Morphine-induced conditioned place preference in rhesus monkeys: Resistance to inactivation of insula and extinction

Morphine exposure modulates dimensional bias and set formation in anthropoids

Humans demonstrate significant behavioural advantages with particular perceptual dimensions (such as colour or shape) and when the relevant dimension is repeated in consecutive trials. These dimension-related behavioural modulations are significantly altered in neuropsychological and addiction disorders; however, their underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we studied whether these behavioural modulations exist in other trichromatic primate species and whether repeated exposure to opioids influences them. In a target detection task where the target-defining dimension (colour or shape) changed trial by trial, humans exhibited shorter response time (RT) and smaller event-related electrodermal activity with colour dimension; however, macaque monkeys had shorter RT with shape dimension. Although the dimensional biases were in the opposite directions, both species were faster when the relevant dimension was repeated, compared with conditions when it changed, across consecutive trials. These indicate that both species formed dimensional sets and that resulted in a significant 'switch cost'. Scheduled and repeated exposures to morphine, which is analogous to its clinical and recreational use, significantly augmented the dimensional bias in monkeys and also changed the switch cost depending on the relevant dimension. These cognitive effects occurred when monkeys were in abstinence periods (not under acute morphine effects) but expressing significant morphine-induced conditioned place preference. These findings indicate that significant dimensional biases and set formation are evolutionarily preserved in humans' and monkeys' cognition and that repeated exposure to morphine interacts with their manifestation. Shared neural mechanisms might be involved in the long-lasting effects of morphine and expression of dimensional biases and set formation in anthropoids.

Claustral MeCP2 Regulates Methamphetamine-induced Conditioned Place Preference in Cynomolgus Monkey

The claustrum, a brain nucleus located between the cortex and the striatum, has recently been highlighted in drug-related reward processing. Methyl CpG-binding protein-2 (MeCP2) is a transcriptional regulator that represses or activates the expression of the target gene and has been known to have an important role in the regulation of drug addiction in the dopaminergic reward system. The claustrum is an important region for regulating reward processing where most neurons receive dopamine input; additionally, in this region, MeCP2 is also abundantly expressed. Therefore, here, we hypothesized that MeCP2 would be involved in drug addiction control in the Claustrum as well and investigated how claustral MeCP2 regulates drug addiction. To better understand the function of human claustral MeCP2, we established a non-human primate model of methamphetamine (METH) - induced conditioned place preference (CPP). After a habituation of two days and conditioning of ten days, the CPP test was conducted for three days. Interestingly, we confirmed that virus-mediated overexpression of MECP2 in the claustrum showed a significant reduction of METH-induced CPP in the three consecutive days during the testing period. Moreover, they showed a decrease in visit scores (frequency for visit) for the METH-paired room compared to the control group although the scores were statistically marginal. Taken together, we suggest that the claustrum is an important brain region associated with drug addiction, in which MeCP2 may function as a mediator in regulating the response to addictive drugs.

The role of mGlu4 receptors within the nucleus accumbens in acquisition and expression of morphine-induced conditioned place preference in male rats

Background

Several studies have shown that glutamate neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is required for the development of morphine-induced conditional place preference (CPP). In addition, metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in NAc play important roles in the reward pathways. However, the precise role of mGluR4 in different steps of the morphine-induced CPP is less well known. In the present study the effect of bilateral intra-accumbal infusion of VU0155041, as a specific mGluR4 agonist on the acquisition and expression of morphine induced CPP in male Wistar rats was investigated. The animals were bilaterally implanted with guide cannulae above the NAc. In the first step of the study, the VU0155041 was administered at doses of 10, 30 and 50 μg/0.5 μL saline per side into the NAc during the 3 days of morphine (5 mg/kg) conditioning (acquisition) phase of morphine-induced CPP. In the second step of the study, the rats bilaterally received VU0155041 at the dose of 50 μg/0.5 μL, 5 min before the post-conditioning test in order to check the effect of VU0155041 on the expression of morphine-induced CPP.

Results

The results showed that the intra-accumbal injection of VU0155041 inhibits the acquisition of morphine-induced CPP in a dose dependent manner, but had no effect on expression.

Conclusions

The data indicated that intra-NAc administration of VU0155041 dose dependently blocks the establishment of morphine-induced CPP and reduces the rewarding properties of morphine. These effects may be related to changes in glutamate activity in the NAC and/or learning dependent mechanism of glutamate neurotransmission in reward pathway(s).

Bulleyaconitine A Inhibits Morphine-Induced Withdrawal Symptoms, Conditioned Place Preference, and Locomotor Sensitization Via Microglial Dynorphin A Expression

Bulleyaconitine A (BAA), a C19-diterpenoid alkaloid, has been prescribed as a nonnarcotic analgesic to treat chronic pain over four decades in China. The present study investigated its inhibition in morphine-induced withdrawal symptoms, conditioned place preference (CPP) and locomotor sensitization, and then explored the underlying mechanisms of actions. Multiple daily injections of morphine but not BAA up to 300 μg/kg/day into mice evoked naloxone-induced withdrawal symptoms (i.e., shakes, jumps, genital licks, fecal excretion and body weight loss), CPP expression, and locomotor sensitization. Single subcutaneous BAA injection (30–300 μg/kg) dose-dependently and completely attenuated morphine-induced withdrawal symptoms, with ED₅₀ values of 74.4 and 105.8 μg/kg in shakes and body weight loss, respectively. Subcutaneous BAA (300 μg/kg) also totally alleviated morphine-induced CPP acquisition and expression and locomotor sensitization. Furthermore, subcutaneous BAA injection also specifically stimulated dynorphin A expression in microglia but not astrocytes or neurons in nucleus accumbens (NAc) and hippocampal, measured for gene and protein expression and double immunofluorescence staining. In addition, subcutaneous BAA-inhibited morphine-induced withdrawal symptoms and CPP expression were totally blocked by the microglial metabolic inhibitor minocycline, dynorphin A antiserum, or specific KOR antagonist GNTI, given intracerebroventricularly. These results, for the first time, illustrate that BAA attenuates morphine-induced withdrawal symptoms, CPP expression, and locomotor sensitization by stimulation of microglial dynorphin A expression in the brain, suggesting that BAA may be a potential candidate for treatment of opioids-induced physical dependence and addiction.

Drug-Induced Conditioned Place Preference and Its Practical Use in Substance Use Disorder Research

The conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm is a well-established model utilized to study the role of context associations in reward-related behaviors, including both natural rewards and drugs of abuse. In this review article, we discuss the basic history, various uses, and considerations that are tied to this technique. There are many potential takeaway implications of this model, including negative affective states, conditioned drug effects, memory, and motivation, which are all considered here. We also discuss the neurobiology of CPP including relevant brain regions, molecular signaling cascades, and neuromodulatory systems. We further examine some of our prior findings and how they integrate CPP with self-administration paradigms. Overall, by describing the fundamentals of CPP, findings from the past few decades, and implications of using CPP as a research paradigm, we have endeavored to support the case that the CPP method is specifically advantageous for studying the role of a form of Pavlovian learning that associates drug use with the surrounding environment.

Tyrosine Hydroxylase Gene Polymorphisms Contribute to Opioid Dependence and Addiction by Affecting Promoter Region Function

Mounting evidence shows that drug dependence involves the complex interplay between genetics and the environment. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the rate-limiting enzyme in dopamine (DA) synthesis, which plays an essential role in the development of drug addiction. Noradrenergic dysfunction due to abnormalities TH expression has been implicated in the pathogenesis of drug addiction. We profiled thirteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and one VNTR (TCAT repeat, UniSTS:240,639) in 512 cases and 600 healthy Chinese subjects to evaluate the relationship between common variants within the TH gene and opioids dependence (OD) in the Chinese Han population. The single-marker analysis determined that rs10770141 (p < 0.001, OR 1.739, 95% CI 1.302 - 2.323) and rs10770140 (p = 0.002, OR 1.536, 95% CI 1.164 - 2.026) are risk variants for OD. The haplotype-association analyses determined that A-C-C-C was a risk factor (p = 0.006, OR 1.662, 95% CI 1.241 - 2.225) for OD. We also observed a significant association between (TACT)_9/9 and the duration of transition from the first time using opioids to the development of opioid dependence (DTFUD) (p = 0.002, OR 2.153, 95% CI 1.319 - 3.513). Taken together, this study suggests that TH gene polymorphisms may contribute to the risk of OD in the Chinese Han population.

Chronic phencyclidine treatment impairs spatial working memory in rhesus monkeys

RATIONALE

Phencyclidine (PCP) could induce schizophrenia (Sz) like behavior in both humans and animals, therefore, has been widely utilized to establish Sz animal models. It induced cognitive deficits, the core symptom of Sz, mainly through influencing frontal dopaminergic function. Nonhuman primate (NHP) studies demonstrated impaired object retrieval detour (ORD) and spatial delayed response (SDR) task performance by acute or chronic PCP treatment. However, NHP investigations, continually monitoring SDR performance before, during and after PCP treatment, are lacking.

OBJECTIVES

Present study investigated the long-term influence of chronic PCP treatment on SDR performance and the possible increase of SDR deficit severity and duration by the incremental dosing procedure in rhesus monkeys.

METHODS

SDR task was performed repeatedly up to eight weeks after constant dosing procedure (i.m., 0.3 mg/kg, day 12-25), during which drug effects on locomotor activity and blood cortisol concentration were assessed. Incremental dosing procedure (starting dose 0.3 mg/kg, day 6-19) began five months later.

RESULTS

Constant dosing procedure induced differential level of hyperactivity across testing days, without significant influence on blood cortisol concentration. It reduced SDR performance, until occurrence of the first and worst impairment on day 15 and 23 respectively. The impaired performance recovered to pretreatment level over one week after drug cessation. In contrast, incremental dosing procedure impaired SDR performance on the first treatment day, which recovered within treatment period.

CONCLUSION

Results suggested increase of SDR deficit severity by repeated PCP administrations, whereas the incremental dosing procedure did not increase SDR deficit severity and duration.

Functional role for suppression of the insular-striatal circuit in modulating interoceptive effects of alcohol

The insular cortex (IC) is a region proposed to modulate, in part, interoceptive states and motivated behavior. Interestingly, IC dysfunction and deficits in interoceptive processing are often found among individuals with substance-use disorders. Furthermore, the IC projects to the nucleus accumbens core (AcbC), a region known to modulate the discriminative stimulus/interoceptive effects of alcohol and other drug-related behaviors. Therefore, the goal of the present work was to investigate the possible role of the IC ➔ AcbC circuit in modulating the interoceptive effects of alcohol. Thus, we utilized a chemogenetic technique (hM4D_i designer receptor activation by designer drugs) to silence neuronal activity in the IC of rats trained to discriminate alcohol (1 g/kg, IG) versus water using an operant or Pavlovian alcohol discrimination procedure. Chemogenetic silencing of the IC or IC ➔ AcbC neuronal projections resulted in potentiated sensitivity to the interoceptive effects of alcohol in both the operant and Pavlovian tasks. Together, these data provide critical evidence for the nature of the complex IC circuitry and, specifically, suppression of the insular-striatal circuit in modulating behavior under a drug stimulus control.

A pilot study on transient ischemic stroke induced with endothelin-1 in the rhesus monkeys

Endothelin-1 (ET-1), a vasoconstrictor, has recently been used to induce focal ischemia in rodents and marmoset monkeys. The rhesus monkey, however, has numerous advantages to the rodent and marmoset that make it a superior and irreplaceable animal model for studying stroke in the brain. In the present study, after mapping the preferred hand representation in two healthy male monkeys with intracortical micro-stimulation, ET-1 was microinjected into the contralateral motor cortex (M1) to its preferred hand. The monkeys had been trained in three manual dexterity tasks before the microinjection and were tested for these tasks following the ET-1 injection. Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans were performed 1, 7, 14 and 28 days post ischemia. It was found that ET-1 impaired the manual dexterity of the monkeys in the vertical slot and rotating Brinkman board tasks 3–8 days after the injection. Brain imaging found that severe edema was present 7 days after the focal ischemia. This data suggest that ET-1 can induce transient ischemic stroke in rhesus monkey and that ET-1 induced focal ischemia in non-human primates is a potential model to study the mechanism of stroke and brain repair after stroke.