accumbens with a specific emphasis on cocaine-directed behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan-Yuan Zhang
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Andrew Y. Kim
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Joseph F. Cheer
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
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17
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Jing MY, Ding XY, Han X, Zhao TY, Luo MM, Wu N, Li J, Song R. Activation of mesocorticolimbic dopamine projections initiates cue-induced reinstatement of reward seeking in mice. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2022; 43:2276-2288. [PMID: 35217811 PMCID: PMC9433452 DOI: 10.1038/s41401-022-00866-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug addiction is characterized by relapse when addicts are re-exposed to drug-associated environmental cues, but the neural mechanisms underlying cue-induced relapse are unclear. In the present study we investigated the role of a specific dopaminergic (DA) pathway from ventral tegmental area (VTA) to nucleus accumbens core (NAcore) in mouse cue-induced relapse. Optical intracranial self-stimulation (oICSS) was established in DAT-Cre transgenic mice. We showed that optogenetic excitation of DA neurons in the VTA or their projection terminals in NAcore, NAshell or infralimbic prefrontal cortex (PFC-IL) was rewarding. Furthermore, activation of the VTA-NAcore pathway alone was sufficient and necessary to induce reinstatement of oICSS. In cocaine self-administration model, cocaine-associated cues activated VTA DA neurons as assessed by intracellular GCaMP signals. Cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking was triggered by optogenetic stimulation of the VTA-NAcore pathway, and inhibited by chemogenetic inhibition of this pathway. Together, these results demonstrate that cue-induced reinstatement of reward seeking is in part mediated by activation of the VTA-NAcore DA pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man-Yi Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China
| | - Xiao-Yan Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China
- Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Xiao Han
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China
| | - Tai-Yun Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China
| | - Min-Min Luo
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Ning Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China.
| | - Jin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China.
| | - Rui Song
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China.
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18
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Inbar K, Levi LA, Kupchik YM. Cocaine induces input and cell-type-specific synaptic plasticity in ventral pallidum-projecting nucleus accumbens medium spiny neurons. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1461-1472. [PMID: 35121830 PMCID: PMC9205871 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01285-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Cocaine use and abstinence induce long-term synaptic alterations in the excitatory input to nucleus accumbens (NAc) medium spiny neurons (MSNs). The NAc regulates reward-related behaviors through two parallel projections to the ventral pallidum (VP)-originating in D1 or D2-expressing MSNs (D1-MSNs→VP; D2-MSNs→VP). The activity of these projections depends on their excitatory synaptic inputs, but it is not known whether and how abstinence from cocaine affects the excitatory transmission to D1-MSNs→VP and D2-MSNs→VP. Here we examined different forms of cocaine-induced synaptic plasticity in the inputs from the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to NAc D1-MSNs→VP and putative D2-MSNs→VP (pD2-MSNs→VP) in the core and shell subcompartments of the NAc. We used the whole-cell patch-clamp technique to record excitatory postsynaptic currents from D1-tdTomato mice injected with ChR2 in either the BLA or the mPFC and retrograde tracer (RetroBeads) in the VP. We found that cocaine conditioned place preference (CPP) followed by abstinence potentiated the excitatory input from the BLA and mPFC to both D1-MSNs→VP and pD2-MSNs→VP. Interestingly, while the strengthening of the inputs to D1-MSNs→VP was of postsynaptic origin and manifested as increased AMPA to NMDA ratio, in pD2-MSNs→VP plasticity was predominantly presynaptic and was detected as changes in the paired-pulse ratio and coefficient of variation. Lastly, some of the changes were sex-specific. Overall our data show that abstinence from cocaine changes the excitatory inputs to both D1-MSNs→VP and pD2-MSNs→VP but with different mechanisms. This may help understand how circuits converging into the VP change after cocaine exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kineret Inbar
- grid.9619.70000 0004 1937 0538Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9112102 Israel
| | - Liran A. Levi
- grid.9619.70000 0004 1937 0538Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9112102 Israel
| | - Yonatan M. Kupchik
- grid.9619.70000 0004 1937 0538Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 9112102 Israel
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19
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Bonilla-Quintana M, Rangamani P. Can biophysical models of dendritic spines be used to explore synaptic changes associated with addiction? Phys Biol 2022; 19. [PMID: 35508164 DOI: 10.1088/1478-3975/ac6cbe] [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: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Effective treatments that prevent or reduce drug relapse vulnerability should be developed to relieve the high burden of drug addiction on society. This will only be possible by enhancing the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the neurobiology of addiction. Recent experimental data have shown that dendritic spines, small protrusions from the dendrites that receive excitatory input, of spiny neurons in the nucleus accumbens exhibit morphological changes during drug exposure and withdrawal. Moreover, these changes relate to the characteristic drug-seeking behavior of addiction. However, due to the complexity of the dendritic spines, we do not yet fully understand the processes underlying their structural changes in response to different inputs. We propose that biophysical models can enhance the current understanding of these processes by incorporating different, and sometimes, discrepant experimental data to identify the shared underlying mechanisms and generate experimentally testable hypotheses. This review aims to give an up-to-date report on biophysical models of dendritic spines, focusing on those models that describe their shape changes, which are well-known to relate to learning and memory. Moreover, it examines how these models can enhance our understanding of the effect of the drugs and the synaptic changes during withdrawal, as well as during neurodegenerative disease progression such as Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayte Bonilla-Quintana
- Mechanical Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California, 92093-0021, UNITED STATES
| | - Padmini Rangamani
- Mechanical Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California, 92093-0021, UNITED STATES
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20
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Strickland JC, Stoops WW, Banks ML, Gipson CD. Logical fallacies and misinterpretations that hinder progress in translational addiction neuroscience. J Exp Anal Behav 2022; 117:384-403. [PMID: 35362559 PMCID: PMC9090969 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Substance use disorders (SUDs) are heterogeneous and complex, making the development of translationally predictive rodent and nonhuman primate models to uncover their neurobehavioral underpinnings difficult. Neuroscience-focused outcomes have become highly prevalent, and with this, the notion that SUDs are disorders of the brain embraced as a dominant theoretical orientation to understand SUD etiology and treatment. These efforts, however, have led to few efficacious pharmacotherapies, and in some cases (as with cocaine or methamphetamine), no pharmacotherapies have translated from preclinical models for clinical use. In this theoretical commentary, we first describe the development of animal models of substance use behaviors from a historical perspective. We then define and discuss three logical fallacies including 1) circular explanation, 2) affirming the consequent, and 3) reification that can apply to developed models. We then provide three case examples in which conceptual or logical issues exist in common methods (i.e., behavioral economic demand, escalation, and reinstatement). Alternative strategies to refocus behavioral models are suggested for the field to better bridge the translational divide between animal models, the clinical condition of SUDs, and current and future regulatory pathways for intervention development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin C. Strickland
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
| | | | - Matthew L. Banks
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | - Cassandra D. Gipson
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington
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21
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Maher EE, Kipp ZA, Leyrer-Jackson JM, Khatri S, Bondy E, Martinez GJ, Beckmann JS, Hinds TD, Bimonte-Nelson HA, Gipson CD. Ovarian Hormones Regulate Nicotine Consumption and Accumbens Glutamatergic Plasticity in Female Rats. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0286-21.2022. [PMID: 35697512 PMCID: PMC9239849 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0286-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Women report greater cigarette cravings during the menstrual cycle phase with higher circulating levels of 17β-estradiol (E2), which is metabolized to estrone (E1). Both E2 and E1 bind to estrogen receptors (ERs), which have been highly studied in the breast, uterus, and ovary. Recent studies have found that ERs are also located on GABAergic medium spiny neurons (MSNs) within the nucleus accumbens core (NAcore). Glutamatergic plasticity in NAcore MSNs is altered following nicotine use; however, it is unknown whether estrogens impact this neurobiological consequence. To test the effect of estrogen on nicotine use, we ovariectomized (OVX) female rats that then underwent nicotine self-administration acquisition and compared them to ovary-intact (sham) rats. The OVX animals then received either sesame oil (vehicle), E2, or E1+E2 supplementation for 4 or 20 d before nicotine sessions. While both ovary-intact and OVX females readily discriminated levers, OVX females consumed less nicotine than sham females. Further, neither E2 nor E1+E2 increased nicotine consumption back to sham levels following OVX, regardless of the duration of the treatment. OVX also rendered NAcore MSNs in a potentiated state following nicotine self-administration, which was reversed by 4 d of systemic E2 treatment. Finally, we found that E2 and E1+E2 increased ERα mRNA in the NAcore, but nicotine suppressed this regardless of hormone treatment. Together, these results show that estrogens regulate nicotine neurobiology, but additional factors may be required to restore nicotine consumption to ovary-intact levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E Maher
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536
| | - Zachary A Kipp
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536
| | | | - Shailesh Khatri
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536
| | - Emma Bondy
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536
| | - Genesee J Martinez
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536
| | - Joshua S Beckmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40506
| | - Terry D Hinds
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536
- Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, 40536
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536
| | - Heather A Bimonte-Nelson
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287
- Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Phoenix, AZ 85014
| | - Cassandra D Gipson
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536
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Hodebourg R, Meyerink ME, Crow AD, Reichel CM, Kalivas PW, Garcia-Keller C. Cannabinoid use is enhanced by stress and changes conditioned stress responses. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1037-1045. [PMID: 35145212 PMCID: PMC8938410 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01287-4] [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: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Individuals diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are often comorbid for substance use disorders. Cannabis is widely used by PSTD patients, and the literature is mixed on whether cannabis use ameliorates or exacerbates patient responses to stress-associated conditioned stimuli (stress-CS). We determined if cannabis use affects responsivity to stress-CS in rats receiving 2 h stress in the presence of an odor stress-CS. Three weeks after acute stress, rats self-administered cannabinoids (delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol + cannabidiol; THC + CBD) for 15 days, and the stressed males consumed more THC + CBD than sham males. We then used the stress-CS or a novel odor (stress-NS) to reinstate THC + CBD seeking. Surprisingly, the stress-NS reinstated THC + CBD seeking, an effect blocked by N-acetylcysteine. Moreover, the stress-CS inhibited THC + CBD-CS induced reinstatement. To determine if the unexpected effects of stress-NS and -CS resulted from THC + CBD altering conditioned stress, the effect of THC + CBD use on stress-NS/CS-induced coping behaviors and spine morphology was quantified. In THC + CBD-treated rats, stress-NS increased active coping (burying). Conversely, stress-CS reduced active coping and increased passive coping (immobility) and other behavioral parameters associated with stress responses, including self-grooming and defecation. Transient spine head expansion in nucleus accumbens core is necessary for cue-induced drug seeking, and THC + CBD self-administration prevented the increase in head diameter by stress-CS in control rats. These data show THC + CBD self-administration altered the salience of environmental cues, causing neutral cues to promote active behavior (drug seeking and burying) and stress-CS to switch from active to passive behavior (inhibiting drug seeking and immobilization). We hypothesize that cannabis may exacerbate conditioned stress responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritchy Hodebourg
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Michael E Meyerink
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Ayteria D Crow
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Carmela M Reichel
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Peter W Kalivas
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
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23
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Kuhn BN, Campus P, Klumpner MS, Chang SE, Iglesias AG, Flagel SB. Inhibition of a cortico-thalamic circuit attenuates cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior in "relapse prone" male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:1035-1051. [PMID: 34181035 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05894-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Relapse often occurs when individuals are exposed to stimuli or cues previously associated with the drug-taking experience. The ability of drug cues to trigger relapse is believed to be a consequence of incentive salience attribution, a process by which the incentive value of reward is transferred to the reward-paired cue. Sign-tracker (ST) rats that attribute enhanced incentive value to reward cues are more prone to relapse compared to goal-tracker (GT) rats that primarily attribute predictive value to such cues. OBJECTIVES The neurobiological mechanisms underlying this individual variation in relapse propensity remains largely unexplored. The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) has been identified as a critical node in the regulation of cue-elicited behaviors in STs and GTs, including cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior. Here we used a chemogenetic approach to assess whether "top-down" cortical input from the prelimbic cortex (PrL) to the PVT plays a role in mediating individual differences in relapse propensity. RESULTS Chemogenetic inhibition of the PrL-PVT pathway selectively decreased cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior in STs, without affecting behavior in GTs. In contrast, cocaine-primed drug-seeking behavior was not affected in either phenotype. Furthermore, when rats were characterized based on a different behavioral phenotype-locomotor response to novelty-inhibition of the PrL-PVT pathway had no effect on either cue- or drug-induced reinstatement. CONCLUSIONS These results highlight an important role for the PrL-PVT pathway in vulnerability to relapse that is consequent to individual differences in the propensity to attribute incentive salience to discrete reward cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany N Kuhn
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, 4137 Undergraduate Science Building, 204 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Paolo Campus
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Marin S Klumpner
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Stephen E Chang
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Amanda G Iglesias
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, 4137 Undergraduate Science Building, 204 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Shelly B Flagel
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, 4137 Undergraduate Science Building, 204 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, USA.
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24
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Addiction-induced plasticity in underlying neural circuits. Neurol Sci 2022; 43:1605-1615. [DOI: 10.1007/s10072-021-05778-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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25
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Siemsen BM, Barry SM, Vollmer KM, Green LM, Brock AG, Westphal AM, King RA, DeVries DM, Otis JM, Cowan CW, Scofield MD. A Subset of Nucleus Accumbens Neurons Receiving Dense and Functional Prelimbic Cortical Input Are Required for Cocaine Seeking. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:844243. [PMID: 35281297 PMCID: PMC8907444 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.844243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Prelimbic cortical projections to the nucleus accumbens core are critical for cue-induced cocaine seeking, but the identity of the accumbens neuron(s) targeted by this projection, and the transient neuroadaptations contributing to relapse within these cells, remain unknown. Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent cocaine or sucrose self-administration, extinction, and cue-induced reinstatement. Pathway-specific chemogenetics, patch-clamp electrophysiology, in vivo electrochemistry, and high-resolution confocal microscopy were used to identify and characterize a small population of nucleus accumbens core neurons that receive dense prelimbic cortical input to determine their role in regulating cue-induced cocaine and natural reward seeking. Results Chemogenetic inhibition of prelimbic cortical projections to the nucleus accumbens core suppressed cue-induced cocaine relapse and normalized real-time cue-evoked increases in accumbens glutamate release to that of sucrose seeking animals. Furthermore, chemogenetic inhibition of the population of nucleus accumbens core neurons receiving the densest prelimbic cortical input suppressed cocaine, but not sucrose seeking. These neurons also underwent morphological plasticity during the peak of cocaine seeking in the form of dendritic spine expansion and increased ensheathment by astroglial processes at large spines. Conclusion We identified and characterized a unique subpopulation of nucleus accumbens neurons that receive dense prelimbic cortical input. The functional specificity of this subpopulation is underscored by their ability to mediate cue-induced cocaine relapse, but not sucrose seeking. This subset of cells represents a novel target for addiction therapeutics revealed by anterograde targeting to interrogate functional circuits imbedded within a known network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M. Siemsen
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Sarah M. Barry
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Kelsey M. Vollmer
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Lisa M. Green
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Ashley G. Brock
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Annaka M. Westphal
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Raven A. King
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Derek M. DeVries
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - James M. Otis
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Christopher W. Cowan
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Michael D. Scofield
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
- *Correspondence: Michael D. Scofield,
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Kruyer A, Dixon D, Angelis A, Amato D, Kalivas PW. Astrocytes in the ventral pallidum extinguish heroin seeking through GAT-3 upregulation and morphological plasticity at D1-MSN terminals. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:855-864. [PMID: 34642457 PMCID: PMC9054673 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01333-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
GABAergic projections from the nucleus accumbens core to the dorsolateral ventral pallidum are necessary for drug-conditioned cues to initiate relapse-like drug seeking. Astrocytes in the ventral pallidum are situated perisynaptically and regulate GABA transmission through expression of GABA uptake transporters, but whether they are involved in regulating drug seeking is unknown. To determine the contribution of ventral pallidal astrocytes to heroin seeking, we labeled astrocytes in male and female rats with a membrane-bound fluorescent tag and used confocal microscopy to quantify astroglial expression of the GABA transporter GAT-3 and astrocyte synaptic proximity after withdrawal from heroin self-administration and during 15 min of cued heroin seeking. We found that GAT-3 was upregulated in rats that had extinguished heroin seeking, but not in animals that were withdrawn from heroin without extinction training or in rats that extinguished sucrose seeking. When GAT-3 upregulation was reversed using a vivo-morpholino oligo, heroin seeking was restored in the extinguished context and extinction of cued heroin seeking was disrupted compared to control animals. Although astrocyte synaptic proximity was not altered overall after heroin withdrawal, examination of astrocyte proximity to accumbens D1- or D2-expressing afferents revealed a selective increase in astrocyte proximity with D1-expressing terminals during extinction of heroin self-administration. Experimentally-induced reduction of astrocyte synaptic proximity through knockdown of the astrocyte-selective actin-binding protein ezrin also markedly disrupted extinction of heroin seeking. Notably, GAT-3 or ezrin knockdown had no impact on context- or cue-induced seeking in sucrose-trained animals. These data show that astrocytes in the ventral pallidum undergo plasticity after extinction of heroin use that reduces seeking and highlight the importance of astrocyte-neuron interactions in shaping behaviors associated with opioid use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kruyer
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
| | - Danielle Dixon
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Ariana Angelis
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Davide Amato
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Peter W Kalivas
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
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27
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Sohn S, Kim S, Yang JH, Choe ES. Linking of NMDA receptors and mGluR5 in the nucleus accumbens core to repeated cocaine-induced 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalization in rats. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13084. [PMID: 34378829 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Rats express a positive emotional state by emitting 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalization (USV) calls in response to drug exposure. This study demonstrated the linking of glutamate receptors in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) to vocal expression of 50-kHz USV calls after repeated cocaine administration in freely moving rats. Repeated systemic injections of cocaine (20 mg/kg/day, i.p.) for seven consecutive days increased the number of 50-kHz USV calls. Intra-NAc core infusion of the broad-glutamate receptor antagonist, γDGG (50 nmol/side), decreased the repeated cocaine-induced increase in the number of 50-kHz USV calls. Intra-NAc core infusion of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, MK801 (2 nmol/side), but not α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid or kainic acid receptor antagonist, CNQX disodium salt (2 nmol/side), decreased the number of 50-kHz USV calls that had been elevated by repeated exposure to cocaine. Intra-NAc core infusion of the group I metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5), MPEP (0.5 nmol/side), MTEP (15 nmol/side) and inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor blocker, xestospongin C (0.004 nmol/side) decreased the cocaine-induced increase in the number of USV calls. These data suggest that the NMDA receptor- and mGluR5-dependent increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations in the NAc core is linked to a positive emotional state after repeated exposure to cocaine in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumin Sohn
- Department of Biological Sciences Pusan National University Busan Republic of Korea
| | - Sunghyun Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences Pusan National University Busan Republic of Korea
| | - Ju Hwan Yang
- Department of Biological Sciences Pusan National University Busan Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Sang Choe
- Department of Biological Sciences Pusan National University Busan Republic of Korea
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Neuroadaptations and TGF-β signaling: emerging role in models of neuropsychiatric disorders. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:296-306. [PMID: 34131268 PMCID: PMC8671568 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01186-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Neuropsychiatric diseases are manifested by maladaptive behavioral plasticity. Despite the greater understanding of the neuroplasticity underlying behavioral adaptations, pinpointing precise cellular mediators has remained elusive. This has stymied the development of pharmacological interventions to combat these disorders both at the level of progression and relapse. With increased knowledge on the putative role of the transforming growth factor (TGF- β) family of proteins in mediating diverse neuroadaptations, the influence of TGF-β signaling in regulating maladaptive cellular and behavioral plasticity underlying neuropsychiatric disorders is being increasingly elucidated. The current review is focused on what is currently known about the TGF-β signaling in the central nervous system in mediating cellular and behavioral plasticity related to neuropsychiatric manifestations.
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29
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The role of the nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum in feeding and obesity. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 111:110394. [PMID: 34242717 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Obesity is a growing global epidemic that stems from the increasing availability of highly-palatable foods and the consequent enhanced calorie consumption. Extensive research has shown that brain regions that are central to reward seeking modulate feeding and evidence linking obesity to pathology in such regions have recently started to accumulate. In this review we focus on the contribution of two major interconnected structures central to reward processing, the nucleus accumbens and the ventral pallidum, to obesity. We first review the known literature linking these structures to feeding behavior, then discuss recent advances connecting pathology in the nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum to obesity, and finally examine the similarities and differences between drug addiction and obesity in the context of these two structures. The understanding of how pathology in brain regions involved in reward seeking and consumption may drive obesity and how mechanistically similar obesity and addiction are, is only now starting to be revealed. We hope that future research will advance knowledge in the field and open new avenues to studying and treating obesity.
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Abstract
Astroglia are key regulators of synaptic function, playing central roles in homeostatic ion buffering, energy dynamics, transmitter uptake, maintenance of neurotransmitter pools, and regulation of synaptic plasticity through release of neuroactive chemicals. Given the myriad of crucial homeostatic and signaling functions attributed to astrocytes and the variety of neurotransmitter receptors expressed by astroglia, they serve as prime cellular candidates for establishing maladaptive synaptic plasticity following drug exposure. Initial studies on astroglia and addiction have placed drug-mediated disruptions in the homeostatic regulation of glutamate as a central aspect of relapse vulnerability. However, the generation of sophisticated tools to study and manipulate astroglia have proven that the interaction between addictive substances, astroglia, and relapse-relevant synaptic plasticity extends far beyond the homeostatic regulation of glutamate. Here we present astroglial systems impacted by drug exposure and discuss how changes in astroglial biology contribute to addiction biology.
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31
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Reinstatement of synaptic plasticity in the aging brain through specific dopamine transporter inhibition. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:7076-7090. [PMID: 34244620 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01214-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Aging-related neurological deficits negatively impact mental health, productivity, and social interactions leading to a pronounced socioeconomic burden. Since declining brain dopamine signaling during aging is associated with the onset of neurological impairments, we produced a selective dopamine transporter (DAT) inhibitor to restore endogenous dopamine levels and improve cognitive function. We describe the synthesis and pharmacological profile of (S,S)-CE-158, a highly specific DAT inhibitor, which increases dopamine levels in brain regions associated with cognition. We find both a potentiation of neurotransmission and coincident restoration of dendritic spines in the dorsal hippocampus, indicative of reinstatement of dopamine-induced synaptic plasticity in aging rodents. Treatment with (S,S)-CE-158 significantly improved behavioral flexibility in scopolamine-compromised animals and increased the number of spontaneously active prefrontal cortical neurons, both in young and aging rodents. In addition, (S,S)-CE-158 restored learning and memory recall in aging rats comparable to their young performance in a hippocampus-dependent hole board test. In sum, we present a well-tolerated, highly selective DAT inhibitor that normalizes the age-related decline in cognitive function at a synaptic level through increased dopamine signaling.
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32
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Silent Synapses in Cocaine-Associated Memory and Beyond. J Neurosci 2021; 41:9275-9285. [PMID: 34759051 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1559-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamatergic synapses are key cellular sites where cocaine experience creates memory traces that subsequently promote cocaine craving and seeking. In addition to making across-the-board synaptic adaptations, cocaine experience also generates a discrete population of new synapses that selectively encode cocaine memories. These new synapses are glutamatergic synapses that lack functionally stable AMPARs, often referred to as AMPAR-silent synapses or, simply, silent synapses. They are generated de novo in the NAc by cocaine experience. After drug withdrawal, some of these synapses mature by recruiting AMPARs, contributing to the consolidation of cocaine-associated memory. After cue-induced retrieval of cocaine memories, matured silent synapses alternate between two dynamic states (AMPAR-absent vs AMPAR-containing) that correspond with the behavioral manifestations of destabilization and reconsolidation of these memories. Here, we review the molecular mechanisms underlying silent synapse dynamics during behavior, discuss their contributions to circuit remodeling, and analyze their role in cocaine-memory-driven behaviors. We also propose several mechanisms through which silent synapses can form neuronal ensembles as well as cross-region circuit engrams for cocaine-specific behaviors. These perspectives lead to our hypothesis that cocaine-generated silent synapses stand as a distinct set of synaptic substrates encoding key aspects of cocaine memory that drive cocaine relapse.
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Qian H, Shang Q, Liang M, Gao B, Xiao J, Wang J, Li A, Yang C, Yin J, Chen G, Li T, Liu X. MicroRNA-31-3p/RhoA signaling in the dorsal hippocampus modulates methamphetamine-induced conditioned place preference in mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:3207-3219. [PMID: 34313802 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05936-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate neuroplasticity-related proteins and are implicated in methamphetamine (METH) addiction. RhoA is a small Rho GTPase that regulates synaptic plasticity and addictive behaviors. Nevertheless, the functional relationship between RhoA and upstream miRNAs of METH addiction remains unclear. OBJECTIVE To explore the molecular biology and epigenetic mechanisms of the miR-31-3p/RhoA pathway in METH addiction. METHODS RhoA protein and its potential upstream regulator, miR-31-3p, were detected. A dual luciferase reporter was employed to determine whether RhoA constituted a specific target of miR-31-3p. Following adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated knockdown or overexpression of miR-31-3p or RhoA in the dorsal hippocampus (dHIP), mice were subjected to conditioned place preference (CPP) to investigate the effects of miR-31-3p and RhoA on METH-induced addictive behaviors. RESULTS RhoA protein was significantly decreased in the dHIP of CPP mice with a concomitant increase in miR-31-3p. RhoA was identified as a direct target of miR-31-3p. Knockdown of miR-31-3p in the dHIP was associated with increased RhoA protein and attenuation of METH-induced CPP. Conversely, overexpression of miR-31-3p was associated with decreased RhoA protein and enhancement of METH effects. Similarly, knockdown of RhoA in the dHIP enhanced METH-induced CPP, whereas RhoA overexpression attenuated the effects of METH. Parallel experiments using sucrose preference revealed that the effects of miR-31-3p/RhoA pathway modulation were specific to METH. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that the miR-31-3p/RhoA pathway in the dHIP modulates METH-induced CPP in mice. Our results highlight the potential role of epigenetics represented by non-coding RNAs in the treatment of METH addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyan Qian
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing Shang
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Min Liang
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Baoyao Gao
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Xiao
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Wang
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Axiang Li
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Canyu Yang
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianmin Yin
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Gang Chen
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Tao Li
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China. .,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xinshe Liu
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China. .,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
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Smaga I, Wydra K, Suder A, Sanak M, Caffino L, Fumagalli F, Filip M. Enhancement of the GluN2B subunit of glutamatergic NMDA receptors in rat brain areas after cocaine abstinence. J Psychopharmacol 2021; 35:1226-1239. [PMID: 34587833 DOI: 10.1177/02698811211048283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cocaine use disorder is associated with compulsive drug-seeking and drug-taking, whereas relapse may be induced by several factors, including stress, drug-related places, people, and cues. Recent observations strongly support the involvement of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in cocaine use disorders and abstinence, whereas withdrawal in different environments may affect the intensification of relapse. METHODS The aim of this study was to examine the GluN2B subunit expression and its association with the postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) in several brain structures in rats with a history of cocaine self-administration and housed either in an enriched environment or in an isolated condition. Furthermore, a selective antagonist of the GluN2B subunit-CP 101,606 (10 and 20 mg/kg) administered during exposure to cocaine or a drug-associated conditional stimulus (a cue) was used to evaluate seeking behavior in rats. RESULTS In rats previously self-administering cocaine, we observed an increase in the GluN2B expression in the total homogenate from the dorsal hippocampus under both enriched environment and isolation. Cocaine abstinence under isolation conditions increased the GluN2B and GluN2B/PSD95 complex levels in the PSD fraction of the prelimbic cortex in rats previously self-administering cocaine. Administration of CP 101,606 attenuated cue-induced cocaine-seeking behavior only in isolation-housed rats. CONCLUSION In summary, in this study we showed region-specific changes in both the expression of GluN2B subunit and NMDA receptor trafficking during cocaine abstinence under different housing conditions. Furthermore, we showed that the pharmacological blockade of the GluN2B subunit may be useful in attenuating cocaine-seeking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irena Smaga
- Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | - Karolina Wydra
- Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | - Agata Suder
- Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | - Marek Sanak
- Department of Internal Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland
| | - Lucia Caffino
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Fabio Fumagalli
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Małgorzata Filip
- Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
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A sex-dependent role for the prelimbic cortex in impulsive action both before and following early cocaine abstinence. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1565-1573. [PMID: 33972695 PMCID: PMC8280154 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01024-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Although impulsive action is strongly associated with addiction, the neural underpinnings of this relationship and how they are influenced by sex have not been well characterized. Here, we used a titrating reaction time task to assess differences in impulsive action in male and female Long Evans rats both before and after short (4-6 days) or long (25-27 days) abstinence from 2 weeks of cocaine or water/saline self-administration (6 h daily access). Neural activity in the prelimbic cortex (PrL) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) core was assessed at each time point. We found that a history of cocaine self-administration increased impulsivity in all rats following short, but not long, abstinence. Furthermore, male rats with an increased ratio of excited to inhibited neurons in the PrL at the start of each trial in the task exhibited higher impulsivity in the naïve state (before self-administration). Following short abstinence from cocaine, PrL activity in males became more inhibited, and this change in activity predicted the shift in impulsivity. However, PrL activity did not track impulsivity in female rats. Additionally, although the NAc core tracked several aspects of behavior in the task, it did not track impulsivity in either sex. Together, these findings demonstrate a sex-dependent role for the PrL in impulsivity both before and after a history of cocaine.
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36
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Stone TW. Relationships and Interactions between Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors and Nicotinic Receptors in the CNS. Neuroscience 2021; 468:321-365. [PMID: 34111447 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Although ionotropic glutamate receptors and nicotinic receptors for acetylcholine (ACh) have usually been studied separately, they are often co-localized and functionally inter-dependent. The objective of this review is to survey the evidence for interactions between the two receptor families and the mechanisms underlying them. These include the mutual regulation of subunit expression, which change the NMDA:AMPA response balance, and the existence of multi-functional receptor complexes which make it difficult to distinguish between individual receptor sites, especially in vivo. This is followed by analysis of the functional relationships between the receptors from work on transmitter release, cellular electrophysiology and aspects of behavior where these can contribute to understanding receptor interactions. It is clear that nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) on axonal terminals directly regulate the release of glutamate and other neurotransmitters, α7-nAChRs generally promoting release. Hence, α7-nAChR responses will be prevented not only by a nicotinic antagonist, but also by compounds blocking the indirectly activated glutamate receptors. This accounts for the apparent anticholinergic activity of some glutamate antagonists, including the endogenous antagonist kynurenic acid. The activation of presynaptic nAChRs is by the ambient levels of ACh released from pre-terminal synapses, varicosities and glial cells, acting as a 'volume neurotransmitter' on synaptic and extrasynaptic sites. In addition, ACh and glutamate are released as CNS co-transmitters, including 'cholinergic' synapses onto spinal Renshaw cells. It is concluded that ACh should be viewed primarily as a modulator of glutamatergic neurotransmission by regulating the release of glutamate presynaptically, and the location, subunit composition, subtype balance and sensitivity of glutamate receptors, and not primarily as a classical fast neurotransmitter. These conclusions and caveats should aid clarification of the sites of action of glutamate and nicotinic receptor ligands in the search for new centrally-acting drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor W Stone
- The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, UK; Institute of Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK.
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37
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Chioma VC, Kruyer A, Bobadilla AC, Angelis A, Ellison Z, Hodebourg R, Scofield MD, Kalivas PW. Heroin Seeking and Extinction From Seeking Activate Matrix Metalloproteinases at Synapses on Distinct Subpopulations of Accumbens Cells. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:947-958. [PMID: 33579535 PMCID: PMC8434769 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Seeking addictive drugs is regulated by synaptic plasticity in the nucleus accumbens core and involves distinct plasticity in D1 and D2 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons (D1/2-MSNs). However, it is unknown how differential plasticity between the two cell types is coordinated. Synaptic plasticity and seeking behavior induced by drug-paired cues depends not only on plasticity in the canonical pre- and postsynapse, but also on cue-induced changes in astrocytes and the extracellular matrix adjacent to the synapse. Drug cue-induced signaling in the extracellular matrix is regulated by catalytic activity of matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2,9. We hypothesized that the cell type-specific synaptic plasticity is associated with parallel cell-specific activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9. METHODS Transgenic rats were trained on a heroin self-administration protocol in which a light/tone cue was paired with heroin delivery, followed by 2 weeks of drug withdrawal, and then reinstated to heroin-conditioned cues. Confocal microscopy was used to make morphological measurements in membrane reporter-transduced D1- and D2-MSNs and astrocytes, and MMP-2,9 gelatinase activity adjacent to cell surfaces was quantified using in vivo zymography. RESULTS Presenting heroin-paired cues transiently increased MMP-9 activity around D1-MSN dendritic spines and synapse-proximal astroglial processes. Conversely, extinction training induced long-lasting increases in MMP-2 activity adjacent to D2-MSN synapses. Moreover, heroin-paired cues increased tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases TIMP-1,2, which caused transient inhibition of MMP-2 activity around D2-MSNs during cue-induced heroin seeking. CONCLUSIONS The differential regulation of heroin seeking and extinguished seeking by different MMP subtypes on distinct cell populations poses MMP-2,9 activity as an important mediator and contributor in heroin-induced cell-specific synaptic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivian C Chioma
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Anna Kruyer
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Ana-Clara Bobadilla
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina; School of Pharmacy, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
| | - Ariana Angelis
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Zachary Ellison
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Ritchy Hodebourg
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Michael D Scofield
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina; Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Peter W Kalivas
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina.
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West EA, Niedringhaus M, Ortega HK, Haake RM, Frohlich F, Carelli RM. Noninvasive Brain Stimulation Rescues Cocaine-Induced Prefrontal Hypoactivity and Restores Flexible Behavior. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:1001-1011. [PMID: 33678418 PMCID: PMC8106639 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To obtain desirable goals, individuals must predict the outcome of specific choices, use that information to direct appropriate actions, and adjust behavior accordingly in changing environments (behavioral flexibility). Substance use disorders are marked by impairments in behavioral flexibility along with decreased prefrontal cortical function that limits the efficacy of treatment strategies. Restoring prefrontal hypoactivity, ideally in a noninvasive manner, is an intriguing target for improving flexible behavior and treatment outcomes. METHODS A behavioral flexibility task was used in Long-Evans male rats (n = 97) in conjunction with electrophysiology, optogenetics, and a novel rat model of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) to examine the prelimbic cortex (PrL) to nucleus accumbens (NAc) core circuit in behavioral flexibility and determine whether tACS can restore cocaine-induced neural and cognitive dysfunction. RESULTS Optogenetic inactivation revealed that the PrL-NAc core circuit is necessary for the ability to learn strategies to flexibly shift behavior. Cocaine self-administration history caused aberrant PrL-NAc core neural encoding and deficits in flexibility. Optogenetics that selectively activated the PrL-NAc core pathway prior to learning rescued cocaine-induced cognitive flexibility deficits. Remarkably, tACS prior to learning the task reestablished adaptive signaling in the PrL-NAc circuit and restored flexible behavior in a relatively noninvasive and frequency-specific manner. CONCLUSIONS We establish a role of NAc core-projecting PrL neurons in behavioral flexibility and provide a novel noninvasive brain stimulation method in rats to rescue cocaine-induced frontal hypofunction and restore flexible behavior, supporting a role of tACS as a therapeutic to treat cognitive deficits in substance use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A West
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey.
| | - Mark Niedringhaus
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey
| | - Heather K Ortega
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Rachel M Haake
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Flavio Frohlich
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Carolina Center for Neurostimulation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Regina M Carelli
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
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Domi E, Domi A, Adermark L, Heilig M, Augier E. Neurobiology of alcohol seeking behavior. J Neurochem 2021; 157:1585-1614. [PMID: 33704789 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disease characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse consequences. A main challenge of addiction treatment is to prevent relapse, which occurs in more than >50% of newly abstinent patients with alcohol disorder within 3 months. In people suffering from alcohol addiction, stressful events, drug-associated cues and contexts, or re-exposure to a small amount of alcohol trigger a chain of behaviors that frequently culminates in relapse. In this review, we first present the preclinical models that were developed for the study of alcohol seeking behavior, namely the reinstatement model of alcohol relapse and compulsive alcohol seeking under a chained schedule of reinforcement. We then provide an overview of the neurobiological findings obtained using these animal models, focusing on the role of opioids systems, corticotropin-release hormone and neurokinins, followed by dopaminergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic neurotransmissions in alcohol seeking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esi Domi
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Ana Domi
- Addiction Biology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Louise Adermark
- Addiction Biology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Markus Heilig
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Eric Augier
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, BKV, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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40
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Restoring glutamate homeostasis in the nucleus accumbens via endocannabinoid-mimetic drug prevents relapse to cocaine seeking behavior in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:970-981. [PMID: 33514875 PMCID: PMC8115336 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-00955-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2020] [Revised: 12/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Impaired glutamate homeostasis is a key characteristic of the neurobiology of drug addiction in rodent models and contributes to the vulnerability to relapse to drug seeking. Although disrupted astrocytic and presynaptic regulation of glutamate release has been considered to constitute with impaired glutamate homeostasis in rodent model of drug relapse, the involvement of endocannabinoids (eCBs) in this neurobiological process has remained largely unknown. Here, using cocaine self-administration in rats, we investigated the role of endocannabinoids in impaired glutamate homeostasis in the core of nucleus accumbens (NAcore), which was indicated by augmentation of spontaneous synaptic glutamate release, downregulation of metabotropic glutamate receptor 2/3 (mGluR2/3), and mGluR5-mediated astrocytic glutamate release. We found that the endocannabinoid, anandamide (AEA), rather than 2-arachidonoylglycerol elicited glutamate release through presynaptic transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and astrocytic cannabinoid type-1 receptors (CB1Rs) in the NAcore of saline-yoked rats. In rats with a history of cocaine self-administration and extinction training, AEA failed to alter synaptic glutamate release in the NAcore, whereas CB1R-mediated astrocytic glutamate release by AEA remained functional. In order to induce increased astrocytic glutamate release via exogenous AEA, (R)-methanandamide (methAEA, a metabolically stable form of AEA) was chronically infused in the NAcore via osmotic pumps during extinction training. Restoration of mGluR2/3 function and mGluR5-mediated astrocytic glutamate release was observed after chronic methAEA infusion. Additionally, priming or cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking was inhibited in methAEA-infused rats. These results demonstrate that enhancing endocannabinoid signaling is a potential pathway to restore glutamate homeostasis and may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for preventing cocaine relapse.
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Mukherjee D, Gonzales BJ, Ashwal-Fluss R, Turm H, Groysman M, Citri A. Egr2 induction in spiny projection neurons of the ventrolateral striatum contributes to cocaine place preference in mice. eLife 2021; 10:65228. [PMID: 33724178 PMCID: PMC8057818 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug addiction develops due to brain-wide plasticity within neuronal ensembles, mediated by dynamic gene expression. Though the most common approach to identify such ensembles relies on immediate early gene expression, little is known of how the activity of these genes is linked to modified behavior observed following repeated drug exposure. To address this gap, we present a broad-to-specific approach, beginning with a comprehensive investigation of brain-wide cocaine-driven gene expression, through the description of dynamic spatial patterns of gene induction in subregions of the striatum, and finally address functionality of region-specific gene induction in the development of cocaine preference. Our findings reveal differential cell-type specific dynamic transcriptional recruitment patterns within two subdomains of the dorsal striatum following repeated cocaine exposure. Furthermore, we demonstrate that induction of the IEG Egr2 in the ventrolateral striatum, as well as the cells within which it is expressed, are required for the development of cocaine seeking. The human brain is ever changing, constantly rewiring itself in response to new experiences, knowledge or information from the environment. Addictive drugs such as cocaine can hijack the genetic mechanisms responsible for this plasticity, creating dangerous, obsessive drug-seeking and consuming behaviors. Cocaine-induced plasticity is difficult to apprehend, however, as brain regions or even cell populations can react differently to the compound. For instance, sub-regions in the striatum – the brain area that responds to rewards and helps to plan movement – show distinct responses during progressive exposure to cocaine. And while researchers know that the drug immediately changes how neurons switch certain genes on and off, it is still unclear how these genetic modifications later affect behavior. Mukherjee, Gonzales et al. explored these questions at different scales, first focusing on how progressive cocaine exposure changed the way various gene programs were activated across the entire brain. This revealed that programs in the striatum were the most affected by the drug. Examining this region more closely showed that cocaine switches on genes in specific ‘spiny projection’ neuron populations, depending on where these cells are located and the drug history of the mouse. Finally, Mukherjee, Gonzales et al. used genetically modified mice to piece together cocaine exposure, genetic changes and modifications in behavior. These experiments revealed that the drive to seek cocaine depended on activation of the Egr2 gene in populations of spiny projection neurons in a specific sub-region of the striatum. The gene, which codes for a protein that regulates how genes are switched on and off, was itself strongly activated by cocaine intake. Cocaine addiction can have devastating consequences for individuals. Grasping how this drug alters the brain could pave the way for new treatments, while also providing information on the basic mechanisms underlying brain plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diptendu Mukherjee
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Jerusalem, Israel.,Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ben Jerry Gonzales
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Jerusalem, Israel.,Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Reut Ashwal-Fluss
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Hagit Turm
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Jerusalem, Israel.,Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Maya Groysman
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ami Citri
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Jerusalem, Israel.,Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Program in Child and Brain Development, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, MaRS Centre, Toronto, Canada
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Blazquez-Llorca L, Miguéns M, Montero-Crespo M, Selvas A, Gonzalez-Soriano J, Ambrosio E, DeFelipe J. 3D Synaptic Organization of the Rat CA1 and Alterations Induced by Cocaine Self-Administration. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:1927-1952. [PMID: 33253368 PMCID: PMC7945021 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The hippocampus plays a key role in contextual conditioning and has been proposed as an important component of the cocaine addiction brain circuit. To gain knowledge about cocaine-induced alterations in this circuit, we used focused ion beam milling/scanning electron microscopy to reveal and quantify the three-dimensional synaptic organization of the neuropil of the stratum radiatum of the rat CA1, under normal circumstances and after cocaine-self administration (SA). Most synapses are asymmetric (excitatory), macular-shaped, and in contact with dendritic spine heads. After cocaine-SA, the size and the complexity of the shape of both asymmetric and symmetric (inhibitory) synapses increased but no changes were observed in the synaptic density. This work constitutes the first detailed report on the 3D synaptic organization in the stratum radiatum of the CA1 field of cocaine-SA rats. Our data contribute to the elucidation of the normal and altered synaptic organization of the hippocampus, which is crucial for better understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying cocaine addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Blazquez-Llorca
- Departamento de Psicobiología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), 28040 Madrid, Spain.,Laboratorio Cajal de Circuitos Corticales, Centro de Tecnología Biomédica, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Madrid, Spain.,Sección Departamental de Anatomía y Embriología (Veterinaria), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - M Miguéns
- Departamento de Psicología Básica I, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - M Montero-Crespo
- Laboratorio Cajal de Circuitos Corticales, Centro de Tecnología Biomédica, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Madrid, Spain.,Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28002 Madrid, Spain
| | - A Selvas
- Departamento de Psicobiología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - J Gonzalez-Soriano
- Sección Departamental de Anatomía y Embriología (Veterinaria), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - E Ambrosio
- Departamento de Psicobiología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - J DeFelipe
- Laboratorio Cajal de Circuitos Corticales, Centro de Tecnología Biomédica, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Madrid, Spain.,Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28002 Madrid, Spain
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Puaud M, Higuera-Matas A, Brunault P, Everitt BJ, Belin D. The Basolateral Amygdala to Nucleus Accumbens Core Circuit Mediates the Conditioned Reinforcing Effects of Cocaine-Paired Cues on Cocaine Seeking. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:356-365. [PMID: 33040986 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals addicted to cocaine spend much of their time foraging for the drug. Pavlovian drug-associated conditioned stimuli exert a major influence on the initiation and maintenance of drug seeking often long into abstinence, especially when presented response-contingently, acting as conditioned reinforcers that bridge delays to drug use. The acquisition of cue-controlled cocaine seeking has been shown to depend on functional interactions between the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the nucleus accumbens core (NAcC). However, the precise neuronal circuits underlying the acquisition of cue-controlled cocaine-seeking behavior have not been elucidated. METHODS Here, we used a projection-specific Cre-dependent DREADD (designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drugs)-mediated causal approach to test the hypothesis that the direct projections from the BLA to the NAcC are required for the acquisition of cue-controlled cocaine-seeking behavior. RESULTS In Sprague Dawley rats with Cre-mediated expression of the inhibitory DREADD hM4D(Gi) in the NAcC-projecting BLA neurons, treatment with clozapine N-oxide, but not vehicle, selectively prevented the impact of cocaine-associated conditioned reinforcers on cocaine seeking under a second-order schedule of reinforcement. This effect was attributable to the chemogenetic inhibition of the NAcC-projecting BLA neurons, as it was reversible, and it was absent in clozapine N-oxide-treated rats expressing an empty control virus. In contrast, chemogenetic inhibition of the anterior insula, which receives collateral projections from NAcC-projecting BLA neurons, was without effect. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate that the acquisition of cue-controlled cocaine seeking that depends on the conditioned reinforcing effects of cocaine cues requires activity in the direct projections from the BLA to the NAcC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mickaël Puaud
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Alejandro Higuera-Matas
- Department of Psychobiology, School of Psychology. Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Paul Brunault
- Équipe de Liaison et de Soins en Addictologie, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Tours, Tours, France; Joint Research Unit 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, French Institute of Health and Medical Research, Tours, France
| | - Barry J Everitt
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - David Belin
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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Accumbens Cholinergic Interneurons Mediate Cue-Induced Nicotine Seeking and Associated Glutamatergic Plasticity. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0276-20.2020. [PMID: 33239269 PMCID: PMC7890519 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0276-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Nicotine, the primary addictive substance in tobacco, is widely abused. Relapse to cues associated with nicotine results in increased glutamate release within nucleus accumbens core (NAcore), modifying synaptic plasticity of medium spiny neurons (MSNs), which contributes to reinstatement of nicotine seeking. However, the role of cholinergic interneurons (ChIs) within the NAcore in mediating these neurobehavioral processes is unknown. ChIs represent less than 1% of the accumbens neuronal population and are activated during drug seeking and reward-predicting events. Thus, we hypothesized that ChIs may play a significant role in mediating glutamatergic plasticity that underlies nicotine-seeking behavior. Using chemogenetics in transgenic rats expressing Cre under the control of the choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) promoter, ChIs were bidirectionally manipulated before cue-induced reinstatement. Following nicotine self-administration and extinction, ChIs were activated or inhibited before a cue reinstatement session. Following reinstatement, whole-cell electrophysiology from NAcore MSNs was used to assess changes in plasticity, measured via AMPA/NMDA (A/N) ratios. Chemogenetic inhibition of ChIs inhibited cued nicotine seeking and resulted in decreased A/N, relative to control animals, whereas activation of ChIs was unaltered, demonstrating that ChI inhibition may modulate plasticity underlying cue-induced nicotine seeking. These results demonstrate that ChI neurons play an important role in mediating cue-induced nicotine reinstatement and underlying synaptic plasticity within the NAcore.
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AMPA and NMDA Receptor Trafficking at Cocaine-Generated Synapses. J Neurosci 2021; 41:1996-2011. [PMID: 33436529 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1918-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cocaine experience generates AMPA receptor (AMPAR)-silent synapses in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which are thought to be new synaptic contacts enriched in GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors (NMDARs). After drug withdrawal, some of these synapses mature by recruiting AMPARs, strengthening the newly established synaptic transmission. Silent synapse generation and maturation are two consecutive cellular steps through which NAc circuits are profoundly remodeled to promote cue-induced cocaine seeking after drug withdrawal. However, the basic cellular processes that mediate these two critical steps remains underexplored. Using a combination of electrophysiology, viral-mediated gene transfer, and confocal imaging in male rats as well as knock-in (KI) mice of both sexes, our current study characterized the dynamic roles played by AMPARs and NMDARs in generation and maturation of silent synapses on NAc medium spiny neurons after cocaine self-administration and withdrawal. We report that cocaine-induced generation of silent synapses not only required synaptic insertion of GluN2B-containing NMDARs, but also, counterintuitively, involved insertion of AMPARs, which subsequently internalized, resulting in the AMPAR-silent state on withdrawal day 1. Furthermore, GluN2B NMDARs functioned to maintain these cocaine-generated synapses in the AMPAR-silent state during drug withdrawal, until they were replaced by nonGluN2B NMDARs, a switch that allowed AMPAR recruitment and maturation of silent synapses. These results reveal dynamic interactions between AMPARs and NMDARs during the generation and maturation of silent synapses after cocaine experience and provide a mechanistic basis through which new synaptic contacts and possibly new neural network patterns created by these synapses can be manipulated for therapeutic benefit.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Studies over the past decade reveal a critical role of AMPA receptor-silent, NMDA receptor-containing synapses in forming cocaine-related memories that drive cocaine relapse. However, it remains incompletely understood how AMPA and NMDA receptors traffic at these synapses during their generation and maturation. The current study characterizes a two-step AMPA receptor trafficking cascade that contributes to the generation of silent synapses in response to cocaine experience, and a two-step NMDA receptor trafficking cascade that contributes to the maturation of these synapses after cocaine withdrawal. These results depict a highly regulated cellular procedure through which nascent glutamatergic synapses are generated in the adult brain after drug experience and provide significant insight into the roles of glutamate receptors in synapse formation and maturation.
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Metaplasticity in the Ventral Pallidum as a Potential Marker for the Propensity to Gain Weight in Chronic High-Calorie Diet. J Neurosci 2020; 40:9725-9735. [PMID: 33199503 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1809-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Revised: 10/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A major driver of obesity is the increasing palatability of processed foods. Although reward circuits promote the consumption of palatable food, their involvement in obesity remains unclear. The ventral pallidum (VP) is a key hub in the reward system that encodes the hedonic aspects of palatable food consumption and participates in various proposed feeding circuits. However, there is still no evidence for its involvement in developing diet-induced obesity. Here we examine, using male C57BL6/J mice and patch-clamp electrophysiology, how chronic high-fat high-sugar (HFHS) diet changes the physiology of the VP and whether mice that gain the most weight differ in their VP physiology from others. We found that 10-12 weeks of HFHS diet hyperpolarized and decreased the firing rate of VP neurons without a major change in synaptic inhibitory input. Within the HFHS group, the top 33% weight gainers (WGs) had a more hyperpolarized VP with longer latency to fire action potentials on depolarization compared with bottom 33% of weight gainers (i.e., non-weight gainers). WGs also showed synaptic potentiation of inhibitory inputs both at the millisecond and minute ranges. Moreover, we found that the tendency to potentiate the inhibitory inputs to the VP might exist in overeating mice even before exposure to HFHS, thus making it a potential property of being an overeater. These data point to the VP as a critical player in obesity and suggest that hyperpolarized membrane potential of, and potentiated inhibitory inputs to, VP neurons may play a significant role in promoting the overeating of palatable food.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In modern world, where highly palatable food is readily available, overeating is often driven by motivational, rather than metabolic, needs. It is thus conceivable that reward circuits differ between obese and normal-weight individuals. But is such difference, if it exists, innate or does it develop with overeating? Here we reveal synaptic properties in the ventral pallidum, a central hub of reward circuits, that differ between mice that gain the most and the least weight when given unlimited access to highly palatable food. We show that these synaptic differences also exist without exposure to palatable food, potentially making them innate properties that render some more susceptible than others to overeat. Thus, the propensity to overeat may have a strong innate component embedded in reward circuits.
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Wright WJ, Dong Y. Psychostimulant-Induced Adaptations in Nucleus Accumbens Glutamatergic Transmission. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2020; 10:cshperspect.a039255. [PMID: 31964644 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a039255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Carrying different aspects of emotional and motivational signals, glutamatergic synaptic projections from multiple limbic and paralimbic brain regions converge to the nucleus accumbens (NAc), in which these arousing signals are processed and prioritized for behavioral output. In animal models of drug addiction, some key drug-induced alterations at NAc glutamatergic synapses underlie important cellular and circuit mechanisms that promote subsequent drug taking, seeking, and relapse. With the focus of cocaine, we review changes at NAc glutamatergic synapses that occur after different drug procedures and abstinence durations, and the behavioral impact of these changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J Wright
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
| | - Yan Dong
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
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Neuhofer D, Spencer SM, Chioma VC, Beloate LN, Schwartz D, Kalivas PW. The loss of NMDAR-dependent LTD following cannabinoid self-administration is restored by positive allosteric modulation of CB1 receptors. Addict Biol 2020; 25:e12843. [PMID: 31733097 PMCID: PMC7962172 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 09/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Glutamatergic plasticity in the nucleus accumbens core (NAcore) is a key neuronal process in appetitive learning and contributes to pathologies such as drug addiction. Understanding how this plasticity factors into cannabis addiction and relapse has been hampered by the lack of a rodent model of cannabis self-administration. We used intravenous self-administration of two constituents of cannabis, Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) to examine how contingent cannabis use and cue-induced cannabinoid-seeking alters glutamatergic neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity in NAcore. NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-dependent long-term depression (LTD) in the NAcore was lost after cannabinoid, but not sucrose self-administration. Surprisingly, when rats underwent cue-induced cannabinoid seeking, LTD was restored. Loss of LTD was accompanied by desensitization of cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R). CB1R are positioned to regulate synaptic plasticity by being expressed on glutamatergic terminals and negatively regulating presynaptic excitability and glutamate release. Supporting this possibility, LTD was restored by promoting CB1R signaling with the CB1 positive allosteric modulator GAT211. These data implicate NAcore CB1R as critical regulators of metaplasticity induced by cannabis self-administration and the cues predicting cannabis availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Neuhofer
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Sade M. Spencer
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Vivian C. Chioma
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Lauren N. Beloate
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Danielle Schwartz
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Peter W. Kalivas
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
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Garcia-Keller C, Scofield MD, Neuhofer D, Varanasi S, Reeves MT, Hughes B, Anderson E, Richie CT, Mejias-Aponte C, Pickel J, Hope BT, Harvey BK, Cowan CW, Kalivas PW. Relapse-Associated Transient Synaptic Potentiation Requires Integrin-Mediated Activation of Focal Adhesion Kinase and Cofilin in D1-Expressing Neurons. J Neurosci 2020; 40:8463-8477. [PMID: 33051346 PMCID: PMC7605418 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2666-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Relapse to drug use can be initiated by drug-associated cues. The intensity of cue-induced drug seeking in rodent models correlates with the induction of transient synaptic potentiation (t-SP) at glutamatergic synapses in the nucleus accumbens core (NAcore). Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are inducible endopeptidases that degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, and reveal tripeptide Arginine-Glycine-Aspartate (RGD) domains that bind and signal through integrins. Integrins are heterodimeric receptors composed of αβ subunits, and a primary signaling kinase is focal adhesion kinase (FAK). We previously showed that MMP activation is necessary for and potentiates cued reinstatement of cocaine seeking, and MMP-induced catalysis stimulates β3-integrins to induce t-SP. Here, we determined whether β3-integrin signaling through FAK and cofilin (actin depolymerization factor) is necessary to promote synaptic growth during t-SP. Using a small molecule inhibitor to prevent FAK activation, we blocked cued-induced cocaine reinstatement and increased spine head diameter (dh). Immunohistochemistry on NAcore labeled spines with ChR2-EYFP virus, showed increased immunoreactivity of phosphorylation of FAK (p-FAK) and p-cofilin in dendrites of reinstated animals compared with extinguished and yoked saline, and the p-FAK and cofilin depended on β3-integrin signaling. Next, male and female transgenic rats were used to selectively label D1 or D2 neurons with ChR2-mCherry. We found that p-FAK was increased during drug seeking in both D1 and D2-medium spiny neurons (MSNs), but increased p-cofilin was observed only in D1-MSNs. These data indicate that β3-integrin, FAK and cofilin constitute a signaling pathway downstream of MMP activation that is involved in promoting the transient synaptic enlargement in D1-MSNs induced during reinstated cocaine by drug-paired cues.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Drug-associated cues precipitate relapse, which is correlated with transient synaptic enlargement in the accumbens core. We showed that cocaine cue-induced synaptic enlargement depends on matrix metalloprotease signaling in the extracellular matrix (ECM) through β3-integrin to activate focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and phosphorylate the actin binding protein cofilin. The nucleus accumbens core (NAcore) contains two predominate neuronal subtypes selectively expressing either D1-dopamine or D2-dopamine receptors. We used transgenic rats to study each cell type and found that cue-induced signaling through cofilin phosphorylation occurred only in D1-expressing neurons. Thus, cocaine-paired cues initiate cocaine reinstatement and synaptic enlargement through a signaling cascade selectively in D1-expressing neurons requiring ECM stimulation of β3-integrin-mediated phosphorylation of FAK (p-FAK) and cofilin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constanza Garcia-Keller
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Michael D Scofield
- Department of Anesthesiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Daniela Neuhofer
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Swathi Varanasi
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Matthew T Reeves
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Brandon Hughes
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Ethan Anderson
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Christopher T Richie
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Carlos Mejias-Aponte
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - James Pickel
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Bruce T Hope
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Brandon K Harvey
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Christopher W Cowan
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Peter W Kalivas
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
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Namba MD, Kupchik YM, Spencer SM, Garcia‐Keller C, Goenaga JG, Powell GL, Vicino IA, Hogue IB, Gipson CD. Accumbens neuroimmune signaling and dysregulation of astrocytic glutamate transport underlie conditioned nicotine-seeking behavior. Addict Biol 2020; 25:e12797. [PMID: 31330570 PMCID: PMC7323912 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2019] [Revised: 05/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Nicotine self-administration is associated with decreased expression of the glial glutamate transporter (GLT-1) and the cystine-glutamate exchange protein xCT within the nucleus accumbens core (NAcore). N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been shown to restore these proteins in a rodent model of drug addiction and relapse. However, the specific molecular mechanisms driving its inhibitory effects on cue-induced nicotine reinstatement are unknown. Here, we confirm that extinction of nicotine-seeking behavior is associated with impaired NAcore GLT-1 function and expression and demonstrates that reinstatement of nicotine seeking rapidly enhances membrane fraction GLT-1 expression. Extinction and cue-induced reinstatement of nicotine seeking was also associated with increased tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and decreased glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression in the NAcore. NAC treatment (100 mg/kg/day, i.p., for 5 d) inhibited cue-induced nicotine seeking and suppressed AMPA to NMDA current ratios, suggesting that NAC reduces NAcore postsynaptic excitability. In separate experiments, rats received NAC and an antisense vivo-morpholino to selectively suppress GLT-1 expression in the NAcore during extinction and were subsequently tested for cue-induced reinstatement of nicotine seeking. NAC treatment rescued NAcore GLT-1 expression and attenuated cue-induced nicotine seeking, which was blocked by GLT-1 antisense. NAC also reduced TNFα expression in the NAcore. Viral manipulation of the NF-κB pathway, which is downstream of TNFα, revealed that cue-induced nicotine seeking is regulated by NF-κB pathway signaling in the NAcore independent of GLT-1 expression. Ultimately, these results are the first to show that immunomodulatory mechanisms may regulate known nicotine-induced alterations in glutamatergic plasticity that mediate cue-induced nicotine-seeking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D. Namba
- Department of PsychologyArizona State University Tempe AZ USA
| | - Yonatan M. Kupchik
- Department of Medical NeurobiologyHebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem Israel
| | - Sade M. Spencer
- Department of PharmacologyUniversity of Minnesota Minneapolis MN USA
| | | | | | - Gregory L. Powell
- Department of PsychologyArizona State University Tempe AZ USA
- School of Life SciencesArizona State University Tempe AZ USA
| | - Ian A. Vicino
- School of Life SciencesArizona State University Tempe AZ USA
- Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines, and Virotherapy, Biodesign InstituteArizona State University Tempe AZ USA
| | - Ian B. Hogue
- School of Life SciencesArizona State University Tempe AZ USA
- Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines, and Virotherapy, Biodesign InstituteArizona State University Tempe AZ USA
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