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Pleil KE, Grant KA, Cuzon Carlson VC, Kash TL. Chronic alcohol consumption alters sex-dependent BNST neuron function in rhesus macaques. Neurobiol Stress 2024; 31:100638. [PMID: 38737421 PMCID: PMC11088190 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Repeated alcohol drinking contributes to a number of neuropsychiatric diseases, including alcohol use disorder and co-expressed anxiety and mood disorders. Women are more susceptible to the development and expression of these diseases with the same history of alcohol exposure as men, suggesting they may be more sensitive to alcohol-induced plasticity in limbic brain regions controlling alcohol drinking, stress responsivity, and reward processing, among other behaviors. Using a translational model of alcohol drinking in rhesus monkeys, we examined sex differences in the basal function and plasticity of neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a brain region in the extended amygdala shown to be a hub circuit node dysregulated in individuals with anxiety and alcohol use disorder. We performed slice electrophysiology recordings from BNST neurons in male and female monkeys following daily "open access" (22 h/day) to 4% ethanol and water for more than one year or control conditions. We found that BNST neurons from control females had reduced overall current density, hyperpolarization-activated depolarizing current (Ih), and inward rectification, as well as higher membrane resistance and greater synaptic glutamatergic release and excitatory drive, than those from control males, suggesting that female BNST neurons are more basally excited than those from males. Chronic alcohol drinking produced a shift in these measures in both sexes, decreasing current density, Ih, and inward rectification and increasing synaptic excitation. In addition, network activity-dependent synaptic inhibition was basally higher in BNST neurons of males than females, and alcohol exposure increased this in both sexes, a putative homeostatic mechanism to counter hyperexcitability. Altogether, these results suggest that the rhesus BNST is more basally excited in females than males and chronic alcohol drinking produces an overall increase in excitability and synaptic excitation. These results shed light on the mechanisms contributing to the female-biased susceptibility to neuropsychiatric diseases including co-expressed anxiety and alcohol use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen E. Pleil
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, USA
| | - Kathleen A. Grant
- Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR, 97006, USA
| | - Verginia C. Cuzon Carlson
- Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR, 97006, USA
| | - Thomas L. Kash
- Department of Pharmacology and Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, USA
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2
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Pleil KE, Grant KA, Carlson VCC, Kash TL. Chronic alcohol consumption alters sex-dependent BNST neuron function in rhesus macaques. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.11.589120. [PMID: 38659781 PMCID: PMC11042223 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.11.589120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Repeated alcohol drinking contributes to a number of neuropsychiatric diseases, including alcohol use disorder and co-expressed anxiety and mood disorders. Women are more susceptible to the development and expression of these diseases with the same history of alcohol exposure as men, suggesting they may be more sensitive to alcohol-induced plasticity in limbic brain regions controlling alcohol drinking, stress responsivity, and reward processing, among other behaviors. Using a translational model of alcohol drinking in rhesus monkeys, we examined sex differences in the basal function and plasticity of neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a brain region in the extended amygdala shown to be a hub circuit node dysregulated in individuals with anxiety and alcohol use disorder. We performed slice electrophysiology recordings from BNST neurons in male and female monkeys following daily "open access" (22 hr/day) to 4% ethanol and water for more than one year or control conditions. We found that BNST neurons from control females had reduced overall current density, hyperpolarization-activated depolarizing current (Ih), and inward rectification, as well as higher membrane resistance and greater synaptic glutamatergic release and excitatory drive, than those from control males, suggesting that female BNST neurons are more basally excited than those from males. Chronic alcohol drinking produced a shift in these measures in both sexes, decreasing current density, Ih, and inward rectification and increasing synaptic excitation. In addition, network activity-dependent synaptic inhibition was basally higher in BNST neurons of males than females, and alcohol exposure increased this in both sexes, a putative homeostatic mechanism to counter hyperexcitability. Altogether, these results suggest that the rhesus BNST is more basally excited in females than males and chronic alcohol drinking produces an overall increase in excitability and synaptic excitation. These results shed light on the mechanisms contributing to the female-biased susceptibility to neuropsychiatric diseases including co-expressed anxiety and alcohol use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen E. Pleil
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY 10065
- Department of Pharmacology and Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
| | - Kathleen A. Grant
- Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006
| | - Verginia C. Cuzon Carlson
- Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006
| | - Thomas L. Kash
- Department of Pharmacology and Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
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3
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Brown JA, Petersen N, Centanni SW, Jin AY, Yoon HJ, Cajigas SA, Bedenbaugh MN, Luchsinger JR, Patel S, Calipari ES, Simerly RB, Winder DG. An ensemble recruited by α 2a-adrenergic receptors is engaged in a stressor-specific manner in mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:1133-1143. [PMID: 36085168 PMCID: PMC10267140 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01442-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
α2a-adrenergic receptor (α2a-AR) agonists are candidate substance use disorder therapeutics due to their ability to recruit noradrenergic autoreceptors to dampen stress system engagement. However, we recently found that postsynaptic α2a-ARs are required for stress-induced reinstatement of cocaine-conditioned behavior. Understanding the ensembles recruited by these postsynaptic receptors (heteroceptors) is necessary to understand noradrenergic circuit control. We utilized a variety of approaches in FosTRAP (Targeted Recombination in Active Populations) mice to define an ensemble of cells activated by the α2a-AR partial agonist guanfacine ("Guansembles") in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST/BNST), a region key to stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. We define BNST "Guansembles" and show they differ from restraint stress-activated cells. Guanfacine produced inhibition of cAMP-dependent signaling in Guansembles, while chronic restraint stress increased cAMP-dependent signaling. Guanfacine both excited and inhibited aspects of Guansemble neuronal activity. Further, while some stressors produced overall reductions in Guansemble activity, active coping events during restraint stress and exposure to unexpected shocks were both associated with Guansemble recruitment. Using viral tracing, we define a BNST Guansemble afferent network that includes regions involved in the interplay of stress and homeostatic functions. Finally, we show that activation of Guansembles produces alterations in behavior on the elevated plus maze consistent with task-specific anxiety-like behavior. Overall, we define a population of BNST neurons recruited by α2a-AR signaling that opposes the behavioral action of canonical autoreceptor α2a-AR populations and which are differentially recruited by distinct stressors. Moreover, we demonstrate stressor-specific physiological responses in a specific neuronal population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan A Brown
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Nicholas Petersen
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Samuel W Centanni
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Allie Y Jin
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Hye Jean Yoon
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Stephanie A Cajigas
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Michelle N Bedenbaugh
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Joseph R Luchsinger
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Sachin Patel
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Erin S Calipari
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Richard B Simerly
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Danny G Winder
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
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4
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Halladay LR, Herron SM. Lasting impact of postnatal maternal separation on the developing BNST: Lifelong socioemotional consequences. Neuropharmacology 2023; 225:109404. [PMID: 36572178 PMCID: PMC9926961 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Nearly one percent of children in the US experience childhood neglect or abuse, which can incite lifelong emotional and behavioral disorders. Many studies investigating the neural underpinnings of maleffects inflicted by early life stress have largely focused on dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Newer veins of evidence suggest that exposure to early life stressors can interrupt neural development in extrahypothalamic areas as well, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). One widely used approach in this area is rodent maternal separation (MS), which typically consists of separating pups from the dam for extended periods of time, over several days during the first weeks of postnatal life - a time when pups are highly dependent on maternal care for survival. MS has been shown to incite myriad lasting effects not limited to increased anxiety-like behavior, hyper-responsiveness to stressors, and social behavior deficits. The behavioral effects of MS are widespread and thus unlikely to be limited to hypothalamic mechanisms. Recent work has highlighted the BNST as a critical arbiter of some of the consequences of MS, especially socioemotional behavioral deficits. The BNST is a well-documented modulator of anxiety, reward, and social behavior by way of its connections with hypothalamic and extra-hypothalamic systems. Moreover, during the postnatal period when MS is typically administered, the BNST undergoes critical neural developmental events. This review highlights evidence that MS interferes with neural development to permanently alter BNST circuitry, which may account for a variety of behavioral deficits seen following early life stress. This article is part of the Special Issue on 'Fear, Anxiety and PTSD'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay R Halladay
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA, 95053, USA.
| | - Steven M Herron
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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5
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Ashtari-Tavandashti T, Zendehdel M, Rahnema M, Hassanpour S, Asle-Rousta M. Possible interaction of central noradrenergic, serotoninergic and oxytocin systems with nesfatin-1 induced hypophagia and feeding behavior in newborn broiler. Peptides 2022; 153:170803. [PMID: 35490830 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2022.170803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
There are some differences between mammals and birds in terms of central food intake regulation. In avian species, the hypophagic role of nesfatin-1 has not been investigated with other neurotransmitters. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the alteration of feeding behavior following intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of nesfatin-1 and its possible interaction with central noradrenergic, serotoninergic, and oxytocin systems in newborn broiler chicks. In experiment 1, birds received ICV injection of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), prazosin (α1 receptors antagonist, 10 nmol), nesfatin-1 (40 ng), and co-administration of prazosin and nesfatin-1. Experiments 2-10 were similar to experiment 1, except that yohimbine (α2 receptors antagonist, 13 nmol), metoprolol (β1 receptors antagonist, 24 nmol), IC1118,551 (β2 receptors antagonist for, 5nmol), SR59230R (β3 receptors antagonist, 20 nmol), fluoxetine (serotonin reuptake inhibitor, 10 µg), PCPA (serotonin synthesis inhibitor, 1.5 µg), 8-OH-DPAT (5-HT1A receptors agonist, 15.25 nmol), SB242084 (5-HT2C receptors antagonist,1.5 µg) and tocinoic acid (oxytocin receptors antagonist, 2 µg) were injected instead of prazosin. Immediately after the injection, food consumption and behavioral traits were recorded. Nesfatin-1 decreased food consumption (P < 0.05). Nesfatin-1 along with ICI118551 decreased food consumption (P < 0.05). The nesfatin-1- induced hypophagia were reduced by the simultaneous injection of PCPA and nesfatin-1 (P < 0.05). Nesfatin-1induced hypophagia were decreased by the simultaneous injection of SB242084 (P < 0.05). The nesfatin-1 -induced hypophagia were abolished by the simultaneous injection of the tocinoic acid and nesfatin-1 (P < 0.05). ICV injection of the nesfatin-1 decreased the number of steps, jumps, exploratory food, and pecks (P < 0.05) with no effect on drink pecks (P > 0.05). Nesfatin-1 significantly decreased standing time and increased both sitting time and rest time (P < 0.05). Nesfatin-1 could play an important role in feeding behavior, and its hypophagic effects were mediated by β2 adrenergic, 5-HT2C serotoninergic, and oxytocin receptors in neonatal chickens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Morteza Zendehdel
- Division of Physiology, Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, 14155-6453 Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mehdi Rahnema
- Department of Physiology, Zanjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Shahin Hassanpour
- Division of Physiology, Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
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6
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Mineur YS, Garcia-Rivas V, Thomas MA, Soares AR, McKee SA, Picciotto MR. Sex differences in stress-induced alcohol intake: a review of preclinical studies focused on amygdala and inflammatory pathways. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:2041-2061. [PMID: 35359158 PMCID: PMC9704113 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06120-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Clinical studies suggest that women are more likely than men to relapse to alcohol drinking in response to stress; however, the mechanisms underlying this sex difference are not well understood. A number of preclinical behavioral models have been used to study stress-induced alcohol intake. Here, we review paradigms used to study effects of stress on alcohol intake in rodents, focusing on findings relevant to sex differences. To date, studies of sex differences in stress-induced alcohol drinking have been somewhat limited; however, there is evidence that amygdala-centered circuits contribute to effects of stress on alcohol seeking. In addition, we present an overview of inflammatory pathways leading to microglial activation that may contribute to alcohol-dependent behaviors. We propose that sex differences in neuronal function and inflammatory signaling in circuits centered on the amygdala are involved in sex-dependent effects on stress-induced alcohol seeking and suggest that this is an important area for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann S Mineur
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, 34 Park Street, 3Rd Floor Research, New Haven, CT, 06508, USA
| | - Vernon Garcia-Rivas
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, 34 Park Street, 3Rd Floor Research, New Haven, CT, 06508, USA
| | - Merrilee A Thomas
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, 34 Park Street, 3Rd Floor Research, New Haven, CT, 06508, USA
| | - Alexa R Soares
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, 34 Park Street, 3Rd Floor Research, New Haven, CT, 06508, USA
- Yale Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sherry A McKee
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, 34 Park Street, 3Rd Floor Research, New Haven, CT, 06508, USA
| | - Marina R Picciotto
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, 34 Park Street, 3Rd Floor Research, New Haven, CT, 06508, USA.
- Yale Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, New Haven, CT, USA.
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7
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Ortiz-Juza MM, Alghorazi RA, Rodriguez-Romaguera J. Cell-type diversity in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis to regulate motivated behaviors. Behav Brain Res 2021; 411:113401. [PMID: 34090941 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2021] [Revised: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Over the past few decades, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) gained popularity as a unique brain region involved in regulating motivated behaviors related to neuropsychiatric disorders. The BNST, a component of the extended amygdala, consists of a variety of subnuclei and neuronal ensembles. Multiple studies have highlighted the BNST as playing a fundamental role in integrating information by interfacing with other brain regions to regulate distinct aspects of motivated behaviors associated with stress, anxiety, depression, and decision-making. However, due to the high molecular heterogeneity found within BNST neurons, the precise mechanisms by which this region regulates distinct motivational states remains largely unclear. Single-cell RNA sequencing data have revealed that the BNST consists of multiple genetically identifiable cell-type clusters. Contemporary tools can therefore be leveraged to target and study such cell-types and elucidate their precise functional role. In this review, we discuss the different subsets of neurons found in the BNST, their anatomical distribution, and what is currently known about BNST cell-types in regulating motivated behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria M Ortiz-Juza
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Rizk A Alghorazi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Jose Rodriguez-Romaguera
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Carolina Institute for Developmental Disorders, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Carolina Stress Initiative, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
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8
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Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) modulates dependence-induced alcohol drinking and anxiety-like behavior in male rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:509-518. [PMID: 33191400 PMCID: PMC8027820 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00904-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a devastating illness defined by periods of heavy drinking and withdrawal, often leading to a chronic relapsing course. Initially, alcohol is consumed for its positive reinforcing effects, but later stages of AUD are characterized by drinking to alleviate withdrawal-induced negative emotional states. Brain stress response systems in the extended amygdala are recruited by excessive alcohol intake, sensitized by repeated withdrawal, and contribute to the development of addiction. In this study, we investigated one such brain stress response system, pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), and its cognate receptor, PAC1R, in alcohol withdrawal-induced behaviors. During acute withdrawal, rats exposed to chronic intermittent ethanol vapor (ethanol-dependent) displayed a significant increase in PACAP levels in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a brain area within the extended amygdala critically involved in both stress and withdrawal. No changes in PACAP levels were observed in the central nucleus of the amygdala. Site-specific microinfusion of the PAC1R antagonist PACAP(6-38) into the BNST dose-dependently blocked excessive alcohol intake in ethanol-dependent rats without affecting water intake overall or basal ethanol intake in control, nondependent rats. Intra-BNST PACAP(6-38) also reversed ethanol withdrawal-induced anxiety-like behavior in ethanol-dependent rats, but did not affect this measure in control rats. Our findings show that chronic intermittent exposure to ethanol recruits the PACAP/PAC1R system of the BNST and that these neuroadaptations mediate the heightened alcohol drinking and anxiety-like behavior observed during withdrawal, suggesting that this system represents a major brain stress element responsible for the negative reinforcement associated with the "dark side" of alcohol addiction.
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9
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Rodriguez-Romaguera J, Ung RL, Nomura H, Otis JM, Basiri ML, Namboodiri VM, Zhu X, Robinson JE, van den Munkhof HE, McHenry JA, Eckman LE, Kosyk O, Jhou TC, Kash TL, Bruchas MR, Stuber GD. Prepronociceptin-Expressing Neurons in the Extended Amygdala Encode and Promote Rapid Arousal Responses to Motivationally Salient Stimuli. Cell Rep 2020; 33:108362. [PMID: 33176134 PMCID: PMC8136285 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Revised: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Motivational states consist of cognitive, emotional, and physiological components controlled by multiple brain regions. An integral component of this neural circuitry is the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Here, we identify that neurons within BNST that express the gene prepronociceptin (PnocBNST) modulate rapid changes in physiological arousal that occur upon exposure to motivationally salient stimuli. Using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging, we find that PnocBNST neuronal responses directly correspond with rapid increases in pupillary size when mice are exposed to aversive and rewarding odors. Furthermore, optogenetic activation of these neurons increases pupillary size and anxiety-like behaviors but does not induce approach, avoidance, or locomotion. These findings suggest that excitatory responses in PnocBNST neurons encode rapid arousal responses that modulate anxiety states. Further histological, electrophysiological, and single-cell RNA sequencing data reveal that PnocBNST neurons are composed of genetically and anatomically identifiable subpopulations that may differentially tune rapid arousal responses to motivational stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Rodriguez-Romaguera
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Randall L. Ung
- Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Hiroshi Nomura
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - James M. Otis
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Marcus L. Basiri
- Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Vijay M.K. Namboodiri
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Xueqi Zhu
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - J. Elliott Robinson
- Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Hanna E. van den Munkhof
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Jenna A. McHenry
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Louisa E.H. Eckman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Oksana Kosyk
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Thomas C. Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Thomas L. Kash
- Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Michael R. Bruchas
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University Pain Center, Department of Neuroscience, Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences; and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Garret D. Stuber
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Correspondence:
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10
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Hwa LS, Neira S, Flanigan ME, Stanhope CM, Pina MM, Pati D, Hon OJ, Yu W, Kokush E, Calloway R, Boyt K, Kash TL. Alcohol drinking alters stress response to predator odor via BNST kappa opioid receptor signaling in male mice. eLife 2020; 9:e59709. [PMID: 32692311 PMCID: PMC7440917 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Maladaptive responses to stress are a hallmark of alcohol use disorder, but the mechanisms that underlie this are not well characterized. Here, we show that kappa opioid receptor signaling in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a critical molecular substrate underlying abnormal stress responses to predator odor following heavy alcohol drinking. Exposure to predator odor during protracted withdrawal from intermittent alcohol drinking resulted in enhanced prefrontal cortex (PFC)-driven excitation of prodynorphin-containing neurons in the BNST. Furthermore, deletion of prodynorphin in the BNST and chemogenetic inhibition of the PFC-BNST pathway restored abnormal responses to predator odor in alcohol-exposed mice. These findings suggest that increased corticolimbic drive may promote abnormal stress behavioral responses to predator odor during protracted withdrawal. Various nodes of this PFC-BNST dynorphin-related circuit may serve as potential targets for potential therapeutic mediation as well as biomarkers of negative responses to stress following heavy alcohol drinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara S Hwa
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Sofia Neira
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Meghan E Flanigan
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Christina M Stanhope
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Melanie M Pina
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Dipanwita Pati
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Olivia J Hon
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Waylin Yu
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Emily Kokush
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Rachel Calloway
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Kristen Boyt
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Thomas L Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
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11
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Salimando GJ, Hyun M, Boyt KM, Winder DG. BNST GluN2D-Containing NMDA Receptors Influence Anxiety- and Depressive-like Behaviors and ModulateCell-Specific Excitatory/Inhibitory Synaptic Balance. J Neurosci 2020; 40:3949-3968. [PMID: 32277042 PMCID: PMC7219300 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0270-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Excitatory signaling mediated by NMDARs has been shown to regulate mood disorders. However, current treatments targeting NMDAR subtypes have shown limited success in treating patients, highlighting a need for alternative therapeutic targets. Here, we identify a role for GluN2D-containing NMDARs in modulating emotional behaviors and neural activity in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Using a GluN2D KO mouse line (GluN2D-/-), we assessed behavioral phenotypes across tasks modeling emotional behavior. We then used a combination of ex vivo electrophysiology and in vivo fiber photometry to assess changes in BNST plasticity, cell-specific physiology, and cellular activity profiles. GluN2D-/- male mice exhibit evidence of exacerbated negative emotional behavior, and a deficit in BNST synaptic potentiation. We also found that GluN2D is functionally expressed on corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)-positive BNST cells implicated in driving negative emotional states, and recordings in mice of both sexes revealed increased excitatory and reduced inhibitory drive onto GluN2D-/- BNST-CRF cells ex vivo and increased activity in vivo Using a GluN2D conditional KO line (GluN2Dflx/flx) to selectively delete the subunit from the BNST, we find that BNST-GluN2Dflx/flx male mice exhibit increased depressive-like behaviors, as well as altered NMDAR function and increased excitatory drive onto BNST-CRF neurons. Together, this study supports a role for GluN2D-NMDARs in regulating emotional behavior through their influence on excitatory signaling in a region-specific manner, and suggests that these NMDARs may serve as a novel target for selectively modulating glutamate signaling in stress-responsive structures and cell populations.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Excitatory signaling mediated through NMDARs plays an important role in shaping emotional behavior; however, the receptor subtypes/brain regions through which this occurs are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that loss of GluN2D-containing NMDARs produces an increase in anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in mice, deficits in BNST synaptic potentiation, and increased activity in BNST-CRF neurons known to drive negative emotional behavior. Further, we determine that deleting GluN2D in the BNST leads to increased depressive-like behaviors and increased excitatory drive onto BNST-CRF cells. Collectively, these results demonstrate a role for GluN2D-NMDARs in regulating the activity of stress-responsive structures and neuronal populations in the adult brain, suggesting them as a potential target for treating negative emotional states in mood-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory J Salimando
- Department of Molecular Physics & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, 37212
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, 37212
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Nashville, Tennessee, 37203
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, 37232
| | - Minsuk Hyun
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115
| | - Kristen M Boyt
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599
| | - Danny G Winder
- Department of Molecular Physics & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, 37212
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, 37212
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Nashville, Tennessee, 37203
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, 37232
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, 37212
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, 37212
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12
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Luster BR, Cogan ES, Schmidt KT, Pati D, Pina MM, Dange K, McElligott ZA. Inhibitory transmission in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in male and female mice following morphine withdrawal. Addict Biol 2020; 25:e12748. [PMID: 30963693 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Revised: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The United States is experiencing an opioid crisis imposing enormous fiscal and societal costs and driving the staggering overdose death rate. While prescription opioid analgesics are essential for treating acute pain, cessation of use in individuals with a physical dependence induces an aversive withdrawal syndrome that promotes continued drug use to alleviate/avoid these symptoms. Additionally, repeated bouts of withdrawal often lead to an increased propensity for relapse. Understanding the neurobiology underlying withdrawal is essential for providing novel treatment options to alleviate physiological and affective components accompanying the cessation of opiate use. Here, we administered morphine and precipitated withdrawal with naloxone to investigate behavioral and cellular responses in C57BL/6J male and female mice. Following 3 days of administration, both male and female mice demonstrated sensitized withdrawal symptoms. Since the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) plays a role in mediating withdrawal-associated behaviors, we examined plastic changes in inhibitory synaptic transmission within this structure 24 hours following the final precipitated withdrawal. In male mice, morphine withdrawal increased spontaneous GABAergic signaling compared with controls. In contrast, morphine withdrawal decreased spontaneous GABAergic signaling in female mice. Intriguingly, these opposing GABAergic effects were contingent upon activity-dependent dynamics within the ex vivo slice. Our findings suggest that male and female mice exhibit some divergent cellular responses in the BNST following morphine withdrawal, and alterations in BNST inhibitory signaling may contribute to the expression of behaviors following opioid withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brennon R. Luster
- Bowles Center for Alcohol StudiesUNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine Chapel Hill NC USA
- Department of PsychiatryUNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine Chapel Hill NC USA
| | - Elizabeth S. Cogan
- Bowles Center for Alcohol StudiesUNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine Chapel Hill NC USA
| | - Karl T. Schmidt
- Bowles Center for Alcohol StudiesUNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine Chapel Hill NC USA
| | - Dipanwita Pati
- Bowles Center for Alcohol StudiesUNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine Chapel Hill NC USA
- Department of PharmacologyUNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine Chapel Hill NC USA
| | - Melanie M. Pina
- Bowles Center for Alcohol StudiesUNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine Chapel Hill NC USA
- Department of PharmacologyUNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine Chapel Hill NC USA
| | - Kedar Dange
- Bowles Center for Alcohol StudiesUNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine Chapel Hill NC USA
| | - Zoé A. McElligott
- Bowles Center for Alcohol StudiesUNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine Chapel Hill NC USA
- Department of PsychiatryUNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine Chapel Hill NC USA
- Department of PharmacologyUNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine Chapel Hill NC USA
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13
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Neurotensin in reward processes. Neuropharmacology 2020; 167:108005. [PMID: 32057800 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Neurotensin (NTS) is a neuropeptide neurotransmitter expressed in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Many studies over the years have revealed a number of roles for this neuropeptide in body temperature regulation, feeding, analgesia, ethanol sensitivity, psychosis, substance use, and pain. This review provides a general survey of the role of neurotensin with a focus on modalities that we believe to be particularly relevant to the study of reward. We focus on NTS signaling in the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, lateral hypothalamus, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and central amygdala. Studies on the role of NTS outside of the ventral tegmental area are still in their relative infancy, yet they reveal a complex role for neurotensinergic signaling in reward-related behaviors that merits further study. This article is part of the special issue on 'Neuropeptides'.
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Ethanol-induced conditioned place preference and aversion differentially alter plasticity in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:1843-1854. [PMID: 30795004 PMCID: PMC6785142 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0349-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Revised: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Contextual cues associated with drugs of abuse, such as ethanol, can trigger craving and drug-seeking behavior. Pavlovian procedures, such as place conditioning, have been widely used to study the rewarding/aversive properties of drugs and the association between environmental cues and drug seeking. Previous research has shown that ethanol as an unconditioned stimulus can induce a strong conditioned place preference (CPP) or aversion (CPA) in rodents. However, the neural mechanisms underlying ethanol-induced reward and aversion have not been thoroughly investigated. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), an integral part of the extended amygdala, is engaged by both rewarding and aversive stimuli and plays a role in ethanol-seeking behavior. Here, we used ex-vivo slice physiology to probe learning-induced synaptic plasticity in the BNST following ethanol-induced CPP and CPA. Male DBA/2 J mice (2-3 months old) were conditioned using previously reported ethanol-induced CPP/CPA procedures. Ethanol-induced CPP was associated with increased neuronal excitability in the ventral BNST (vBNST). Conversely, ethanol-induced CPA resulted in a significant decrease in spontaneous glutamatergic transmission without alterations in GABAergic signaling. Ethanol-CPA also led to a significant increase in the paired-pulse ratio at excitatory synapses, suggestive of a decrease in presynaptic glutamate release. Collectively, these data demonstrate that the vBNST is involved in the modulation of contextual learning associated with both the rewarding and the aversive properties of ethanol in mice.
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15
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Pati D, Marcinkiewcz CA, DiBerto JF, Cogan ES, McElligott ZA, Kash TL. Chronic intermittent ethanol exposure dysregulates a GABAergic microcircuit in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Neuropharmacology 2019; 168:107759. [PMID: 31494142 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.107759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Neuroadaptations in brain regions that regulate emotional and reward-seeking behaviors have been suggested to contribute to pathological behaviors associated with alcohol-use disorder. One such region is the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), which has been linked to both alcohol consumption and alcohol withdrawal-induced anxiety and depression. Recently, we identified a GABAergic microcircuit in the BNST that regulates anxiety-like behavior. In the present study, we examined how chronic alcohol exposure alters this BNST GABAergic microcircuit in mice. We selectively targeted neurons expressing corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) using a CRF-reporter mouse line and combined retrograde labeling to identify BNST projections to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and lateral hypothalamus (LH). Following 72 h of withdrawal from four weekly cycles of chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) vapor exposure, the excitability of a sub-population of putative local CRF neurons that did not project to either VTA or LH (CRFnon-VTA/LH neurons) was increased. Withdrawal from CIE also increased excitability of non-CRF BNST neurons that project to both LH and VTA (BNSTnon-CRF-proj neurons). Furthermore, both populations of neurons had a reduction in spontaneous EPSC amplitude while frequency was unaltered. Withdrawal from chronic alcohol was accompanied by a significant increase in spontaneous IPSC frequency selectively in the BNSTnon-CRF-proj neurons. Together, these data suggest that withdrawal from chronic ethanol dysregulates local CRF-GABAergic microcircuit to inhibit anxiolytic outputs of the BNST which may contribute to enhanced anxiety during alcohol withdrawal and drive alcohol-seeking behavior. This article is part of the special issue on 'Neuropeptides'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipanwita Pati
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Thurston Bowles Building 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Catherine A Marcinkiewcz
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Thurston Bowles Building 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Jeffrey F DiBerto
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 2751, USA
| | - Elizabeth S Cogan
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Thurston Bowles Building 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Zoe A McElligott
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Thurston Bowles Building 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Thomas L Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Thurston Bowles Building 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 2751, USA.
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16
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Campbell RR, Domingo RD, Williams AR, Wroten MG, McGregor HA, Waltermire RS, Greentree DI, Goulding SP, Thompson AB, Lee KM, Quadir SG, Jimenez Chavez CL, Coelho MA, Gould AT, von Jonquieres G, Klugmann M, Worley PF, Kippin TE, Szumlinski KK. Increased Alcohol-Drinking Induced by Manipulations of mGlu5 Phosphorylation within the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis. J Neurosci 2019; 39:2745-2761. [PMID: 30737312 PMCID: PMC6445984 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1909-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is part of the limbic-hypothalamic system important for behavioral responses to stress, and glutamate transmission within this region has been implicated in the neurobiology of alcoholism. Herein, we used a combination of immunoblotting, neuropharmacological and transgenic procedures to investigate the role for metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGlu5) signaling within the BNST in excessive drinking. We discovered that mGlu5 signaling in the BNST is linked to excessive alcohol consumption in a manner distinct from behavioral or neuropharmacological endophenotypes that have been previously implicated as triggers for heavy drinking. Our studies demonstrate that, in male mice, a history of chronic binge alcohol-drinking elevates BNST levels of the mGlu5-scaffolding protein Homer2 and activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in an adaptive response to limit alcohol consumption. Male and female transgenic mice expressing a point mutation of mGlu5 that cannot be phosphorylated by ERK exhibit excessive alcohol-drinking, despite greater behavioral signs of alcohol intoxication and reduced anxiety, and are insensitive to local manipulations of signaling in the BNST. These transgenic mice also show selective insensitivity to alcohol-aversion and increased novelty-seeking, which may be relevant to excessive drinking. Further, the insensitivity to alcohol-aversion exhibited by male mice can be mimicked by the local inhibition of ERK signaling within the BNST. Our findings elucidate a novel mGluR5-linked signaling state within BNST that plays a central and unanticipated role in excessive alcohol consumption.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is part of the limbic-hypothalamic system important for behavioral responses to stress and alcohol, and glutamate transmission within BNST is implicated in the neurobiology of alcoholism. The present study provides evidence that a history of excessive alcohol drinking increases signaling through the metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGlu5) receptor within the BNST in an adaptive response to limit alcohol consumption. In particular, disruption of mGlu5 phosphorylation by extracellular signal-regulated kinase within this brain region induces excessive alcohol-drinking, which reflects a selective insensitivity to the aversive properties of alcohol intoxication. These data indicate that a specific signaling state of mGlu5 within BNST plays a central and unanticipated role in excessive alcohol consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rianne R Campbell
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660
| | - Racquel D Domingo
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660
| | - Amy R Williams
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660
| | - Melissa G Wroten
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660
| | - Hadley A McGregor
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660
| | - Ryan S Waltermire
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660
| | - Daniel I Greentree
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660
| | - Scott P Goulding
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660
| | - Andrew B Thompson
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660
| | - Kaziya M Lee
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660
| | - Sema G Quadir
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660
| | - C Leonardo Jimenez Chavez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660
| | - Michal A Coelho
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660
| | - Adam T Gould
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660
| | - Georg von Jonquieres
- Translational Neuroscience Facility, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, New South Wales 2052, Australia, and
| | - Matthias Klugmann
- Translational Neuroscience Facility, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, New South Wales 2052, Australia, and
| | - Paul F Worley
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
| | - Tod E Kippin
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660
| | - Karen K Szumlinski
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660,
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17
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Harris NA, Winder DG. Synaptic Plasticity in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis: Underlying Mechanisms and Potential Ramifications for Reinstatement of Drug- and Alcohol-Seeking Behaviors. ACS Chem Neurosci 2018; 9:2173-2187. [PMID: 29851347 PMCID: PMC6146063 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a component of the extended amygdala that shows significant changes in activity and plasticity through chronic exposure to drugs and stress. The region is critical for stress- and cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behaviors and is thus a candidate region for the plastic changes that occur in abstinence that prime addicted patients for reinstatement behaviors. Here, we discuss the various forms of long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) in the rodent BNST and highlight the way that these changes in excitatory transmission interact with exposure to alcohol and other drugs of abuse, as well as other stressors. In addition, we highlight potential areas for future research in this area, including investigating input- and cell-specific bidirectional changes in activity. As we continue to accrue foundational knowledge in the mechanisms and effects of plasticity in the BNST, molecular targets and treatment strategies that are relevant to reinstatement behaviors will also begin to emerge. Here, we briefly discuss the effects of catecholamine receptor modulators on synaptic plasticity in the BNST due to the role of norepinephrine in LTD and dopamine on the short-term component of LTP as well as the role that signaling at these receptors plays in reinstatement of drug- and alcohol-seeking behaviors. We hope that insights gained on the specific changes in plasticity that occur within the BNST during abstinence from alcohol and other drugs of abuse will provide insight into the biological underpinnings of relapse behavior in human addicts and inform future treatment modalities for addiction that tackle this complex biological problem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A. Harris
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
| | - Danny G. Winder
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
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18
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Albrechet-Souza L, Viola TW, Grassi-Oliveira R, Miczek KA, de Almeida RMM. Corticotropin Releasing Factor in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis in Socially Defeated and Non-stressed Mice with a History of Chronic Alcohol Intake. Front Pharmacol 2017; 8:762. [PMID: 29118713 PMCID: PMC5660971 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress exposure has been identified as one risk factor for alcohol abuse that may facilitate the transition from social or regulated use to the development of alcohol dependence. Preclinical studies have shown that dysregulation of the corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) neurotransmission has been implicated in stress-related psychopathologies such as depression and anxiety, and may affect alcohol consumption. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) contains CRF-producing neurons which seem to be sensitive to stress. In this study, adult male C57BL/6 mice previously defeated in resident-intruder confrontations were evaluated in the elevated plus-maze and tail suspension test. Mice were also tested for sweet solution intake before and after social stress. After having had continuous access to ethanol (20% weight/volume) for 4 weeks, control and stressed mice had CRF type 1 (CRFR1) or type 2 (CRFR2) receptor antagonists infused into the BNST and then had access to ethanol for 24 h. In separate cohorts of control and stressed mice, we assessed mRNA levels of BNST CRF, CRFR1 and CRFR2. Stressed mice increased their intake of sweet solution after ten sessions of social defeat and showed reduced activity in the open arms of the elevated plus-maze. When tested for ethanol consumption, stressed mice persistently drank significantly more than controls during the 4 weeks of access. Also, social stress induced higher BNST CRF mRNA levels. The selective blockade of BNST CRFR1 with CP376,395 effectively reduced alcohol drinking in non-stressed mice, whereas the selective CRFR2 antagonist astressin2B produced a dose-dependent increase in ethanol consumption in both non-stressed controls and stressed mice. The 10-day episodic defeat stress used here elicited anxiety- but not depressive-like behaviors, and promoted an increase in ethanol drinking. CRF-CRFR1 signaling in the BNST seems to underlie ethanol intake in non-stressed mice, whereas CRFR2 modulates alcohol consumption in both socially defeated and non-stressed mice with a history of chronic intake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Albrechet-Souza
- Institute of Psychology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Thiago W Viola
- Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab (DCNL) and Brain Institute (InsCer), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Grassi-Oliveira
- Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab (DCNL) and Brain Institute (InsCer), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Klaus A Miczek
- Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
| | - Rosa M M de Almeida
- Institute of Psychology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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19
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Roberto M, Spierling SR, Kirson D, Zorrilla EP. Corticotropin-Releasing Factor (CRF) and Addictive Behaviors. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2017; 136:5-51. [PMID: 29056155 PMCID: PMC6155477 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2017.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Drug addiction is a complex disorder that is characterized by compulsivity to seek and take the drug, loss of control in limiting intake of the drug, and emergence of a withdrawal syndrome in the absence of the drug. The transition from casual drug use to dependence is mediated by changes in reward and brain stress functions and has been linked to a shift from positive reinforcement to negative reinforcement. The recruitment of brain stress systems mediates the negative emotional state produced by dependence that drives drug seeking through negative reinforcement mechanisms, defined as the "dark side" of addiction. In this chapter we focus on behavioral and cellular neuropharmacological studies that have implicated brain stress systems (i.e., corticotropin-releasing factor [CRF]) in the transition to addiction and the predominant brain regions involved. We also discuss the implication of CRF recruitment in compulsive eating disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisa Roberto
- The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States.
| | | | - Dean Kirson
- The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
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20
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Gonzáles MA, Miranda AP, Orrego H, Silva R, Forray MI. Enduring attenuation of norepinephrine synaptic availability and augmentation of the pharmacological and behavioral effects of desipramine by repeated immobilization stress. Neuropharmacology 2017; 117:249-259. [PMID: 28232061 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2016] [Revised: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Here we provide evidence that repeated immobilization stress (RIS) in rats induces a persistent increase in noradrenergic activity in the anterior aspects of the anterolateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (alBNST). This increase in noradrenergic activity results from both enhanced synthesis and reuptake of norepinephrine (NE). It leads to a decrease in the synaptic availability of NE, which elicits an augmented noradrenergic response to the inhibitors of NE reuptake (NRIs), such as desipramine (DMI), an antidepressant. The enduring depression-like behavior and the augmentation of the climbing behavior seen in repeatedly stressed rats following subchronic administration of DMI in the forced swimming test (FST) might be explained by a dysregulation of noradrenergic transmission observed in alBNST. Taken together, we propose that dysregulation of noradrenergic transmission such as the one described in the present work may represent a mechanism underlying major depressive disorders (MDD) with melancholic features in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco A Gonzáles
- Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Química, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ana Pamela Miranda
- Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Química, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Horacio Orrego
- Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Química, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodolfo Silva
- Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Química, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - María Inés Forray
- Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Química, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
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Hott SC, Gomes FV, Uliana DL, Vale GT, Tirapelli CR, Resstel LB. Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis NMDA receptors and nitric oxide modulate contextual fear conditioning in rats. Neuropharmacology 2017; 112:135-143. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2015] [Revised: 05/22/2016] [Accepted: 05/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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Pleil KE, Helms CM, Sobus JR, Daunais JB, Grant KA, Kash TL. Effects of chronic alcohol consumption on neuronal function in the non-human primate BNST. Addict Biol 2016. [PMID: 26223349 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function contribute to many of the adverse behavioral effects of chronic voluntary alcohol drinking, including alcohol dependence and mood disorders; limbic brain structures such as the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) may be key sites for these effects. Here, we measured circulating levels of several steroid hormones and performed whole-cell electrophysiological recordings from acutely prepared BNST slices of male rhesus monkeys allowed to self-administer alcohol for 12 months or a control solution. Initial comparisons revealed that BNST neurons in alcohol-drinking monkeys had decreased membrane resistance, increased frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) with no change in spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs). We then used a combined variable cluster analysis and linear mixed model statistical approach to determine whether specific factors including stress and sex hormones, age and measures of alcohol consumption and intoxication are related to these BNST measures. Modeling results showed that specific measures of alcohol consumption and stress-related hormone levels predicted differences in membrane conductance in BNST neurons. Distinct groups of adrenal stress hormones were negatively associated with the frequency of sIPSCs and sEPSCs, and alcohol drinking measures and basal neuronal membrane properties were additional positive predictors of inhibitory, but not excitatory, PSCs. The amplitude of sEPSCs was highly positively correlated with age, independent of other variables. Together, these results suggest that chronic voluntary alcohol consumption strongly influences limbic function in non-human primates, potentially via interactions with or modulation by other physiological variables, including stress steroid hormones and age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen E. Pleil
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies & Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Chapel Hill NC USA
| | - Christa M. Helms
- Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center; Oregon Health & Science University; Beaverton OR USA
| | - Jon R. Sobus
- Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division, National Exposure Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Research Triangle Park NC USA
| | - James B. Daunais
- Department of Physiology & Pharmacology; Wake Forest School of Medicine; Winston-Salem NC USA
| | - Kathleen A. Grant
- Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center; Oregon Health & Science University; Beaverton OR USA
| | - Thomas L. Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies & Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Chapel Hill NC USA
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Cadeddu R, Jadzic D, Carboni E. Ketamine modulates catecholamine transmission in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis: The possible role of this region in the antidepressant effects of ketamine. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2016; 26:1678-82. [PMID: 27569123 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2016.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Revised: 07/26/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Since the therapeutic treatment of depression is far from being satisfactory, new therapeutic strategies ought to be pursued. In addition, further investigation on brain areas involved in the action mechanism of antidepressants can shed light on the aetiology of depression. We have previously reported that typical and atypical antidepressants strongly stimulate catecholamine transmission in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST). In this study, we have built on that work to examine the effect of ketamine, an unusual antidepressant that can produce a fast-acting and long-lasting antidepressant effect after administration of a single sub-anaesthetic dose. Ketamine is an antagonist of the ionotropic N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor but can also act through its metabolite (2R-6R)-hydroxynorketamine. Using the microdialysis technique in freely moving rats, we monitored the acute effect of ketamine on catecholamine release in the BNST to gain clues to its prompt antidepressant effect. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with a microdialysis probe in the BNST and 48h later, were injected with ketamine (10, 20, and 40mg/kg, i.p.). Ketamine increased norepinephrine (127%, 155%, 186%) and dopamine (114%, 156%, 176%) extracellular concentration above basal in a time and dose dependent manner, without significantly modifying motility. Since the effect of ketamine, although lower, was not substantially different from that produced by classical antidepressants, we suggest that catecholamine increase in BNST is not likely to be related to a rapid ketamine antidepressant effect, though it might be related to its performance in predictive tests of antidepressant properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Cadeddu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09126 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Dragana Jadzic
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09126 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Ezio Carboni
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09126 Cagliari, Italy; Neuroscience Institute, Section of Cagliari, National Research Council of Italy - CNR, Cagliari, Italy
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Waraczynski M. Toward a systems-oriented approach to the role of the extended amygdala in adaptive responding. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 68:177-194. [PMID: 27216212 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Revised: 04/02/2016] [Accepted: 05/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Research into the structure and function of the basal forebrain macrostructure called the extended amygdala (EA) has recently seen considerable growth. This paper reviews that work, with the objectives of identifying underlying themes and developing a common goal towards which investigators of EA function might work. The paper begins with a brief review of the structure and the ontological and phylogenetic origins of the EA. It continues with a review of research into the role of the EA in both aversive and appetitive states, noting that these two seemingly disparate avenues of research converge on the concept of reinforcement - either negative or positive - of adaptive responding. These reviews lead to a proposal as to where the EA may fit in the organization of the basal forebrain, and an invitation to investigators to place their findings in a unifying conceptual framework of the EA as a collection of neural ensembles that mediate adaptive responding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meg Waraczynski
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 800 West Main Street, Whitewater, WI 53190, USA.
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Dwyer JB, Leslie FM. Adolescent Maturation of Dopamine D1 and D2 Receptor Function and Interactions in Rodents. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0146966. [PMID: 26784516 PMCID: PMC4718668 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by heightened vulnerability to illicit drug use and the onset of neuropsychiatric disorders. These clinical phenomena likely share common neurobiological substrates, as mesocorticolimbic dopamine systems actively mature during this period. Whereas prior studies have examined age-dependent changes in dopamine receptor binding, there have been fewer functional analyses. The aim of the present study was therefore to determine whether the functional consequences of D1 and D2-like activation are age-dependent. Adolescent and adult rats were given direct D1 and D2 agonists, alone and in combination. Locomotor and stereotypic behaviors were measured, and brains were collected for analysis of mRNA expression for the immediate early genes (IEGs), cfos and arc. Adolescents showed enhanced D2-like receptor control of locomotor and repetitive behaviors, which transitioned to dominant D1-like mechanisms in adulthood. When low doses of agonists were co-administered, adults showed supra-additive behavioral responses to D1/D2 combinations, whereas adolescents did not, which may suggest age differences in D1/D2 synergy. D1/D2-stimulated IEG expression was particularly prominent in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Given the BNST's function as an integrator of corticostriatal, hippocampal, and stress-related circuitry, and the importance of neural network dynamics in producing behavior, an exploratory functional network analysis of regional IEG expression was performed. This data-driven analysis demonstrated similar developmental trajectories as those described in humans and suggested that dopaminergic drugs alter forebrain coordinated gene expression age dependently. D1/D2 recruitment of stress nuclei into functional networks was associated with low behavioral output in adolescents. Network analysis presents a novel tool to assess pharmacological action, and highlights critical developmental changes in functional neural circuitry. Immature D1/D2 interactions in adolescents may underlie their unique responses to drugs of abuse and vulnerability to psychopathology. These data highlight the need for age-specific pharmacotherapy design and clinical application in adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer B. Dwyer
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Frances M. Leslie
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
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Gungor NZ, Yamamoto R, Paré D. Optogenetic study of the projections from the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis to the central amygdala. J Neurophysiol 2015; 114:2903-11. [PMID: 26400259 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00677.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been proposed that the central amygdala (CeA), particularly its medial sector (CeM), generates brief fear responses to discrete conditioned cues, whereas the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) promotes long-lasting, anxiety-like states in response to more diffuse contingencies. Although it is believed that BNST-CeA interactions determine the transition between short- and long-duration responses, the nature of these interactions remains unknown. To shed light on this question, we used a double viral strategy to drive the expression of channelrhodopsin (ChR2) in BNST cells that project to CeA. Next, using patch-clamp recordings in vitro, we investigated the connectivity of infected cells to noninfected cells in BNST and compared the influence of BNST axons on neurons in the medial and lateral (CeL) parts of CeA. CeA-projecting BNST cells were concentrated in the anterolateral (AL) and anteroventral (AV) sectors of BNST. Dense plexuses of BNST axons were observed throughout CeA. In CeA and BNST, light-evoked excitatory postsynaptic potentials accounted for a minority of responses (0-9% of tested cells); inhibition prevailed. The incidence of inhibitory responses was higher in CeM than in CeL (66% and 43% of tested cells, respectively). Within BNST, the connections from CeA-projecting to non-CeA-targeting cells varied as a function of the BNST sector: 50% vs. 9% of tested cells exhibited light-evoked responses in BNST-AL vs. BNST-AV, respectively. Overall, these results suggest that via its projection to CeA, BNST exerts an inhibitory influence over cued fear and that BNST neurons projecting to CeA form contrasting connections in different BNST subnuclei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nur Zeynep Gungor
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey
| | - Ryo Yamamoto
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey
| | - Denis Paré
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey
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Abstract
Brain endocannabinoid (eCB) signalling influences the motivation for natural rewards (such as palatable food, sexual activity and social interaction) and modulates the rewarding effects of addictive drugs. Pathological forms of natural and drug-induced reward are associated with dysregulated eCB signalling that may derive from pre-existing genetic factors or from prolonged drug exposure. Impaired eCB signalling contributes to dysregulated synaptic plasticity, increased stress responsivity, negative emotional states and cravings that propel addiction. Understanding the contributions of eCB disruptions to behavioural and physiological traits provides insight into the eCB influence on addiction vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loren H Parsons
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Yasmin L Hurd
- Friedman Brain Institute, Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York City, New York 10029, USA
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McHenry JA, Rubinow DR, Stuber GD. Maternally responsive neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and medial preoptic area: Putative circuits for regulating anxiety and reward. Front Neuroendocrinol 2015; 38:65-72. [PMID: 25910426 PMCID: PMC4853820 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2015.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2014] [Revised: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 04/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Postpartum neuropsychiatric disorders are a major source of morbidity and mortality and affect at least 10% of childbearing women. Affective dysregulation within this context has been identified in association with changes in reproductive steroids. Steroids promote maternal actions and modulate affect, but can also destabilize mood in some but not all women. Potential brain regions that mediate these effects include the medial preoptic area (mPOA) and ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (vBNST). Herein, we review the regulation of neural activity in the mPOA/vBNST by environmental and hormonal concomitants in puerperal females. Such activity may influence maternal anxiety and motivation and have significant implications for postpartum affective disorders. Future directions for research are also explored, including physiological circuit-level approaches to gain insight into the functional connectivity of hormone-responsive maternal circuits that modulate affect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna A McHenry
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States; Postdoctoral Training Program in Reproductive Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States
| | - David R Rubinow
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Garret D Stuber
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States; Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States; Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States.
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NPY signaling inhibits extended amygdala CRF neurons to suppress binge alcohol drinking. Nat Neurosci 2015; 18:545-52. [PMID: 25751534 PMCID: PMC4376619 DOI: 10.1038/nn.3972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2014] [Accepted: 02/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Binge alcohol drinking is a tremendous public health problem because it leads to the development of numerous pathologies, including alcohol abuse and anxiety. It is thought to do so by hijacking brain systems that regulate stress and reward, including neuropeptide Y (NPY) and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). The central actions of NPY and CRF have opposing functions in the regulation of emotional and reward-seeking behaviors; thus, dysfunctional interactions between these peptidergic systems could be involved in the development of these pathologies. We used converging physiological, pharmacological and chemogenetic approaches to identify a precise neural mechanism in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a limbic brain region involved in pathological reward and anxiety behaviors, underlying the interactions between NPY and CRF in the regulation of binge alcohol drinking in both mice and monkeys. We found that NPY Y1 receptor (Y1R) activation in the BNST suppressed binge alcohol drinking by enhancing inhibitory synaptic transmission specifically in CRF neurons via a previously unknown Gi-mediated, PKA-dependent postsynaptic mechanism. Furthermore, chronic alcohol drinking led to persistent alterations in Y1R function in the BNST of both mice and monkeys, highlighting the enduring, conserved nature of this effect across mammalian species. Together, these data provide both a cellular locus and signaling framework for the development of new therapeutics for treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases, including alcohol use disorders.
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Hubert GW, Muly EC. Distribution of AMPA receptor subunit glur1 in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and effect of stress. Synapse 2014; 68:194-201. [PMID: 24492926 DOI: 10.1002/syn.21729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2013] [Accepted: 12/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The brain circuitry thought to be involved in stress responses includes several nuclei of the extended amygdala. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is thought to be involved in the generation of sustained, nonspecific anxiety. Previous behavioral and electrophysiological experiments demonstrate that glutamate systems are involved in anxiety-like behaviors in the BNST. Antagonists for AMPA receptors injected into the BNST decrease anxiety-like behaviors. However, little is known about the role of AMPA receptors and the mechanism by which they act in the establishment of anxiety-like behavior in response to a stressor. We hypothesized that the distribution of AMPA receptors is changed following a paradigm of unpredictable footshock as has been seen in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). We examined the subcellular localization of the GluR1 subunits of the AMPA receptor. We found that the neuropil of the BNST had a lower density of dendritic spines compared to dendritic shafts in the BLA. The majority of elements immunolabeled for GluR1 were dendritic shafts and spines with axonal and glial elements rarely labeled. Compared with controls, no significant effect was observed on days 1, 6, or 14 poststress. However, there was a trend for an increase at 6 and 14 days poststress. These data demonstrate that GluR1 subunits are primarily located on postsynaptic elements in the BNST. Moreover, it was shown that the response of the AMPA GluR1 subunit does not undergo a significant migration into spines from dendrites in response to a stressor as has been demonstrated in the BLA.
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Affiliation(s)
- George W Hubert
- Department of Psychiatry, Atlanta Veteran's Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia
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Fentress HM, Klar R, Krueger JJ, Sabb T, Redmon SN, Wallace NM, Shirey-Rice JK, Hahn MK. Norepinephrine transporter heterozygous knockout mice exhibit altered transport and behavior. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2013; 12:749-59. [PMID: 24102798 PMCID: PMC3852905 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2013] [Revised: 07/26/2013] [Accepted: 09/06/2013] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The norepinephrine (NE) transporter (NET) regulates synaptic NE availability for noradrenergic signaling in the brain and sympathetic nervous system. Although genetic variation leading to a loss of NET expression has been implicated in psychiatric and cardiovascular disorders, complete NET deficiency has not been found in people, limiting the utility of NET knockout mice as a model for genetically driven NET dysfunction. Here, we investigate NET expression in NET heterozygous knockout male mice (NET(+/-) ), demonstrating that they display an approximately 50% reduction in NET protein levels. Surprisingly, these mice display no significant deficit in NET activity assessed in hippocampal and cortical synaptosomes. We found that this compensation in NET activity was due to enhanced activity of surface-resident transporters, as opposed to surface recruitment of NET protein or compensation through other transport mechanisms, including serotonin, dopamine or organic cation transporters. We hypothesize that loss of NET protein in the NET(+/-) mouse establishes an activated state of existing surface NET proteins. The NET(+/-) mice exhibit increased anxiety in the open field and light-dark box and display deficits in reversal learning in the Morris water maze. These data suggest that recovery of near basal activity in NET(+/-) mice appears to be insufficient to limit anxiety responses or support cognitive performance that might involve noradrenergic neurotransmission. The NET(+/-) mice represent a unique model to study the loss and resultant compensatory changes in NET that may be relevant to behavior and physiology in human NET deficiency disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- H M Fentress
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
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Karaismailoğlu S, Erdem A. The effects of prenatal sex steroid hormones on sexual differentiation of the brain. J Turk Ger Gynecol Assoc 2013; 14:163-7. [PMID: 24592097 DOI: 10.5152/jtgga.2013.86836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2013] [Accepted: 05/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Most of the anatomical, physiological and neurochemical gender-related differences in the brain occur prenatally. The sexual differences in the brain are affected by sex steroid hormones, which play important roles in the differentiation of neuroendocrine system and behavior. Testosterone, estrogen and dihydrotestosterone are the main steroid hormones responsible for the organization and sexual differentiation of brain structures during early development. The structural and behavioral differences in the female and male brains are observed in many animal species; however, these differences are variable between species. Animal and human (in vivo imaging and postmortem) studies on sex differences in the brain have shown many differences in the local distribution of the cortex, the gray-white matter ratio, corpus callosum, anterior commissure, hypothalamus, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, limbic system and neurotransmitter systems. This review aims to evaluate the anatomical, physiological and neurochemical differences in the female and male brains and to assess the effect of prenatal exposure to sex steroid hormones on the developing brain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ayşen Erdem
- Department of Physiology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
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Rodríguez-Sierra OE, Turesson HK, Pare D. Contrasting distribution of physiological cell types in different regions of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. J Neurophysiol 2013; 110:2037-49. [PMID: 23926040 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00408.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We characterized the electroresponsive and morphological properties of neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Previously, Rainnie and colleagues distinguished three cell types in the anterolateral region of BNST (BNST-AL): low-threshold bursting cells (LTB; type II) and regular spiking neurons that display time-dependent (RS; type I) or fast (fIR; type III) inward rectification in the hyperpolarizing direction (Hammack SE, Mania I, Rainnie DG. J Neurophysiol 98: 638-56, 2007). We report that the same neuronal types exist in the anteromedial (AM) and anteroventral (AV) regions of BNST. In addition, we observed two hitherto unreported cell types: late-firing (LF) cells, only seen in BNST-AL, that display a conspicuous delay to firing, and spontaneously active (SA) neurons, only present in BNST-AV, firing continuously at rest. However, the feature that most clearly distinguished the three BNST regions was the incidence of LTB cells (approximately 40-70%) and the strength of their bursting behavior (both higher in BNST-AM and AV relative to AL). The incidence of RS cells was similar in the three regions (∼25%), whereas that of fIR cells was higher in BNST-AL (∼25%) than AV or AM (≤8%). With the use of biocytin, two dominant morphological cell classes were identified but they were not consistently related to particular physiological phenotypes. One neuronal class had highly branched and spiny dendrites; the second had longer but poorly branched and sparsely spiny dendrites. Both often exhibited dendritic varicosities. Since LTB cells prevail in BNST, it will be important to determine what inputs set their firing mode (tonic vs. bursting) and in what behavioral states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga E Rodríguez-Sierra
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers State University, Newark, New Jersey; and
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Noradrenergic synaptic function in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis varies in animal models of anxiety and addiction. Neuropsychopharmacology 2013; 38:1665-73. [PMID: 23467277 PMCID: PMC3717545 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.63] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2012] [Revised: 02/28/2013] [Accepted: 03/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Lewis rats show increased anxiety-like behaviors and drug consumption compared with Sprague-Dawley rats. Prior work suggests norepinephrine (NE) signaling in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) could have a role in mediating these phenotypes. Here, we investigated NE content and dynamics in the ventral BNST (vBNST) using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry in these two rat strains. We found that NE release evoked by electrical stimulus and its subsequent uptake was dysregulated in the more anxious Lewis rats. Because addiction is a multifaceted disease influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, we hypothesized NE dynamics would vary in these strains after the induction of a physical dependence on morphine. Following naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal, NE release and uptake dynamics were not changed in Lewis rats but were significantly altered in Sprague-Dawley rats. The alterations in Sprague-Dawley rats were accompanied by an increase in anxiety-like behavior in those animals as measured with the elevated plus maze. These studies suggest novel mechanisms involved in the development of affective disorders, and highlight the noradrenergic system in the vBNST as a common substrate for the manifestation of pathological anxiety and addiction.
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Park J, Bucher ES, Fontillas K, Owesson-White C, Ariansen JL, Carelli RM, Wightman RM. Opposing catecholamine changes in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis during intracranial self-stimulation and its extinction. Biol Psychiatry 2013; 74:69-76. [PMID: 23260335 PMCID: PMC3609919 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2012] [Revised: 10/24/2012] [Accepted: 11/12/2012] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While studies suggest that both dopamine and norepinephrine neurotransmission support reinforcement learning, the role of dopamine has been emphasized. As a result, little is known about norepinephrine signaling during reward learning and extinction. Both dopamine and norepinephrine projections innervate distinct regions of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a structure that mediates behavioral and autonomic responses to stress and anxiety. We investigated whether norepinephrine release in the ventral BNST (vBNST) and dopamine release in the dorsolateral BNST (dlBNT) correlate with reward learning during intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS). METHODS Using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, norepinephrine concentration changes in the vBNST (n = 12 animals) during ICSS were compared with dopamine changes in the dlBNST (n = 7 animals) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) (n = 5 animals). Electrical stimulation was in the ventral tegmental area/substantia nigra region. RESULTS Whereas dopamine release was evoked by presentation of a cue predicting reward availability in both dlBNST and NAc, cue-evoked norepinephrine release did not occur in the vBNST. Release of both catecholamines was evoked by the electrical stimulation. Extracellular changes in norepinephrine were also studied during extinction of ICSS and compared with results obtained for dopamine. During extinction of ICSS, norepinephrine release in the vBNST occurred at the time where the stimulation was anticipated, whereas dopamine release transiently decreased. CONCLUSIONS The data demonstrate that norepinephrine release in the vBNST differs from dopamine release in the dlBNST and the NAc in that it signals the absence of reward rather than responding to reward predictive cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinwoo Park
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - Elizabeth S. Bucher
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - Khristy Fontillas
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - Catarina Owesson-White
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - Jennifer L. Ariansen
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - Regina M. Carelli
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - R. Mark Wightman
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
,Corresponding author: R. Mark Wightman, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry, CB # 3290, Venable Hall, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3290, USA, Tel : +1 (919) 962-1472, Fax : +1 (919) 962-2388,
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37
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Epigenetic inheritance of a cocaine-resistance phenotype. Nat Neurosci 2012; 16:42-7. [PMID: 23242310 PMCID: PMC3531046 DOI: 10.1038/nn.3280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 270] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2012] [Accepted: 11/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A heritable phenotype resulting from the self-administration of cocaine in rats was delineated. We observed delayed acquisition and reduced maintenance of cocaine self-administration in male, but not female, offspring of sires that self-administered cocaine. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA and protein were increased in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and there was an increased association of acetylated histone H3 with BDNF promoters only in the male offspring of cocaine-experienced sires. Administration of a BDNF receptor antagonist (the TrkB receptor antagonist ANA-12) reversed the diminished cocaine self-administration in male cocaine-sired rats. In addition, the association of acetylated histone H3 with BDNF promoters was increased in the sperm of sires that self-administered cocaine. Collectively, these findings indicate that voluntary paternal ingestion of cocaine results in epigenetic reprograming of the germline resulting in profound effects on mPFC gene expression and resistance to cocaine reinforcement in male offspring.
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Welkenhuysen M, Gligorijevic I, Ameye L, Prodanov D, Van Huffel S, Nuttin B. Neuronal activity in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in a rat model for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Behav Brain Res 2012. [PMID: 23195114 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In search of a new potential target for deep brain stimulation in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), we evaluated the single-cell activity of neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) in urethane-anesthetized rats in an animal model for OCD, the schedule-induced polydipsia (SIP) model, and compared this to the BST activity in control rats and to a third group of rats which were introduced in the model but did not develop the SIP, and thus were considered resistant. We compared the firing rate and firing pattern of BST neurons between these groups, between hemispheres and made a correlation of the firing rate and firing pattern to the position in the BST. The variability of BST neurons in SIP rats was lower and the randomness higher than BST neurons in control rats or resistant rats. The firing rate of BST neurons in SIP rats was significantly higher and the burst index lower than BST neurons in resistant rats but not in control rats. Also, neurons from the right hemisphere in the SIP group had a higher burst index than neurons from the left hemisphere. However, this is opposite in the resistant and control group. Third, we found a higher bursting index with increasing (more ventral) depth of recording. These findings suggest that schedule-induced polydipsia, which models compulsive behavior in humans, induces a change in firing behavior of BST neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marleen Welkenhuysen
- Laboratory of Experimental Functional Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosciences, K.U. Leuven, Provisorium II, Minderbroedersstraat 19 Box 1033, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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39
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Cui C, Noronha A, Morikawa H, Alvarez VA, Stuber GD, Szumlinski KK, Kash TL, Roberto M, Wilcox MV. New insights on neurobiological mechanisms underlying alcohol addiction. Neuropharmacology 2012; 67:223-32. [PMID: 23159531 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2012.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2012] [Revised: 09/22/2012] [Accepted: 09/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol dependence/addiction is mediated by complex neural mechanisms that involve multiple brain circuits and neuroadaptive changes in a variety of neurotransmitter and neuropeptide systems. Although recent studies have provided substantial information on the neurobiological mechanisms that drive alcohol drinking behavior, significant challenges remain in understanding how alcohol-induced neuroadaptations occur and how different neurocircuits and pathways cross-talk. This review article highlights recent progress in understanding neural mechanisms of alcohol addiction from the perspectives of the development and maintenance of alcohol dependence. It provides insights on cross talks of different mechanisms and reviews the latest studies on metaplasticity, structural plasticity, interface of reward and stress pathways, and cross-talk of different neural signaling systems involved in binge-like drinking and alcohol dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changhai Cui
- Division of Neuroscience and Behavior, NIAAA/NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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40
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Conrad KL, Davis AR, Silberman Y, Sheffler DJ, Shields AD, Saleh SA, Sen N, Matthies HJG, Javitch JA, Lindsley CW, Winder DG. Yohimbine depresses excitatory transmission in BNST and impairs extinction of cocaine place preference through orexin-dependent, norepinephrine-independent processes. Neuropsychopharmacology 2012; 37:2253-66. [PMID: 22617356 PMCID: PMC3422490 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2012.76] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The alpha2 adrenergic receptor (α(2)-AR) antagonist yohimbine is a widely used tool for the study of anxiogenesis and stress-induced drug-seeking behavior. We previously demonstrated that yohimbine paradoxically depresses excitatory transmission in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a region critical to the integration of stress and reward pathways, and produces an impairment of extinction of cocaine-conditioned place preference (cocaine-CPP) independent of α(2)-AR signaling. Recent studies show yohimbine-induced drug-seeking behavior is attenuated by orexin receptor 1 (OX(1)R) antagonists. Moreover, yohimbine-induced cocaine-seeking behavior is BNST-dependent. Here, we investigated yohimbine-orexin interactions. Our results demonstrate yohimbine-induced depression of excitatory transmission in the BNST is unaffected by alpha1-AR and corticotropin-releasing factor receptor-1 (CRFR(1)) antagonists, but is (1) blocked by OxR antagonists and (2) absent in brain slices from orexin knockout mice. Although the actions of yohimbine were not mimicked by the norepinephrine transporter blocker reboxetine, they were by exogenously applied orexin A. We find that, as with yohimbine, orexin A depression of excitatory transmission in BNST is OX(1)R-dependent. Finally, we find these ex vivo effects are paralleled in vivo, as yohimbine-induced impairment of cocaine-CPP extinction is blocked by a systemically administered OX(1)R antagonist. These data highlight a new mechanism for orexin on excitatory anxiety circuits and demonstrate that some of the actions of yohimbine may be directly dependent upon orexin signaling and independent of norepinephrine and CRF in the BNST.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly L Conrad
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Adeola R Davis
- Department of Center for Molecular Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Yuval Silberman
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Douglas J Sheffler
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA,Department of Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Angela D Shields
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Sam A Saleh
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Namita Sen
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA,Department of Pharmacology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA,Department of Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Recognition, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Heinrich JG Matthies
- Department of Center for Molecular Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jonathan A Javitch
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA,Department of Pharmacology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA,Department of Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Recognition, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Craig W Lindsley
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA,Department of Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Danny G Winder
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA,Department of Center for Molecular Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA,Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA,Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN, USA,Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA, Tel: +1 615 322 1144, Fax: +1 615 322 1462, E-mail:
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41
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Hascup ER, Hascup KN, Pomerleau F, Huettl P, Hajos-Korcsok E, Kehr J, Gerhardt GA. An allosteric modulator of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR₂), (+)-TFMPIP, inhibits restraint stress-induced phasic glutamate release in rat prefrontal cortex. J Neurochem 2012; 122:619-27. [PMID: 22578190 PMCID: PMC3970435 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2012.07784.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The potential anxiolytic effects of a novel positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of the metabotropic glutamate receptor subgroup 2 (mGluR₂) were investigated using a self-referencing recording technique with enzyme-based microelectrode arrays (MEAs) that reliably measures tonic and phasic changes in extracellular glutamate levels in awake rats. Studies involved glutamate measures in the rat prefrontal cortex during subcutaneous injections of the following: vehicle, a mGluR₂/₃ agonist, LY354740 (10 mg/kg), or a mGluR₂ PAM, 1-Methyl-2-((cis-(R,R)-3-methyl-4-(4-trifluoromethoxy-2-fluoro)phenyl)piperidin-1-yl)methyl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine ((+)-TFMPIP; 1.0 or 17.8 mg/kg). Studies assessed changes in tonic glutamate levels and the glutamatergic responses to a 5-min restraint stress. Subcutaneous injection of (+)-TFMPIP at a dose of 1.0 mg/kg (day 3: -7.1 ± 15.1 net AUC; day 5: -24.8 ± 24.9 net AUC) and 17.8 mg/kg (day 3: -46.5 ± 33.0 net AUC; day 5: 34.6 ± 36.8 net AUC) significantly attenuated the stress-evoked glutamate release compared to vehicle controls (day 3: 134.7 ± 50.6 net AUC; day 5: 286.6 ± 104.5 net AUC), whereas the mGluR₂/₃ agonist LY354740 had no effect. None of the compounds significantly affected resting glutamate levels, which we have recently shown to be extensively derived from neurons. Taken together, these data support that systemic administration of (+)-TFMPIP produces phasic rather than tonic release of glutamate that may play a major role in the effects of stress on glutamate neuronal systems in the prefrontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin R Hascup
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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42
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Kash TL. The role of biogenic amine signaling in the bed nucleus of the stria terminals in alcohol abuse. Alcohol 2012; 46:303-8. [PMID: 22449787 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2011.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2011] [Revised: 12/22/2011] [Accepted: 12/27/2011] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that stress and anxiety can influence the development of alcohol use disorders. This influence is believed to be due in part to persistent adaptations in discrete brain regions that underlie stress responsivity. One structure that has been proposed to be a site of important neuroadaptations underlying this behavior is the extended amygdala. The extended amygdala is a series of extensively inter-connected limbic structures including the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). These structures are critical regulators of behavioral and physiological activation associated with anxiety. Additionally, numerous reports have suggested that these regions are involved in increased drinking behavior associated with chronic alcohol exposure and withdrawal. The focus of this review will be to discuss the role of the BNST in regulation of behavior, to provide some insight in to the circuitry of the BNST, and to discuss the actions of the biogenic amines, serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, in the BNST.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Louis Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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43
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Velásquez-Martinez MC, Vázquez-Torres R, Jiménez-Rivera CA. Activation of alpha1-adrenoceptors enhances glutamate release onto ventral tegmental area dopamine cells. Neuroscience 2012; 216:18-30. [PMID: 22542873 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.03.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2011] [Revised: 03/09/2012] [Accepted: 03/16/2012] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The ventral tegmental area (VTA) plays an important role in reward and motivational processes that facilitate the development of drug addiction. Glutamatergic inputs into the VTA contribute to dopamine (DA) neuronal activation related to reward and response-initiating effects in drug abuse. Previous investigations indicate that alpha1-adrenoreceptors (α1-ARs) are primarily localized at presynaptic elements in the ventral midbrain. Studies from several brain regions have shown that presynaptic α1-AR activation enhances glutamate release. Therefore, we hypothesized that glutamate released onto VTA-DA neurons is modulated by pre-synaptic α1-AR. Recordings were obtained from putative VTA-DA cells of male Sprague-Dawley rats (28-50 days postnatal) using voltage clamp techniques. Phenylephrine (10 μM) and methoxamine (80μM), both α1-AR agonists, increased AMPA receptor-mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents' (EPSCs) amplitude evoked by electrical stimulation of afferent fibers (p<0.05). This effect was blocked by the α1-AR antagonist prazosin (1 μM). Phenylephrine decreased the paired-pulse ratio (PPR) and increased spontaneous EPSCs' frequencies but not their amplitudes suggesting a presynaptic locus of action. No changes in miniature EPSCs (0.5μM, tetrodotoxin [TTX]) were observed after phenylephrine's application which suggests that α1-AR effect was action potential dependent. Normal extra- and intracellular Ca(2+) concentration seems necessary for the α1-AR effect since phenylephrine in low Ca(2+) artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) and depletion of intracellular Ca(2+) stores with thapsigargin (10 μM) failed to increase the AMPA EPSCs' amplitude. Chelerythrine (1μM, protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor) but not Rp-cAMPS (11 μM, PKA inhibitor) blocked the α1-AR activation effect on AMPA EPSCs, indicating that a PKC intracellular pathway is required. These results demonstrated that presynaptic α1-AR activation modulates glutamatergic inputs that affect VTA-DA neuronal excitability. α1-AR action might be heterosynaptically localized at glutamatergic fibers terminating onto VTA-DA neurons. It is suggested that drug-induced changes in α1-AR could be part of the neuroadaptations occurring in the mesocorticolimbic circuitry during the addiction process.
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Affiliation(s)
- M C Velásquez-Martinez
- Department of Physiology, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
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44
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The Sturm und Drang of anabolic steroid use: angst, anxiety, and aggression. Trends Neurosci 2012; 35:382-92. [PMID: 22516619 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2012.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2011] [Revised: 02/17/2012] [Accepted: 03/01/2012] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are illicitly administered to enhance athletic performance and body image. Although conferring positive actions on performance, steroid abuse is associated with changes in anxiety and aggression. AAS users are often keenly invested in understanding the biological actions of these drugs. Thus, mechanistic information on AAS actions is important not only for the biomedical community, but also for steroid users. Here we review findings from animal studies on the impact of AAS exposure on neural systems that are crucial for the production of anxiety and aggression, and compare the effects of the different classes of AAS and their potential signaling mechanisms, as well as context-, age- and sex-dependent aspects of their actions.
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45
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Park J, Wheeler RA, Fontillas K, Keithley RB, Carelli RM, Wightman RM. Catecholamines in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis reciprocally respond to reward and aversion. Biol Psychiatry 2012; 71:327-34. [PMID: 22115620 PMCID: PMC3264809 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2011] [Revised: 09/10/2011] [Accepted: 10/11/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Traditionally, norepinephrine has been associated with stress responses, whereas dopamine has been associated with reward. Both of these catecholamines are found within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a brain relay nucleus in the extended amygdala between cortical/limbic centers, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Despite this colocalization, little is known about subsecond catecholamine signaling in subregions of the BNST in response to salient stimuli. METHODS Changes in extracellular catecholamine concentration in subregions of the BNST in response to salient stimuli were measured within the rat BNST with fast-scan cyclic voltammetry at carbon-fiber microelectrodes. RESULTS A discrete subregional distribution of release events was observed for different catecholamines in this nucleus. In addition, rewarding and aversive tastants evoked inverse patterns of norepinephrine and dopamine release in the BNST. An aversive stimulus, quinine, activated noradrenergic signaling but inhibited dopaminergic signaling, whereas a palatable stimulus, sucrose, inhibited norepinephrine while causing dopamine release. CONCLUSIONS This reciprocal relationship, coupled with their different time courses, can provide integration of opposing hedonic states to influence response outputs appropriate for survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinwoo Park
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - Robert A. Wheeler
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - Khristy Fontillas
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - Richard B. Keithley
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - Regina M. Carelli
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
| | - R. Mark Wightman
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA,Corresponding author:, R. Mark Wightman, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry, CB # 3290, Venable Hall, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3290, USA, Tel : +1 (919) 962-1472, Fax : +1 (919) 962-2388,
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46
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Herr NR, Park J, McElligott ZA, Belle AM, Carelli RM, Wightman RM. In vivo voltammetry monitoring of electrically evoked extracellular norepinephrine in subregions of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. J Neurophysiol 2011; 107:1731-7. [PMID: 22190618 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00620.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Norepinephrine (NE) is an easily oxidized neurotransmitter that is found throughout the brain. Considerable evidence suggests that it plays an important role in neurocircuitry related to fear and anxiety responses. In certain subregions of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), NE is found in large amounts. In this work we probed differences in electrically evoked release of NE and its regulation by the norepinephrine transporter (NET) and the α(2)-adrenergic autoreceptor (α(2)-AR) in two regions of the BNST of anesthetized rats. NE was monitored in the dorsomedial BNST (dmBNST) and ventral BNST (vBNST) by fast-scan cyclic voltammetry at carbon fiber microelectrodes. Pharmacological agents were introduced either by systemic application (intraperitoneal injection) or by local application (iontophoresis). The iontophoresis barrels were attached to a carbon fiber microelectrode to allow simultaneous detection of evoked NE release and quantitation of iontophoretic delivery. Desipramine (DMI), an inhibitor of NET, increased evoked release and slowed clearance of released NE in both regions independent of the mode of delivery. However, the effects of DMI were more robust in the vBNST than in the dmBNST. Similarly, the α(2)-AR autoreceptor inhibitor idazoxan (IDA) enhanced NE release in both regions but to a greater extent in the vBNST by both modes of delivery. Since both local application by iontophoresis and systemic application of IDA had similar effects on NE release, our results indicate that terminal autoreceptors play a predominant role in the inhibition of subsequent release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie R Herr
- Department of Chemistry and Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, USA
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47
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Pleil KE, Lopez A, McCall N, Jijon AM, Bravo JP, Kash TL. Chronic stress alters neuropeptide Y signaling in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in DBA/2J but not C57BL/6J mice. Neuropharmacology 2011; 62:1777-86. [PMID: 22182779 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2011] [Revised: 11/30/2011] [Accepted: 12/01/2011] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Numerous rodent and human studies have demonstrated that neuropeptide Y (NPY) is involved in the regulation of anxiety-related behaviors. In this study, we examined whether there were differences in NPY signaling between two inbred mouse strains (C57BL/6J and DBA/2J) that exhibit divergent basal and stress-induced anxiety phenotypes. We focused on the bed nucleus of the stria terminals (BNST), a structure in the extended amygdala that is important for the regulation of anxiety-like behavior and contains NPY receptors. While results from whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings and immunofluorescence histochemistry revealed no significant basal differences in NPY signaling or NPY and NPY Y2 receptor (Y2R) expression in the BNST, these measures were differentially altered by chronic restraint stress. Ten days of chronic restraint stress increased basal GABAergic transmission and decreased NPY's ability to inhibit evoked GABAergic transmission in the dorsolateral BNST (dlBNST) via Y2R in DBA/2J, but not C57BL/6J, mice. Additionally, restraint stress increased NPY and Y2R expression across subregions of the BNST of DBA/2J mice 24 h after the last stress exposure, but no changes were observed in C57BL/6J mice. Together, these results suggest that chronic restraint stress engages the NPY system and alters NPY modulation of inhibitory transmission in the dlBNST of DBA/2J mice, but not C57BL/6J mice, which may be related to increased expression of anxiety-related behaviors in this strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen E Pleil
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, 104 Manning Driv, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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48
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Polymodal activation of the endocannabinoid system in the extended amygdala. Nat Neurosci 2011; 14:1542-7. [PMID: 22057189 DOI: 10.1038/nn.2974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2011] [Accepted: 08/16/2011] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The reason why neurons synthesize more than one endocannabinoid (eCB) and how this is involved in the regulation of synaptic plasticity in a single neuron is not known. We found that 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide mediate different forms of plasticity in the extended amygdala of rats. Dendritic L-type Ca(2+) channels and the subsequent release of 2-AG acting on presynaptic CB1 receptors triggered retrograde short-term depression. Long-term depression was mediated by postsynaptic mGluR5-dependent release of anandamide acting on postsynaptic TRPV1 receptors. In contrast, 2-AG/CB1R-mediated retrograde signaling mediated both forms of plasticity in the striatum. These data illustrate how the eCB system can function as a polymodal signal integrator to allow the diversification of synaptic plasticity in a single neuron.
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49
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Glutamatergic modulation of separation distress: Profound emotional effects of excitatory amino acids in chicks. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2011; 35:1890-901. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2011.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2010] [Revised: 05/18/2011] [Accepted: 06/08/2011] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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50
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Serrano A, Parsons LH. Endocannabinoid influence in drug reinforcement, dependence and addiction-related behaviors. Pharmacol Ther 2011; 132:215-41. [PMID: 21798285 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2011.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2011] [Accepted: 06/17/2011] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The endogenous cannabinoid system is an important regulatory system involved in physiological homeostasis. Endocannabinoid signaling is known to modulate neural development, immune function, metabolism, synaptic plasticity and emotional state. Accumulating evidence also implicates brain endocannabinoid signaling in the etiology of drug addiction which is characterized by compulsive drug seeking, loss of control in limiting drug intake, emergence of a negative emotional state in the absence of drug use and a persistent vulnerability toward relapse to drug use during protracted abstinence. In this review we discuss the effects of drug intake on brain endocannabinoid signaling, evidence implicating the endocannabinoid system in the motivation for drug consumption, and drug-induced alterations in endocannabinoid function that may contribute to various aspects of addiction including dysregulated synaptic plasticity, increased stress responsivity, negative affective states, drug craving and relapse to drug taking. Current knowledge of genetic variants in endocannabinoid signaling associated with addiction is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonia Serrano
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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