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Benn A, Robinson ESJ. Development of a novel rodent rapid serial visual presentation task reveals dissociable effects of stimulant versus nonstimulant treatments on attentional processes. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 24:351-367. [PMID: 38253774 PMCID: PMC11039523 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01152-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
The rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task and continuous performance tasks (CPT) are used to assess attentional impairments in patients with psychiatric and neurological conditions. This study developed a novel touchscreen task for rats based on the structure of a human RSVP task and used pharmacological manipulations to investigate their effects on different performance measures. Normal animals were trained to respond to a target image and withhold responding to distractor images presented within a continuous sequence. In a second version of the task, a false-alarm image was included, so performance could be assessed relative to two types of nontarget distractors. The effects of acute administration of stimulant and nonstimulant treatments for ADHD (amphetamine and atomoxetine) were tested in both tasks. Methylphenidate, ketamine, and nicotine were tested in the first task only. Amphetamine made animals more impulsive and decreased overall accuracy but increased accuracy when the target was presented early in the image sequence. Atomoxetine improved accuracy overall with a specific reduction in false-alarm responses and a shift in the attentional curve reflecting improved accuracy for targets later in the image sequence. However, atomoxetine also slowed responding and increased omissions. Ketamine, nicotine, and methylphenidate had no specific effects at the doses tested. These results suggest that stimulant versus nonstimulant treatments have different effects on attention and impulsive behaviour in this rat version of an RSVP task. These results also suggest that RSVP-like tasks have the potential to be used to study attention in rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Benn
- University of Bristol, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Emma S J Robinson
- University of Bristol, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK.
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Vouillac-Mendoza C, Durand A, Ahmed SH, Guillem K. Knowledge by omission: the significance of omissions in the 5-choice serial reaction time task. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024:10.1007/s00213-024-06564-2. [PMID: 38443605 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-024-06564-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
RATIONALE The 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) is commonly used to assess attention in rodents. Manipulation of this task by decreasing the light stimulus duration is often used to probe attentional capacity and causes a decrease in accuracy and an increase in omissions. However, although a decrease in response accuracy is commonly interpreted as a decrease in attention, it is more difficult to interpret an increase in omissions in terms of attentional performance. METHODS Here we present a series of experiments in rats that seeks to investigate the origins of these key behavioral measures of attention in the 5-CSRTT. After an initial training in the 5-CSRTT, rats were tested in a variable stimulus duration procedure to increase task difficulty and probe visual attentional capacity under several specific controlled conditions. CONCLUSIONS We found that response accuracy reflects visuospatial sustained attentional processing, as commonly interpreted, while response omission reflects rats' ignorance about the stimulus location, presumably due to failure to pay attention to the curved wall during its presentation. Moreover, when rats lack of relevant information, they choose not to respond instead of responding randomly. Finally, pretreatment with nicotine selectively decreased response omissions, without affecting response accuracy, particularly when the attentional demand was high. Overall, our results indicate that response accuracy and response omission thus correspond to two distinct attentional states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Vouillac-Mendoza
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, CNRS UMR 5287, Université de Bordeaux, Bâtiment BBS - 2ème étage 2, Rue du Dr Hoffmann Martinot, Bordeaux, F-33000, France
| | | | - Serge H Ahmed
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, CNRS UMR 5287, Université de Bordeaux, Bâtiment BBS - 2ème étage 2, Rue du Dr Hoffmann Martinot, Bordeaux, F-33000, France
| | - Karine Guillem
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, CNRS UMR 5287, Université de Bordeaux, Bâtiment BBS - 2ème étage 2, Rue du Dr Hoffmann Martinot, Bordeaux, F-33000, France.
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Fu CW, Huang CH, Tong SK, Chu CY, Chou MY. Nicotine reduces social dominance and neutralizes experience-dependent effects during social conflicts in zebrafish (Danio rerio). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 894:164876. [PMID: 37343866 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Nicotine, a psychoactive pollutant, binds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and disrupts the cholinergic modulation and reward systems of the brain, leading to attention deficit, memory loss, and addiction. However, whether nicotine affects social behaviors remains unknown. We assessed the effects of nicotine on the fighting behavior of zebrafish. Adult zebrafish treated with 5 μM nicotine were used in dyadic fighting tests with size-matched control siblings. The results indicate that nicotine treatment not only significantly reduced the likelihood of winning but also impaired the winner-loser effects (winner and loser fish did not show higher winning and losing tendencies in the second fight, respectively, after treatment.) Nicotine led to a considerable increase in c-fos-positive signals in the interpeduncular nucleus (IPN) of the brain, indicating that nicotine induces neural activity in the habenula (Hb)-IPN circuit. We used transgenic fish in which the Hb-IPN circuit was silenced to verify whether nicotine impaired the winner-loser effect through the Hb-IPN pathway. Nicotine-treated fish in which the medial part of the dorsal Hb was silenced did not have a higher winning rate, and nicotine-treated fish in which the lateral part of the dorsal Hb was silenced did not have a higher loss rate. This finding suggests that nicotine impairs the winner-loser effect by modulating the Hb-IPN circuit. Therefore, in these zebrafish, nicotine exposure impaired social dominance and neutralized experience-dependent effects in social conflicts, and it may thereby disturb the social hierarchy and population stability of such fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Wei Fu
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
| | | | - Sok-Keng Tong
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Ying Chu
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Yi Chou
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taiwan.
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Nicotine's effect on cognition, a friend or foe? Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2023; 124:110723. [PMID: 36736944 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Tobacco smoking is a preventable cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Smoking comes in form of absorption of many compounds, among which nicotine is the main psychoactive component of tobacco and its positive and negative reinforcement effects are proposed to be the key mechanism for the initiation and maintenance of smoking. Growing evidence suggests that the cognitive enhancement effects of nicotine may also contribute to the difficulty of quitting smoking, especially in individuals with psychiatric disorders. In this review, we first introduce the beneficial effect of nicotine on cognition including attention, short-term memory and long-term memory. We next summarize the beneficial effect of nicotine on cognition under pathological conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Schizophrenia, Stress-induced Anxiety, Depression, and drug-induced memory impairment. The possible mechanism underlying nicotine's effect is also explored. Finally, nicotine's detrimental effect on cognition is discussed, including in the prenatal and adolescent periods, and high-dose nicotine- and withdrawal-induced memory impairment is emphasized. Therefore, nicotine serves as both a friend and foe. Nicotine-derived compounds could be a promising strategy to alleviate neurological disease-associated cognitive deficit, however, due to nicotine's detrimental effect, continued educational programs and public awareness campaigns are needed to reduce tobacco use among pregnant women and smoking should be quitted even if it is e-cigarette, especially for the adolescents.
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Cognitive performance during adulthood in a rat model of neonatal diffuse white matter injury. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:745-764. [PMID: 35064798 PMCID: PMC8891199 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-06053-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Infants born prematurely risk developing diffuse white matter injury (WMI), which is associated with impaired cognitive functioning and an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder. Recently, our rat model of preterm diffuse WMI induced by combined fetal inflammation and postnatal hypoxia showed impaired motor performance, anxiety-like behaviour and autism-like behaviour in juvenile rats, especially males. Immunohistochemistry showed delayed myelination in the sensory cortex and impaired oligodendrocyte differentiation. OBJECTIVE To assess long-term cognitive deficits in this double-hit rat model of diffuse WMI, animals were screened on impulsivity, attention and cognitive flexibility in adulthood using the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5CSRTT) and a probabilistic reversal learning task, tests that require a proper functioning prefrontal cortex. Thereafter, myelination deficits were evaluated by immunofluorescent staining in adulthood. RESULTS Overall, little effect of WMI or sex was found in the cognitive tasks. WMI animals showed subtle differences in performance in the 5CSRTT. Manipulating 5CSRTT parameters resulted in performance patterns previously seen in the literature. Sex differences were found in perseverative responses and omitted trials: female WMI rats seem to be less flexible in the 5CSRTT but not in the reversal learning task. Males collected rewards faster in the probabilistic reversal learning task. These findings are explained by temporally rather than permanently affected myelination and by the absence of extensive injury to prefrontal cortical subregions, confirmed by immunofluorescent staining in both adolescence and adulthood. CONCLUSION This rat model of preterm WMI does not lead to long-term cognitive deficits as observed in prematurely born human infants.
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Kangas BD. Examining the effects of psychoactive drugs on complex behavioral processes in laboratory animals. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2021; 93:243-274. [PMID: 35341568 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2021.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral pharmacology has been aided significantly by the development of innovative cognitive tasks designed to examine complex behavioral processes in laboratory animals. Performance outcomes under these conditions have provided key metrics of drug action which serve to supplement traditional in vivo assays of physiologic and behavioral effects of psychoactive drugs. This chapter provides a primer of cognitive tasks designed to assay different aspects of complex behavior, including learning, cognitive flexibility, memory, attention, motivation, and impulsivity. Both capstone studies and recent publications are highlighted throughout to illustrate task value for two distinct but often interconnected translational strategies. First, task performance in laboratory animals can be utilized to elucidate how drugs of abuse affect complex behavioral processes. Here, the expectation is that adverse effects on such processes will have predictive relevance to consequences that will be experienced by humans. Second, these same task outcomes can be used to evaluate candidate therapeutics. In this case, the extent to which drug doses with medicinal value perturb task performance can contribute critical information for a more complete safety profile appraisal and advance the process of medications development. Methodological and theoretical considerations are discussed and include an emphasis on determining selectivity in drug action on complex behavioral processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian D Kangas
- Behavioral Biology Program, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
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Betts GD, Hynes TJ, Winstanley CA. Pharmacological evidence of a cholinergic contribution to elevated impulsivity and risky decision-making caused by adding win-paired cues to a rat gambling task. J Psychopharmacol 2021; 35:701-712. [PMID: 33573446 DOI: 10.1177/0269881120972421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pairing rewards with sensory stimulation, in the form of auditory and visual cues, increases risky decision-making in both rats and humans. Understanding the neurobiological basis of this effect could help explain why electronic gambling machines are so addictive, and inform treatment development for compulsive gambling and gaming. Numerous studies implicate the dopamine system in mediating the motivational influence of reward-paired cues; recent data suggest the cholinergic system also plays a critical role. Previous work also indicates that cholinergic drugs alter decision-making under uncertainty. AIMS We investigated whether the addition of reward-concurrent cues to the rat gambling task (crGT) altered the effects of peripherally administered cholinergic compounds. METHODS Muscarinic and nicotinic agonists and antagonists were administered to 16 male, Long-Evans rats trained on the crGT. Measures of optimal/risky decision-making and motor impulsivity were the main dependent variables of interest. RESULTS The muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine improved decision-making overall, decreasing selection of one of the risky options while increasing choice of the more advantageous options. The muscarinic agonist oxotremorine increased choice latency but did not significantly affect option preference. Neither the nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine nor the agonist nicotine affected choice patterns, but mecamylamine decreased premature responding, an index of motor impulsivity. CONCLUSIONS These results contrast sharply from those obtained previously using the uncued rGT, and suggest that the deleterious effects of win-paired cues on decision-making and impulse control may result from elevated cholinergic tone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graeme D Betts
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Tristan J Hynes
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Abstract
The central cholinergic system is one of the most important modulator neurotransmitter system implicated in diverse behavioral processes. Activation of the basal forebrain cortical cholinergic input system represents a critical step in cortical information processing. This chapter explores recent developments illustrating cortical cholinergic transmission mediate defined cognitive operations, which is contrary to the traditional view that acetylcholine acts as a slowly acting neuromodulator that influences arousal cortex-wide. Specifically, we review the evidence that phasic cholinergic signaling in the prefrontal cortex is a causal mediator of signal detection. In addition, studies that support the neuromodulatory role of cholinergic inputs in top-down attentional control are summarized. Finally, we review new findings that reveal sex differences and hormonal regulation of the cholinergic-attention system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinay Parikh
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Debra A Bangasser
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Loney GC, Angelyn H, Cleary LM, Meyer PJ. Nicotine Produces a High-Approach, Low-Avoidance Phenotype in Response to Alcohol-Associated Cues in Male Rats. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2019; 43:1284-1295. [PMID: 30958564 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nicotine and alcohol use are highly comorbid. Modulation of drug-paired extrinsic and intrinsic cues likely plays a role in this interaction, as cues can acquire motivational properties and augment drug seeking. The motivational properties of cues can be measured through Pavlovian conditioning paradigms, in which cues either elicit approach following pairing with the reinforcing properties of alcohol or elicit avoidance following pairing with the aversive consequences of alcohol. The present experiments tested whether nicotine would enhance the incentive properties of an appetitive ethanol (EtOH) cue and diminish the avoidance of an aversive EtOH cue in Pavlovian paradigms. METHODS In experiment 1, male Long-Evans rats with or without prior chronic intermittent access to EtOH were administered nicotine or saline injections prior to Pavlovian conditioned approach (PavCA) sessions, during which conditioned approach to the cue ("sign-tracking") or the EtOH delivery location ("goal-tracking") was measured. In experiment 2, male Long-Evans rats were administered nicotine or saline injections prior to pairing a flavor cue with increasing doses of EtOH (i.p.) in an adaptation of the conditioned taste avoidance (CTA) paradigm. RESULTS Results from PavCA indicate that, regardless of EtOH exposure, nicotine enhanced responding elicited by EtOH-paired cues with no effect on a similar cue not explicitly paired with EtOH. Furthermore, nicotine reduced sensitivity to EtOH-induced CTA, as indicated by a rightward shift in the dose-response curve of passively administered EtOH. The ED50 , or the dose of EtOH that produced a 50% reduction in intake relative to baseline, was significantly higher in nicotine-treated rats compared to saline-treated rats. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that nicotine increases the approach and diminishes the avoidance elicited by Pavlovian cues paired, respectively, with the reinforcing and aversive properties of EtOH consumption in male rats. As such, nicotine may enhance alcoholism liability by engendering an attentional bias toward cues that predict the reinforcing outcomes of drinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory C Loney
- Department of Psychology, Center for Ingestive Behavior Research, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
| | - Hailley Angelyn
- Department of Psychology, Center for Ingestive Behavior Research, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
| | - Liam M Cleary
- Department of Psychology, Center for Ingestive Behavior Research, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
| | - Paul J Meyer
- Department of Psychology, Center for Ingestive Behavior Research, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
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Balachandran RC, Sieg ML, Tran CT, Clancy BM, Beaudin SA, Eubig PA. Cholinergic and dopaminergic interactions alter attention and response inhibition in Long-Evans rats performing the 5-choice serial reaction time task. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2018; 175:160-173. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2018.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2018] [Revised: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Zhou L, Fisher ML, Cole RD, Gould TJ, Parikh V, Ortinski PI, Turner JR. Neuregulin 3 Signaling Mediates Nicotine-Dependent Synaptic Plasticity in the Orbitofrontal Cortex and Cognition. Neuropsychopharmacology 2018; 43:1343-1354. [PMID: 29114105 PMCID: PMC5916355 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2017.278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Revised: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Neuregulin 3 (NRG3) and ErbB4 have been linked to nicotine addiction; however, the neuronal mechanisms and behavioral consequences of NRG3-ErbB4 sensitivity to nicotine remain elusive. Recent literature suggests that relapse to smoking is due to a lack of impulsive control, which is thought to be due to altered functioning within the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Therefore, we examined circuitry changes within this structure following nicotine application. We report that nicotine controls synaptic plasticity in the OFC through NRG3/ErbB4-dependent regulation of GABAergic inhibition. We observed that both nicotine and NRG3 facilitated the conversion of long-term potentiation into long-term depression at cortical layer 3/5 synapses. Induction of long-term depression by nicotine relied on nicotinic receptor activation and key regulators of NRG3 signaling: (1) release of intracellular calcium, (2) activation of the BACE1 beta-secretase, and (3) ErbB4 receptor activation. Nicotine-induced synaptic plasticity was also associated with accumulation of intracellular GABA and was completely blocked by GABAA/GABAB antagonists. To test whether these mechanisms underlie OFC-dependent behavior, we evaluated the effects of nicotine in the go/no-go task. Nicotine-impaired stimulus discrimination in this task was rescued by pharmacologic disruption of the NRG3 receptor, ErbB4. Altogether, our data indicate that nicotine-induced synaptic plasticity in the OFC and cognitive changes depend on NRG3-ErbB4 signaling. We propose that nicotine activation of this pathway may contribute to nicotine addiction, particularly in individuals with genetic variation in NRG3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luyi Zhou
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Miranda L Fisher
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Robert D Cole
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Thomas J Gould
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Vinay Parikh
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Pavel I Ortinski
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Jill R Turner
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
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Kitamura Y, Kanemoto E, Sugimoto M, Machida A, Nakamura Y, Naito N, Kanzaki H, Miyazaki I, Asanuma M, Sendo T. Influence of nicotine on doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide combination treatment-induced spatial cognitive impairment and anxiety-like behavior in rats. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol 2017; 390:369-378. [PMID: 28064347 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-016-1338-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2016] [Accepted: 12/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
In the present study, we examined the effects of nicotine on cognitive impairment, anxiety-like behavior, and hippocampal cell proliferation in rats treated with a combination of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide. Combined treatment with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide produced cognitive impairment and anxiety-like behavior in rats. Nicotine treatment reversed the inhibition of novel location recognition induced by the combination treatment. This effect of nicotine was blocked by methyllycaconitine, a selective α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) antagonist, and dihydro-β-erythroidine, a selective α4β2 nAChR antagonist. In addition, nicotine normalized the amount of spontaneous alternation seen during the Y-maze task, which had been reduced by the combination treatment. This effect of nicotine was inhibited by dihydro-β-erythroidine. In comparison, nicotine did not affect the anxiety-like behavior induced by the combination treatment. Furthermore, the combination treatment reduced the number of proliferating cells in the subgranular zone of the hippocampal dentate gyrus, and this was also prevented by nicotine. Finally, the combination of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide significantly reduced hippocampal α7 nAChR mRNA expression. These results suggest that nicotine inhibits doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide-induced cognitive impairment via α7 nAChR and α4β2 nAChR, and also enhances hippocampal neurogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshihisa Kitamura
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy; Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho; Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.
| | - Erika Kanemoto
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy; Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho; Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan
| | - Misaki Sugimoto
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy; Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho; Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan
| | - Ayumi Machida
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy; Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho; Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan
| | - Yuka Nakamura
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy; Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho; Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan
| | - Nanami Naito
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy; Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho; Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan
| | - Hirotaka Kanzaki
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy; Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho; Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan
| | - Ikuko Miyazaki
- Department of Medical Neurobiology; Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho; Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan
| | - Masato Asanuma
- Department of Medical Neurobiology; Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho; Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Sendo
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy; Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho; Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan
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Fizet J, Cassel JC, Kelche C, Meunier H. A review of the 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time (5-CSRT) task in different vertebrate models. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 71:135-153. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.08.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2016] [Revised: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 08/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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Maguire DR, Henson C, France CP. Daily morphine administration increases impulsivity in rats responding under a 5-choice serial reaction time task. Br J Pharmacol 2016; 173:1350-62. [PMID: 26776751 PMCID: PMC4940812 DOI: 10.1111/bph.13434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2015] [Revised: 12/22/2015] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Repeated administration of a μ opioid receptor agonist can enhance some forms of impulsivity, such as delay discounting. However, it is unclear whether repeated administration alters motor impulsivity. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH We examined the effects of acute administration of morphine and amphetamine prior to and during daily morphine administration in rats responding under a five-choice serial reaction time task. Rats (n = 5) were trained to detect a brief flash of light presented randomly in one of five response holes; responding in the target hole delivered food, whereas responding in the wrong hole or responding prior to illumination of the target stimulus (premature response) initiated a timeout. Premature responding served as an index of motor impulsivity. KEY RESULTS Administered acutely, morphine (0.1-10 mg·kg(-1) , i.p.) increased omissions and modestly, although not significantly, premature responding without affecting response accuracy; amphetamine (0.1-1.78 mg·kg(-1) , i.p.) increased premature responding without changing omissions or response accuracy. After 3 weeks of 10 mg·kg(-1) ·day(-1) morphine, tolerance developed to its effects on omissions whereas premature responding increased approximately fourfold, compared with baseline. Effects of amphetamine were not significantly affected by daily morphine administration. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS These data suggest that repeated administration of morphine increased effects of morphine on motor impulsivity, although tolerance developed to other effects, such as omissions. To the extent that impulsivity is a risk factor for drug abuse, repeated administration of μ opioid receptor agonists, for recreational or therapeutic purposes, might increase impulsivity and thus the risk for drug abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- D R Maguire
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - C Henson
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - C P France
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
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Besson M, Forget B. Cognitive Dysfunction, Affective States, and Vulnerability to Nicotine Addiction: A Multifactorial Perspective. Front Psychiatry 2016; 7:160. [PMID: 27708591 PMCID: PMC5030478 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2015] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although smoking prevalence has declined in recent years, certain subpopulations continue to smoke at disproportionately high rates and show resistance to cessation treatments. Individuals showing cognitive and affective impairments, including emotional distress and deficits in attention, memory, and inhibitory control, particularly in the context of psychiatric conditions, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, and mood disorders, are at higher risk for tobacco addiction. Nicotine has been shown to improve cognitive and emotional processing in some conditions, including during tobacco abstinence. Self-medication of cognitive deficits or negative affect has been proposed to underlie high rates of tobacco smoking among people with psychiatric disorders. However, pre-existing cognitive and mood disorders may also influence the development and maintenance of nicotine dependence, by biasing nicotine-induced alterations in information processing and associative learning, decision-making, and inhibitory control. Here, we discuss the potential forms of contribution of cognitive and affective deficits to nicotine addiction-related processes, by reviewing major clinical and preclinical studies investigating either the procognitive and therapeutic action of nicotine or the putative primary role of cognitive and emotional impairments in addiction-like features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Besson
- Unité de Neurobiologie Intégrative des Systèmes Cholinergiques, Department of Neuroscience, CNRS UMR 3571, Institut Pasteur , Paris , France
| | - Benoît Forget
- Unité de Neurobiologie Intégrative des Systèmes Cholinergiques, Department of Neuroscience, CNRS UMR 3571, Institut Pasteur , Paris , France
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Nikiforuk A, Kos T, Potasiewicz A, Popik P. Positive allosteric modulation of alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors enhances recognition memory and cognitive flexibility in rats. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 25:1300-13. [PMID: 26003081 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2015.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2014] [Revised: 04/09/2015] [Accepted: 04/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
A wide body of preclinical and clinical data suggests that alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7-nAChRs) may represent useful targets for cognitive improvement in schizophrenia and Alzheimer׳s disease. A promising recent approach is based on the use of positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of α7-nAChRs due to their several advantages over the direct agonists. Nevertheless, the behavioural effects of this class of compounds, particularly with regard to higher-order cognitive functions, have not been broadly characterised. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the procognitive efficacies of type I and type II α7-nAChRs PAMs, N-(4-chlorophenyl)-[[(4-chlorophenyl)amino]methylene]-3-methyl-5-isoxazoleacet-amide (CCMI) and N-(5-Chloro-2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-N'-(5-methyl-3-isoxazolyl)urea (PNU-120596) in the novel object recognition task (NORT), attentional set-shifting task (ASST) and five-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) in rats. Additionally, the effects of galantamine, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor that also allosterically modulates nAChRs, were assessed. We report that CCMI (0.3-3mg/kg), PNU-120596 (0.3-3mg/kg) and galantamine (1-3mg/kg) attenuated the delay-induced impairment in NORT performance and facilitated cognitive flexibility in the ASST. Methyllycaconitine (3mg/kg) blocked the actions of CCMI, PNU-120596 and galantamine in the NORT and ASST, suggesting that the procognitive effects of these compounds are α7-nAChRs-dependent. However, none of the compounds tested affected the rats' attentional performance in the 5-CSRTT. The present findings confirm and extend the observations indicating that the positive allosteric modulation of α7-nAChRs enhances recognition memory and cognitive flexibility in preclinical tasks. Therefore, the present study supports the utility of α7-nAChRs PAMs as a potential cognitive enhancing therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Nikiforuk
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience and Drug Development, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | - Tomasz Kos
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience and Drug Development, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Potasiewicz
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience and Drug Development, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | - Piotr Popik
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience and Drug Development, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland.
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Meyer HC, Putney RB, Bucci DJ. Inhibitory learning is modulated by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Neuropharmacology 2015; 89:360-7. [PMID: 25445487 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Revised: 10/24/2014] [Accepted: 10/27/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Prior research has established that stimulating nicotinic acetylcholine receptors can facilitate learning and memory. However, most studies have focused on learning to emit a particular behavior, while little is known about the effects of nicotine on learning to withhold a behavioral response. The present study consisted of a dose response analysis of the effects of nicotine on negative occasion setting, a form of learned inhibition. In this paradigm, rats received one type of training trial in which presentation of a tone by itself was followed immediately by food reward. During the other type of trials, the tone was preceded by presentation of a light and no food was delivered after the tone. Rats gradually learned to approach the cup in anticipation of receiving food reward during presentations of the tone alone, but withheld that behavior when the tone was preceded by the light. Nicotine (0.35 mg/kg) facilitated negative occasion setting by reducing the number of sessions needed to learn the discrimination between trial types and by reducing the rate of responding on non-reinforced trials. Nicotine also increased the orienting response to the light, suggesting that nicotine may have affected the ability to withhold food cup behavior on non-reinforced trials by increasing attention to the light. In contrast to the effects of nicotine, rats treated with mecamylamine (0.125, 0.5, or 2 mg/kg) needed more training sessions to discriminate between reinforced and non-reinforced trials compared to saline-treated rats. The findings indicate that nicotinic acetylcholine receptors may be active during negative occasion setting and that nicotine can potentiate learned inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi C Meyer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
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Hall FS, Der-Avakian A, Gould TJ, Markou A, Shoaib M, Young JW. Negative affective states and cognitive impairments in nicotine dependence. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 58:168-85. [PMID: 26054790 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2014] [Revised: 02/13/2015] [Accepted: 06/03/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Smokers have substantial individual differences in quit success in response to current treatments for nicotine dependence. This observation may suggest that different underlying motivations for continued tobacco use across individuals and nicotine cessation may require different treatments in different individuals. Although most animal models of nicotine dependence emphasize the positive reinforcing effects of nicotine as the major motivational force behind nicotine use, smokers generally report that other consequences of nicotine use, including the ability of nicotine to alleviate negative affective states or cognitive impairments, as reasons for continued smoking. These states could result from nicotine withdrawal, but also may be associated with premorbid differences in affective and/or cognitive function. Effects of nicotine on cognition and affect may alleviate these impairments regardless of their premorbid or postmorbid origin (e.g., before or after the development of nicotine dependence). The ability of nicotine to alleviate these symptoms would thus negatively reinforce behavior, and thus maintain subsequent nicotine use, contributing to the initiation of smoking, the progression to dependence and relapse during quit attempts. The human and animal studies reviewed here support the idea that self-medication for pre-morbid and withdrawal-induced impairments may be more important factors in nicotine addiction and relapse than has been previously appreciated in preclinical research into nicotine dependence. Given the diverse beneficial effects of nicotine under these conditions, individuals might smoke for quite different reasons. This review suggests that inter-individual differences in the diverse effects of nicotine associated with self-medication and negative reinforcement are an important consideration in studies attempting to understand the causes of nicotine addiction, as well as in the development of effective, individualized nicotine cessation treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Scott Hall
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
| | - Andre Der-Avakian
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Thomas J Gould
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Athina Markou
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Mohammed Shoaib
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
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Cole RD, Poole RL, Guzman DM, Gould TJ, Parikh V. Contributions of β2 subunit-containing nAChRs to chronic nicotine-induced alterations in cognitive flexibility in mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:1207-17. [PMID: 25281224 PMCID: PMC4361240 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3754-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 09/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Deficits in executive functions underlie compulsive drug use, and understanding how nicotine influences these cognitive processes may provide important information on neurobiological substrates of nicotine addiction. Accumulating evidence suggests that β2 subunit-containing nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) are involved in the reinforcing process of nicotine addiction. Whether these nAChRs also contributes to the detrimental effects of chronic nicotine on flexible decision-making is not known. OBJECTIVES In the present study, the effects of chronic nicotine were assessed in mice with partial or complete deletion of the β2 subunit-containing nAChR gene (β2+/- or β2-/-) performing an operant cognitive flexibility task. RESULTS Visual discrimination learning was not affected in saline-treated β2 nAChR mutants as compared to the wild-type (β2+/+) mice; yet, chronic nicotine facilitated acquisition of visual discrimination in all genotypes. The acquisition of new egocentric response strategy set-shifting remained similar in all genotypes, and there was no effect of treatment. Chronic nicotine treatment impaired reversal learning in β2+/+ mice by increasing response perseveration to the previously rewarded stimulus. Moreover, the acquisition of inverted stimulus-reward contingencies did not differ between β2+/+ and β2-/- mice exposed to chronic nicotine. Interestingly, nicotine-induced reversal learning deficits were not observed in β2+/- mice. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these findings suggest that β2 subunit-containing nAChRs are not critical for visual discrimination learning and extra dimensional rule shift. However, sustained activation of these nAChRs with nicotine may interfere with inhibitory control processes influencing affective shifts in stimulus-reward contingencies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Vinay Parikh
- Corresponding author: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122. Phone: 215-204-1572,
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Philpot RM. Potential Use of Nicotinic Receptor Agonists for the Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Cognitive Deficits. Neurochem Res 2015; 40:2018-31. [DOI: 10.1007/s11064-015-1528-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2014] [Revised: 01/09/2015] [Accepted: 01/28/2015] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Ijomone OM, Olaibi OK, Mba C, Biose IJ, Tete SA, Nwoha PU. Chronic nicotine administration does not alter cognitive or mood associated behavioural parameters. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 22:57-63. [PMID: 25601213 DOI: 10.1016/j.pathophys.2014.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2014] [Revised: 11/10/2014] [Accepted: 12/14/2014] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Nicotine, the major specific alkaloid in tobacco smoke, exhibits widespread pharmacological effects and may contribute to deterioration in behaviour. The present study thus examined the effects of its chronic administration on some cognitive and mood associated behaviours. Adult rats weighing between 150 and 200g were randomly divided into 4 groups each of 5 females and 5 males. Three groups were administered graded doses of nicotine at 0.25, 2 and 4mg/kg body weight via subcutaneous injections. One group served as control and received normal saline (vehicle for nicotine). Behavioural tests were performed using the Y-maze, elevated-plus maze (EPM) and tail suspension tests (TST) at various time points. Nicotine produced no significant effect in spontaneous alternation on Y-maze, nor on six parameters scored on EPM (open arm entries, time spent in open arms, time per open arm entries, open/closed arm quotient, closed arm entries, and total arm entries), and also no significant effect on immobility time in TST. This lack of effects was observed to be independent of sex and dose administered. The study shows that nicotine does not produce long-term changes in some cognitive and mood associated behaviours, thus suggesting it could be well tolerated even following chronic administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omamuyovwi Meashack Ijomone
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun, Nigeria; Neuroscience Unit, Department of Human Anatomy, Cross River University of Technology, Okuku, Cross River, Nigeria.
| | - Olayemi Kafilat Olaibi
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun, Nigeria
| | - Christian Mba
- Neuroscience Unit, Department of Human Anatomy, Cross River University of Technology, Okuku, Cross River, Nigeria
| | - Ifechukwude Joachim Biose
- Neuroscience Unit, Department of Human Anatomy, Cross River University of Technology, Okuku, Cross River, Nigeria
| | - Samuel Anthony Tete
- Neuroscience Unit, Department of Human Anatomy, Cross River University of Technology, Okuku, Cross River, Nigeria
| | - Polycarp Umunna Nwoha
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun, Nigeria
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Abstract
The ability to focus one's attention on important environmental stimuli while ignoring irrelevant stimuli is fundamental to human cognition and intellectual function. Attention is inextricably linked to perception, learning and memory, and executive function; however, it is often impaired in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, depression, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Accordingly, attention is considered as an important therapeutic target in these disorders. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the most common behavioral paradigms of attention that have been used in animals (particularly rodents) and to review the literature where these tasks have been employed to elucidate neurobiological substrates of attention as well as to evaluate novel pharmacological agents for their potential as treatments for disorders of attention. These paradigms include two tasks of sustained attention that were developed as rodent analogues of the human Continuous Performance Task (CPT), the Five-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task (5-CSRTT) and the more recently introduced Five-Choice Continuous Performance Task (5C-CPT), and the Signal Detection Task (SDT) which was designed to emphasize temporal components of attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick M Callahan
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, CB-3545, Georgia Regents University, 1120 Fifteenth Street, Augusta, GA, 30912-2450, USA
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Ijomone OM, Olaibi OK, Nwoha PU. Effects of chronic nicotine administration on body weight, food intake and nitric oxide concentration in female and male rats. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 21:185-90. [PMID: 25159662 DOI: 10.1016/j.pathophys.2014.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2014] [Accepted: 08/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Nicotine is readily consumed through cigarettes; however it is also easily consumed through the various forms of non-prescription nicotine replacement therapy. It has been shown to possess potential therapeutic value for the management of neurologic and neurodegenerative diseases in the last decade. Hence, this study examined the effects of chronic subcutaneous nicotine administration on food intake and body weight as well as on nitric oxide concentrations and total antioxidant capacity in female and male rats. Nicotine was administered to rats via subcutaneous injections at doses of 0.25, 2 and 4mg/kg body weight for 28 days. Control groups received normal saline; the vehicle for nicotine. Food intake by each group was monitored daily and body weight of the animals was measured twice weekly. At the end of drug administration, blood was obtained from each animal via cardiac puncture for biochemical determination of serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and nitric (NO) concentrations using standard assay kits. Results show significant loss (p<0.05) of body weight in all nicotine treated female rats. In contrast, male rats showed weight gain, though this was significantly lower (p<0.001) in nicotine treated groups compared to control. Nicotine significantly reduced (p<0.001) food consumed in both female and male rats; however dose related changes were observed in only male rats. No significant difference was observed in TAC following nicotine treatments for both female and male rats. Furthermore, only males exhibited changes in NO concentrations following nicotine treatment, as it significantly increased (p<0.01) NO concentrations in all male treated groups. In conclusion, this study has shown that modulation of body weight, food consumption and nitric oxide formation by nicotine is sexually dimorphic. Also, the study suggests that nicotine modulation of food intake and body weight and its modulation of NO may be independent of each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omamuyovwi Meashack Ijomone
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun, Nigeria; Department of Human Anatomy, Cross River University of Technology, Okuku, Cross River, Nigeria.
| | - Olayemi Kafilat Olaibi
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun, Nigeria
| | - Polycarp Umunna Nwoha
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun, Nigeria
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Bloem B, Poorthuis RB, Mansvelder HD. Cholinergic modulation of the medial prefrontal cortex: the role of nicotinic receptors in attention and regulation of neuronal activity. Front Neural Circuits 2014; 8:17. [PMID: 24653678 PMCID: PMC3949318 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2014.00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2013] [Accepted: 02/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Acetylcholine (ACh) release in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is crucial for normal cognitive performance. Despite the fact that many have studied how ACh affects neuronal processing in the mPFC and thereby influences attention behavior, there is still a lot unknown about how this occurs. Here we will review the evidence that cholinergic modulation of the mPFC plays a role in attention and we will summarize the current knowledge about the role between ACh receptors (AChRs) and behavior and how ACh receptor activation changes processing in the cortical microcircuitry. Recent evidence implicates fast phasic release of ACh in cue detection and attention. This review will focus mainly on the fast ionotropic nicotinic receptors and less on the metabotropic muscarinic receptors. Finally, we will review limitations of the existing studies and address how innovative technologies might push the field forward in order to gain understanding into the relation between ACh, neuronal activity and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Bloem
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Vrije UniversiteitAmsterdam, Netherlands
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Huibert D. Mansvelder
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Vrije UniversiteitAmsterdam, Netherlands
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Scott D, Taylor JR. Chronic nicotine attenuates phencyclidine-induced impulsivity in a mouse serial reaction time task. Behav Brain Res 2013; 259:164-73. [PMID: 24239695 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2013] [Revised: 10/16/2013] [Accepted: 11/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a disorder characterized by positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. While positive symptoms can be effectively treated with typical antipsychotic medication, which generally affects the dopaminergic system, negative and cognitive symptoms, including attentional deficits and impulsive behavior, are less sensitive to standard treatments. It has further been well documented that schizophrenic patients use tobacco products at a rate much higher than the general population, and this persists despite treatment. It has been argued this behavior may be a form of self-medication, to alleviate some symptoms of schizophrenia. It has further been posited that prefrontal glutamatergic hypofunction may underlie some aspects of schizophrenia, and in accordance with this model, systemic phencyclidine has been used to model the disease. We employed a modified 5-choice serial reaction time test, a paradigm that is often used to investigate many of the treatment-resistant symptoms of schizophrenia including impulsivity, selective attention, and sustained attention/cognitive vigilance, to determine the medicinal effects of nicotine. We demonstrate that chronic oral, but not acute injections of nicotine can selectively attenuate phencyclidine-induced increases in impulsivity without affecting other measures of attention. This suggests that nicotine use by schizophrenics may provide some relief of distinct symptoms that involve impulsive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Scott
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Jane R Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States.
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Levin ED. Complex relationships of nicotinic receptor actions and cognitive functions. Biochem Pharmacol 2013; 86:1145-52. [PMID: 23928190 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2013.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2013] [Revised: 07/23/2013] [Accepted: 07/23/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Nicotine has been shown in a variety of studies to improve cognitive function including learning, memory and attention. Nicotine both stimulates and desensitizes nicotinic receptors, thus acting both as an agonist and a net antagonist. The relative roles of these two actions for nicotine-induced cognitive improvement have not yet been fully determined. We and others have found that acute nicotinic antagonist treatment can improve learning and attention. Nicotine acts on a variety of nicotinic receptor subtypes. The relative role and interactions of neuronal nicotinic receptor subtypes for cognition also needs to be better characterized. Nicotine acts on nicotinic receptors in a wide variety of brain areas. The role of some of these areas such as the hippocampus has been relatively well studied but other areas like the thalamus, which has the densest nicotinic receptor concentration are still only partially characterized. In a series of studies we characterized nicotinic receptor actions, anatomic localization and circuit interactions, which are critical to nicotine effects on the cognitive functions of learning, memory and attention. The relative role of increases and decreases in nicotinic receptor activation by nicotine were determined in regionally specific studies of the hippocampus, the amygdala, the frontal cortex and the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus with local infusions of antagonists of nicotinic receptor subtypes (α7 and α4β2). The understanding of the functional neural bases of cognitive function is fundamental to the more effective development of nicotinic drugs for treating cognitive dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward D Levin
- Duke University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Box 104790 DUMC, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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Rezvani AH, Cauley M, Xiao Y, Kellar KJ, Levin ED. Effects of chronic sazetidine-A, a selective α4β2 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors desensitizing agent on pharmacologically-induced impaired attention in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2013; 226:35-43. [PMID: 23100170 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-012-2895-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2012] [Accepted: 09/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Nicotine and nicotinic agonists have been shown to improve attentional function. Nicotinic receptors are easily desensitized, and all nicotinic agonists are also desensitizing agents. Although both receptor activation and desensitization are components of the mechanism that mediates the overall effects of nicotinic agonists, it is not clear how each of the two opposed actions contributes to attentional improvements. Sazetidine-A has high binding affinity at α4β2 nicotinic receptors and causes a relatively brief activation followed by a long-lasting desensitization of the receptors. Acute administration of sazetidine-A has been shown to significantly improve attention by reversing impairments caused by the muscarinic cholinergic antagonist scopolamine and the NMDA glutamate antagonist dizocilpine. METHODS In the current study, we tested the effects of chronic subcutaneous infusion of sazetidine-A (0, 2, or 6 mg/kg/day) on attention in Sprague-Dawley rats. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of chronic sazetidine-A treatment on attentional impairment induced by an acute administration of 0.02 mg/kg scopolamine. RESULTS During the first week period, the 6-mg/kg/day sazetidine-A dose significantly reversed the attentional impairment induced by scopolamine. During weeks 3 and 4, the scopolamine-induced impairment was no longer seen, but sazetidine-A (6 mg/kg/day) significantly improved attentional performance on its own. Chronic sazetidine-A also reduced response latency and response omissions. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that similar to its acute effects, chronic infusions of sazetidine-A improve attentional performance. The results indicate that the desensitization of α4β2 nicotinic receptors with some activation of these receptors may play an important role in improving effects of sazetidine-A on attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir H Rezvani
- Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Box 104790, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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Stachowiak MK, Kucinski A, Curl R, Syposs C, Yang Y, Narla S, Terranova C, Prokop D, Klejbor I, Bencherif M, Birkaya B, Corso T, Parikh A, Tzanakakis ES, Wersinger S, Stachowiak EK. Schizophrenia: a neurodevelopmental disorder--integrative genomic hypothesis and therapeutic implications from a transgenic mouse model. Schizophr Res 2013; 143:367-76. [PMID: 23231877 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2012.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2012] [Revised: 11/02/2012] [Accepted: 11/06/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder featuring complex aberrations in the structure, wiring, and chemistry of multiple neuronal systems. The abnormal developmental trajectory of the brain appears to be established during gestation, long before clinical symptoms of the disease appear in early adult life. Many genes are associated with schizophrenia, however, altered expression of no one gene has been shown to be present in a majority of schizophrenia patients. How does altered expression of such a variety of genes lead to the complex set of abnormalities observed in the schizophrenic brain? We hypothesize that the protein products of these genes converge on common neurodevelopmental pathways that affect the development of multiple neural circuits and neurotransmitter systems. One such neurodevelopmental pathway is Integrative Nuclear FGFR1 Signaling (INFS). INFS integrates diverse neurogenic signals that direct the postmitotic development of embryonic stem cells, neural progenitors and immature neurons, by direct gene reprogramming. Additionally, FGFR1 and its partner proteins link multiple upstream pathways in which schizophrenia-linked genes are known to function and interact directly with those genes. A th-fgfr1(tk-) transgenic mouse with impaired FGF receptor signaling establishes a number of important characteristics that mimic human schizophrenia - a neurodevelopmental origin, anatomical abnormalities at birth, a delayed onset of behavioral symptoms, deficits across multiple domains of the disorder and symptom improvement with typical and atypical antipsychotics, 5-HT antagonists, and nicotinic receptor agonists. Our research suggests that altered FGF receptor signaling plays a central role in the developmental abnormalities underlying schizophrenia and that nicotinic agonists are an effective class of compounds for the treatment of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- M K Stachowiak
- Molecular and Structural Neurobiology & Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, Western New York Stem Cell Culture and Analysis Center, SUNY, Buffalo, NY, USA.
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A novel highly selective 5-HT6 receptor antagonist attenuates ethanol and nicotine seeking but does not affect inhibitory response control in Wistar rats. Behav Brain Res 2013; 236:157-165. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.08.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2012] [Revised: 08/26/2012] [Accepted: 08/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Effects of chronic low- and high-dose nicotine on cognitive flexibility in C57BL/6J mice. Behav Brain Res 2012; 238:134-45. [PMID: 23103711 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.10.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2012] [Revised: 10/11/2012] [Accepted: 10/18/2012] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The addictive nature of nicotine remains a global health problem. Despite the availability of treatments for smoking cessation, relapse to smoking after quit attempts still remains very high. Here, we evaluated the effects of chronic nicotine in male C57BL/6J mice in an operant cognitive flexibility task that required the animals to progress sequentially through multiple phases including visual discrimination, strategy shifting and response reversal. As frontostriatal circuits involving discrete regions of dorsal striatum contribute directly to decision-making processes, and BDNF modulates synaptic plasticity and learning, we also assessed the effects of nicotine on striatal BDNF expression. Osmotic minipumps containing either of the two doses of nicotine (low: 6.3 mg/kg/day; high: 18 mg/kg/day) or saline (control) were implanted for chronic delivery that lasted 4 weeks. Nicotine-treated mice exhibited greater response accuracy during visual discrimination. Neither dose of nicotine affected learning of new egocentric response strategy during set-shifting. However, higher but not lower dose of nicotine impaired reversal learning by increasing perseverative responding to the previously non-reinforced stimulus. Furthermore, this effect was associated with reduced BDNF levels in the dorsal striatum. Collectively, these findings suggest that higher relapse rates often observed in high nicotine-dependent smokers may be attributed to impairments in inhibitory control processes. Moreover, striatal BDNF may play a critical role in nicotine-induced alterations in cognitive flexibility.
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Effects of AZD3480, a neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist, and donepezil on dizocilpine-induced attentional impairment in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2012; 223:251-8. [PMID: 22526540 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-012-2712-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2011] [Accepted: 03/29/2012] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE Nicotinic acetylcholine systems play major roles in cognitive function. Nicotine and a variety of nicotinic agonists improve attention, and nicotinic antagonist exposure impairs it. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of a novel nicotinic receptor agonist at α4β2 nicotinic receptors (AZD3480) on attention and reversal of pharmacologically induced attentional impairment produced by the NMDA glutamate antagonist dizocilpine (MK-801). METHODS Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to perform an operant visual signal detection task to a stable baseline of accuracy. The rats were then injected subcutaneously following a repeated measures, counter-balanced design with saline, AZD3480 (0.01, 0.1, and 1 mg/kg), dizocilpine (0.05 mg/kg), or their combinations 30 min before the test. The effect of donepezil on the same pharmacologically induced attentional impairment was also tested. A separate group of rats was injected with donepezil (0.01, 0.1, and 1 mg/kg), dizocilpine (0.05 mg/kg), or their combinations, and their attention were assessed. Saline was the vehicle control. RESULTS Dizocilpine caused a significant (p < 0.0005) impairment in percent correct performance. This attentional impairment was significantly (p < 0.0005) reversed by 0.01 and 0.1 mg/kg of AZD3480. AZD3480 by itself did not alter the already high baseline control performance. Donepezil (0.01-1.0 mg/kg) also significantly (p < 0.005) attenuated the dizocilpine-induced attentional impairment. CONCLUSIONS AZD3480, similar to donepezil, showed significant efficacy for counteracting the attentional impairment caused by the NMDA glutamate antagonist dizocilpine. Low doses of AZD3480 may provide therapeutic benefit for reversing attentional impairment in patients suffering from cognitive impairment due to glutamatergic dysregulation and likely other attentional disorders.
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Low-dose nicotine facilitates spatial memory in ApoE-knockout mice in the radial arm maze. Neurol Sci 2012; 34:891-7. [PMID: 22773025 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-012-1149-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2012] [Accepted: 06/22/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Here, we investigated the effects of nicotine on spatial memory in ApoE-knockout (ApoE-KO) and wild-type (WT) mice in a radial arm maze. Training occurred on three consecutive days and the test was performed on day 4, with one trial per day. Then on day 4, animals were administered nicotine (0.1, 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/kg) or the antagonist of nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) mecamylamine (MEC 2 mg/kg) alone or together with 0.1 mg/kg nicotine. The number of errors in the first eight choices was recorded. The results were that 0.1 mg/kg nicotine decreased errors in ApoE-KO mice, while 0.1 and 0.25 mg/kg nicotine reduced errors in WT mice, indicating that lower doses of nicotine elicit a memory improvement. In contrast, 1.0 mg/kg nicotine increased errors in WT mice, but not in ApoE-KO mice. MEC alone had no noticeable effect on errors in either strain of mice. However, co-administration of 0.1 mg/kg nicotine and MEC increased errors and reduced the effects of nicotine in WT mice, but not in ApoE-KO mice. Our study found a biphasic effect of nicotine in WT mice: it improves spatial memory at lower doses and impairs it at a higher dose. In ApoE-KO mice, nicotine improves memory at a low dose and has no effect at a higher dose, suggesting that the ApoE deficiency may influence the efficacy of nicotine. Moreover, a reversal of nicotinic effects with MEC was seen in WT mice, indicating the likelihood of the involvement of nAChRs in the spatial-memory response to nicotine.
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Nicotine improves performance in an attentional set shifting task in rats. Neuropharmacology 2012; 64:314-20. [PMID: 22776507 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2012.06.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2012] [Revised: 06/23/2012] [Accepted: 06/26/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
A large number of studies in both humans and experimental animals have demonstrated nicotine-induced improvements in various aspects of cognitive function, including attention and memory. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is thought to be critically involved in the modulation of executive function and these attentional processes are enhanced by nicotine acting at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The involvement of nicotinic processes on cognitive flexibility in particular has not been specifically investigated. The effects of nicotine on attentional flexibility were therefore evaluated using the rodent attentional set shifting task in rats. Nicotine injected both acutely and following repeated pre-exposure significantly improved both intradimensional and extradimensional set shifting performance in the task. Further investigation of the acute effects of nicotine demonstrated this improvement in attentional flexibility to be dose-dependent. These results implicate the nicotinic receptor system in the mediation of processes underlying cognitive flexibility and suggest that nicotine improves attentional flexibility in rats, both within and between perceptual dimensions of a compound stimulus. Nicotine-induced alterations in prefrontal circuitry may underlie these effects on cognitive flexibility. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Cognitive Enhancers'.
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Amitai N, Markou A. Comparative effects of different test day challenges on performance in the 5-choice serial reaction time task. Behav Neurosci 2012; 125:764-74. [PMID: 21942437 DOI: 10.1037/a0024722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) is a valuable cognitive test that permits the simultaneous assessment of several different cognitive modalities, including attention, impulse control, processing speed, and cognitive flexibility. Increasing task difficulty on test days through various challenges can further enhance the versatility of this test by selectively enhancing the cognitive load on different aspects of the task. Systematic comparisons of the effects of different test day challenges on 5-CSRTT performance are essential to verify how these challenges affect different task measures and which manipulations are best suited for future studies of different aspects of cognition. We trained Wistar rats in the 5-CSRTT under standard conditions, then challenged them on the test days by (1) decreasing the duration of the stimulus to be detected, (2) increasing the time interval between trials (intertrial interval, ITI), (3) randomly varying the ITI, or (4) adding a flashing light distractor. All test day challenges produced distinct profiles of performance disruption that reflected differential effects on different cognitive modalities. Decreased stimulus duration selectively impaired attentional performance, while increased ITI increased impulsive-like premature responses and decreased trials completed. Variable ITI induced only mild, nonsignificant disruptions in response inhibition and processing speed, while the flashing light distractor produced comprehensive impairment affecting multiple aspects of 5-CSRTT performance, including disrupted attention and increased premature and timeout responses. This improved understanding of the effects of different test day challenges in the 5-CSRTT will allow researchers to use these manipulations of a valuable cognitive test to their full potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nurith Amitai
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0603, CA, USA
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Burton CL, Fletcher PJ. Age and sex differences in impulsive action in rats: The role of dopamine and glutamate. Behav Brain Res 2012; 230:21-33. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.01.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2011] [Revised: 01/11/2012] [Accepted: 01/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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The 5-HT2C receptor agonist lorcaserin reduces nicotine self-administration, discrimination, and reinstatement: relationship to feeding behavior and impulse control. Neuropsychopharmacology 2012; 37:1177-91. [PMID: 22189292 PMCID: PMC3306879 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2011.303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Lorcaserin ((1R)-8-chloro-1-methyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine HCl) is a selective 5-HT(2C) receptor agonist with clinical efficacy in phase-III obesity trials. Based on evidence that this drug class also affects behaviors motivated by drug reinforcement, we compared the effect of lorcaserin on behavior maintained by food and nicotine reinforcement, as well as the stimulant and discriminative stimulus properties of nicotine in the rat. Acutely administered lorcaserin (0.3-3 mg/kg, subcutaneous (SC)) dose dependently reduced feeding induced by 22-h food deprivation or palatability. Effects up to 1 mg/kg were consistent with a specific effect on feeding motivation. Lorcaserin (0.6-1 mg/kg, SC) reduced operant responding for food on progressive and fixed ratio schedules of reinforcement. In this dose range lorcaserin also reversed the motor stimulant effect of nicotine, reduced intravenous self-administration of nicotine, and attenuated the nicotine cue in rats trained to discriminate nicotine from saline. Lorcaserin also reduced the reinstatement of nicotine-seeking behavior elicited by a compound cue comprising a nicotine prime and conditioned stimulus previously paired with nicotine reinforcement. Lorcaserin did not reinstate nicotine-seeking behavior or substitute for a nicotine cue. Finally, lorcaserin (0.3-1 mg/kg) reduced nicotine-induced increases in anticipatory responding, a measure of impulsive action, in rats performing the five-choice serial reaction time task. Importantly, these results indicate that lorcaserin, and likely other selective 5-HT(2C) receptor agonists, similarly affect both food- and nicotine-motivated behaviors, and nicotine-induced impulsivity. Collectively, these findings highlight a therapeutic potential for 5-HT(2C) agonists such as lorcaserin beyond obesity into addictive behaviors, such as nicotine dependence.
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BARNES SA, YOUNG JW, NEILL JC. Rats tested after a washout period from sub-chronic PCP administration exhibited impaired performance in the 5-Choice Continuous Performance Test (5C-CPT) when the attentional load was increased. Neuropharmacology 2012; 62:1432-41. [PMID: 21569782 PMCID: PMC5870141 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2010] [Revised: 04/05/2011] [Accepted: 04/20/2011] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
It is well documented that schizophrenia patients exhibit dysfunction in various cognitive domains, including attention/vigilance, as demonstrated by impaired performance in the myriad of Continuous Performance Tests (CPTs). NMDA receptor antagonists provide a pharmacological model in animals of the cognitive disruption presented in the disorder. We therefore examined the effects of a sub-chronic PCP treatment regimen (5.0mg/kg 7-days bi-daily) in the recently developed rodent test of vigilance, the 5-Choice Continuous Performance Test (5C-CPT). We assessed the effects of this regimen after at least a 7-day washout period on both baseline performance and when the attentional load was increased. Sub-chronic PCP treatment impaired 5C-CPT performance in a manner consistent with impaired vigilance in patients with schizophrenia, with reduced hit rate and impaired signal sensitivity. These effects were only evident when performance was challenged following parameter manipulations. These data demonstrate that attention/vigilance is sensitive to disruption following sub-chronic PCP treatment in a pre-clinical task that may demonstrate increased analogy to human vigilance tasks. Although the PCP-induced attentional deficits are not as large as those deficits observed in other domains, these data provide evidence that this pharmacological model can affect multiple cognitive domains and may be useful for assessing putative pro-cognitive therapeutics for schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A BARNES
- The School of Pharmacy, University of Bradford, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP, UK
| | - Jared W YOUNG
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804
| | - Jo C NEILL
- The School of Pharmacy, University of Bradford, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP, UK
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Aubin HJ, Rollema H, Svensson TH, Winterer G. Smoking, quitting, and psychiatric disease: A review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2012; 36:271-84. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2011.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 173] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2010] [Revised: 06/14/2011] [Accepted: 06/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Neural effects of acute nicotinic treatment on visual spatial attention in non-smokers. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2011; 100:228-36. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2011.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2011] [Revised: 07/15/2011] [Accepted: 08/20/2011] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Mateos B, Borcel E, Loriga R, Luesu W, Bini V, Llorente R, Castelli MP, Viveros MP. Adolescent exposure to nicotine and/or the cannabinoid agonist CP 55,940 induces gender-dependent long-lasting memory impairments and changes in brain nicotinic and CB(1) cannabinoid receptors. J Psychopharmacol 2011; 25:1676-90. [PMID: 20562169 DOI: 10.1177/0269881110370503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
We have analysed the long-term effects of adolescent (postnatal day 28-43) exposure of male and female rats to nicotine (NIC, 1.4 mg/kg/day) and/or the cannabinoid agonist CP 55,940 (CP, 0.4 mg/kg/day) on the following parameters measured in the adulthood: (1) the memory ability evaluated in the object location task (OL) and in the novel object test (NOT); (2) the anxiety-like behaviour in the elevated plus maze; and (3) nicotinic and CB(1) cannabinoid receptors in cingulated cortex and hippocampus. In the OL, all pharmacological treatments induced significant decreases in the DI of females, whereas no significant effects were found among males. In the NOT, NIC-treated females showed a significantly reduced DI, whereas the effect of the cannabinoid agonist (a decrease in the DI) was only significant in males. The anxiety-related behaviour was not changed by any drug. Both, nicotine and cannabinoid treatments induced a long-lasting increase in CB(1) receptor activity (CP-stimulated GTPγS binding) in male rats, and the nicotine treatment also induced a decrease in nicotinic receptor density in the prefrontal cortex of females. The results show gender-dependent harmful effects of both drugs and long-lasting changes in CB(1) and nicotinic receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Mateos
- Department of Physiology (Animal Physiology II), Faculty of Biology, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain
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41
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Acute nicotine increases both impulsive choice and behavioural disinhibition in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2011; 217:455-73. [PMID: 21503608 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-011-2296-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2010] [Accepted: 04/01/2011] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Heavy smokers exhibit greater levels of impulsive choice and behavioural disinhibition than non-smokers. To date, however, the relationship between nicotine use and differing dimensions of impulsivity has not been systematically assessed. OBJECTIVES A series of studies was designed to assess the acute dose-response effects of nicotine and the nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine alone, and in combination with nicotine, on impulsive choice and behavioural disinhibition in rats. METHODS Separate groups of rats were trained on a symmetrically reinforced go/no-go task to measure levels of disinhibition and a systematic delayed reward task to measure levels of impulsive choice. Once trained, all animals in each task were treated acutely with nicotine (0.125, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg), mecamylamine (0.1, 0.3 and 1.0 mg/kg) and varying doses of mecamylamine (0.1, 0.3 and 1.0 mg/kg) prior to nicotine (0.5 mg/kg). An additional experiment assessed the effects of alterations in primary motivation (presatiation and fasting) on performance in both tasks. RESULTS Acute nicotine increased both impulsive choice and behavioural disinhibition, effects that were blocked by pre-treatment with mecamylamine. Mecamylamine when administered alone did not alter impulsive behaviour. The lack of effect of presatiation on performance measures suggests that the observed nicotine-induced impulsivity cannot be attributed to the anorectic activity of the compound. CONCLUSIONS Present findings support the hypothesis that heightened impulsivity in smokers may in part be a consequence of the direct acute effects of nicotine. As such, drug-induced changes in impulsivity may play a critical role in the transition to and maintenance of nicotine dependence.
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Sazetidine-A, a selective α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor ligand: effects on dizocilpine and scopolamine-induced attentional impairments in female Sprague-Dawley rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2011; 215:621-30. [PMID: 21274704 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-010-2161-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2010] [Accepted: 12/18/2010] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuronal nicotinic receptor systems have been shown to play key roles in cognition. Nicotine and nicotinic analogs improve attention and nicotinic antagonists impair it. This study was conducted to investigate the role of α4β2 nicotinic receptors in sustained attention using a novel selective α4β2 nicotinic receptor ligand, sazetidine-A. METHODS Female rats were trained to perform the signal detection task to a stable baseline of accuracy. The rats were injected with saline, sazetidine-A (0.01, 0.03, and 0.1 mg/kg), dizocilpine (0.05 mg/kg), or their combination; or, in another experiment, the rats were injected with the same doses of sazetidine-A, scopolamine (0.02 mg/kg), or their combination. RESULTS Percent hit and percent correct rejection showed that dizocilpine caused significant (p < 0.025) impairments in performance, which were significantly reversed by each of the sazetidine-A doses. Response omissions were significantly (p < 0.05) increased by dizocilpine, and this was also significantly reversed by each of the sazetidine-A doses. None of the sazetidine-A doses had significant effects on hit, correct rejection, or response omissions when given alone. Scopolamine also caused significant (p < 0.0005) impairments in percent hit and percent correct rejection and increased response omissions, which were significantly attenuated by all the sazetidine-A doses for percent hit and response omissions and by the highest dose of sazetidine-A for percent correct rejection. Both scopolamine and dizocilpine significantly (p < 0.0005) increased response latency, an effect which was significantly attenuated by sazetidine-A coadministration. CONCLUSIONS These studies imply an important role for α4β2 nicotinic receptors in improving sustained attention under conditions that disrupt it. Very low doses of sazetidine-A or drugs with a similar profile may provide therapeutic benefit for reversing attentional impairment in patients suffering from mental disorders and/or cognitive impairment.
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Levin ED, Bushnell PJ, Rezvani AH. Attention-modulating effects of cognitive enhancers. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2011; 99:146-54. [PMID: 21334367 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2011.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2010] [Revised: 01/30/2011] [Accepted: 02/09/2011] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Attention can be readily measured in experimental animal models. Animal models of attention have been used to better understand the neural systems involved in attention, how attention is impaired, and how therapeutic treatments can ameliorate attentional deficits. This review focuses on the ways in which animal models are used to better understand the neuronal mechanism of attention and how to develop new therapeutic treatments for attentional impairment. Several behavioral test methods have been developed for experimental animal studies of attention, including a 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT), a signal detection task (SDT), and a novel object recognition (NOR) test. These tasks can be used together with genetic, lesion, pharmacological and behavioral models of attentional impairment to test the efficacy of novel therapeutic treatments. The most prominent genetic model is the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). Well-characterized lesion models include frontal cortical or hippocampal lesions. Pharmacological models include challenge with the NMDA glutamate antagonist dizocilpine (MK-801), the nicotinic cholinergic antagonist mecamylamine and the muscarinic cholinergic antagonist scopolamine. Behavioral models include distracting stimuli and attenuated target stimuli. Important validation of these behavioral tests and models of attentional impairments for developing effective treatments for attentional dysfunction is the fact that stimulant treatments effective for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), such as methylphenidate (Ritalin®), are effective in the experimental animal models. Newer lines of treatment including nicotinic agonists, α4β2 nicotinic receptor desensitizers, and histamine H₃ antagonists, have also been found to be effective in improving attention in these animal models. Good carryover has also been seen for the attentional improvement caused by nicotine in experimental animal models and in human populations. Animal models of attention can be effectively used for the development of new treatments of attentional impairment in ADHD and other syndromes in which have attentional impairments occur, such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward D Levin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, NC 27710, USA.
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D'Souza MS, Markou A. Schizophrenia and tobacco smoking comorbidity: nAChR agonists in the treatment of schizophrenia-associated cognitive deficits. Neuropharmacology 2011; 62:1564-73. [PMID: 21288470 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.01.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2010] [Revised: 01/19/2011] [Accepted: 01/24/2011] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Tobacco smoking is a preventable cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Very high rates of tobacco smoking are seen in patients with schizophrenia. Importantly, smokers with schizophrenia generally have higher nicotine dependence scores, experience more severe withdrawal symptoms upon smoking cessation, have lower cessation rates than healthy individuals, and suffer from significant smoking-related morbidity and premature mortality compared with the general population. Interestingly, significant disturbances in cholinergic function are reported in schizophrenia patients. The high smoking-schizophrenia comorbidity observed in schizophrenia patients may be an attempt to compensate for this cholinergic dysfunction. Cholinergic neurotransmission plays an important role in cognition and is hypothesized to play an important role in schizophrenia-associated cognitive deficits. In this review, preclinical evidence highlighting the beneficial effects of nicotine and subtype-selective nicotinic receptor agonists in schizophrenia-associated cognitive deficits, such as working memory and attention, is discussed. Furthermore, some of the challenges involved in the development of procognitive medications, particularly subtype-selective nicotinic receptor agonists, are also discussed. Amelioration of schizophrenia-associated cognitive deficits may help in the treatment of schizophrenia-smoking comorbidity by promoting smoking cessation and thus help in the better management of schizophrenia patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manoranjan S D'Souza
- Department of Psychiatry, M/C 0603, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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Floresco SB, Jentsch JD. Pharmacological enhancement of memory and executive functioning in laboratory animals. Neuropsychopharmacology 2011; 36:227-50. [PMID: 20844477 PMCID: PMC3055518 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2010.158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Investigating how different pharmacological compounds may enhance learning, memory, and higher-order cognitive functions in laboratory animals is the first critical step toward the development of cognitive enhancers that may be used to ameliorate impairments in these functions in patients suffering from neuropsychiatric disorders. Rather than focus on one aspect of cognition, or class of drug, in this review we provide a broad overview of how distinct classes of pharmacological compounds may enhance different types of memory and executive functioning, particularly those mediated by the prefrontal cortex. These include recognition memory, attention, working memory, and different components of behavioral flexibility. A key emphasis is placed on comparing and contrasting the effects of certain drugs on different cognitive and mnemonic functions, highlighting methodological issues associated with this type of research, tasks used to investigate these functions, and avenues for future research. Viewed collectively, studies of the neuropharmacological basis of cognition in rodents and non-human primates have identified targets that will hopefully open new avenues for the treatment of cognitive disabilities in persons affected by mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stan B Floresco
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - James D Jentsch
- Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry & Bio-behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Abstract
As indicated by the profound cognitive impairments caused by cholinergic receptor antagonists, cholinergic neurotransmission has a vital role in cognitive function, specifically attention and memory encoding. Abnormally regulated cholinergic neurotransmission has been hypothesized to contribute to the cognitive symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders. Loss of cholinergic neurons enhances the severity of the symptoms of dementia. Cholinergic receptor agonists and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors have been investigated for the treatment of cognitive dysfunction. Evidence from experiments using new techniques for measuring rapid changes in cholinergic neurotransmission provides a novel perspective on the cholinergic regulation of cognitive processes. This evidence indicates that changes in cholinergic modulation on a timescale of seconds is triggered by sensory input cues and serves to facilitate cue detection and attentional performance. Furthermore, the evidence indicates cholinergic induction of evoked intrinsic, persistent spiking mechanisms for active maintenance of sensory input, and planned responses. Models have been developed to describe the neuronal mechanisms underlying the transient modulation of cortical target circuits by cholinergic activity. These models postulate specific locations and roles of nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors and that cholinergic neurotransmission is controlled in part by (cortical) target circuits. The available evidence and these models point to new principles governing the development of the next generation of cholinergic treatments for cognitive disorders.
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Hahn C, Pogun S, Güntürkün O. Smoking modulates language lateralization in a sex-specific way. Neuropsychologia 2010; 48:3993-4002. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2010] [Revised: 08/14/2010] [Accepted: 10/06/2010] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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de Bruin NMWJ, Lange JHM, Kruse CG, Herremans AH, Schoffelmeer ANM, van Drimmelen M, De Vries TJ. SLV330, a cannabinoid CB(1) receptor antagonist, attenuates ethanol and nicotine seeking and improves inhibitory response control in rats. Behav Brain Res 2010; 217:408-15. [PMID: 21074574 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2010] [Revised: 11/01/2010] [Accepted: 11/05/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Cannabinoid CB(1) receptor (CB(1)R) signaling has been shown to play a role in the regulation of addictive behavior. In the present study, our aim was to investigate whether the CB(1)R antagonist SLV330 could reduce ethanol and nicotine self-administration and cue-induced reinstatement of ethanol and nicotine seeking behavior in Wistar rats. In operant chambers, rats were learned to emit a specific response (nose poke) in order to receive an ethanol solution or intravenous injections of nicotine. Discrete light and tone cues were presented during ethanol and nicotine delivery. These cues are particularly important for drug self-administration behavior and, through Pavlovian conditioning, acquire conditioned reinforcing and motivational properties and are therefore able to generate and maintain drug-seeking behavior. Subsequently, the CB(1)R antagonist SLV330 (doses ranging from 1 to 10mg/kg, given orally, p.o.) was administered to investigate the effects on drug self-administration. In addition, responding for ethanol and nicotine was extinguished. Then, the animals were tested for cue-induced reinstatement of ethanol and nicotine seeking and treated with vehicle or SLV330. Finally, the effects of SLV330 were studied on the number of anticipatory responses in the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) in order to determine whether this compound could also increase impulse control in Wistar rats. The CB(1) antagonist SLV330 was effective in reducing ethanol self-administration at a lowest effective dose (LED) of 10mg/kg (p.o.) and reinstatement of ethanol seeking at a LED of 3mg/kg (p.o.). SLV330 was also effective in reducing nicotine self-administration and reinstatement of nicotine seeking, although at a LED of 10mg/kg (p.o.). Finally, SLV330 decreased time delay-dependent anticipatory responding (LED of 3.0mg/kg, p.o.), indicating an increased inhibitory control. These findings are in agreement with results reported with other CB(1) antagonists. The combined action of reducing the reinforcing and motivational properties of nicotine and alcohol and the improvement of impulse control supports the idea that the cannabinoid system is a promising target for anti-relapse medication.
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Affiliation(s)
- N M W J de Bruin
- Abbott Healthcare Products BV, C.J. van Houtenlaan 36, 1381 CP Weesp, The Netherlands.
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Brown DC, Nichols JA, Thomas F, Dinh L, Atzori M. Nicotinic modulation of auditory attentional shift in the rat. Behav Brain Res 2010; 210:273-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.02.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2010] [Revised: 02/22/2010] [Accepted: 02/24/2010] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Howe WM, Ji J, Parikh V, Williams S, Mocaër E, Trocmé-Thibierge C, Sarter M. Enhancement of attentional performance by selective stimulation of alpha4beta2(*) nAChRs: underlying cholinergic mechanisms. Neuropsychopharmacology 2010; 35:1391-401. [PMID: 20147893 PMCID: PMC2855755 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2010.9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Impairments in attention are a major component of the cognitive symptoms of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Using an operant sustained attention task (SAT), including a distractor condition (dSAT), we assessed the putative pro-attentional effects of the selective alpha4beta2(*) nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) agonist S 38232 in comparison with the non-selective agonist nicotine. Neither drug benefited SAT performance. However, in interaction with the increased task demands implemented by distractor presentation, the selective agonist, but not nicotine, enhanced the detection of signals during the post-distractor recovery period. This effect is consistent with the hypothesis that second-long increases in cholinergic activity ('transients') mediate the detection of cues and that nAChR agonists augment such transients. Electrochemical recordings of prefrontal cholinergic transients evoked by S 38232 and nicotine indicated that the alpha4beta2(*) nAChR agonist evoked cholinergic transients that were characterized by a faster rise time and more rapid decay than those evoked by nicotine. Blockade of the alpha7 nAChR 'sharpens' nicotine-evoked transients; therefore, we determined the effects of co-administration of nicotine and the alpha7 nAChR antagonist methyllycaconitine on dSAT performance. Compared with vehicle and nicotine alone, this combined treatment significantly enhanced the detection of signals. These results indicate that compared with nicotine, alpha4beta2(*) nAChR agonists significantly enhance attentional performance and that the dSAT represents a useful behavioral screening tool. The combined behavioral and electrochemical evidence supports the hypothesis that nAChR agonist-evoked cholinergic transients, which are characterized by rapid rise time and fast decay, predict robust drug-induced enhancement of attentional performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- William M Howe
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jinzhao Ji
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Vinay Parikh
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sarah Williams
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Elisabeth Mocaër
- Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier, Courbevoie, France
| | | | - Martin Sarter
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA,Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, 4032 East Hall, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1043, USA, Tel: +1 734 764 6392, Fax: +1 734 763 7480, E-mail:
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