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Heidari A, Hajikarim-Hamedani A, Hosseindoost S, Ghane Y, Sadat-Shirazi M, Zarrindast MR. Parental Exposure to Morphine Before Conception Decreases Morphine and Cocaine-Induced Locomotor Sensitization in Male Offspring. Dev Psychobiol 2024; 66:e22514. [PMID: 38922890 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Repeated exposure to abused drugs leads to reorganizing synaptic connections in the brain, playing a pivotal role in the relapse process. Additionally, recent research has highlighted the impact of parental drug exposure before gestation on subsequent generations. This study aimed to explore the influence of parental morphine exposure 10 days prior to pregnancy on drug-induced locomotor sensitization. Adult male and female Wistar rats were categorized into morphine-exposed and control groups. Ten days after their last treatment, they were mated, and their male offspring underwent morphine, methamphetamine, cocaine, and nicotine-induced locomotor sensitization tests. The results indicated increased locomotor activity in both groups after drug exposure, although the changes were attenuated in morphine and cocaine sensitization among the offspring of morphine-exposed parents (MEPs). Western blotting analysis revealed altered levels of D2 dopamine receptors (D2DRs) in the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens of the offspring from MEPs. Remarkably, despite not having direct in utero drug exposure, these offspring exhibited molecular alterations affecting morphine and cocaine-induced sensitization. The diminished sensitization to morphine and cocaine suggested the development of a tolerance phenotype in these offspring. The changes in D2DR levels in the brain might play a role in these adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amirhossein Heidari
- Faculty of Medicine, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Saereh Hosseindoost
- Pain Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Yekta Ghane
- School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mitra Sadat-Shirazi
- Development, Molecular & Chemical Biology, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mohammad-Reza Zarrindast
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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2
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Peart DR, Andrade AK, Logan CN, Knackstedt LA, Murray JE. Regulation of Cocaine-related Behaviors by Estrogen and Progesterone. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104584. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Effects of muscarinic M 1 receptor stimulation on reinforcing and neurochemical effects of cocaine in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:1994-2002. [PMID: 32344426 PMCID: PMC7547714 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0684-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cocaine addiction is a chronic illness characterized by maladaptive drug-induced neuroplastic changes that confer lasting vulnerability to relapse. Over several weeks we observed the effects of the M1 receptor-selective agonist VU0364572 in adult male rats that self-administer cocaine in a cocaine vs. food choice procedure. The drug showed unusual long-lasting effects, as rats gradually stopped self-administering cocaine, reallocating behavior towards the food reinforcer. The effect lasted as long as tested and at least 4 weeks. To begin to elucidate how VU0364572 modulates cocaine self-administration, we then examined its long-term effects using dual-probe in vivo dopamine and glutamate microdialysis in nucleus accumbens and medial prefrontal cortex, and ex vivo striatal dopamine reuptake. Microdialysis revealed marked decreases in cocaine-induced dopamine and glutamate outflow 4 weeks after VU0364572 treatment, without significant changes in dopamine uptake function. These lasting and marked effects of M1 receptor stimulation reinforce our interest in this target as potential treatment of cocaine addiction. M1 receptors are known to modulate medium spiny neuron responses to corticostriatal glutamatergic signaling acutely, and we hypothesize that VU0364572 may oppose the addiction-related effects of cocaine by causing lasting changes in this system.
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Slominski AT, Kim TK, Kleszczyński K, Semak I, Janjetovic Z, Sweatman T, Skobowiat C, Steketee JD, Lin Z, Postlethwaite A, Li W, Reiter RJ, Tobin DJ. Characterization of serotonin and N-acetylserotonin systems in the human epidermis and skin cells. J Pineal Res 2020; 68:e12626. [PMID: 31770455 PMCID: PMC7007327 DOI: 10.1111/jpi.12626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) activity was detected in cultured epidermal melanocytes and dermal fibroblasts with respective Km of 5.08 and 2.83 mM and Vmax of 80.5 and 108.0 µmol/min. Low but detectable TPH activity was also seen in cultured epidermal keratinocytes. Serotonin and/or its metabolite and precursor to melatonin, N-acetylserotonin (NAS), were identified by LC/MS in human epidermis and serum. Endogenous epidermal levels were 113.18 ± 13.34 and 43.41 ± 12.45 ng/mg protein for serotonin (n = 8/8) and NAS (n = 10/13), respectively. Their production was independent of race, gender, and age. NAS was also detected in human serum (n = 13/13) at a concentration 2.44 ± 0.45 ng/mL, while corresponding serotonin levels were 295.33 ± 17.17 ng/mL (n = 13/13). While there were no differences in serum serotonin levels, serum NAS levels were slightly higher in females. Immunocytochemistry studies showed localization of serotonin to epidermal and follicular keratinocytes, eccrine glands, mast cells, and dermal fibrocytes. Endogenous production of serotonin in cultured melanocytes, keratinocytes, and dermal fibroblasts was modulated by UVB. In conclusion, serotonin and NAS are produced endogenously in the epidermal, dermal, and adnexal compartments of human skin and in cultured skin cells. NAS is also detectable in human serum. Both serotonin and NAS inhibited melanogenesis in human melanotic melanoma at concentrations of 10-4 -10-3 M. They also inhibited growth of melanocytes. Melanoma cells were resistant to NAS inhibition, while serotonin inhibited cell growth only at 10-3 M. In summary, we characterized a serotonin-NAS system in human skin that is a part of local neuroendocrine system regulating skin homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrzej T. Slominski
- Department of Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Birmingham, AL, USA
- Department of Dermatology,VA Medical Center; Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Tae-Kang Kim
- Department of Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Konrad Kleszczyński
- Department of Dermatology, University of Münster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 58, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Igor Semak
- Department of Biochemistry, Belarusian State University, Minsk, Belarus
| | - Zorica Janjetovic
- Department of Dermatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Birmingham, AL, USA
| | | | - Cezary Skobowiat
- Department of Pharmacodynamics and Molecular Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Collegium Medicum, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | | | - Zongtao Lin
- Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Arnold Postlethwaite
- Departments of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
- Departments of VA Medical Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Wei Li
- Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Russel J. Reiter
- Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Desmond J. Tobin
- The Charles Institute of Dermatology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Castello S, D'Aloisio G, Arias C, Molina JC. Transition from ethanol-induced sensitization to tolerance across early and late infancy in the rat. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2016; 150-151:68-75. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2016.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2016] [Revised: 08/12/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Cui X, Lefevre E, Turner KM, Coelho CM, Alexander S, Burne THJ, Eyles DW. MK-801-induced behavioural sensitisation alters dopamine release and turnover in rat prefrontal cortex. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:509-17. [PMID: 25066360 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3689-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2014] [Accepted: 07/04/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Repeated exposure to psychostimulants that either increase dopamine (DA) release or target N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors can induce behavioural sensitisation, a phenomenon that may be important for the processes of addiction and even psychosis. A critical component of behavioural sensitisation is an increase in DA release within mesocorticolimbic circuits. In particular, sensitisation to amphetamine leads to increased DA release within well-known sub-cortical brain regions and also regulatory regions such as prefrontal cortex (PFC). However, it is unknown how DA release within the PFC of animals is altered by sensitisation to NMDA receptor antagonists. OBJECTIVES The aims of the present study were twofold, firstly to examine whether a single dose of dizocilpine maleate (MK-801) could induce long-term behavioural sensitisation and secondly to examine DA release in the PFC of sensitised rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS Behavioural sensitisation was assessed by measuring locomotion after drug exposure. DA release in the PFC was measured using freely moving microdialysis. RESULTS We show that a single dose of MK-801 can induce sensitisation to subsequent MK-801 exposure in a high percentage of rats (66 %). Furthermore, rats sensitised to MK-801 have altered DA release and turnover in the PFC compared with non-sensitised rats. CONCLUSION Schizophrenia patients have been postulated to have 'endogenous sensitisation' to psychostimulants. MK-801-induced sensitised rats, in particular when compared with non-sensitised rats, provide a useful model for studying PFC dysfunction in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoying Cui
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
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Valzachi MC, Teodorov E, Marcourakis T, Bailey A, Camarini R. Enhancement of behavioral sensitization, anxiety-like behavior, and hippocampal and frontal cortical CREB levels following cocaine abstinence in mice exposed to cocaine during adolescence. PLoS One 2013; 8:e78317. [PMID: 24205196 PMCID: PMC3804566 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0078317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2013] [Accepted: 09/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence has been linked to greater risk-taking and novelty-seeking behavior and a higher prevalence of drug abuse and risk of relapse. Decreases in cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein (CREB) and phosphorylated CREB (pCREB) have been reported after repeated cocaine administration in animal models. We compared the behavioral effects of cocaine and abstinence in adolescent and adult mice and investigated possible age-related differences in CREB and pCREB levels. Adolescent and adult male Swiss mice received one daily injection of saline or cocaine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) for 8 days. On day 9, the mice received a saline injection to evaluate possible environmental conditioning. After 9 days of withdrawal, the mice were tested in the elevated plus maze to evaluate anxiety-like behavior. Twelve days after the last saline/cocaine injection, the mice received a challenge injection of either cocaine or saline, and locomotor activity was assessed. One hour after the last injection, the brains were extracted, and CREB and pCREB levels were evaluated using Western blot in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus. The cocaine-pretreated mice during adolescence exhibited a greater magnitude of the expression of behavioral sensitization and greater cocaine withdrawal-induced anxiety-like behavior compared with the control group. Significant increases in CREB levels in the PFC and hippocampus and pCREB in the hippocampus were observed in cocaine-abstinent animals compared with the animals treated with cocaine in adulthood. Interestingly, significant negative correlations were observed between cocaine sensitization and CREB levels in both regions. These results suggest that the behavioral and neurochemical consequences of psychoactive substances in a still-developing nervous system can be more severe than in an already mature nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Cristina Valzachi
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Elizabeth Teodorov
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição, Universidade Federal do ABC, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Tania Marcourakis
- Departamento de Análises Toxicológicas e Clínicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Alexis Bailey
- Department of Biochemistry & Physiology, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - Rosana Camarini
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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8
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Febo M. Firing patterns of maternal rat prelimbic neurons during spontaneous contact with pups. Brain Res Bull 2012; 88:534-42. [PMID: 22643133 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2012.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2011] [Revised: 04/19/2012] [Accepted: 05/20/2012] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Extracellular single unit activity was recorded from medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of postpartum dams over the course of 3 days while they engaged in spontaneous pup-directed behaviors and non-specific exploratory behavior. Out of 109 units identified over the course of the experiment, 15 units were observed to be pup-responsive and 15 increased their discharge rates non-specifically while not attending to pups. An association between neuronal activity and typical maternal behaviors (e.g., retrieval, pup-grooming, nursing) was not observed. Instead, brief bouts of snout contact with pups were accompanied by phasic increases and decreases in spike rates. The observed pup contact responsive cells might play a role in processing of sensory feedback from pups or the transmission of modulatory output to other subcortical maternal brain areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Febo
- Department of Psychiatry, The McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, P.O. Box 100256, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
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9
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Examination of a role for metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 in the medial prefrontal cortex in cocaine sensitization in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2012; 221:91-100. [PMID: 22147256 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-011-2548-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2011] [Accepted: 10/14/2011] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Glutamatergic projection neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are hyperexcitable in cocaine-sensitized animals, resulting in increased excitatory output to addiction-associated regions such as the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens. Evidence suggests that Group I metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) is necessary for cocaine sensitization, and stimulation of this receptor in the mPFC potentially alters cell excitability directly through glutamate release or indirectly through downstream signaling cascades. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS Experiments in this report examined the role of mPFC mGluR5 in behavioral sensitization to cocaine. Group I mGluR agonist dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) (15 nmol/side), mGluR5 antagonist 3((2-methyl-4-thiazolyl)ethynyl)pyridine (MTEP) (15 nmol/side), mGluR1 antagonist YM298198 (15 nmol/side), AMPA receptor antagonist CNQX (1 nmol/side), and/or saline were administered through cannulae implanted 1 mm above the mPFC and/or VTA in male rats. Cocaine (15 mg/kg, i.p.) was systemically administered for four consecutive days to induce sensitization and/or once on test day immediately preceding locomotor monitoring. RESULTS Intra-mPFC DHPG induced an mGluR5-mediated cross-sensitization to cocaine preventable through the prior administration of an AMPA receptor antagonist in the VTA. Furthermore, mGluR5 blockade in the mPFC failed to prevent the initiation of sensitization. However, intra-mPFC injections of the mGluR5 antagonist MTEP prevented the expression of cocaine sensitization at 21, but not 7, days following daily cocaine injections suggesting a possible role for mPFC mGluR5 in the persistence of the cocaine-sensitized state. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that stimulation of mGluR5s in the mPFC is sufficient to induce cocaine sensitization and is necessary for the expression of this sensitized response.
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Nakagawa T, Suzuki Y, Nagayasu K, Kitaichi M, Shirakawa H, Kaneko S. Repeated exposure to methamphetamine, cocaine or morphine induces augmentation of dopamine release in rat mesocorticolimbic slice co-cultures. PLoS One 2011; 6:e24865. [PMID: 21980362 PMCID: PMC3184101 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2011] [Accepted: 08/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Repeated intermittent exposure to psychostimulants and morphine leads to progressive augmentation of its locomotor activating effects in rodents. Accumulating evidence suggests the critical involvement of the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic neurons, which project from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens and the medial prefrontal cortex, in the behavioral sensitization. Here, we examined the acute and chronic effects of psychostimulants and morphine on dopamine release in a reconstructed mesocorticolimbic system comprised of a rat triple organotypic slice co-culture of the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens and medial prefrontal cortex regions. Tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cell bodies were localized in the ventral tegmental area, and their neurites projected to the nucleus accumbens and medial prefrontal cortex regions. Acute treatment with methamphetamine (0.1–1000 µM), cocaine (0.1–300 µM) or morphine (0.1–100 µM) for 30 min increased extracellular dopamine levels in a concentration-dependent manner, while 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (0.1–1000 µM) had little effect. Following repeated exposure to methamphetamine (10 µM) for 30 min every day for 6 days, the dopamine release gradually increased during the 30-min treatment. The augmentation of dopamine release was maintained even after the withdrawal of methamphetamine for 7 days. Similar augmentation was observed by repeated exposure to cocaine (1–300 µM) or morphine (10 and 100 µM). Furthermore, methamphetamine-induced augmentation of dopamine release was prevented by an NMDA receptor antagonist, MK-801 (10 µM), and was not observed in double slice co-cultures that excluded the medial prefrontal cortex slice. These results suggest that repeated psychostimulant- or morphine-induced augmentation of dopamine release, i.e. dopaminergic sensitization, was reproduced in a rat triple organotypic slice co-cultures. In addition, the slice co-culture system revealed that the NMDA receptors and the medial prefrontal cortex play an essential role in the dopaminergic sensitization. This in vitro sensitization model provides a unique approach for studying mechanisms underlying behavioral sensitization to drugs of abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Nakagawa
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
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Liu K, Steketee JD. Repeated exposure to cocaine alters medial prefrontal cortex dopamine D₂-like receptor modulation of glutamate and dopamine neurotransmission within the mesocorticolimbic system. J Neurochem 2011; 119:332-41. [PMID: 21692802 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2011.07362.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Repeated exposure to cocaine progressively increases drug-induced locomotor activity, which is termed behavioral sensitization. Previous studies have demonstrated that sensitization to cocaine is associated with a decrease in dopamine D₂ receptor function in the medial prefrontal cortex. The present report tested the hypothesis that reduced medial prefrontal cortex D₂ receptor function as a result of repeated cocaine exposure results in augmented excitatory transmission to the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area, possibly as a partial result of enhanced inhibition of local dopamine release. Dual probe microdialysis experiments were conducted in male Sprague-Dawley rats 1, 7 or 30 days following the last of four daily injections of saline (1.0 mL/kg) or cocaine (15 mg/kg). Infusion of quinpirole (0.01, 1.0 and 100 μM), a D₂-like receptor agonist, into the medial prefrontal cortex produced a dose-dependent decrease in cortical, nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area extracellular glutamate levels in control but not sensitized animals. Quinpirole also reduced basal dopamine levels in the medial prefrontal cortex in sensitized animals following 1 day of withdrawal from cocaine. Following 30 days of withdrawal, quinpirole also reduced dopamine levels in sensitized animals relative to saline controls, but not relative to baseline levels. These findings indicate that the expression of sensitization to cocaine is associated with altered modulation of mesocorticolimbic glutamatergic transmission at the level of the medial prefrontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Liu
- Department Pharmacology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
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12
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Steketee JD, Kalivas PW. Drug wanting: behavioral sensitization and relapse to drug-seeking behavior. Pharmacol Rev 2011; 63:348-65. [PMID: 21490129 DOI: 10.1124/pr.109.001933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 452] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Repeated exposure to drugs of abuse enhances the motor-stimulant response to these drugs, a phenomenon termed behavioral sensitization. Animals that are extinguished from self-administration training readily relapse to drug, conditioned cue, or stress priming. The involvement of sensitization in reinstated drug-seeking behavior remains controversial. This review describes sensitization and reinstated drug seeking as behavioral events, and the neural circuitry, neurochemistry, and neuropharmacology underlying both behavioral models will be described, compared, and contrasted. It seems that although sensitization and reinstatement involve overlapping circuitry and neurotransmitter and receptor systems, the role of sensitization in reinstatement remains ill-defined. Nevertheless, it is argued that sensitization remains a useful model for determining the neural basis of addiction, and an example is provided in which data from sensitization studies led to potential pharmacotherapies that have been tested in animal models of relapse and in human addicts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffery D Steketee
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 874 Union Avenue, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.
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13
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Altered dopamine modulation of inhibition in the prefrontal cortex of cocaine-sensitized rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2010; 35:2292-304. [PMID: 20664581 PMCID: PMC2939941 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2010.107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
A functionally hypoactive prefrontal cortex (PFC) is thought to contribute to decreased cognitive inhibitory control over drug-seeking behavior in cocaine addicts. Alterations in PFC dopamine (DA) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transmission are involved in the development of behavioral sensitization to cocaine, and repeated exposure to cocaine decreases DA D2 receptor (D2R) function in the PFC. We used recordings in PFC slices from adult rats to investigate how repeated cocaine treatment followed by 2 weeks of withdrawal affects DA modulation of GABA transmission and interneuron firing. In agreement with previous results in drug-naïve animals we found that in saline-treated control animals DA (20 μM) modulated evoked inhibitory post-synaptic currents (eIPSCs) in a biphasic, time- and receptor-dependent manner. Activation of D2Rs transiently reduced, whereas D1 receptor activation persistently increased the amplitude of eIPSCs. In cocaine-sensitized animals the D2R-dependent modulation of eIPSCs was abolished and the time course of DA effects was altered. In both saline- and cocaine-treated animals the effects of DA on eIPSCs were paralleled by distinct changes in spontaneous IPSCs (sIPSCs). In cocaine-treated animals the alterations in DA modulation of eIPSCs and sIPSCs correlated with a lack of D2R-specific reduction in action potential-independent GABA release, which might normally oppose D1-dependent increases in GABA transmission. Recordings from interneurons furthermore show that D2R activation can increase current-evoked spike firing in saline, but not in cocaine-treated animals. Altered DA regulation of inhibition during cocaine withdrawal could disturb normal cortical processing and contribute to a hypoactive PFC.
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14
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Tsuneyoshi Y, Sato M, Tomonaga S, Yamane H, Morishita K, Denbow DM, Furuse M. Oral administration of Excitin-1 (beta-alanyl-L-leucine) alters behavior and brain monoamine and amino acid concentrations in rats. Nutr Neurosci 2009; 12:175-82. [PMID: 19622242 DOI: 10.1179/147683009x423346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
We previously demonstrated that beta-alanyl-branched chain amino acids have excitatory effects. Therefore, we named beta-alanyl-L-leucine, beta-alanyl-L-isoleucine and beta-alanyl-L-valine as Excitin-1, -2, and -3 , respectively. Since there is little known about the effects of Excitins, we clarified whether oral administration of Excitin-1 affects behavior in rats, alters the monoamine and amino acid levels in the central nervous system, whether Excitin-1 is incorporated into the brain, and how long it remains in the blood. Excitin-1 increased motor behavior, increasing the distance of path and number of rearings in the open field. Excitin-1 influenced some monoamine and amino acid levels in the cerebral cortex and hypothalamus. Following oral administration, Excitin-1 was detected in the cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, hippocampus and olfactory bulb. In the plasma, Excitin-1 and its metabolites beta-alanine and L-leucine were recorded. The present study demonstrated that Excitin-1 was incorporated in the brain and promoted behavioral changes in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yousuke Tsuneyoshi
- Laboratory of Advanced Animal and Marine Bioresources, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan
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15
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George O, Mandyam CD, Wee S, Koob GF. Extended access to cocaine self-administration produces long-lasting prefrontal cortex-dependent working memory impairments. Neuropsychopharmacology 2008; 33:2474-82. [PMID: 18033234 PMCID: PMC2760333 DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1301626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Humans with drug addiction exhibit compulsive drug-seeking associated with impairment of prefrontal cortex cognitive function. Whether prefrontal cortex dysfunction is a consequence of chronic drug exposure, or mediates the transition from drug use to drug dependence, is unknown. The current study investigates whether a history of escalated vs controlled cocaine intake is associated with specific working memory impairments, and long-lasting alterations of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex in rats. Working memory was assessed in rats with a history of extended (6 h per session) or limited (1 h per session) access to cocaine (0.5 mg/kg per injection), 3-17 days after the last self-administration session, using a delayed nonmatching-to-sample task. The density of neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes was quantified in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal prefrontal cortex 2 months after the last self-administration session. Working memory impairments were observed after a history of chronic and escalated cocaine intake, but not after repeated limited access to cocaine. Moreover, working memory impairments were correlated with a decreased density of neurons and oligodendrocytes but not astrocytes in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, and with a decreased density of oligodendrocytes in the orbitofrontal cortex. Considering the role of the prefrontal cortex in goal-directed behavior, the prefrontal cortex dysfunctions observed here may exacerbate the loss of control associated with increased drug use and facilitate the progression to drug addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier George
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
| | - Chitra D Mandyam
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sunmee Wee
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - George F Koob
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
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Xie X, Steketee JD. Repeated exposure to cocaine alters the modulation of mesocorticolimbic glutamate transmission by medial prefrontal cortex Group II metabotropic glutamate receptors. J Neurochem 2008; 107:186-96. [PMID: 18673447 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2008.05593.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Repeated cocaine exposure enhances glutamatergic output from the medial prefrontal cortex to subcortical brain regions. Loss of inhibitory control of cortical pyramidal neurons may partly account for this augmented cortical glutamate output. Recent research indicated that repeated cocaine exposure reduced the ability of cortical Group II metabotropic glutamate receptors to modulate behavioral and neurochemical responses to cocaine. Thus, experiments described below examined whether repeated cocaine exposure alters metabotropic glutamate receptor regulation of mesocorticolimbic glutamatergic transmission using in vivo microdialysis. Infusion of the Group II metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist LY341495 into the medial prefrontal cortex enhanced glutamate release in this region, the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area in sensitized animals, compared to controls, following short-term withdrawal but not after long-term withdrawal. Additional studies demonstrated that vesicular (K(+)-evoked) and non-vesicular (cystine-evoked) glutamate release in the medial prefrontal cortex was enhanced in sensitized animals, compared to controls, that resulted in part from a reduction in Group II metabotropic glutamate receptor modulation of these pools of glutamate. In summary, these findings indicate that the expression of sensitization to cocaine is correlated with an altered modulation of mesocorticolimbic glutamatergic transmission via reduction of Group II metabotropic glutamate receptor function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohu Xie
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
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17
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Fernandez-Espejo E, Ramiro-Fuentes S, Portavella M, Moreno-Paublete R. Role for D-serine within the ventral tegmental area in the development of cocaine's sensitization. Neuropsychopharmacology 2008; 33:995-1003. [PMID: 17609678 DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1301495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Repeated exposure to cocaine results in motor sensitization that, in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), is associated to enhanced glutamate release, which in turn leads to enhanced calcium levels in dopaminergic neurons. Calcium influx activates calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kinases such as CaMKII. D-Serine could participate on these effects, and the objective was to discern the role of VTA D-serine after a sensitizing regimen of cocaine (10 mg/kg daily), and to discern consequent expression changes in CaMKII and its activated form. For this purpose, D-serine, sodium benzoate (inhibitor of D-amino acid oxidase, the degradating enzyme of D-serine), and 7-chlorokynurenate (inhibitor of the glycine site of NMDA receptors) were injected into the VTA (in either the induction or expression phase of sensitization), and activation state of CaMKII was assessed through blotting. The findings indicated that intra-VTA administration of D-serine (5 mM) and sodium benzoate (100 and 200 microg/microl) during the induction phase (not expression) reliably augmented the expression of behavioral sensitization to cocaine, providing evidence that D-serine in the VTA participates in the initiation of motor sensitization to this psychostimulant drug. Intra-VTA infusions of D-serine, sodium benzoate and 7-chlorokynurenate did not elicit a motor effect of their own. Confirming the important role of NMDA receptors and their activation at the glycine site, the employment of 7-chlorokynurenate (2 and 5 microg/microl) led to blocking of the development of sensitization to cocaine. CaMKII within the VTA was found to participate in D-serine's effects because this kinase, that is activated after repeated cocaine, was further activated after co-treatment with D-serine or sodium benzoate. Besides CaMKII activity was otherwise reduced by 7-chlorokynurenate.
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Orozco-Cabal L, Liu J, Pollandt S, Schmidt K, Shinnick-Gallagher P, Gallagher JP. Dopamine and corticotropin-releasing factor synergistically alter basolateral amygdala-to-medial prefrontal cortex synaptic transmission: functional switch after chronic cocaine administration. J Neurosci 2008; 28:529-42. [PMID: 18184795 PMCID: PMC6670550 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2666-07.2008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2007] [Revised: 12/05/2007] [Accepted: 12/05/2007] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Basolateral amygdala (BLA) neurons provide a major excitatory input to medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)-layer V pyramidal neurons. Under stressful conditions, commonly associated with chronic cocaine abuse, altered BLA-to-mPFC synaptic transmission could lead to defective emotional information processing and decision making within the mPFC and result in misguided and inappropriate behaviors. We examined the effects of cocaine administered chronically in vivo on EPSCs recorded from a putative BLA-mPFC pathway in vitro and their modulation by dopamine (DA), corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), and their combination (DA plus CRF). In saline-treated animals, activation of D(1/5) receptors depressed BLA-mPFC EPSCs, whereas CRF1 receptor activation alone had no effect on EPSCs. Activating D(1/5) and CRF1 receptors in combination, however, worked synergistically through presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms to depress EPSCs to levels greater than D(1/5) receptor activation alone. After chronic cocaine administration, the function of DA(1/5) and CRF receptors switched from inhibitory to excitatory. In slices from cocaine-treated animals, putative BLA-mPFC EPSCs were depressed through a presynaptic mechanism. Now, activation of either D(1/5) or CRF2 receptors increased the cocaine-induced, depressed EPSCs. Additionally, simultaneous activation of presynaptic D(1/5) and CRF2 receptors led to further enhancement of EPSCs. These data indicate that CRF acting synergistically with DA normally potentiates D(1/5)-induced synaptic depression. However, after chronic cocaine, the combined synergistic actions of DA and CRF switched polarity to enhance facilitation of BLA-mPFC glutamatergic transmission. Also unmasked after acute withdrawal from chronic cocaine are endogenous, tonic-inhibitory D2-like and tonic-facilitatory CRF2 receptor actions. These multiple functional and receptor changes may underlie the altered, possibly aberrant, decision-making process after chronic cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Orozco-Cabal
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555-1031
| | - Jie Liu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555-1031
| | - Sebastian Pollandt
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555-1031
| | - Kady Schmidt
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555-1031
| | - Patricia Shinnick-Gallagher
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555-1031
| | - Joel P. Gallagher
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555-1031
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19
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Shippenberg TS, Zapata A, Chefer VI. Dynorphin and the pathophysiology of drug addiction. Pharmacol Ther 2007; 116:306-21. [PMID: 17868902 PMCID: PMC2939016 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2007.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 276] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2007] [Accepted: 06/27/2007] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing disease in which drug administration becomes the primary stimulus that drives behavior regardless of the adverse consequence that may ensue. As drug use becomes more compulsive, motivation for natural rewards that normally drive behavior decreases. The discontinuation of drug use is associated with somatic signs of withdrawal, dysphoria, anxiety, and anhedonia. These consequences of drug use are thought to contribute to the maintenance of drug use and to the reinstatement of compulsive drug use that occurs during the early phase of abstinence. Even, however, after prolonged periods of abstinence, 80-90% of human addicts relapse to addiction, suggesting that repeated drug use produces enduring changes in brain circuits that subserve incentive motivation and stimulus-response (habit) learning. A major goal of addiction research is the identification of the neural mechanisms by which drugs of abuse produce these effects. This article will review data showing that the dynorphin/kappa-opioid receptor (KOPr) system serves an essential function in opposing alterations in behavior and brain neurochemistry that occur as a consequence of repeated drug use and that aberrant activity of this system may not only contribute to the dysregulation of behavior that characterizes addiction but to individual differences in vulnerability to the pharmacological actions of cocaine and alcohol. We will provide evidence that the repeated administration of cocaine and alcohol up-regulates the dynorphin/KOPr system and that pharmacological treatments that target this system may prove effective in the treatment of drug addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- T S Shippenberg
- Integrative Neuroscience Section, NIH/NIDA Intramural Research Program, 333 Cassell Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
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20
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Febo M, Ferris CF. Development of cocaine sensitization before pregnancy affects subsequent maternal retrieval of pups and prefrontal cortical activity during nursing. Neuroscience 2007; 148:400-12. [PMID: 17651902 PMCID: PMC2220157 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2007.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2007] [Revised: 05/10/2007] [Accepted: 05/29/2007] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Pups are a highly rewarding stimulus for early postpartum rats. Our previous work supports this notion by showing that suckling activates the mesocorticolimbic system in mothers. In the present study, we tested whether development of behavioral sensitization to cocaine before pregnancy affects the neural response to pups during the early postpartum days (PD). Virgin rats were repeatedly administered cocaine for 14 days (15 mg kg(-1)) and withdrawn from treatment during breeding and pregnancy. The neural response to suckling was measured at PD 4-8 using blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) MRI or microdialysis. Our results show that BOLD activation in the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC), septum and auditory cortex was curtailed in cocaine-sensitized dams. No differences between cocaine sensitized and saline control dams were observed in the nucleus accumbens, olfactory structures, or in 48 additional major brain regions that were analyzed. Baseline, but not pup-stimulated, dopamine (DA) levels in the medial PFC were lower in cocaine-sensitized dams than in controls. When tested for maternal behaviors, cocaine-sensitized dams showed significantly faster retrieval of pups without changes in other maternal behaviors such as grouping, crouching and defending the nest. Taken together, the present findings suggest that maternal motivation to retrieve pups was enhanced by repeated cocaine exposure and withdrawal, a result reminiscent of 'cross-sensitization' between the drug and a natural reward. Changes in retrieval behavior in cocaine-sensitized mothers might be associated with a hypo-responsive medial PFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Febo
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Comparative NeuroImaging, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 303 Belmont Street, Worcester, MA 01604, USA.
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21
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Morshedi MM, Meredith GE. Differential laminar effects of amphetamine on prefrontal parvalbumin interneurons. Neuroscience 2007; 149:617-24. [PMID: 17931790 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2007.07.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2007] [Revised: 07/01/2007] [Accepted: 07/19/2007] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The increase in excitatory outflow from the medial prefrontal cortex is critical to the development of sensitization to amphetamine. There is evidence that psychostimulant-induced changes in dopamine-GABA interactions are key to understanding the behaviorally sensitized response. The objective of this study was to characterize the effects of different amphetamine paradigms on the Fos activation of GABAergic interneurons that contain parvalbumin in the medial prefrontal cortex. Although a sensitizing, repeated regimen of amphetamine induced Fos in all cortical layers, only layer V parvalbumin-immunolabeled cells were activated in the infralimbic and prelimbic cortices. Repeated amphetamine treatment was also associated with a loss of parvalbumin immunoreactivity in layer V, but only in the prelimbic cortex. An acute amphetamine injection to naive rats was associated with an increase in Fos, but in parvalbumin-positive neurons of the prelimbic cortex, where it was preferentially induced in layer III. These data indicate that distinct substrates mediate the response to repeated or acute amphetamine treatment. They also suggest that a sensitizing amphetamine regimen directs medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) outflow, via changes in inhibitory neuron activation, toward subcortical centers important in reward.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Morshedi
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA.
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22
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Leo D, di Porzio U, Racagni G, Riva MA, Fumagalli F, Perrone-Capano C. Chronic cocaine administration modulates the expression of transcription factors involved in midbrain dopaminergic neuron function. Exp Neurol 2006; 203:472-80. [PMID: 17070804 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2006.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2006] [Revised: 08/30/2006] [Accepted: 08/31/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Chronic cocaine use leads to pronounced alterations in neuronal functions in brain circuits associated with reward. In the present study, we examined in the rat midbrain the effects of acute, subchronic (5 days) and chronic cocaine treatments (14 days) on the gene expression of transcription factors involved in the development and maintenance of dopaminergic neurons. We show that chronic, but not acute or subchronic, cocaine administration downregulates Nurr1 and Pitx3 transcripts whereas En1 transcripts are upregulated. Conversely, Lmx1b and En2 transcripts are not affected by the drug treatment, indicating that the modulation of the midbrain transcription factors analyzed is highly selective. Interestingly, modification of the gene expression for these transcription factors persists in midbrain as long as two weeks after the last drug administration, suggesting that it may account for some of the enduring alterations in midbrain dopaminergic circuits associated with chronic cocaine use.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Leo
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics A. Buzzati Traverso, CNR, Via Pietro Castellino, 111, 80131-Naples, Italy
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23
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Black YD, Maclaren FR, Naydenov AV, Carlezon WA, Baxter MG, Konradi C. Altered attention and prefrontal cortex gene expression in rats after binge-like exposure to cocaine during adolescence. J Neurosci 2006; 26:9656-65. [PMID: 16988036 PMCID: PMC4203339 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2391-06.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2006] [Revised: 07/21/2006] [Accepted: 08/10/2006] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Illicit use of drugs frequently begins and escalates during adolescence, with long-term adverse consequences. Because it is increasingly accepted that neural development continues through adolescence, addiction research has become more invested in understanding the behavioral and molecular consequences of early exposure to drugs of abuse. In a novel binge administration paradigm designed to model the pattern of human adolescent drug use, we administered ascending doses of cocaine or saline during a 12-d developmental period [postnatal day 35 (P35) to P46] corresponding to human adolescence. During adulthood (P70), rats treated with this regimen displayed increased responsiveness to the stimulant effects of cocaine. Adult rats also displayed abnormally rapid shifts in attention when performing an attentional set-shifting task, which measures the ability to shift attention between stimuli and whose performance requires an intact prefrontal cortex (PFC). Treatment with cocaine during adolescence also caused acute alterations in the expression of genes encoding cell adhesion molecules and transcription factors within the PFC. Furthermore, we observed decreases in histone methylation, which may indicate a role for chromatin remodeling in the observed changes in gene expression patterns. These findings suggest that exposure to cocaine during adolescence has far-reaching molecular and behavioral consequences in the rat PFC that develop over time and endure long after drug administration has ceased.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yolanda D. Black
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, and
| | | | | | - William A. Carlezon
- Behavioral Genetics Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, and
| | - Mark G. Baxter
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 3UD, United Kingdom
| | - Christine Konradi
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, and
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24
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Li Y, Peris J, Zhong L, Derendorf H. Microdialysis as a tool in local pharmacodynamics. AAPS JOURNAL 2006; 8:E222-35. [PMID: 16796373 PMCID: PMC3231563 DOI: 10.1007/bf02854892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
In many cases the clinical outcome of therapy needs to be determined by the drug concentration in the tissue compartment in which the pharmacological effect occurs rather than in the plasma. Microdialysis is an in vivo technique that allows direct measurement of unbound tissue concentrations and permits monitoring of the biochemical and physiological effects of drugs throughout the body. Microdialysis was first used in pharmacodynamic research to study neurotransmission, and this remains its most common application in the field. In this review, we give an overview of the principles, techniques, and applications of microdialysis in pharmacodynamic studies of local physiological events, including measurement of endogenous substances such as acetylcholine, catecholamines, serotonin, amino acids, peptides, glucose, lactate, glycerol, and hormones. Microdialysis coupled with systemic drug administration also permits the more intensive examination of the pharmacotherapeutic effect of drugs on extracellular levels of endogenous substances in peripheral compartments and blood. Selected examples of the physiological effects and mechanisms of action of drugs are also discussed, as are the advantages and limitations of this method. It is concluded that microdialysis is a reliable technique for the measurement of local events, which makes it an attractive tool for local pharmacodynamic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanjun Li
- />Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Florida, PO Box 100494, College of Pharmacy, 32610 Gainesville, FL
| | - Joanna Peris
- />Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, 32610 Gainesville, FL
| | - Li Zhong
- />Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, 32610 Gainesville, FL
| | - Hartmut Derendorf
- />Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Florida, PO Box 100494, College of Pharmacy, 32610 Gainesville, FL
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Jayaram P, Steketee JD. Cocaine-induced increases in medial prefrontal cortical GABA transmission involves glutamatergic receptors. Eur J Pharmacol 2006; 531:74-9. [PMID: 16409999 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2005.11.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2005] [Revised: 11/21/2005] [Accepted: 11/28/2005] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
A recent study showed that cocaine-induced sensitization is associated with an increase in GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) transmission in the medial prefrontal cortex. Since previous studies have demonstrated that sensitization is associated with enhanced medial prefrontal cortex glutamatergic transmission, the present study examined the role of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid/kainate (AMPA/KA) receptors in cocaine-induced increases in medial prefrontal cortex GABA levels. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received four daily injections of saline (1 ml/kg, i.p.) or cocaine (15 mg/kg). One day later, animals were infused with NMDA or AMPA/KA antagonists 3-[(R)-2 carboxypiperazin-4-yl]-propyl-1-phosphonic acid (CPP) and 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX), respectively, into medial prefrontal cortex via microdialysis probe for 60 min before receiving systemic challenge injections of saline or cocaine. Cocaine-sensitized animals showed an increase in extracellular medial prefrontal cortex GABA levels that was blocked by prior medial prefrontal cortex infusion of DNQX, but not CPP. These data indicate that enhanced medial prefrontal cortex GABA transmission seen in cocaine-sensitized animals involves glutamatergic stimulation of AMPA receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prathiba Jayaram
- Department of Pharmacology University of Tennessee Health Science Center 874 Union Avenue Room 115 Crowe Research Building Memphis, TN 38163, USA
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Cunha-Oliveira T, Rego AC, Morgadinho MT, Macedo T, Oliveira CR. Differential cytotoxic responses of PC12 cells chronically exposed to psychostimulants or to hydrogen peroxide. Toxicology 2005; 217:54-62. [PMID: 16242230 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2005.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2005] [Revised: 08/19/2005] [Accepted: 08/19/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Repeated abuse of stimulant drugs, cocaine and amphetamine, is associated with extraneuronal dopamine accumulation in specific brain areas. Dopamine may be cytotoxic through the generation of reactive oxygen species, namely hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), resulting from dopamine oxidative metabolism. In this work, we studied the cytotoxicity in PC12 cells (a dopaminergic neuronal model) chronically and/or acutely exposed to cocaine or amphetamine, as compared to H2O2 exposure. Chronic cocaine treatment induced sensitization to acute cocaine insult and increased cocaine-evoked accumulation of extracellular dopamine, although no changes in dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) levels were observed. Moreover, dopamine was depleted in cells chronically exposed to amphetamine and acute amphetamine toxicity persisted in these cells, indicating that dopamine was not involved in amphetamine cytotoxicity. PC12 cells chronically treated with H2O2 were totally resistant to acute H2O2, but not to acute cocaine or amphetamine exposure, suggesting that the toxicity induced by these stimulant drugs is unrelated to adaptation to oxidative stress. Interestingly, chronic cocaine treatment largely, but not completely, protected the cells against a H2O2 challenge, whilst a decrement in intracellular ATP was observed. This study shows that chronic treatment of PC12 cells with cocaine or H2O2 modifies the cytotoxic response to an acute exposure to these agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Cunha-Oliveira
- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology and Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal
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27
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Steketee JD, Walsh TJ. Repeated injections of sulpiride into the medial prefrontal cortex induces sensitization to cocaine in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2005; 179:753-60. [PMID: 15619114 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-004-2102-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2004] [Accepted: 11/03/2004] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Recent studies have suggested that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays an important role in the development of sensitization to cocaine. In particular, a recent report proposed that sensitization is associated with a decreased dopamine D(2) receptor function in the mPFC. The present study was designed to further examine the involvement of mPFC dopamine D(2) receptors in cocaine sensitization. OBJECTIVES The experiments described below sought to determine the effects of acute or repeated intra-mPFC injections of the dopamine D(2) antagonist sulpiride on subsequent motor-stimulant and nucleus accumbens dopamine responses to cocaine. METHODS Rats received bilateral cannulae implants above the ventral mPFC for microinjections and above the nucleus accumbens for in vivo microdialysis. Initial studies examined the effects of intra-mPFC sulpiride pretreatment on the acute motor-stimulant and nucleus accumbens dopamine responses to cocaine. Follow-up studies determined the effects of repeated intra-mPFC sulpiride injections on subsequent behavioral and nucleus accumbens dopamine responses to a cocaine challenge. RESULTS Intra-mPFC sulpiride enhanced the cocaine-induced increases in motor activity and dopamine overflow in the nucleus accumbens. Repeated intra-mPFC sulpiride induced behavioral and neurochemical cross-sensitization to cocaine. CONCLUSIONS The data support previous findings that sensitization is associated with a decrease in dopamine D(2) receptor function in the mPFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffery D Steketee
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 874 Union Avenue/Room 115 Crowe, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.
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28
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Jayaram P, Steketee JD. Effects of cocaine-induced behavioural sensitization on GABA transmission within rat medial prefrontal cortex. Eur J Neurosci 2005; 21:2035-9. [PMID: 15869498 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2005.04000.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Studies support the involvement of mPFC dopaminergic and glutamatergic systems in the development of cocaine sensitization. GABA is known to modulate dopamine and glutamatergic systems in the mPFC. In addition, recent reports have suggested that cocaine sensitization might be associated with a decrease in GABAB receptor responsiveness in the mPFC. Hence, in vivo microdialysis of the mPFC was performed to examine the effects on extracellular GABA levels within the mPFC of a cocaine challenge subsequent to repeated cocaine administration. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given four daily injections of saline (1.0 mL/kg, i.p.) or cocaine (15 mg/kg, i.p.) and challenged with the same dose of saline or cocaine 1, 7 or 28 days later. Acute cocaine produced a motor-stimulant response that was significantly augmented in repeated cocaine animals at all withdrawal time points. Moreover, sensitized animals exhibited a significant increase in extracellular GABA levels after 1 and 7 days but not 28 days following repeated cocaine exposure. These data suggest that cocaine-induced sensitization is associated with a transient increase in mPFC GABA transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prathiba Jayaram
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, 874 Union Avenue, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.
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