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Clark PJ, Brodnik ZD, España RA. Chemogenetic Signaling in Space and Time: Considerations for Designing Neuroscience Experiments Using DREADDs. Neuroscientist 2024; 30:328-346. [PMID: 36408535 DOI: 10.1177/10738584221134587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
The use of designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) has led to significant advances in our understanding of the neural circuits that govern behavior. By allowing selective control over cellular activity and signaling, DREADDs have become an integral tool for defining the pathways and cellular phenotypes that regulate sleep, pain, motor activity, goal-directed behaviors, and a variety of other processes. In this review, we provide a brief overview of DREADDs and discuss notable discoveries in the neurosciences with an emphasis on circuit mechanisms. We then highlight methodological approaches to achieve pathway specific activation of DREADDs. Finally, we discuss spatial and temporal constraints of DREADDs signaling and how these features can be incorporated into experimental designs to precisely dissect circuits of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip J Clark
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Zachary D Brodnik
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Rodrigo A España
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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2
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Zheng X, Dingpeng L, Yan X, Yao X, Wang Y. The role and mechanism of 5-HTDRN-BNST neural circuit in anxiety and fear lesions. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1362899. [PMID: 38784088 PMCID: PMC11111893 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1362899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Central 5-hydroxytryptaminergic dorsal raphe nucleus (5-HTDRN)-bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) neural circuit dysfunction is one of the important neurobiological basis of anxiety and fear disorders. Under stress, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) neurons act on BNST receptors to attenuate anxiety and fear responses or enhance anxiety and fear. In BNST, corticotropin releasing factor neurons play a role in regulating emotions by reversely regulating excitatory or inhibitory 5-HT neurons. The composition of 5-HTDRN-BNST neural circuit, the pathological changes of 5-HTDRN-BNST neural circuit function damage under stress, and the effects of 5-HTDRN-BNST neural circuit on anxiety disorder, panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder were analyzed and are summarized in this paper. The characteristics of functional changes of the neural circuit and its effects on brain functional activities provide a basis and ideas for the treatment of anxiety and fear disorders through the regulation of 5-HTDRN-BNST neural circuit, and they also provide a new perspective for understanding the pathological mechanism of such diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianli Zheng
- Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
- Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Li Dingpeng
- Gansu Provincial Second People’s Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Xingke Yan
- Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Xiaoqiang Yao
- Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Yongrui Wang
- Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
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3
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Lu M, Shi J, Li X, Liu Y, Liu Y. Long-term intake of thermo-induced oxidized oil results in anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors: involvement of microglia and astrocytes. Food Funct 2024; 15:4037-4050. [PMID: 38533894 DOI: 10.1039/d3fo05302d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Frequent consumption of fried foods has been strongly associated with a higher risk of anxiety and depression, particularly among young individuals. The existing evidence has indicated that acrylamide produced from starchy foods at high temperatures can induce anxious behavior. However, there is limited research on the nerve damage caused by thermo-induced oxidized oil (TIOO). In this study, we conducted behavioral tests on mice and found that prolonged consumption of TIOO led to significant anxiety behavior and a tendency toward depression. TIOO primarily induced these two emotional disorders by affecting the differentiation of microglia, the level of inflammatory factors, the activation of astrocytes, and glutamate circulation in brain tissue. By promoting the over-differentiation of microglia into M1 microglia, TIOO disrupted their differentiation balance, resulting in an up-regulation of inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, NOS2) in M1 microglia and a down-regulation of neuroprotective factors IL-4/IL-10 in M2 microglia, leading to nerve damage. Moreover, TIOO activated astrocytes, accelerating their proliferation and causing GFAP precipitation, which damaged astrocytes. Meanwhile, TIOO stimulates the secretion of the BDNF and reduces the level of the glutamate receptor GLT-1 in astrocytes, leading to a disorder in the glutamate-glutamine cycle, further exacerbating nerve damage. In conclusion, this study suggests that long-term intake of thermo-induced oxidized oil can trigger symptoms of anxiety and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meishan Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, National Engineering Laboratory for Cereal Fermentation Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control in Jiangsu Province, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jiachen Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, National Engineering Laboratory for Cereal Fermentation Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control in Jiangsu Province, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xue Li
- College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Yanjun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, National Engineering Laboratory for Cereal Fermentation Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control in Jiangsu Province, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
- Laboratory of Food Science and Human Health, College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Yuanfa Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, School of Food Science and Technology, National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, National Engineering Laboratory for Cereal Fermentation Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control in Jiangsu Province, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
- Future Food (Bai Ma) Research Institute, 111 Baima Road, Lishui District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
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Doyle MA, Salimando GJ, Altemus ME, Badt JK, Bedenbaugh MN, Vardy AS, Adank DN, Park AS, Winder DG. BNST GluN2D-containing NMDARs contribute to ethanol intake but not negative affective behaviors in female mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.19.590258. [PMID: 38659775 PMCID: PMC11042366 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.19.590258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic, relapsing disease, highly comorbid with anxiety and depression. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), and Crh + neurons in this region are thought to play a key role in chronic ethanol-induced increases in volitional ethanol intake. This role has been hypothesized to be driven by emergent BNST-dependent negative affective behaviors. Indeed, we report here that in female mice undergoing a home cage chronic drinking forced abstinence model (CDFA), excitatory transmission undergoes time-dependent upregulation in BNST Crh + cells. Excitatory NMDA receptors (NMDARs) are a major target of ethanol, and chronic ethanol exposure has been shown to regulate NMDAR function and expression. GluN2D subunit-containing NMDARs have emerged as a target of interest due to their limited distribution and potential roles in affective behavior. We find that knockdown of dorsal BNST (dBNST) GluN2D expression significantly decreases ethanol intake in female, but not male, mice. While BNST Grin2b expression was significantly increased in protracted abstinence following CDFA, no differences in Grin2d expression were observed in dBNST or specifically in dBNST Crh + neurons. Finally, to determine the impact of GluN2D expression on negative affective behaviors, open field, elevated zero maze, and forced swim tasks were used to measure anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in constitutive and conditional BNST GluN2D knockout mice. Surprisingly, we find that deletion of GluN2D fails to alter negative affect in ethanol-naïve female mice. Together, these data suggest a role for BNST GluN2D-containing NMDARs in ethanol drinking behaviors but not abstinence from ethanol, highlighting potential sex differences and behavioral specificity in the context of AUD behaviors. Overall, these data further suggest roles for BNST synaptic signaling in volitional ethanol intake that are partially independent of actions on affective behavior.
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Li M, Li W, Liang S, Liao X, Gu M, Li H, Chen X, Liu H, Qin H, Xiao J. BNST GABAergic neurons modulate wakefulness over sleep and anesthesia. Commun Biol 2024; 7:339. [PMID: 38503808 PMCID: PMC10950862 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06028-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The neural circuits underlying sleep-wakefulness and general anesthesia have not been fully investigated. The GABAergic neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) play a critical role in stress and fear that relied on heightened arousal. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether BNST GABAergic neurons are involved in the regulation of sleep-wakefulness and anesthesia. Here, using in vivo fiber photometry combined with electroencephalography, electromyography, and video recordings, we found that BNST GABAergic neurons exhibited arousal-state-dependent alterations, with high activities in both wakefulness and rapid-eye movement sleep, but suppressed during anesthesia. Optogenetic activation of these neurons could initiate and maintain wakefulness, and even induce arousal from anesthesia. However, chronic lesion of BNST GABAergic neurons altered spontaneous sleep-wakefulness architecture during the dark phase, but not induction and emergence from anesthesia. Furthermore, we also discovered that the BNST-ventral tegmental area pathway might participate in promoting wakefulness and reanimation from steady-state anesthesia. Collectively, our study explores new elements in neural circuit mechanisms underlying sleep-wakefulness and anesthesia, which may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of consciousness and the development of innovative anesthetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyao Li
- Advanced Institute for Brain and Intelligence, School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Wen Li
- Department of Neurology, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400042, China
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Shanshan Liang
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Xiang Liao
- Center for Neurointelligence, School of Medicine, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China
| | - Miaoqing Gu
- Advanced Institute for Brain and Intelligence, School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Huiming Li
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xiaowei Chen
- Advanced Institute for Brain and Intelligence, School of Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
- Chongqing Institute for Brain and Intelligence, Guangyang Bay Laboratory, Chongqing, 400064, China
| | - Hongliang Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, 400030, China.
| | - Han Qin
- Chongqing Institute for Brain and Intelligence, Guangyang Bay Laboratory, Chongqing, 400064, China.
| | - Jingyu Xiao
- Department of Anesthesiology, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, 400030, China.
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Flanigan ME, Gianessi C, Castle M, Dorlean W, Sides T, Kash TL. Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis (BNST) neurons containing the serotonin 5HT 2c receptor modulate operant alcohol self-administration behavior in mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:709-719. [PMID: 37884740 PMCID: PMC10876660 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01753-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
The serotonin 5HT2c receptor has been widely implicated in the pathophysiology of alcohol use disorder (AUD), particularly alcohol seeking and the affective consequences of chronic alcohol consumption. However, little is known about the brain sites in which 5HT2c exerts its effects on specific alcohol-related behaviors, especially in females. Here, we investigated the effects of site-specific manipulation of the 5HT2c receptor system in the BNST on operant alcohol self-administration behaviors in adult mice of both sexes, including the acquisition and maintenance of fixed-ratio responding, motivation for alcohol (progressive ratio), and quinine-adulterated responding for alcohol on a fixed-ratio schedule (punished alcohol seeking). Knockdown of 5HT2c in the BNST did not affect the acquisition or maintenance of operant alcohol self-administration, nor did it affect progressive ratio responding for alcohol. This manipulation had only a subtle effect on responding for quinine alcohol selectively in females. On the other hand, chemogenetic inhibition of BNST 5HT2c-containing neurons (BNST5HT2c) increased operant alcohol self-administration behavior in both sexes on day 2, but not day 9, of testing. It also increased operant responding for 1000 μM quinine-adulterated alcohol selectively in males. Importantly, chemogenetic inhibition of BNST5HT2c did not alter operant sucrose responding or motivation for sucrose in either sex. We then performed cell-type specific anterograde tracing, which revealed that BNST5HT2c project to similar regions in males and females, many of which have been previously implicated in AUD. We next used chemogenetics and quantification of the immediate early gene cFos to characterize the functional influence of BNST5HT2c inhibition on vlPAG activity. We show that chemogenetic inhibition of BNST5HT2c reduces vlPAG cFos in both sexes, but that this reduction is more robust in males. Together these findings suggest that BNST5HT2c neurons, and to a small extent the BNST 5HT2c receptor, serve to promote aversive responses to alcohol consumption, potentially through sex-dependent disinhibition of vlPAG neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan E Flanigan
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Carol Gianessi
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Megan Castle
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Winifred Dorlean
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Tori Sides
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Thomas L Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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Albrechet‐Souza L, Kasten CR, Bertagna NB, Wills TA. Sex-specific negative affect-like behaviour and parabrachial nucleus activation induced by BNST stimulation in adult mice with adolescent alcohol history. Addict Biol 2024; 29:e13366. [PMID: 38380710 PMCID: PMC10883599 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Adolescent alcohol use is a strong predictor for the subsequent development of alcohol use disorders later in life. Additionally, adolescence is a critical period for the onset of affective disorders, which can contribute to problematic drinking behaviours and relapse, particularly in females. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that exposure to adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) vapour alters glutamatergic transmission in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and, when combined with adult stress, elicits sex-specific changes in glutamatergic plasticity and negative affect-like behaviours in mice. Building on these findings, the current work investigated whether BNST stimulation could substitute for stress exposure to increase the latency to consume a palatable food in a novel context (hyponeophagia) and promote social avoidance in adult mice with AIE history. Given the dense connections between the BNST and the parabrachial nucleus (PBN), a region involved in mediating threat assessment and feeding behaviours, we hypothesized that increased negative affect-like behaviours would be associated with PBN activation. Our results revealed that the chemogenetic stimulation of the dorsolateral BNST induced hyponeophagia in females with AIE history, but not in female controls or males of either group. Social interaction remained unaffected in both sexes. Notably, this behavioural phenotype was associated with higher activation of calcitonin gene-related peptide and dynorphin cells in the PBN. These findings provide new insights into the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the development of negative affect in females and highlight the potential involvement of the BNST-PBN circuitry in regulating emotional responses to alcohol-related stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Albrechet‐Souza
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, School of MedicineLouisiana State University Health Sciences CenterNew OrleansLouisianaUSA
- Alcohol & Drug Center of Excellence, School of MedicineLouisiana State University Health Sciences CenterNew OrleansLouisianaUSA
| | - Chelsea R. Kasten
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, School of MedicineLouisiana State University Health Sciences CenterNew OrleansLouisianaUSA
| | - Natalia B. Bertagna
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, School of MedicineLouisiana State University Health Sciences CenterNew OrleansLouisianaUSA
- Department of PharmacologyFederal University of São PauloSão PauloSPBrazil
| | - Tiffany A. Wills
- Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, School of MedicineLouisiana State University Health Sciences CenterNew OrleansLouisianaUSA
- Alcohol & Drug Center of Excellence, School of MedicineLouisiana State University Health Sciences CenterNew OrleansLouisianaUSA
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, School of MedicineLouisiana State University Health Sciences CenterNew OrleansLouisianaUSA
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Zhao H, Zhou M, Liu Y, Jiang J, Wang Y. Recent advances in anxiety disorders: Focus on animal models and pathological mechanisms. Animal Model Exp Med 2023; 6:559-572. [PMID: 38013621 PMCID: PMC10757213 DOI: 10.1002/ame2.12360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Anxiety disorders have become one of the most severe psychiatric disorders, and the incidence is increasing every year. They impose an extraordinary personal and socioeconomic burden. Anxiety disorders are influenced by multiple complex and interacting genetic, psychological, social, and environmental factors, which contribute to disruption or imbalance in homeostasis and eventually cause pathologic anxiety. The selection of a suitable animal model is important for the exploration of disease etiology and pathophysiology, and the development of new drugs. Therefore, a more comprehensive understanding of the advantages and limitations of existing animal models of anxiety disorders is helpful to further study the underlying pathological mechanisms of the disease. This review summarizes animal models and the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders, and discusses the current research status to provide insights for further study of anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongqing Zhao
- Science & technology innovation centerHunan University of Chinese MedicineChangshaChina
| | - Mi Zhou
- Science & technology innovation centerHunan University of Chinese MedicineChangshaChina
| | - Yang Liu
- Science & technology innovation centerHunan University of Chinese MedicineChangshaChina
| | - Jiaqi Jiang
- Science & technology innovation centerHunan University of Chinese MedicineChangshaChina
| | - Yuhong Wang
- Science & technology innovation centerHunan University of Chinese MedicineChangshaChina
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Lawson KA, Ruiz CM, Mahler SV. A head-to-head comparison of two DREADD agonists for suppressing operant behavior in rats via VTA dopamine neuron inhibition. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:2101-2110. [PMID: 37530882 PMCID: PMC10794001 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06429-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) are a tool for "remote control" of defined neuronal populations during behavior. These receptors are inert unless bound by an experimenter-administered designer drug, commonly clozapine-n-oxide (CNO). However, questions have emerged about the suitability of CNO as a systemically administered DREADD agonist. OBJECTIVES Second-generation agonists such as JHU37160 (J60) have been developed, which may have more favorable properties than CNO. Here we sought to directly compare effects of CNO (0, 1, 5, & 10 mg/kg, i.p.) and J60 (0, 0.03, 0.3, & 3 mg/kg, i.p.) on operant food pursuit. METHODS Male and female TH:Cre + rats and their wildtype (WT) littermates received cre-dependent hM4Di-mCherry vector injections into ventral tegmental area (VTA), causing inhibitory DREADD expression in VTA dopamine neurons of TH:Cre + rats. All rats were trained to stably lever press for palatable food on a fixed ratio 10 schedule, and doses of both agonists were tested on separate days in counterbalanced order. RESULTS All three CNO doses reduced operant rewards earned in rats with DREADDs, and no CNO dose had behavioral effects in WT controls. The highest J60 dose tested significantly reduced responding in DREADD rats, but this dose also increased responding in WTs, indicating non-specific effects. The magnitude of CNO and J60 effects in TH:Cre + rats were correlated and were present in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS Findings demonstrate the usefulness of directly comparing DREADD agonists when optimizing behavioral chemogenetics, and highlight the importance of proper controls, regardless of the DREADD agonist employed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate A Lawson
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, 1132 McGaugh Hall, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
| | - Christina M Ruiz
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, 1132 McGaugh Hall, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Stephen V Mahler
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, 1132 McGaugh Hall, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
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Ly A, Barker A, Hotchkiss H, Prévost ED, McGovern DJ, Kilpatrick Z, Root DH. Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis GABA neurons are necessary for changes in foraging behaviour following an innate threat. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 58:3630-3649. [PMID: 37715507 PMCID: PMC10748738 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
Foraging is a universal behaviour that has co-evolved with predation pressure. We investigated the role of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) GABA neurons in robotic and live predator threat processing and their consequences in post-threat encounter foraging. Both robotic and live predator interactions increased BNST GABA neuron activity. Mice were trained to procure food in a laboratory-based foraging apparatus in which food pellets were placed at incrementally greater distances from a nest zone. After mice learned to forage, they were exposed to a robotic or live predator threat, while BNST GABA neurons were chemogenetically inhibited. Post-robotic threat encounter, mice spent more time in the nest zone, but other foraging parameters were unchanged compared with pre-encounter behaviour. Inhibition of BNST GABA neurons had no effect on foraging behaviour post-robotic threat encounter. Following live predator exposure, control mice spent significantly more time in the nest zone, increased their latency to successfully forage, and significantly altered their overall foraging performance. Inhibition of BNST GABA neurons during live predator exposure prevented changes in foraging behaviour from developing after a live predator threat. BNST GABA neuron inhibition did not alter foraging behaviour during robotic or live predator threats. We conclude that these results demonstrate that while both robotic and live predator encounters effectively intrude on foraging behaviour, the perceived risk and behavioural consequences of the threat are distinguishable. Additionally, BNST GABA neurons may play a role in the integration of prior innate predator threat experience that results in hypervigilance during post-encounter foraging behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie Ly
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Alexandra Barker
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Hayden Hotchkiss
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Emily D. Prévost
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Dillon J. McGovern
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Zachary Kilpatrick
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - David H. Root
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
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Flanigan ME, Gianessi C, Castle M, Dorlean W, Sides T, Kash TL. Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis (BNST) neurons containing the serotonin 5HT 2c receptor modulate operant alcohol self-administration behavior in mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.26.559653. [PMID: 37808816 PMCID: PMC10557639 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.26.559653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
The serotonin 5HT2c receptor has been widely implicated in the pathophysiology of alcohol use disorder (AUD), particularly alcohol seeking and the affective consequences of chronic alcohol consumption. However, little is known about the brain sites in which 5HT2c exerts its effects on specific alcohol-related behaviors, especially in females. Here, we investigated the effects of site-specific manipulation of the 5HT2c receptor system in the BNST on operant alcohol self-administration behaviors in adult mice of both sexes, including the acquisition and maintenance of fixed-ratio responding, motivation for alcohol (progressive ratio), and quinine-adulterated responding for alcohol on a fixed-ratio schedule (punished alcohol seeking). Knockdown of 5HT2c in the BNST did not affect the acquisition or maintenance of operant alcohol self-administration, nor did it affect progressive ratio responding for alcohol. This manipulation had only a subtle effect on responding for quinine alcohol selectively in females. On the other hand, chemogenetic inhibition of BNST 5HT2c-containing neurons (BNST5HT2c) increased operant alcohol self-administration behavior in both sexes on day 2, but not day 9, of testing. It also increased operant responding for 1000 μM quinine-adulterated alcohol selectively in males. Importantly, chemogenetic inhibition of BNST5HT2c did not alter operant sucrose responding or motivation for sucrose in either sex. We then performed cell-type specific anterograde tracing, which revealed that BNST5HT2c project to similar regions in males and females, many of which have been previously implicated in AUD. We next used chemogenetics and quantification of the immediate early gene cFos to characterize the functional influence of BNST5HT2c inhibition on vlPAG activity. We show that chemogenetic inhibition of BNST5HT2c reduces vlPAG cFos in both sexes, but that this reduction is more robust in males. Together these findings suggest that BNST5HT2c neurons, and to a small extent the BNST 5HT2c receptor, serve to promote aversive responses to alcohol consumption, potentially through sex-dependent disinhibition of vlPAG neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan E. Flanigan
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Carol Gianessi
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Megan Castle
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Winifred Dorlean
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Tori Sides
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Thomas L. Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Guerra DP, Wang W, Souza KA, Moscarello JM. A sex-specific role for the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in proactive defensive behavior. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023:10.1038/s41386-023-01581-9. [PMID: 37142666 PMCID: PMC10267121 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01581-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a forebrain region implicated in aversive responses to uncertain threat. Much of the work on the role of BNST in defensive behavior has used Pavlovian paradigms in which the subject reacts to aversive stimuli delivered in a pattern determined entirely by the experimenter. Here, we explore the contribution of BNST to a task in which subjects learn a proactive response that prevents the delivery of an aversive outcome. To this end, male and female rats were trained to shuttle during a tone to avoid shock in a standard two-way signaled active avoidance paradigm. Chemogenetic inhibition (hM4Di) of BNST attenuated the expression of the avoidance response in male but not female rats. Inactivation of the neighboring medial septum in males produced no effect on avoidance, demonstrating that our effect was specific to BNST. A follow up study comparing hM4Di inhibition to hM3Dq activation of BNST in males replicated the effect of inhibition and demonstrated that activation of BNST extended the period of tone-evoked shuttling. These data support the novel conclusion that BNST mediates two-way avoidance behavior in male rats and suggest the intriguing possibility that the systems underlying proactive defensive behavior are sex-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana P Guerra
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Karienn A Souza
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
- Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience (TAMIN), Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Justin M Moscarello
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
- Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience (TAMIN), Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
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13
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Dygalo NN. Connectivity of the Brain in the Light of Chemogenetic Modulation of Neuronal Activity. Acta Naturae 2023; 15:4-13. [PMID: 37538804 PMCID: PMC10395778 DOI: 10.32607/actanaturae.11895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Connectivity is the coordinated activity of the neuronal networks responsible for brain functions; it is detected based on functional magnetic resonance imaging signals that depend on the oxygen level in the blood (blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals) supplying the brain. The BOLD signal is only indirectly related to the underlying neuronal activity; therefore, it remains an open question whether connectivity and changes in it are only manifestations of normal and pathological states of the brain or they are, to some extent, the causes of these states. The creation of chemogenetic receptors activated by synthetic drugs (designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs, DREADDs), which, depending on the receptor type, either facilitate or, on the contrary, inhibit the neuronal response to received physiological stimuli, makes it possible to assess brain connectivity in the light of controlled neuronal activity. Evidence suggests that connectivity is based on neuronal activity and is a manifestation of connections between brain regions that integrate sensory, cognitive, and motor functions. Chemogenetic modulation of the activity of various groups and types of neurons changes the connectivity of the brain and its complex functions. Chemogenetics can be useful in reconfiguring the pathological mechanisms of nervous and mental diseases. The initiated integration, based on the whole-brain connectome from molecular-cellular, neuronal, and synaptic processes to higher nervous activity and behavior, has the potential to significantly increase the fundamental and applied value of this branch of neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- N. N. Dygalo
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (IC&G SB RAS), Novosibirsk, 630090 Russian Federation
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14
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Flanigan ME, Hon OJ, D'Ambrosio S, Boyt KM, Hassanein L, Castle M, Haun HL, Pina MM, Kash TL. Subcortical serotonin 5HT 2c receptor-containing neurons sex-specifically regulate binge-like alcohol consumption, social, and arousal behaviors in mice. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1800. [PMID: 37002196 PMCID: PMC10066391 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36808-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Binge alcohol consumption induces discrete social and arousal disturbances in human populations that promote increased drinking and accelerate the progression of Alcohol Use Disorder. Here, we show in a mouse model that binge alcohol consumption disrupts social recognition in females and potentiates sensorimotor arousal in males. These negative behavioral outcomes were associated with sex-specific adaptations in serotonergic signaling systems within the lateral habenula (LHb) and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), particularly those related to the receptor 5HT2c. While both BNST and LHb neurons expressing this receptor display potentiated activation following binge alcohol consumption, the primary causal mechanism underlying the effects of alcohol on social and arousal behaviors appears to be excessive activation of LHb5HT2c neurons. These findings may have valuable implications for the development of sex-specific treatments for mood and alcohol use disorders targeting the brain's serotonin system.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Flanigan
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - O J Hon
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Curriculum in Neuroscience, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - S D'Ambrosio
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - K M Boyt
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - L Hassanein
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - M Castle
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - H L Haun
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - M M Pina
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - T L Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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15
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Lawson KA, Ruiz CM, Mahler SV. A head-to-head comparison of two DREADD agonists for suppressing operant behavior in rats via VTA dopamine neuron inhibition. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.27.534429. [PMID: 37034819 PMCID: PMC10081263 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.27.534429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Rationale Designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) are a tool for "remote control" of defined neuronal populations during behavior. These receptors are inert unless bound by an experimenter-administered designer drug, most commonly clozapine-n-oxide (CNO). However, questions have emerged about the suitability of CNO as a systemically administered DREADD agonist. Objectives Second-generation agonists such as JHU37160 (J60) have been developed, which may have more favorable properties than CNO. Here we sought to directly compare effects of CNO (0, 1, 5, & 10 mg/kg, i.p.) and J60 (0, 0.03, 0.3, & 3 mg/kg, i.p.) on operant food pursuit. Methods Male and female TH:Cre+ rats and their wildtype (WT) littermates received cre-dependent hM4Di-mCherry vector injections into ventral tegmental area (VTA), causing inhibitory DREADD expression in VTA dopamine neurons in TH:Cre+ rats. Rats were trained to stably lever press for palatable food on a fixed ratio 10 schedule, and doses of both agonists were tested on separate days in a counterbalanced order. Results All three CNO doses reduced operant food seeking in rats with DREADDs, and no CNO dose had behavioral effects in WT controls. The highest tested J60 dose significantly reduced responding in DREADD rats, but this dose also increased responding in WTs, indicating non-specific effects. The magnitude of CNO and J60 effects in TH:Cre+ rats were correlated and were present in both sexes. Conclusions Findings demonstrate the usefulness of directly comparing DREADD agonists when optimizing behavioral chemogenetics, and highlight the importance of proper controls, regardless of the DREADD agonist employed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate A Lawson
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
| | - Christina M Ruiz
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
| | - Stephen V Mahler
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
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16
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Wang X, Ge S, Zhang C. Bed nuclei of the stria terminalis: A key hub in the modulation of anxiety. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 57:900-917. [PMID: 36725691 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The bed nuclei of the stria terminalis (BST) is recognised as a pivotal integrative centre for monitoring emotional valence. It is implicated in the regulation of diverse affective states and motivated behaviours, and decades of research have firmly established its critical role in anxiety-related behavioural processes. Researchers have recently intricately dissected the BST's dynamic activities, its connection patterns and its functions with respect to specific cell types using multiple techniques such as optogenetics, in vivo calcium imaging and transgenic tools to unmask the complex circuitry mechanisms that underlie anxiety. In this review, we principally focus on studies of anxiety-involved neuromodulators within the BST and provide a comprehensive architecture of the anxiety network-highlighting the BST as a key hub in orchestrating anxiety-like behaviour. We posit that these promising efforts will contribute to the identification of an accurate roadmap for future treatment of anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinxin Wang
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Shenglin Ge
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Chengxin Zhang
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
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17
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Ly A, Barker A, Prévost ED, McGovern DJ, Kilpatrick Z, Root DH. Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis GABA neurons are necessary for changes in foraging behavior following an innate threat. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.25.530051. [PMID: 36865159 PMCID: PMC9980185 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.25.530051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2023]
Abstract
Foraging is a universal behavior that has co-evolved with predation pressure. We investigated the role of bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) GABA neurons in robotic and live predator threat processing and their consequences in post-threat encounter foraging. Mice were trained to procure food in a laboratory-based foraging apparatus in which food pellets were placed at discrete and incrementally greater distances from a nest zone. After mice learned to forage, they were exposed to either a robotic or live predator threat, while BNST GABA neurons were chemogenetically inhibited. Post-robotic threat encounter, mice spent more time in the nest zone, but other foraging parameters were unchanged compared to pre-encounter behavior. Inhibition of BNST GABA neurons had no effect on foraging behavior post-robotic threat encounter. Following live predator exposure, control mice spent significantly more time in the nest zone, increased their latency to successfully forage, and their overall foraging performance was significantly a ltered. I nhibition o f BNST GABA neurons during live predator exposure prevented changes in foraging behavior from developing after live predator threat. BNST GABA neuron inhibition did not alter foraging behavior during robotic or live predator threat. We conclude that while both robotic and live predator encounter effectively intrude on foraging behavior, the perceived risk and behavioral consequence of the threats are distinguishable. Additionally, BNST GABA neurons may play a role in the integration of prior innate predator threat experience that results in hypervigilance during post-encounter foraging behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie Ly
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, CO 80301
| | - Alexandra Barker
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, CO 80301
| | - Emily D. Prévost
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, CO 80301
| | - Dillon J. McGovern
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, CO 80301
| | - Zachary Kilpatrick
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Colorado Boulder, 11 Engineering Dr, Boulder, CO 80309
| | - David H. Root
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, CO 80301
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18
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Fox JH, Boucher MN, Abedrabbo KS, Hare BD, Grimmig BA, Falls WA, Hammack SE. Exercise reduces the anxiogenic effects of meta-chlorophenylpiperazine: The role of 5-HT2C receptors in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2023; 14:1067420. [PMID: 36713088 PMCID: PMC9880271 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2022.1067420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Two weeks of voluntary exercise in group-housed mice produces a reduction in anxiety-like behaviors across a number of different measures, including a reduction in the anxiety levels typically produced by the anxiogenic serotonergic drug m-chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP), an agonist at 5-HT2C/2b receptors. We have previously demonstrated that 2-weeks of voluntary exercise blunted the anxiogenic effects of systemic mCPP, and we have also shown that mCPP infused into the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is anxiogenic. Here we follow up on these reports. Methods In Experiment 1 we infused several doses of mCPP into the BNST with or without the 5-HT2C antagonist SB242084. In Experiment 2, we administered mCPP into amygdala subregions and the dorsal hippocampus to investigate site specificity. In Experiment 4 we lesioned the BNST and subsequently infused mCPP systemically, and in Experiment 4 we used RNAscope® to assess BNST 5-HT2C transcripts following wheel running. Results BNST mCPP infusion increased acoustic startle responding, which was by 5-HT2C antagonism, while neither mCPP infused into the amygdala nor hippocampus was anxiogenic. Lesions of the BNST prevented the anxiogenic effect of systemically administered mCPP. Lastly, exercise reduced 5-HT2C transcripts in the BNST. Discussion These results suggest that the BNST is a critical site of action for the effects of exercise on mCPP. Together these data suggest that exercise may reduce 5-HT2C receptor function in the BNST, which may, in part, explain some of the anxiolytic effects associated with wheel running.
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19
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Ji S, Chen Y, Zhou Y, Cao Y, Li X, Ding G, Tang F. Association between anxiety and metabolic syndrome: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1118836. [PMID: 36873213 PMCID: PMC9978147 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1118836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Previous studies have demonstrated an association between anxiety and metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, the association is still controversial. This updated meta-analysis aimed to reanalyze the association between anxiety and MetS. METHODS We comprehensively searched PubMed, Embase and Web of Science for all related studies published before January 23, 2023. Observational studies that informed effect size with 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between anxiety and MetS were included. According to heterogeneity between studies, fixed or random effects models were applied to calculate the pooled effect size. Publication bias was examined by funnel plots. RESULTS The research included 24 cross-sectional studies: 20 studies used MetS as the dependent variable with a pooled OR of 1.07 (95% CI: 1.01-1.13) and four studies used anxiety as the dependent variable with a pooled OR of 1.14 (95% CI: 1.07-1.23). Three cohort studies were found: two studies detected the association of baseline anxiety with the risk of MetS, one of the studies demonstrated a significant association, but a similar result was not found in another study; one study showed no significant association between baseline MetS and the risk of anxiety. CONCLUSION Cross-sectional studies indicated an association between anxiety and MetS. The results from cohort studies are still inconsistent and limited. More large-scale prospective studies are needed to further reveal the causal relationship of anxiety with MetS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Ji
- Department of Neurology, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Weifang Medical University and Shandong Institute of Neuroimmunology, Jinan, China
| | - Yujiao Chen
- Department of Neurology, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Weifang Medical University and Shandong Institute of Neuroimmunology, Jinan, China
| | - Yuying Zhou
- Department of Neurology, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Weifang Medical University and Shandong Institute of Neuroimmunology, Jinan, China
| | - Yiting Cao
- Department of Neurology, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Weifang Medical University and Shandong Institute of Neuroimmunology, Jinan, China
| | - Xiao Li
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan, China.,Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Guoyong Ding
- School of Public Health, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Fang Tang
- Department of Neurology, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Weifang Medical University and Shandong Institute of Neuroimmunology, Jinan, China.,Center for Big Data Research in Health and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China.,Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
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20
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The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in threat detection: task choice and rodent experience. Emerg Top Life Sci 2022; 6:457-466. [PMID: 36416376 PMCID: PMC9788396 DOI: 10.1042/etls20220002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Behavioural reactivity to potential threat is used to experimentally refine models of anxiety symptoms in rodents. We present a short review of the literature tying the most commonly used tasks to model anxiety symptoms to functional recruitment of bed nucleus of the stria terminalis circuits (BNST). Using a review of studies that investigated the role of the BNST in anxiety-like behaviour in rodents, we flag the certain challenges for the field. These stem from inconsistent methods of reporting the neuroanatomical BNST subregions and the interpretations of specific behaviour across a wide variety of tasks as 'anxiety-like'. Finally, to assist in interpretation of the findings, we discuss the potential interactions between typically used 'anxiety' tasks of innate behaviour that are potentially modulated by the social and individual experience of the animal.
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21
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Constitutive 5-HT2C receptor knock-out facilitates fear extinction through altered activity of a dorsal raphe-bed nucleus of the stria terminalis pathway. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:487. [PMID: 36402746 PMCID: PMC9675804 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02252-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Serotonin 2C receptors (5-HT2CRs) are widely distributed throughout the brain and are strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although in recent years, a considerable amount of evidence supports 5-HT2CRs facilitating effect on anxiety behavior, the involvement in learned fear responses and fear extinction is rather unexplored. Here, we used a 5-HT2CR knock-out mouse line (2CKO) to gain new insights into the involvement of 5-HT2CRs in the neuronal fear circuitry. Using a cued fear conditioning paradigm, our results revealed that global loss of 5-HT2CRs exclusively accelerates fear extinction, without affecting fear acquisition and fear expression. To investigate the neuronal substrates underlying the extinction enhancing effect, we mapped the immediate-early gene product cFos, a marker for neuronal activity, in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Surprisingly, besides extinction-associated changes, our results revealed alterations in neuronal activity even under basal home cage conditions in specific subregions of the DRN and the BNST in 2CKO mice. Neuronal activity in the dorsal BNST was shifted in an extinction-supporting direction due to 5-HT2CR knock-out. Finally, the assessment of DRN-BNST connectivity using antero- and retrograde tracing techniques uncovered a discrete serotonergic pathway projecting from the most caudal subregion of the DRN (DRC) to the anterodorsal portion of the BNST (BNSTad). This serotonergic DRC-BNSTad pathway showed increased neuronal activity in 2CKO mice. Thus, our results provide new insights for the fear extinction network by revealing a specific serotonergic DRC-BNSTad pathway underlying a 5-HT2CR-sensitive mechanism with high significance in the treatment of PTSD.
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22
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Flanigan ME, Kash TL. Coordination of social behaviors by the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 55:2404-2420. [PMID: 33006806 PMCID: PMC9906816 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a sexually dimorphic, neuropeptide-rich node of the extended amygdala that has been implicated in responses to stress, drugs of abuse, and natural rewards. Its function is dysregulated in neuropsychiatric disorders that are characterized by stress- or drug-induced alterations in mood, arousal, motivation, and social behavior. However, compared to the BNST's role in mood, arousal, and motivation, its role in social behavior has remained relatively understudied. Moreover, the precise cell types and circuits underlying the BNST's role in social behavior have only recently begun to be explored using modern neuroscience techniques. Here, we systematically review the existing literature investigating the neurobiological substrates within the BNST that contribute to the coordination of various sex-dependent and sex-independent social behavioral repertoires, focusing largely on pharmacological and circuit-based behavioral studies in rodents. We suggest that the BNST coordinates social behavior by promoting appropriate assessment of social contexts to select relevant behavioral outputs and that disruption of socially relevant BNST systems by stress and drugs of abuse may be an important factor in the development of social dysfunction in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan E. Flanigan
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Thomas L. Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC,Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC,Correspondence: Thomas L. Kash, John R. Andrews Distinguished Professor, Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA, , (919) 843-7867
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23
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Nair MS, Dao NC, Melean DL, Griffith KR, Starnes WD, Moyer JB, Sicher AR, Brockway DF, Meeks KD, Crowley NA. Somatostatin Neurons in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis Play a Sex-Dependent Role in Binge Drinking. Brain Res Bull 2022; 186:38-46. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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24
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Bruzsik B, Biro L, Sarosdi KR, Zelena D, Sipos E, Szebik H, Török B, Mikics E, Toth M. Neurochemically distinct populations of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis modulate innate fear response to weak threat evoked by predator odor stimuli. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 15:100415. [PMID: 34765699 PMCID: PMC8572958 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Anxiety and trauma-related disorders are characterized by significant alterations in threat detection, resulting in inadequate fear responses evoked by weak threats or safety stimuli. Recent research pointed out the important role of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) in threat anticipation and fear modulation under ambiguous threats, hence, exaggerated fear may be traced back to altered BNST function. To test this hypothesis, we chemogenetically inhibited specific BNST neuronal populations (corticotropin-releasing hormone - BNSTCRH and somatostatin - BNSTSST expressing neurons) in a predator odor-evoked innate fear paradigm. The rationale for this paradigm was threefold: (1) predatory cues are particularly strong danger signals for all vertebrate species evoking defensive responses on the flight-avoidance-freezing dimension (conservative mechanisms), (2) predator odor can be presented in a scalable manner (from weak to strong), and (3) higher-order processing of olfactory information including predatory odor stimuli is integrated by the BNST. Accordingly, we exposed adult male mice to low and high predatory threats presented by means of cat urine, or low- and high-dose of 2-methyl-2-thiazoline (2MT), a synthetic derivate of a fox anogenital product, which evoked low and high fear response, respectively. Then, we tested the impact of chemogenetic inhibition of BNSTCRH and BNSTSST neurons on innate fear responses using crh- and sst-ires-cre mouse lines. We observed that BNSTSST inhibition was effective only under low threat conditions, resulting in reduced avoidance and increased exploration of the odor source. In contrast, BNSTCRH inhibition had no impact on 2MT-evoked responses, but enhanced fear responses to cat odor, representing an even weaker threat stimulus. These findings support the notion that BNST is recruited by uncertain or remote, potential threats, and CRH and SST neurons orchestrate innate fear responses in complementary ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biborka Bruzsik
- Laboratory of Translational Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.,Janos Szentagothai Doctoral School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Laszlo Biro
- Laboratory of Translational Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.,Laboratory of Thalamus Research, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Klara Rebeka Sarosdi
- Laboratory of Translational Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dora Zelena
- Laboratory of Behavioural and Stress Studies, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.,Center for Neuroscience, Szentágothai Research Center, Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Eszter Sipos
- Laboratory of Behavioural and Stress Studies, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Huba Szebik
- Laboratory of Translational Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.,Janos Szentagothai Doctoral School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Bibiána Török
- Janos Szentagothai Doctoral School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.,Laboratory of Behavioural and Stress Studies, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Eva Mikics
- Laboratory of Translational Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Mate Toth
- Laboratory of Translational Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
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Dao NC, Brockway DF, Suresh Nair M, Sicher AR, Crowley NA. Somatostatin neurons control an alcohol binge drinking prelimbic microcircuit in mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1906-1917. [PMID: 34112959 PMCID: PMC8429551 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01050-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Somatostatin (SST) neurons have been implicated in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety, but their role in substance use disorders, including alcohol use disorder (AUD), is not fully characterized. Here, we found that repeated cycles of alcohol binge drinking via the Drinking-in-the-Dark (DID) model led to hypoactivity of SST neurons in the prelimbic (PL) cortex by diminishing their action potential firing capacity and excitatory/inhibitory transmission dynamic. We examined their role in regulating alcohol consumption via bidirectional chemogenetic manipulation. Both hM3Dq-induced excitation and KORD-induced silencing of PL SST neurons reduced alcohol binge drinking in males and females, with no effect on sucrose consumption. Alcohol binge drinking disinhibited pyramidal neurons by augmenting SST neurons-mediated GABA release and synaptic strength onto other GABAergic populations and reducing spontaneous inhibitory transmission onto pyramidal neurons. Pyramidal neurons additionally displayed increased intrinsic excitability. Direct inhibition of PL pyramidal neurons via hM4Di was sufficient to reduce alcohol binge drinking. Together these data revealed an SST-mediated microcircuit in the PL that modulates the inhibitory dynamics of pyramidal neurons, a major source of output to subcortical targets to drive reward-seeking behaviors and emotional response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nigel C Dao
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Dakota F Brockway
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Neuroscience Curriculum, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Malini Suresh Nair
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Avery R Sicher
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Neuroscience Curriculum, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Nicole A Crowley
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
- Neuroscience Curriculum, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
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Astrocytes in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus Involve Chronic Stress-Induced Anxiety and Bone Loss in Mice. Neural Plast 2021; 2021:7806370. [PMID: 34306063 PMCID: PMC8282369 DOI: 10.1155/2021/7806370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic stress is one of the main risk factors of bone loss. While the neurons and neural circuits of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) mediate bone loss induced by chronic stress, the detailed intrinsic mechanisms within the VMH nucleus still need to be explored. Astrocytes in brain regions play important roles in the regulation of metabolism and anxiety-like behavior through interactions with surrounding neurons. However, whether astrocytes in the VMH affect neuronal activity and therefore regulate chronic stress-induced anxiety and bone loss remain elusive. In this study, we found that VMH astrocytes were activated during chronic stress-induced anxiety and bone loss. Pharmacogenetic activation of the Gi and Gq pathways in VMH astrocytes reduced and increased the levels of anxiety and bone loss, respectively. Furthermore, activation of VMH astrocytes by optogenetics induced depolarization in neighboring steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1) neurons, which was diminished by administration of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor blocker but not by alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor blocker. These results suggest that there may be a functional "glial-neuron microcircuit" in VMH nuclei that mediates anxiety and bone loss induced by chronic stress. This study not only advances our understanding of glial cell function but also provides a potential intervention target for chronic stress-induced anxiety and bone loss therapy.
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Burnham NW, Chaimowitz CN, Vis CC, Segantine Dornellas AP, Navarro M, Thiele TE. Lateral hypothalamus-projecting noradrenergic locus coeruleus pathway modulates binge-like ethanol drinking in male and female TH-ires-cre mice. Neuropharmacology 2021; 196:108702. [PMID: 34246685 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
A growing body of literature implicates noradrenergic (NE) signaling in the modulation of ethanol consumption. However, relatively few studies have detailed specific brain pathways that mediate NE-associated binge-like ethanol consumption. To begin to fill this gap in the literature, male and female C57BL6/J and TH-ires-cre mice underwent pharmacological and chemogenetic testing, respectively, in combination with "drinking in the dark" procedures to model binge-like consumption of ethanol or sucrose solutions. First, we showed that intraperitoneal administration of the NE reuptake inhibitor, reboxetine, blunted binge-like ethanol intake in C57BL6/J mice. Chemogenetic activation of locus coeruleus (LC) tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-expressing neurons blunted binge-like ethanol intake regardless of sex. Chemogenetic activation of LC projections to the lateral hypothalamus (LH), a region implicated in ethanol consumption, blunted binge-like ethanol drinking without altering sucrose intake in ethanol-experienced or ethanol-naïve mice. In C57BL/6 J mice, LH-targeted microinfusion of an α1-adrenergic receptor (AR) agonist blunted binge-like ethanol intake across both sexes, while LH infusion of a β-AR agonist blunted binge-like ethanol intake in females exclusively. Finally, in mice with high baseline ethanol intake both an α1- AR agonist and an α-2 AR antagonist blunted binge-like ethanol intake. The present results provide novel evidence that increased NE tone in a circuit arising from the LC and projecting to the LH reduces binge-like ethanol drinking in mice, and may represent a novel approach to treating binge or heavy drinking prior to the development of dependence. This article is part of the special Issue on "Neurocircuitry Modulating Drug and Alcohol Abuse".
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan W Burnham
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3270, USA; The Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7178, USA
| | - Corryn N Chaimowitz
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3270, USA
| | - Cortland C Vis
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3270, USA
| | - Ana Paula Segantine Dornellas
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3270, USA; The Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7178, USA
| | - Montserrat Navarro
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3270, USA; The Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7178, USA
| | - Todd E Thiele
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3270, USA; The Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7178, USA.
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Xia G, Han Y, Meng F, He Y, Srisai D, Farias M, Dang M, Palmiter RD, Xu Y, Wu Q. Reciprocal control of obesity and anxiety-depressive disorder via a GABA and serotonin neural circuit. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:2837-2853. [PMID: 33767348 PMCID: PMC8505263 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01053-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The high comorbidity between obesity and mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, often exacerbates metabolic and neurological symptoms significantly. However, neural mechanisms that underlie reciprocal control of feeding and mental states are largely elusive. Here we report that melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) neurons located in the dorsal bed nucleus of the stria terminus (dBNST) engage in the regulation of mentally associated weight gain by receiving GABAergic projections from hypothalamic AgRP neurons onto α5-containing GABAA receptors and serotonergic afferents onto 5-HT3 receptors. Chronic treatment with a high-fat diet (HFD) significantly blunts the hyperexcitability of AgRP neurons in response to not only hunger but also anxiety and depression-like stimuli. Such HFD-mediated desensitization reduces GABAergic outputs from AgRP neurons to downstream MC4RdBNST neurons, resulting in severe mental dysregulation. Genetic enhancement of the GABAAR-α5 or suppression of the 5-HT3R within the MC4RdBNST neurons not only abolishes HFD-induced anxiety and depression but also robustly reduces body weight by suppression of food intake. To gain further translational insights, we revealed that combined treatment of zonisamide (enhancing the GABAAR-α5 signaling) and granisetron (a selective 5-HT3R antagonist) alleviates mental dysfunction and yields a robust reversal of diet-induced obesity by reducing total calorie intake and altering food preference towards a healthy low-fat diet. Our results unveil a neural mechanism for reciprocal control of appetite and mental states, which culminates in a novel zonisamide-granisetron cocktail therapy for potential tackling the psychosis-obesity comorbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guobin Xia
- USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yong Han
- USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Fantao Meng
- USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yanlin He
- USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Brain Glycemic and Metabolism Control Department, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Dollada Srisai
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Monica Farias
- USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Minghao Dang
- Department of Genomic Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Richard D Palmiter
- Departments of Biochemistry and Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Yong Xu
- USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Qi Wu
- USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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Petrie GN, Nastase AS, Aukema RJ, Hill MN. Endocannabinoids, cannabinoids and the regulation of anxiety. Neuropharmacology 2021; 195:108626. [PMID: 34116110 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Cannabis has been used for hundreds of years, with its ability to dampen feelings of anxiety often reported as a primary reason for use. Only recently has the specific role cannabinoids play in anxiety been thoroughly investigated. Here we discuss the body of evidence describing how endocannabinoids and exogenous cannabinoids are capable of regulating the generation and termination of anxiety states. Disruption of the endogenous cannabinoid (eCB) system following genetic manipulation, pharmacological intervention or stress exposure reliably leads to the generation of an anxiety state. On the other hand, upregulation of eCB signaling is capable of alleviating anxiety-like behaviors in multiple paradigms. When considering exogenous cannabinoid administration, cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) agonists have a biphasic, dose-dependent effect on anxiety such that low doses are anxiolytic while high doses are anxiogenic, a phenomenon that is evident in both rodent models and humans. Translational studies investigating a loss of function mutation in the gene for fatty acid amide hydrolase, the enzyme responsible for metabolizing AEA, have also shown that AEA signaling regulates anxiety in humans. Taken together, evidence reviewed here has outlined a convincing argument for cannabinoids being powerful regulators of both the manifestation and amelioration of anxiety symptoms, and highlights the therapeutic potential of targeting the eCB system for the development of novel classes of anxiolytics. This article is part of the special issue on 'Cannabinoids'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin N Petrie
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Education and Research, Departments of Cell Biology and Anatomy & Psychiatry, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Andrei S Nastase
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Education and Research, Departments of Cell Biology and Anatomy & Psychiatry, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Robert J Aukema
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Education and Research, Departments of Cell Biology and Anatomy & Psychiatry, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Matthew N Hill
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Education and Research, Departments of Cell Biology and Anatomy & Psychiatry, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.
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30
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Boehm MA, Bonaventura J, Gomez JL, Solís O, Stein EA, Bradberry CW, Michaelides M. Translational PET applications for brain circuit mapping with transgenic neuromodulation tools. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2021; 204:173147. [PMID: 33549570 PMCID: PMC8297666 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2021.173147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Transgenic neuromodulation tools have transformed the field of neuroscience over the past two decades by enabling targeted manipulation of neuronal populations and circuits with unprecedented specificity. Chemogenetic and optogenetic neuromodulation systems are among the most widely used and allow targeted control of neuronal activity through the administration of a selective compound or light, respectively. Innovative genetic targeting strategies are utilized to transduce specific cells to express transgenic receptors and opsins capable of manipulating neuronal activity. These allow mapping of neuroanatomical projection sites and link cellular manipulations with brain circuit functions and behavior. As these tools continue to expand knowledge of the nervous system in preclinical models, developing translational applications for human therapies is becoming increasingly possible. However, new strategies for implementing and monitoring transgenic tools are needed for safe and effective use in translational research and potential clinical applications. A major challenge for such applications is the need to track the location and function of chemogenetic receptors and opsins in vivo, and new developments in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging techniques offer promising solutions. The goal of this review is to summarize current research combining transgenic tools with PET for in vivo mapping and manipulation of brain circuits and to propose future directions for translational applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Boehm
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI 02906, United States.
| | - Jordi Bonaventura
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States.
| | - Juan L Gomez
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States.
| | - Oscar Solís
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States.
| | - Elliot A Stein
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States.
| | - Charles W Bradberry
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States.
| | - Michael Michaelides
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, United States.
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Kim SR, Kim SY. Functional Dissection of Glutamatergic and GABAergic Neurons in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis. Mol Cells 2021; 44:63-67. [PMID: 33594012 PMCID: PMC7941005 DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2021.0006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST)-a key part of the extended amygdala-has been implicated in the regulation of diverse behavioral states, ranging from anxiety and reward processing to feeding behavior. Among the host of distinct types of neurons within the BNST, recent investigations employing cell type- and projection-specific circuit dissection techniques (such as optogenetics, chemogenetics, deep-brain calcium imaging, and the genetic and viral methods for targeting specific types of cells) have highlighted the key roles of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons and their axonal projections. As anticipated from their primary roles in excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission, these studies established that the glutamatergic and GABAergic subpopulations of the BNST oppositely regulate diverse behavioral states. At the same time, these studies have also revealed unexpected functional specificity and heterogeneity within each subpopulation. In this Minireview, we introduce the body of studies that investigated the function of glutamatergic and GABAergic BNST neurons and their circuits. We also discuss unresolved questions and future directions for a more complete understanding of the cellular diversity and functional heterogeneity within the BNST.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seong-Rae Kim
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Sung-Yon Kim
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
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32
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Giardino WJ, Pomrenze MB. Extended Amygdala Neuropeptide Circuitry of Emotional Arousal: Waking Up on the Wrong Side of the Bed Nuclei of Stria Terminalis. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:613025. [PMID: 33633549 PMCID: PMC7900561 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.613025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleep is fundamental to life, and poor sleep quality is linked to the suboptimal function of the neural circuits that process and respond to emotional stimuli. Wakefulness ("arousal") is chiefly regulated by circadian and homeostatic forces, but affective mood states also strongly impact the balance between sleep and wake. Considering the bidirectional relationships between sleep/wake changes and emotional dynamics, we use the term "emotional arousal" as a representative characteristic of the profound overlap between brain pathways that: (1) modulate wakefulness; (2) interpret emotional information; and (3) calibrate motivated behaviors. Interestingly, many emotional arousal circuits communicate using specialized signaling molecules called neuropeptides to broadly modify neural network activities. One major neuropeptide-enriched brain region that is critical for emotional processing and has been recently implicated in sleep regulation is the bed nuclei of stria terminalis (BNST), a core component of the extended amygdala (an anatomical term that also includes the central and medial amygdalae, nucleus accumbens shell, and transition zones betwixt). The BNST encompasses an astonishing diversity of cell types that differ across many features including spatial organization, molecular signature, biological sex and hormonal milieu, synaptic input, axonal output, neurophysiological communication mode, and functional role. Given this tremendous complexity, comprehensive elucidation of the BNST neuropeptide circuit mechanisms underlying emotional arousal presents an ambitious set of challenges. In this review, we describe how rigorous investigation of these unresolved questions may reveal key insights to enhancing psychiatric treatments and global psychological wellbeing.
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Luskin AT, Bhatti DL, Mulvey B, Pedersen CE, Girven KS, Oden-Brunson H, Kimbell K, Blackburn T, Sawyer A, Gereau RW, Dougherty JD, Bruchas MR. Extended amygdala-parabrachial circuits alter threat assessment and regulate feeding. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabd3666. [PMID: 33637526 PMCID: PMC7909877 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd3666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
An animal's evolutionary success depends on the ability to seek and consume foods while avoiding environmental threats. However, how evolutionarily conserved threat detection circuits modulate feeding is unknown. In mammals, feeding and threat assessment are strongly influenced by the parabrachial nucleus (PBN), a structure that responds to threats and inhibits feeding. Here, we report that the PBN receives dense inputs from two discrete neuronal populations in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), an extended amygdala structure that encodes affective information. Using a series of complementary approaches, we identify opposing BNST-PBN circuits that modulate neuropeptide-expressing PBN neurons to control feeding and affective states. These previously unrecognized neural circuits thus serve as potential nodes of neural circuitry critical for the integration of threat information with the intrinsic drive to feed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew T Luskin
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Dionnet L Bhatti
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Bernard Mulvey
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Christian E Pedersen
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
| | - Kasey S Girven
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Hannah Oden-Brunson
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Kate Kimbell
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Taylor Blackburn
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Abbie Sawyer
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Robert W Gereau
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Joseph D Dougherty
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Michael R Bruchas
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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Somatostatin Neurons of the Bed Nucleus of Stria Terminalis Enhance Associative Fear Memory Consolidation in Mice. J Neurosci 2021; 41:1982-1995. [PMID: 33468566 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1944-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Excessive fear learning and generalized, extinction-resistant fear memories are core symptoms of anxiety and trauma-related disorders. Despite significant evidence from clinical studies reporting hyperactivity of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) under these conditions, the role of BNST in fear learning and expression is still not clarified. Here, we tested how BNST modulates fear learning in male mice using a chemogenetic approach. Activation of GABAergic neurons of BNST during fear conditioning or memory consolidation resulted in enhanced cue-related fear recall. Importantly, BNST activation had no acute impact on fear expression during conditioning or recalls, but it enhanced cue-related fear recall subsequently, potentially via altered activity of downstream regions. Enhanced fear memory consolidation could be replicated by selectively activating somatostatin (SOM), but not corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), neurons of the BNST, which was accompanied by increased fear generalization. Our findings suggest the significant modulation of fear memory strength by specific circuits of the BNST.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) mediates different defensive behaviors, and its connections implicate its integrative modulatory role in fear memory formation; however, the involvement of BNST in fear learning has yet to be elucidated in detail. Our data highlight that BNST stimulation enhances fear memory formation without direct effects on fear expression. Our study identified somatostatin (SOM) cells within the extended amygdala as specific neurons promoting fear memory formation. These data underline the importance of anxiety circuits in maladaptive fear memory formation, indicating elevated BNST activity as a potential vulnerability factor to anxiety and trauma-related disorders.
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Liu TT, Lin W, Zhang YQ. Activation of VGluT2-expressing neurons in the bed nuclei of the stria terminalis produces mouse manic-like behaviors. CNS Neurosci Ther 2020; 27:259-262. [PMID: 33369110 PMCID: PMC7816202 DOI: 10.1111/cns.13537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ting-Ting Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing'an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Liao Ning Province Hospital, Liaoning, China
| | - Wei Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing'an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu-Qiu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Department of Translational Neuroscience, Jing'an District Centre Hospital of Shanghai, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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Rodriguez-Romaguera J, Ung RL, Nomura H, Otis JM, Basiri ML, Namboodiri VM, Zhu X, Robinson JE, van den Munkhof HE, McHenry JA, Eckman LE, Kosyk O, Jhou TC, Kash TL, Bruchas MR, Stuber GD. Prepronociceptin-Expressing Neurons in the Extended Amygdala Encode and Promote Rapid Arousal Responses to Motivationally Salient Stimuli. Cell Rep 2020; 33:108362. [PMID: 33176134 PMCID: PMC8136285 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Revised: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Motivational states consist of cognitive, emotional, and physiological components controlled by multiple brain regions. An integral component of this neural circuitry is the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Here, we identify that neurons within BNST that express the gene prepronociceptin (PnocBNST) modulate rapid changes in physiological arousal that occur upon exposure to motivationally salient stimuli. Using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging, we find that PnocBNST neuronal responses directly correspond with rapid increases in pupillary size when mice are exposed to aversive and rewarding odors. Furthermore, optogenetic activation of these neurons increases pupillary size and anxiety-like behaviors but does not induce approach, avoidance, or locomotion. These findings suggest that excitatory responses in PnocBNST neurons encode rapid arousal responses that modulate anxiety states. Further histological, electrophysiological, and single-cell RNA sequencing data reveal that PnocBNST neurons are composed of genetically and anatomically identifiable subpopulations that may differentially tune rapid arousal responses to motivational stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Rodriguez-Romaguera
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Randall L. Ung
- Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Hiroshi Nomura
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - James M. Otis
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Marcus L. Basiri
- Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Vijay M.K. Namboodiri
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Xueqi Zhu
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - J. Elliott Robinson
- Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Hanna E. van den Munkhof
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Jenna A. McHenry
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Louisa E.H. Eckman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Oksana Kosyk
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Thomas C. Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Thomas L. Kash
- Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Michael R. Bruchas
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University Pain Center, Department of Neuroscience, Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences; and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Garret D. Stuber
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Correspondence:
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Song SY, Zhai XM, Dai JH, Lu LL, Shan CJ, Hong J, Cao JL, Zhang LC. Novel Projections to the Cerebrospinal Fluid-Contacting Nucleus From the Subcortex and Limbic System in Rat. Front Neuroanat 2020; 14:57. [PMID: 32973466 PMCID: PMC7468392 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2020.00057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: To identify the novel projections received by the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-contacting nucleus from the subcortex and limbic system to understand the biological functions of the nucleus. Methods: The cholera toxin subunit B (CB), a retrograde tracer, was injected into the CSF-contacting nucleus in Sprague–Dawley rats. After 7–10 days, the surviving rats were perfused, and the whole brain and spinal cord were sliced for CB immunofluorescence detection. The CB-positive neurons in the subcortex and limbic system were observed under a fluorescence microscope, followed by 3D reconstructed with the imaris software. Results: CB-positive neurons were found in the basal forebrain, septum, periventricular organs, preoptic area, and amygdaloid structures. Five functional areas including 46 sub-regions sent projections to the CSF-contacting nucleus. However, the projections had different densities, ranging from sparse to moderate, to dense. Conclusions: According to the projections from the subcortex and limbic system, we hypothesize that the CSF-contacting nucleus participates in emotion, cognition, homeostasis regulation, visceral activity, pain, and addiction. In this study, we illustrate the novel projections from the subcortex and limbic system to the CSF-contacting nucleus, which underlies the diverse and complicated circuits of the nucleus in body regulations.
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38
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Hwa LS, Neira S, Flanigan ME, Stanhope CM, Pina MM, Pati D, Hon OJ, Yu W, Kokush E, Calloway R, Boyt K, Kash TL. Alcohol drinking alters stress response to predator odor via BNST kappa opioid receptor signaling in male mice. eLife 2020; 9:e59709. [PMID: 32692311 PMCID: PMC7440917 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Maladaptive responses to stress are a hallmark of alcohol use disorder, but the mechanisms that underlie this are not well characterized. Here, we show that kappa opioid receptor signaling in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a critical molecular substrate underlying abnormal stress responses to predator odor following heavy alcohol drinking. Exposure to predator odor during protracted withdrawal from intermittent alcohol drinking resulted in enhanced prefrontal cortex (PFC)-driven excitation of prodynorphin-containing neurons in the BNST. Furthermore, deletion of prodynorphin in the BNST and chemogenetic inhibition of the PFC-BNST pathway restored abnormal responses to predator odor in alcohol-exposed mice. These findings suggest that increased corticolimbic drive may promote abnormal stress behavioral responses to predator odor during protracted withdrawal. Various nodes of this PFC-BNST dynorphin-related circuit may serve as potential targets for potential therapeutic mediation as well as biomarkers of negative responses to stress following heavy alcohol drinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara S Hwa
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Sofia Neira
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Meghan E Flanigan
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Christina M Stanhope
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Melanie M Pina
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Dipanwita Pati
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Olivia J Hon
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Waylin Yu
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Emily Kokush
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Rachel Calloway
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Kristen Boyt
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Thomas L Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, United States
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39
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Pina MM, Pati D, Hwa LS, Wu SY, Mahoney AA, Omenyi CG, Navarro M, Kash TL. The kappa opioid receptor modulates GABA neuron excitability and synaptic transmission in midbrainprojections from the insular cortex. Neuropharmacology 2020; 165:107831. [PMID: 31870854 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.107831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2019] [Revised: 09/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
As an integrative hub, the insular cortex (IC) translates external cues into interoceptive states that generate complex physiological, affective, and behavioral responses. However, the precise circuit and signaling mechanisms in the IC that modulate these processes are unknown. Here, we describe a midbrain-projecting microcircuit in the medial aspect of the agranular IC that signals through the Gαi/o-coupled kappa opioid receptor (KOR) and its endogenous ligand dynorphin (Dyn). Within this microcircuit, Dyn is robustly expressed in layer 2/3, while KOR is localized to deep layer 5, which sends a long-range projection to the substantia nigra (SN). Using ex vivo electrophysiology, we evaluated the functional impact of KOR signaling in layer 5 of the IC. We found that bath application of dynorphin decreased GABA release and increased glutamate release on IC-SN neurons, but did not alter their excitability. Conversely, dynorphin decreased the excitability of GABA neurons without altering synaptic transmission. Pretreatment with the KOR antagonist nor-BNI blocked the effects of dynorphin in IC-SN neurons and GABA neurons, indicating that the changes in synaptic transmission and excitability were selectively mediated through KOR. Selective inhibition of IC GABA neurons using a KOR-derived DREADD recapitulated these effects. This work provides insight into IC microcircuitry and indicates that Dyn/KOR signaling may act to directly reduce activity of layer 5 GABA neurons. In turn, KOR-driven inhibition of GABA promotes disinhibition of IC-SN neurons, which can modulate downstream circuits. Our findings present a potential mechanism whereby chronic upregulation of IC Dyn/KOR signaling can lead to altered subcortical function and downstream activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie M Pina
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 2751, USA
| | - Dipanwita Pati
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 2751, USA
| | - Lara S Hwa
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 2751, USA
| | - Sarah Y Wu
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Alexandra A Mahoney
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Chiazam G Omenyi
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Montserrat Navarro
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA; Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Thomas L Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 2751, USA.
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40
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Bravo IM, Luster BR, Flanigan ME, Perez PJ, Cogan ES, Schmidt KT, McElligott ZA. Divergent behavioral responses in protracted opioid withdrawal in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 51:742-754. [PMID: 31544297 PMCID: PMC7069788 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Persons suffering from opioid use disorder (OUD) experience long-lasting dysphoric symptoms well into extended periods of withdrawal. This protracted withdrawal syndrome is notably characterized by heightened anxiety and hyperkatifeia. Here, we investigated if an exacerbated withdrawal model of acute morphine dependence results in lasting behavioral adaptation 6 weeks into forced abstinence in C57BL/6J mice. We found that our exacerbated morphine withdrawal paradigm produced distinct alterations in behavior in elevated plus maze (EPM), open field, and social interaction tests in male and female mice. Following protracted withdrawal male mice showed enhanced exploration of the open arms of the EPM, reduced latency to enter the corner of the OF, and a social interaction deficit. In contrast, female mice showed enhanced thigmotaxis in the OF. In both sexes, protracted withdrawal enhanced locomotor behavior in response to subsequent morphine challenge, albeit at different doses. These findings will be relevant for future investigation examining the neural mechanisms underlying these behaviors and will aid in uncovering physiological sex differences in response to opioid withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel M. Bravo
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Brennon R. Luster
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Meghan E. Flanigan
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Patric J. Perez
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Elizabeth S. Cogan
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Karl T. Schmidt
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Zoe A. McElligott
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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41
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Ethanol-induced conditioned place preference and aversion differentially alter plasticity in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:1843-1854. [PMID: 30795004 PMCID: PMC6785142 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0349-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Revised: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Contextual cues associated with drugs of abuse, such as ethanol, can trigger craving and drug-seeking behavior. Pavlovian procedures, such as place conditioning, have been widely used to study the rewarding/aversive properties of drugs and the association between environmental cues and drug seeking. Previous research has shown that ethanol as an unconditioned stimulus can induce a strong conditioned place preference (CPP) or aversion (CPA) in rodents. However, the neural mechanisms underlying ethanol-induced reward and aversion have not been thoroughly investigated. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), an integral part of the extended amygdala, is engaged by both rewarding and aversive stimuli and plays a role in ethanol-seeking behavior. Here, we used ex-vivo slice physiology to probe learning-induced synaptic plasticity in the BNST following ethanol-induced CPP and CPA. Male DBA/2 J mice (2-3 months old) were conditioned using previously reported ethanol-induced CPP/CPA procedures. Ethanol-induced CPP was associated with increased neuronal excitability in the ventral BNST (vBNST). Conversely, ethanol-induced CPA resulted in a significant decrease in spontaneous glutamatergic transmission without alterations in GABAergic signaling. Ethanol-CPA also led to a significant increase in the paired-pulse ratio at excitatory synapses, suggestive of a decrease in presynaptic glutamate release. Collectively, these data demonstrate that the vBNST is involved in the modulation of contextual learning associated with both the rewarding and the aversive properties of ethanol in mice.
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42
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Nucleus accumbens shell small conductance potassium channels underlie adolescent ethanol exposure-induced anxiety. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:1886-1895. [PMID: 31096263 PMCID: PMC6784903 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0415-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2019] [Revised: 04/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol use typically begins in adolescence, increasing the likelihood of adult mental disorders such as anxiety. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying the consequences of adolescent alcohol exposure as well as the behavioral consequences remain poorly understood. We examined the effects of adolescent or adult chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure on intrinsic excitability of striatal medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs) and anxiety levels. Rats underwent one of the following procedures: (1) light-dark transition (LDT) and open-field (OF) tests to evaluate anxiety levels and general locomotion; (2) whole-cell patch clamp recordings and biocytin labeling to assess excitability of striatal MSNs, as well as morphological properties; and (3) western blot immunostaining to determine small conductance (SK) calcium-activated potassium channel protein levels. Three weeks, but not 2 days, after CIE treatment, adolescent CIE-treated rats showed shorter crossover latency from the light to dark side in the LDT test and higher MSN excitability in the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcS). Furthermore, the amplitude of the medium afterhyperpolarization (mAHP), mediated by SK channels, and SK3 protein levels in the NAcS decreased concomitantly. Finally, increased anxiety levels, increased excitability, and decreased amplitude of mAHP of NAcS MSNs were reversed by SK channel activator 1-EBIO and mimicked by the SK channel blocker apamin. Thus, adolescent ethanol exposure increases adult anxiety-like behavior by downregulating SK channel function and protein expression, which leads to an increase of intrinsic excitability in NAcS MSNs. SK channels in the NAcS may serve as a target to treat adolescent alcohol binge exposure-induced mental disorders, such as anxiety in adulthood.
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43
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Pati D, Marcinkiewcz CA, DiBerto JF, Cogan ES, McElligott ZA, Kash TL. Chronic intermittent ethanol exposure dysregulates a GABAergic microcircuit in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Neuropharmacology 2019; 168:107759. [PMID: 31494142 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.107759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Neuroadaptations in brain regions that regulate emotional and reward-seeking behaviors have been suggested to contribute to pathological behaviors associated with alcohol-use disorder. One such region is the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), which has been linked to both alcohol consumption and alcohol withdrawal-induced anxiety and depression. Recently, we identified a GABAergic microcircuit in the BNST that regulates anxiety-like behavior. In the present study, we examined how chronic alcohol exposure alters this BNST GABAergic microcircuit in mice. We selectively targeted neurons expressing corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) using a CRF-reporter mouse line and combined retrograde labeling to identify BNST projections to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and lateral hypothalamus (LH). Following 72 h of withdrawal from four weekly cycles of chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) vapor exposure, the excitability of a sub-population of putative local CRF neurons that did not project to either VTA or LH (CRFnon-VTA/LH neurons) was increased. Withdrawal from CIE also increased excitability of non-CRF BNST neurons that project to both LH and VTA (BNSTnon-CRF-proj neurons). Furthermore, both populations of neurons had a reduction in spontaneous EPSC amplitude while frequency was unaltered. Withdrawal from chronic alcohol was accompanied by a significant increase in spontaneous IPSC frequency selectively in the BNSTnon-CRF-proj neurons. Together, these data suggest that withdrawal from chronic ethanol dysregulates local CRF-GABAergic microcircuit to inhibit anxiolytic outputs of the BNST which may contribute to enhanced anxiety during alcohol withdrawal and drive alcohol-seeking behavior. This article is part of the special issue on 'Neuropeptides'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipanwita Pati
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Thurston Bowles Building 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Catherine A Marcinkiewcz
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Thurston Bowles Building 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Jeffrey F DiBerto
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 2751, USA
| | - Elizabeth S Cogan
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Thurston Bowles Building 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Zoe A McElligott
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Thurston Bowles Building 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Thomas L Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Thurston Bowles Building 104 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 2751, USA.
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44
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Marcinkiewcz CA, Bierlein-De La Rosa G, Dorrier CE, McKnight M, DiBerto JF, Pati D, Gianessi CA, Hon OJ, Tipton G, McElligott ZA, Delpire E, Kash TL. Sex-Dependent Modulation of Anxiety and Fear by 5-HT 1A Receptors in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis. ACS Chem Neurosci 2019; 10:3154-3166. [PMID: 31140276 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) coordinates behavioral responses to stress through a variety of presynaptic and postsynaptic receptors distributed across functionally diverse neuronal networks in the central nervous system. Efferent 5-HT projections from the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) are generally thought to enhance anxiety and aversive learning by activating 5-HT2C receptor (5-HT2CR) signaling in the BNST, although an opposing role for postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptors has recently been suggested. In the present study, we sought to delineate a role for postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptors in the BNST in aversive behaviors using a conditional knockdown of the 5-HT1A receptor. Both males and females were tested to dissect out sex-specific effects. We found that male mice have significantly reduced fear memory recall relative to female mice and inactivation of 5-HT1A receptor in the BNST increases contextual fear conditioning in male mice so that they resemble the females. This coincided with an increase in neuronal excitability in males, suggesting that 5-HT1A receptor deletion may enhance contextual fear recall by disinhibiting fear memory circuits in the BNST. Interestingly, 5-HT1A receptor knockdown did not significantly alter anxiety-like behavior in male or female mice, which is in agreement with previous findings that anxiety and fear are modulated by dissociable circuits in the BNST. Overall, these results suggest that BNST 5-HT1A receptors do not significantly alter behavior under basal conditions, but can act as a molecular brake that buffer against excessive activation of aversive circuits in more threatening contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine A. Marcinkiewcz
- Department of Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | | | - Cayce E. Dorrier
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Mackenzie McKnight
- Department of Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | - Jeffrey F. DiBerto
- Curriculum in Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Dipanwati Pati
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Carol A. Gianessi
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Olivia J. Hon
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
- Curriculum in Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Greg Tipton
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Zoe A. McElligott
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
- Curriculum in Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Eric Delpire
- Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Thomas L. Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
- Curriculum in Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
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45
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Fox AS, Shackman AJ. The central extended amygdala in fear and anxiety: Closing the gap between mechanistic and neuroimaging research. Neurosci Lett 2019; 693:58-67. [PMID: 29195911 PMCID: PMC5976525 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.11.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Revised: 09/30/2017] [Accepted: 11/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety disorders impose a staggering burden on public health, underscoring the need to develop a deeper understanding of the distributed neural circuits underlying extreme fear and anxiety. Recent work highlights the importance of the central extended amygdala, including the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce) and neighboring bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST). Anatomical data indicate that the Ce and BST form a tightly interconnected unit, where different kinds of threat-relevant information can be integrated to assemble states of fear and anxiety. Neuroimaging studies show that the Ce and BST are engaged by a broad spectrum of potentially threat-relevant cues. Mechanistic work demonstrates that the Ce and BST are critically involved in organizing defensive responses to a wide range of threats. Studies in rodents have begun to reveal the specific molecules, cells, and microcircuits within the central extended amygdala that underlie signs of fear and anxiety, but the relevance of these tantalizing discoveries to human experience and disease remains unclear. Using a combination of focal perturbations and whole-brain imaging, a new generation of nonhuman primate studies is beginning to close this gap. This work opens the door to discovering the mechanisms underlying neuroimaging measures linked to pathological fear and anxiety, to understanding how the Ce and BST interact with one another and with distal brain regions to govern defensive responses to threat, and to developing improved intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Fox
- Department of Psychology and University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States; California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
| | - Alexander J Shackman
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States; Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland,College Park, MD 20742, United States.
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Centanni SW, Morris BD, Luchsinger JR, Bedse G, Fetterly TL, Patel S, Winder DG. Endocannabinoid control of the insular-bed nucleus of the stria terminalis circuit regulates negative affective behavior associated with alcohol abstinence. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:526-537. [PMID: 30390064 PMCID: PMC6333805 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0257-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Revised: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Negative affect is a core symptom domain associated with an array of neurological and psychiatric disorders and is only partially targeted by current therapies, highlighting the need for better, more targeted treatment options. This study focuses on negative affective symptoms associated with prolonged alcohol abstinence, one of the leading causes of relapse. Using a mouse model of chronic alcohol consumption followed by forced abstinence (CDFA), prolonged alcohol abstinence increased c-fos expression and spontaneous glutamatergic neurotransmission in the dorsal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (dBNST), a region heavily implicated in negative affect in both humans and rodents. Further, pharmacologically enhancing endogenous cannabinoids (eCB) with JZL184 prevents abstinence-induced increases in dBNST neuronal activity, underscoring the therapeutic potential of drugs targeting the brain's eCB system. Next, we used a channelrhodopsin-assisted mapping strategy to identify excitatory inputs to the dBNST that could contribute to CDFA-induced negative affect. We identified the insular cortex (insula), a region involved in regulating interoception, as a dense, functional, eCB-sensitive input to the dBNST. Using a chemogenetic strategy to locally mimic eCB signaling, we demonstrate that the insula strongly influences the CDFA behavioral phenotype and dBNST neuronal activity. Lastly, we used an anterograde strategy for transynaptic targeting of Cre expression in combination with a Gq-DREADD to selectively recruit dBNST neurons receiving insula projections. Chemogenetic recruitment of these neurons mimicked behavioral and c-fos responses observed in CDFA. Collectively, this study supports a role for the insula-BNST neural circuit in negative affective disturbances and highlights the therapeutic potential of the eCB system for treating negative affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel W Centanni
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Bridget D Morris
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Joseph R Luchsinger
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Gaurav Bedse
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Tracy L Fetterly
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sachin Patel
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Danny G Winder
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
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Cheng Y, Wang J. The use of chemogenetic approaches in alcohol use disorder research and treatment. Alcohol 2019; 74:39-45. [PMID: 30442535 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2018.05.012] [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: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2018] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Several novel techniques were developed recently to explore neural circuit mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders. These techniques include the Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADD)-based chemogenetic tools, which represent valuable platforms for selective and non-invasive control of neural activity with a high degree of spatial resolution. Among all variants, Gq- and Gi-DREADDs are widely used by neuroscientists to dissect out the circuitry and cellular signals. This review is focused on strategies to access a specific neuronal population or circuit using the DREADD technique and summarizes the current knowledge of the DREADDs' application in alcohol use disorder research and therapeutics.
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Cell-type specific parallel circuits in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the central nucleus of the amygdala of the mouse. Brain Struct Funct 2019; 224:1067-1095. [PMID: 30610368 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-01825-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The central extended amygdala (EAc) is a forebrain macrosystem which has been widely implicated in reward, fear, anxiety, and pain. Its two key structures, the lateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTL) and the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), share similar mesoscale connectivity. However, it is not known whether they also share similar cell-specific neuronal circuits. We addressed this question using tract-tracing and immunofluorescence to reveal the EAc microcircuits involving two neuronal populations expressing either protein kinase C delta (PKCδ) or somatostatin (SOM). PKCδ and SOM are expressed predominantly in the dorsal BSTL (BSTLD) and in the lateral/capsular parts of CeA (CeL/C). We found that, in both BSTLD and CeL/C, PKCδ+ cells are the main recipient of extra-EAc inputs from the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPB), while SOM+ cells constitute the main source of long-range projections to extra-EAc targets, including LPB and periaqueductal gray. PKCδ+ cells can also integrate inputs from the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala or insular cortex. Within EAc, PKCδ+, but not SOM+ neurons, serve as the major source of inputs to the ventral BSTL and to the medial part of CeA. However, both cell types can be involved in mutual connections between BSTLD and CeL/C. These results unveil the pivotal positions of PKCδ+ and SOM+ neurons in organizing parallel cell-specific neuronal circuits within CeA and BSTL, but also between them, which further reinforce the notion of EAc as a structural and functional macrosystem.
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Garcia-Garcia AL, Canetta S, Stujenske JM, Burghardt NS, Ansorge MS, Dranovsky A, Leonardo ED. Serotonin inputs to the dorsal BNST modulate anxiety in a 5-HT 1A receptor-dependent manner. Mol Psychiatry 2018; 23:1990-1997. [PMID: 28761080 PMCID: PMC5794659 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2017.165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Revised: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Serotonin (5-HT) neurons project from the raphe nuclei throughout the brain where they act to maintain homeostasis. Here, we study 5-HT inputs into the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a major subdivision of the extended amygdala that has been proposed to regulate responses to anxiogenic environments in humans and rodents. While the dorsal part of the BNST (dBNST) receives dense 5-HT innervation, whether and how 5-HT in the dBNST normally modulates anxiety remains unclear. Using optogenetics, we demonstrate that activation of 5-HT terminals in the dBNST reduces anxiety in a highly anxiogenic environment. Further analysis revealed that optogenetic inhibition of 5-HT inputs into the dBNST increases anxiety in a less anxiogenic environment. We found that 5-HT predominantly hyperpolarizes dBNST neurons, reducing their activity in a manner that can be blocked by a 5-HT1A antagonist. Finally, we demonstrate that activation of 5-HT1A receptors in the dBNST is necessary for the anxiolytic effect observed following optogenetic stimulation of 5-HT inputs into the dBNST. These data reveal that 5-HT release in the dBNST modulates anxiety-like behavior via 5-HT1A receptors under naturalistic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro L. Garcia-Garcia
- Dranovsky-Leonardo (ADL) lab, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Integrative Neuroscience, Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Dr. Box 87, New York, NY 10032,Address correspondence to AGG at , to AD at and to EDL at . Telephone: (001) (646) 774-7105. Fax: (001) (646) 774-7117
| | - Sarah Canetta
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
| | - Joseph M. Stujenske
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Integrative Neuroscience, Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Dr. Box 87, New York, NY 10032
| | - Nesha S. Burghardt
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065
| | - Mark S. Ansorge
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
| | - Alex Dranovsky
- Dranovsky-Leonardo (ADL) lab, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Integrative Neuroscience, Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Dr. Box 87, New York, NY 10032,Address correspondence to AGG at , to AD at and to EDL at . Telephone: (001) (646) 774-7105. Fax: (001) (646) 774-7117
| | - E. David Leonardo
- Dranovsky-Leonardo (ADL) lab, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Integrative Neuroscience, Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Dr. Box 87, New York, NY 10032,Address correspondence to AGG at , to AD at and to EDL at . Telephone: (001) (646) 774-7105. Fax: (001) (646) 774-7117
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Harris NA, Winder DG. Synaptic Plasticity in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis: Underlying Mechanisms and Potential Ramifications for Reinstatement of Drug- and Alcohol-Seeking Behaviors. ACS Chem Neurosci 2018; 9:2173-2187. [PMID: 29851347 PMCID: PMC6146063 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a component of the extended amygdala that shows significant changes in activity and plasticity through chronic exposure to drugs and stress. The region is critical for stress- and cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behaviors and is thus a candidate region for the plastic changes that occur in abstinence that prime addicted patients for reinstatement behaviors. Here, we discuss the various forms of long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) in the rodent BNST and highlight the way that these changes in excitatory transmission interact with exposure to alcohol and other drugs of abuse, as well as other stressors. In addition, we highlight potential areas for future research in this area, including investigating input- and cell-specific bidirectional changes in activity. As we continue to accrue foundational knowledge in the mechanisms and effects of plasticity in the BNST, molecular targets and treatment strategies that are relevant to reinstatement behaviors will also begin to emerge. Here, we briefly discuss the effects of catecholamine receptor modulators on synaptic plasticity in the BNST due to the role of norepinephrine in LTD and dopamine on the short-term component of LTP as well as the role that signaling at these receptors plays in reinstatement of drug- and alcohol-seeking behaviors. We hope that insights gained on the specific changes in plasticity that occur within the BNST during abstinence from alcohol and other drugs of abuse will provide insight into the biological underpinnings of relapse behavior in human addicts and inform future treatment modalities for addiction that tackle this complex biological problem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A. Harris
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
| | - Danny G. Winder
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
- Vanderbilt J.F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
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