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Smith TR, Southern R, Kirkpatrick K. Mechanisms of impulsive choice: Experiments to explore and models to map the empirical terrain. Learn Behav 2023; 51:355-391. [PMID: 36913144 PMCID: PMC10497727 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-023-00577-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
Impulsive choice is preference for a smaller-sooner (SS) outcome over a larger-later (LL) outcome when LL choices result in greater reinforcement maximization. Delay discounting is a model of impulsive choice that describes the decaying value of a reinforcer over time, with impulsive choice evident when the empirical choice-delay function is steep. Steep discounting is correlated with multiple diseases and disorders. Thus, understanding the processes underlying impulsive choice is a popular topic for investigation. Experimental research has explored the conditions that moderate impulsive choice, and quantitative models of impulsive choice have been developed that elegantly represent the underlying processes. This review spotlights experimental research in impulsive choice covering human and nonhuman animals across the domains of learning, motivation, and cognition. Contemporary models of delay discounting designed to explain the underlying mechanisms of impulsive choice are discussed. These models focus on potential candidate mechanisms, which include perception, delay and/or reinforcer sensitivity, reinforcement maximization, motivation, and cognitive systems. Although the models collectively explain multiple mechanistic phenomena, there are several cognitive processes, such as attention and working memory, that are overlooked. Future research and model development should focus on bridging the gap between quantitative models and empirical phenomena.
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2
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Perica MI, Luna B. Impact of stress on excitatory and inhibitory markers of adolescent cognitive critical period plasticity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 153:105378. [PMID: 37643681 PMCID: PMC10591935 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence is a time of significant neurocognitive development. Prolonged maturation of prefrontal cortex (PFC) through adolescence has been found to support improvements in executive function. Changes in excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms of critical period plasticity have been found to be present in the PFC through adolescence, suggesting that environment may have a greater effect on development during this time. Stress is one factor known to affect neurodevelopment increasing risk for psychopathology. However, less is known about how stress experienced during adolescence could affect adolescent-specific critical period plasticity mechanisms and cognitive outcomes. In this review, we synthesize findings from human and animal literatures looking at the experience of stress during adolescence on cognition and frontal excitatory and inhibitory neural activity. Studies indicate enhancing effects of acute stress on cognition and excitation within specific contexts, while chronic stress generally dampens excitatory and inhibitory processes and impairs cognition. We propose a model of how stress could affect frontal critical period plasticity, thus potentially altering neurodevelopmental trajectories that could lead to risk for psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria I Perica
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Beatriz Luna
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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3
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Bertholomey ML, Nagarajan V, Smith DM, Torregrossa MM. Sex- and age-dependent effects of chronic corticosterone exposure on depressive-like, anxiety-like, and fear-related behavior: Role of amygdala glutamate receptors in the rat. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:950000. [PMID: 36212195 PMCID: PMC9537815 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.950000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Persistent glucocorticoid elevation consistent with chronic stress exposure can lead to psychopathology, including mood and anxiety disorders. Women and stress-exposed adolescents are more likely to be diagnosed with mood disorders, suggesting that sex and age are important factors in determining vulnerability, though much remains to be determined regarding the mechanisms underlying this risk. Thus, the aim of the present experiments was to use the chronic corticosterone (CORT) exposure paradigm, a model of depression-like behavior that has previously been established primarily in adult males, to determine the mood-related effects of CORT in female and adolescent rats. Depression- and anxiety-like effects in adulthood were determined using the sucrose preference (SPT), the forced swim test (FST), the elevated plus maze, and fear conditioning. Basolateral amygdala (BLA) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) glutamate receptor subunit levels were then measured. In a subsequent experiment, adult male and female rats were tested for the effects of pharmacological activation (via AMPA) or inhibition (via NBQX) of AMPA receptors in the BLA on behavior in the FST. Overall, females showed reduced anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors relative to males. However, females treated with CORT in adolescence, but not adulthood, had increased immobility in the FST, indicative of depression-like behavior. In contrast, CORT did not alter behavior in adolescent-treated males, though the previously reported depression-like effect of adult CORT exposure was observed. Control females had higher expression of the AMPA receptor subunits GluA1 and GluA2/3 selectively in the BLA relative to males. Adolescent CORT treatment, however, decreased BLA GluA1 and GluA2/3 expression in females, but increased expression in males, consistent with the direction of depression-like behavioral effects. Male and female rats also demonstrated opposing patterns of response to BLA AMPA receptor modulation in the FST, with AMPA infusion magnifying the sex difference of decreased immobility in females. Overall, these experiments show that increased glutamate receptor function in the BLA may decrease the risk of developing depressive-like behavior, further supporting efforts to target glutamatergic receptors for the treatment of stress-related psychiatric disorders. These findings also support further focus on sex as a biological variable in neuropsychiatric research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan L. Bertholomey
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Allegheny College, Meadville, PA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Vidhya Nagarajan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Dana M. Smith
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Mary M. Torregrossa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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Starski P, Maulucci D, Mead H, Hopf F. Adaptation of the 5-choice serial reaction time task to measure engagement and motivation for alcohol in mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:968359. [PMID: 36187376 PMCID: PMC9522902 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.968359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is related to excessive binge alcohol consumption, and there is considerable interest in associated factors that promote intake. AUD has many behavioral facets that enhance inflexibility toward alcohol consumption, including impulsivity, motivation, and attention. Thus, it is important to understand how these factors might promote responding for alcohol and can change after protracted alcohol intake. Previous studies have explored such behavioral factors using responding for sugar in the 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task (5-CSRTT), which allows careful separation of impulsivity, attention, and motivation. Importantly, our studies uniquely focus on using alcohol as the reward throughout training and testing sessions, which is critical for beginning to answer central questions relating to behavioral engagement for alcohol. Alcohol preference and consumption in male C57BL/6 mice were determined from the first 9 sessions of 2-h alcohol drinking which were interspersed among 5-CSRTT training. Interestingly, alcohol preference but not consumption level significantly predicted 5-CSRTT responding for alcohol. In contrast, responding for strawberry milk was not related to alcohol preference. Moreover, high-preference (HP) mice made more correct alcohol-directed responses than low-preference (LP) during the first half of each session and had more longer reward latencies in the second half, with no differences when performing for strawberry milk, suggesting that HP motivation for alcohol may reflect “front-loading.” Mice were then exposed to an Intermittent Access to alcohol paradigm and retested in 5-CSRTT. While both HP and LP mice increased 5-CSRTT responding for alcohol, but not strawberry milk, LP performance rose to HP levels, with a greater change in correct and premature responding in LP versus HP. Overall, this study provides three significant findings: (1) alcohol was a suitable reward in the 5-CSRTT, allowing dissection of impulsivity, attention, and motivation in relation to alcohol drinking, (2) alcohol preference was a more sensitive indicator of mouse 5-CSRTT performance than consumption, and (3) intermittent alcohol drinking promoted behavioral engagement with alcohol, especially for individuals with less initial engagement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip Starski
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Danielle Maulucci
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Hunter Mead
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Frederic Hopf
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- *Correspondence: Frederic Hopf,
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Noradrenergic contributions to cue-driven risk-taking and impulsivity. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:1765-1779. [PMID: 33649970 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05806-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE The flashing lights and sounds of modern casinos are alluring and may contribute to the addictive nature of gambling. Such cues can have a profound impact on the noradrenaline (NA) system, which could therefore be a viable therapeutic target for gambling disorder (GD). While there is substantial evidence to support the involvement of NA in the impulsive symptoms of GD, its function in mediating the "pro-addictive" impact of cues is less understood. OBJECTIVE We wished to investigate the role of NA in our rodent assay of decision making and impulsivity, the cued rat gambling task (crGT). Given that sex differences are prominent in addiction disorders, and increasingly reported in the monoaminergic regulation of behaviour, we also prioritised evaluating noradrenergic drugs in both sexes. METHODS Female and male rats were trained to stability on the crGT and then given intraperitoneal injections of the noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor atomoxetine, the α2A receptor agonist guanfacine, the beta receptor antagonist propranolol, and the α2 receptor antagonist yohimbine. RESULTS Atomoxetine dose-dependently improved decision-making score. Guanfacine selectively enhanced decision making in risk-preferring males and optimal performing females. Propranolol and yohimbine did not influence decision making. Atomoxetine and guanfacine reduced premature responses, while yohimbine bi-phasically affected this index of motor impulsivity. CONCLUSIONS These results support the hypothesis that NA is an important neuromodulator of the cue-induced deficits in decision making observed in laboratory-based gambling paradigms, and suggest that NAergic drugs like atomoxetine and guanfacine may be useful in treating GD.
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Kozłowska A, Wojtacha P, Równiak M, Kolenkiewicz M, Huang ACW. ADHD pathogenesis in the immune, endocrine and nervous systems of juvenile and maturating SHR and WKY rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:2937-2958. [PMID: 30737597 PMCID: PMC6820808 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-019-5180-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurobehavioural disorders with morphological and functional brain abnormalities. However, there is a growing body of evidence that abnormalities in the immune and endocrine systems may also account for the ADHD pathogenesis. OBJECTIVES To test ADHD pathogenesis in neurological, immune and endocrine systems, this study examined the concentrations of cytokines, chemokines, oxidative stress markers, metabolic parameters, steroid hormones and steroidogenic enzymes in the serum and/or tissues of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs, animal model of ADHD) and Wistar Kyoto rats (WKYs, control animals). Moreover, the volume of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) as well as the density of dopamine 2 (D2) receptor-expressing cells and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive nerve fibres in it was also elucidated. METHODS Peripheral blood, spleen and adrenal gland samples, as well as brain sections collected on day 35 (juvenile) and day 70 (maturating) from SHRs and WKYs, were processed by ELISA and immunohistochemistry, respectively. RESULTS The results show significant increases of serum and/or tissue concentrations of cytokines, chemokines and oxidative stress markers in juvenile SHRs when compared to the age-matched WKYs. These increases were accompanied by a lowered volume of the mPFC and up-regulation of D2 in this brain region. In maturating SHRs, the levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers were normalised and accompanied by elevated contents of steroid hormones. CONCLUSIONS Significant elevations of serum and/or tissue contents of cytokines, chemokines and oxidative stress markers as well as volumetric and neurochemical alterations in the mPFC of juvenile SHRs may suggest the cooperation of neurological and immune systems in the ADHD pathogenesis. Elevated levels of steroid hormones in maturating SHRs may be a compensatory effect involved in reducing inflammation and ADHD symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kozłowska
- Department of Human Physiology, School of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Warszawska Av, 30, 10-082 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Paweł Wojtacha
- Department of Industrial and Food Microbiology, Faculty of Food Science, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Plac Cieszyński 1, 10-726 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Maciej Równiak
- Department of Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Plac Łódzki 3, 10-727 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Kolenkiewicz
- Department of Pathophysiology, School Medicine, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Warszawska Av, 30, 10-082 Olsztyn, Poland
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Smoker MP, Mackie K, Lapish CC, Boehm SL. Self-administration of edible Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and associated behavioral effects in mice. Drug Alcohol Depend 2019; 199:106-115. [PMID: 31029878 PMCID: PMC7158699 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND With increasing access to legal cannabis across the globe, it is imperative to more closely study its behavioral and physiological effects. Furthermore, with the proliferation of cannabis use, modes of consumption are changing, with edible formulations becoming increasingly popular. Nevertheless, there are relatively few animal models of self-administration of the primary psychoactive component of cannabis, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and almost all incorporate routes of administration other than those used by humans. The aim of the current study was to develop a model of edible THC self-administration and assess its impact on CB1 receptor-mediated behaviors in female and male mice. METHODS Mice were given limited access to a palatable dough which occasionally contained THC in doses ranging from 1 to 10 mg/kg. Following dough consumption, mice were assessed for home cage locomotor activity, body temperature, or analgesia. Locomotor activity was also assessed in conjunction with the CB1 receptor antagonist SR141716A. RESULTS Dough was well-consumed, but consumption decreased at the highest THC concentrations. Edible THC produced dose-dependent decreases in locomotor activity and body temperature in both sexes, and these effects were more pronounced in male mice. Hypolocomotion induced by edible THC was attenuated by SR141716A, indicating mediation by CB1 receptor activation. CONCLUSIONS In contrast to other cannabinoid self-administration models, edible THC is relatively low in stress and uses a route of administration analogous to one used by humans. Potential applications include chronic THC self-administration, determining THC reward/reinforcement, and investigating consequences of oral THC use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P. Smoker
- Department of Psychology and Indiana Alcohol Research Center, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202,Corresponding Author: Michael P. Smoker, Department of Psychology, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, 402 N Blackford St, LD 124, Indianapolis, IN 46202, Phone: 317-429-7023, Fax: 317-274-6756,
| | - Ken Mackie
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and the Gill Center, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN 47405
| | - Christopher C. Lapish
- Department of Psychology and Indiana Alcohol Research Center, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202
| | - Stephen L. Boehm
- Department of Psychology and Indiana Alcohol Research Center, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202
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Lee RSC, Hoppenbrouwers S, Franken I. A Systematic Meta-Review of Impulsivity and Compulsivity in Addictive Behaviors. Neuropsychol Rev 2019; 29:14-26. [DOI: 10.1007/s11065-019-09402-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Li J, Li Y, Sun Y, Wang H, Liu X, Zhao Y, Wang H, Su Y, Si T. Chronic mild corticosterone exposure during adolescence enhances behaviors and upregulates neuroplasticity-related proteins in rat hippocampus. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2019; 89:400-411. [PMID: 30392783 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2018] [Revised: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a critical period with ongoing maturational processes in stress-sensitive systems. It remains unknown how adolescent individuals would be affected by chronic exposure to corticosterone (the major stress hormone in rodents, CORT) at the doses that are usually not detrimental in adults. In this study, male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with CORT (5 mg/kg) or vehicle for 21 days during adolescence (postnatal day (PND) 29-49) or adulthood (PND 71-91) and then subjected to behavioral testing or sacrifice for neurobiological analyses. Shortly after treatment cessation, different from CORT-treated adults showing increased anxiety-like behaviors, CORT-treated adolescents exhibited enhanced prepulse inhibition and spatial learning. They also showed increased expression of hippocampal neuroplasticity-related proteins, including BDNF, nectin3, and AMPA receptor subunits. These effects became undetectable after a four-week washout period when CORT-treated adolescents exhibited improved reversal learning. Together, these findings demonstrate that chronic CORT exposure at the dose of 5 mg/kg endows adolescent individuals with enhanced cognitive capacities, possibly supported by increased hippocampal neuroplasticity. This study also highlights mild elevation of CORT levels during adolescence as a potential approach of promoting adaptive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jitao Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health) and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Youhong Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health) and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yaxin Sun
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health) and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Han Wang
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health) and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xiao Liu
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health) and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China; The Sixth People's Hospital of Hebei Province, Baoding 071000, China
| | - Yingying Zhao
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health) and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China; MECT Treatment Center, Beijing Anding Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing 100088, China
| | - Hongli Wang
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health) and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yun'ai Su
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health) and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Tianmei Si
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health) and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China.
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ArunSundar M, Shanmugarajan TS, Ravichandiran V. 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylethanol Assuages Cognitive Impulsivity in Alzheimer's Disease by Attuning HPA-Axis via Differential Crosstalk of α7 nAChR with MicroRNA-124 and HDAC6. ACS Chem Neurosci 2018; 9:2904-2916. [PMID: 29901389 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive impulsivity, a form of suboptimal cost-benefit decision making, is an illustrious attribute of an array of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, a delay discounting paradigm was used to assess the effect of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol (DOPET) on cognitive impulsivity, in an oA42i (oligomeric amyloid β1-42 plus ibotenic acid) induced AD mouse model, using a nonspatial T-maze task. The results depicted that oA42i administration elevated cognitive impulsivity, whereas DOPET treatment attenuated the impulsive behavior and matched the choice of the sham-operated controls. In addition, DOPET treatment has ameliorated the anxiety-like behavior in the oA42i-challenged mice. Probing the molecular signaling cascades underpinning these functional ramifications in the oA42i-challenged mice revealed reduced cholinergic (α7 nAChR; alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor) function, dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (manifested by amplified glucocorticoid receptor expression and plasma corticosterone levels), and also aberrations in the neuroepigenetic (microRNA-124, HDAC6 (histone deacetylase 6), and HSP90 (heat-shock protein 90) expressions) as well as nucleocytoplasmic (importin-α1 expression and nuclear ultra-architecture) continuum. Nonetheless, DOPET administration ameliorated these perturbations and the observations were in line with that of the sham-operated mice. Further validation of the results with organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHSCs) confirmed the in vivo findings. We opine that HPA-axis attunement by DOPET might be orchestrated through the α7 nAChR-mediated pathway. Based on these outcomes, we posit that 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol might be a potential multimodal agent for the management of cognitive impulsivity and neuromolecular quagmire in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohanasundaram ArunSundar
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vels University (VISTAS), Pallavaram, Chennai-600117, India
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Kappa opioid receptors mediate yohimbine-induced increases in impulsivity in the 5-choice serial reaction time task. Behav Brain Res 2018; 359:258-265. [PMID: 30414973 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Revised: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Dynorphin (DYN), and its receptor, the kappa opioid receptor (KOR) are involved in drug seeking and relapse but the mechanisms are poorly understood. One hypothesis is that DYN/KOR activation promotes drug seeking through increased impulsivity, because many stimuli that induce DYN release increase impulsivity. Here, we systematically compare the effects of drugs that activate DYN/KOR on performance on the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT), a test of sustained attention and impulsivity. In Experiment 1, we determined the effects of U50,488 (0, 2.5, 5 mg/kg), yohimbine (0, 1.25, 2.5 mg/kg), and nicotine (0, 0.15, 0.3 mg/kg) on 5-CSRTT performance. In Experiment 2, we determined the effects of alcohol (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 g/kg) on 5-CSRTT performance before and after voluntary, intermittent alcohol exposure. In Experiment 3, we determined the potential role of KOR in the pro-impulsive effects of yohimbine (1.25 mg/kg) and nicotine (0.3 mg/kg) by the prior administration of the KOR antagonist nor-BNI (10 mg/kg). Premature responding, the primary measure of impulsivity, was reduced by U50,488 and alcohol, but these drugs had a general suppressive effect. Yohimbine and nicotine increased premature responding. Yohimbine-, but not nicotine-induced increases in premature responding were blocked by nor-BNI, suggesting that impulsivity induced by yohimbine is KOR dependent. This may suggests a potential role for KOR-mediated increases in impulsivity in yohimbine-induced reinstatement.
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12
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Greenwald MK. Anti-stress neuropharmacological mechanisms and targets for addiction treatment: A translational framework. Neurobiol Stress 2018; 9:84-104. [PMID: 30238023 PMCID: PMC6138948 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2018.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Revised: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress-related substance use is a major challenge for treating substance use disorders. This selective review focuses on emerging pharmacotherapies with potential for reducing stress-potentiated seeking and consumption of nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and opioids (i.e., key phenotypes for the most commonly abused substances). I evaluate neuropharmacological mechanisms in experimental models of drug-maintenance and relapse, which translate more readily to individuals presenting for treatment (who have initiated and progressed). An affective/motivational systems model (three dimensions: valence, arousal, control) is mapped onto a systems biology of addiction approach for addressing this problem. Based on quality of evidence to date, promising first-tier neurochemical receptor targets include: noradrenergic (α1 and β antagonist, α2 agonist), kappa-opioid antagonist, nociceptin antagonist, orexin-1 antagonist, and endocannabinoid modulation (e.g., cannabidiol, FAAH inhibition); second-tier candidates may include corticotropin releasing factor-1 antagonists, serotonergic agents (e.g., 5-HT reuptake inhibitors, 5-HT3 antagonists), glutamatergic agents (e.g., mGluR2/3 agonist/positive allosteric modulator, mGluR5 antagonist/negative allosteric modulator), GABA-promoters (e.g., pregabalin, tiagabine), vasopressin 1b antagonist, NK-1 antagonist, and PPAR-γ agonist (e.g., pioglitazone). To address affective/motivational mechanisms of stress-related substance use, it may be advisable to combine agents with actions at complementary targets for greater efficacy but systematic studies are lacking except for interactions with the noradrenergic system. I note clinically-relevant factors that could mediate/moderate the efficacy of anti-stress therapeutics and identify research gaps that should be pursued. Finally, progress in developing anti-stress medications will depend on use of reliable CNS biomarkers to validate exposure-response relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark K. Greenwald
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
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13
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Kozłowska A, Wojtacha P, Równiak M, Kolenkiewicz M, Tsai ML. Differences in serum steroid hormones concentrations in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR) - an animal model of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Physiol Res 2018; 68:25-36. [PMID: 30433797 DOI: 10.33549/physiolres.933907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Spontaneously hypertensive rats are the most common animal model used to study attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The present study investigated the levels of steroid hormones in the bloodstream of hypertensive rats and its normotensive control strain, Wistar-Kyoto rats, to check if there are any hormonal differences between both strains at the onset of ADHD. Plasma samples were collected from young (5-week-old) and mature (10-week-old) male hypertensive and normotensive rats to determine the serum level of testosterone, 17beta-estradiol, free estriol, progesterone, corticosterone and cortisol using ELISA kits. The results showed statistically significant increases in serum levels of testosterone and free estriol in 10-week-old hypertensive and normotensive rats when compared to 5-week-old animals. Moreover, the concentrations of progesterone, corticosterone and cortisol were significantly elevated in 10-week-old hypertensive rats when compared to 5-week-old animals of both strains as well as 10-week-old normotensive rats. Hormonal differences observed between 10-week-old hypertensive and normotensive rats were also accompanied by differences in the volumes of lateral ventricles as well as the third ventricle and cerebral aqueduct. In conclusion, elevated contents of progesterone, corticosterone and cortisol in hypertensive rats may be associated not only with ADHD but also with developing hypertension. This question needs further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kozłowska
- Department of Human Physiology, School Medicine, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland.
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14
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Phosphoproteomic Analysis of the Amygdala Response to Adolescent Glucocorticoid Exposure Reveals G-Protein Coupled Receptor Kinase 2 as a Target for Reducing Motivation for Alcohol. Proteomes 2018; 6:proteomes6040041. [PMID: 30322021 PMCID: PMC6313880 DOI: 10.3390/proteomes6040041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Revised: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Early life stress is associated with risk for developing alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in adulthood. Though the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this vulnerability are not well understood, evidence suggests that aberrant glucocorticoid and noradrenergic system functioning play a role. The present study investigated the long-term consequences of chronic exposure to elevated glucocorticoids during adolescence on the risk of increased alcohol-motivated behavior, and on amygdalar function in adulthood. A discovery-based analysis of the amygdalar phosphoproteome using mass spectrometry was employed, to identify changes in function. Adolescent corticosterone (CORT) exposure increased alcohol, but not sucrose, self-administration, and enhanced stress-induced reinstatement with yohimbine in adulthood. Phosphoproteomic analysis indicated that the amygdala phosphoproteome was significantly altered by adolescent CORT exposure, generating a list of potential novel mechanisms involved in the risk of alcohol drinking. In particular, increased phosphorylation at serines 296–299 on the α2A adrenergic receptor (α2AAR), mediated by the G-protein coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2), was evident after adolescent CORT exposure. We found that intra-amygdala infusion of a peptidergic GRK2 inhibitor reduced alcohol seeking, as measured by progressive ratio and stress reinstatement tests, and induced by the α2AAR antagonist yohimbine. These results suggest that GRK2 represents a novel target for treating stress-induced motivation for alcohol which may counteract alterations in brain function induced by adolescent stress exposure.
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15
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Cho BR, Kwak MJ, Kim WY, Kim JH. Impulsive Action and Impulsive Choice Are Differentially Expressed in Rats Depending on the Age at Exposure to a Gambling Task. Front Psychiatry 2018; 9:503. [PMID: 30386266 PMCID: PMC6198148 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Impulsivity is considered an important feature associated with the development of numerous psychiatric disorders, including addictions. In the behavioral approach, impulsivity can be broadly divided into two distinct subtypes: impulsive action and choice. In the present study, we used a rodent version of the gambling task (rGT) to examine how impulsive action and impulsive choice are differentially influenced by difference in age at exposure (i.e., late adolescents/young adults vs. mature adults) to rGT. Rats were trained in a touch-screen chamber to learn the relationships between 4 light signals on the window of the screen and accompanying reward outcomes or punishments associated with different magnitudes and probabilities. Depending on their stabilized pattern of preference when allowed free choice, rats were categorized into risk-averse or risk-seeking group. While undergoing a series of experimental schemes, including extinction, re-acquisition, and acute cocaine injection, rats were re-tested for their premature response during inter-trial interval and choice preference toward the 4 different windows in rGT. Notably, rats exposed early, compared with those exposed late, to rGT showed increased impulsive action, particularly during re-acquisition period, in all sub-groups. In contrast, rats exposed late, compared with those exposed early, to rGT showed increased impulsive choice after acute cocaine injection, but these results were only obtained in a sub-group pre-categorized as high impulsive and risk-averse. These results suggest that different aspects of impulsivity can be differentially expressed during decision-making, and differentially influenced by the age at exposure to a gambling task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Ram Cho
- Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Department of Physiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Myung Ji Kwak
- Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Department of Physiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Wha Young Kim
- Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Department of Physiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jeong-Hoon Kim
- Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Department of Physiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
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16
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Memory in an Eight-Channel Radial Maze is Better in High-Impulsivity Rats Than Low-Impulsivity Animals. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s11055-017-0538-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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17
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Adams WK, Barrus MM, Zeeb FD, Cocker PJ, Benoit J, Winstanley CA. Dissociable effects of systemic and orbitofrontal administration of adrenoceptor antagonists on yohimbine-induced motor impulsivity. Behav Brain Res 2017; 328:19-27. [PMID: 28344096 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.03.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2017] [Revised: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The α2-adrenoceptor antagonist, yohimbine, is commonly used as a pharmacological stressor. Its behavioural effects are typically attributed to elevated noradrenaline release via blockade of central, inhibitory autoreceptors. We have previously reported that yohimbine increases motor impulsivity in rats on the five-choice serial reaction time task (5CSRTT), a cognitive behavioural assessment which measures motor impulsivity and visuospatial attention. Furthermore, this effect depended on cyclic adenomonophosphate (cAMP) signalling via cAMP response element binding (CREB) protein in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). However, the role of specific adrenoceptors in this effect is not well-characterised. We therefore investigated whether the pro-impulsive effects of systemic yohimbine could be reproduced by direct administration into the OFC, or attenuated by intra-OFC or systemic administration of prazosin and propranolol-antagonists at the α1- and β-adrenoceptor, respectively. Male Long-Evans rats were trained on the 5CSRTT and implanted with guide cannulae aimed at the OFC. Systemically administered α1- or β-adrenoceptor antagonists attenuated yohimbine-induced increases in premature responding. In contrast, local infusion of yohimbine into the OFC reduced such impulsive responding, while blockade of α1- or β-adrenoceptors within the OFC had no effect on either basal or yohimbine-stimulated motor impulsivity. Direct administration of selective antagonists at the α1-, α2- or β-adrenoceptor into the OFC therefore produce clearly dissociable effects from systemic administration. Collectively, these data suggest that the pro-impulsivity effect of yohimbine can be modulated by adrenergic signalling in brain areas outside of the OFC, in addition to non-adrenergic signalling pathways within the OFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy K Adams
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; UBC Institute of Mental Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Michael M Barrus
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Fiona D Zeeb
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Paul J Cocker
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - James Benoit
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Catharine A Winstanley
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; UBC Institute of Mental Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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18
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Li J, Xie X, Li Y, Liu X, Liao X, Su YA, Si T. Differential Behavioral and Neurobiological Effects of Chronic Corticosterone Treatment in Adolescent and Adult Rats. Front Mol Neurosci 2017; 10:25. [PMID: 28210212 PMCID: PMC5288376 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a critical period with ongoing maturational processes in stress-sensitive systems. While adolescent individuals show heightened stress-induced hormonal responses compared to adults, it is unclear whether and how the behavioral and neurobiological consequences of chronic stress would differ between the two age groups. Here we address this issue by examining the effects of chronic exposure to the stress hormone, corticosterone (CORT), in both adolescent and adult animals. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were injected intraperitoneally with CORT (40 mg/kg) or vehicle for 21 days during adolescence (post-natal day (PND) 29–49) or adulthood (PND 71–91) and then subjected to behavioral testing or sacrifice for western blot analyses. Despite of similar physical and neuroendocrine effects in both age groups, chronic CORT treatment produced a series of behavioral and neurobiological effects with striking age differences. While CORT-treated adult animals exhibited decreased sucrose preference, increased anxiety levels and cognitive impairment, CORT-treated adolescent animals demonstrated increased sucrose preference, decreased anxiety levels, and increased sensorimotor gating functions. These differential behavioral alterations were accompanied by opposite changes in the two age groups in the expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), the phosphorylation of the obligatory subunit of the NMDA receptor, GluN1, and PSD-95 in rat hippocampus. These results suggest that prolonged glucocorticoid exposure during adolescence produces different behavioral and neurobiological effects from those in adulthood, which may be due to the complex interaction between glucocorticoids and the ongoing neurodevelopmental processes during this period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jitao Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health) and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University) Beijing, China
| | - Xiaomeng Xie
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health) and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University) Beijing, China
| | - Youhong Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health) and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University) Beijing, China
| | - Xiao Liu
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, North China University of Science and Technology Tangshan, China
| | - Xuemei Liao
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health) and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University) Beijing, China
| | - Yun-Ai Su
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health) and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University) Beijing, China
| | - Tianmei Si
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health) and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University) Beijing, China
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19
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McCormick CM, Green MR, Simone JJ. Translational relevance of rodent models of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function and stressors in adolescence. Neurobiol Stress 2017; 6:31-43. [PMID: 28229107 PMCID: PMC5314422 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2016.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2016] [Revised: 08/18/2016] [Accepted: 08/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Elevations in glucocorticoids that result from environmental stressors can have programming effects on brain structure and function when the exposure occurs during sensitive periods that involve heightened neural development. In recent years, adolescence has gained increasing attention as another sensitive period of development, a period in which pubertal transitions may increase the vulnerability to stressors. There are similarities in physical and behavioural development between humans and rats, and rats have been used effectively as an animal model of adolescence and the unique plasticity of this period of ontogeny. This review focuses on benefits and challenges of rats as a model for translational research on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function and stressors in adolescence, highlighting important parallels and contrasts between adolescent rats and humans, and we review the main stress procedures that are used in investigating HPA stress responses and their consequences in adolescence in rats. We conclude that a greater focus on timing of puberty as a factor in research in adolescent rats may increase the translational relevance of the findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl M. McCormick
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Matthew R. Green
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Jonathan J. Simone
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
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20
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Broos N, van Mourik Y, Schetters D, De Vries TJ, Pattij T. Dissociable effects of cocaine and yohimbine on impulsive action and relapse to cocaine seeking. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2017; 234:3343-3351. [PMID: 28856391 PMCID: PMC5660838 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-017-4711-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Accepted: 08/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE A strong association has been demonstrated between various forms of impulsivity and addiction-like behavior in both humans and rats. OBJECTIVES In this study, we investigated how impulsive action, as measured in the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT), is affected during various stages of cocaine taking and seeking and by relapse-provoking stimuli in animals that were trained both in an intravenous cocaine self-administration paradigm and in the 5-CSRTT. METHODS Rats were concurrently trained in the 5-CSRTT and cocaine self-administration protocol, and subsequently, the effects of cocaine (7.5 mg/kg) and the pharmacological stressor yohimbine (1.25 mg/kg) were tested in both paradigms. RESULTS Cocaine self-administration (5 h/day) transiently altered impulsive action and increased errors of omission in the 5-CSRTT. Pharmacological challenges with cocaine and yohimbine induced increments in impulsive action and reinstated cocaine-seeking responses within the same animals. Further analyses revealed that the effects of cocaine and yohimbine on impulsive action did not correlate with their effects on reinstatement of cocaine seeking. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that although impulsive action and relapse can be pharmacologically modulated in the same direction within individuals, these effects appear not to be directly coupled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nienke Broos
- 0000 0004 0435 165Xgrid.16872.3aDepartment of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Yvar van Mourik
- 0000 0004 0435 165Xgrid.16872.3aDepartment of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dustin Schetters
- 0000 0004 0435 165Xgrid.16872.3aDepartment of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Taco J. De Vries
- 0000 0004 0435 165Xgrid.16872.3aDepartment of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tommy Pattij
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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21
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Nobrega JN, Hedayatmofidi PS, Lobo DS. Strong interactions between learned helplessness and risky decision-making in a rat gambling model. Sci Rep 2016; 6:37304. [PMID: 27857171 PMCID: PMC5114549 DOI: 10.1038/srep37304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Risky decision-making is characteristic of depression and of addictive disorders, including pathological gambling. However it is not clear whether a propensity to risky choices predisposes to depressive symptoms or whether the converse is the case. Here we tested the hypothesis that rats showing risky decision-making in a rat gambling task (rGT) would be more prone to depressive-like behaviour in the learned helplessness (LH) model. Results showed that baseline rGT choice behaviour did not predict escape deficits in the LH protocol. In contrast, exposure to the LH protocol resulted in a significant increase in risky rGT choices on retest. Unexpectedly, control rats subjected only to escapable stress in the LH protocol showed a subsequent decrease in riskier rGT choices. Further analyses indicated that the LH protocol affected primarily rats with high baseline levels of risky choices and that among these it had opposite effects in rats exposed to LH-inducing stress compared to rats exposed only to the escape trials. Together these findings suggest that while baseline risky decision making may not predict LH behaviour it interacts strongly with LH conditions in modulating subsequent decision-making behaviour. The suggested possibility that stress controllability may be a key factor should be further investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- José N Nobrega
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Departments of Psychology and Pharmacology &Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Daniela S Lobo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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22
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Chaby LE. Why are there lasting effects from exposure to stress during development? An analysis of current models of early stress. Physiol Behav 2016; 164:164-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.05.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Revised: 04/29/2016] [Accepted: 05/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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23
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Beuk J, Beninger RJ, Paré M. Lifespan Changes in the Countermanding Performance of Young and Middle Aged Adult Rats. Front Aging Neurosci 2016; 8:190. [PMID: 27555818 PMCID: PMC4977309 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2016.00190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2016] [Accepted: 07/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory control can be investigated with the countermanding task, which requires subjects to make a response to a go signal and cancel that response when a stop signal is presented occasionally. Adult humans performing the countermanding task typically exhibit impaired response time (RT), stop signal response time (SSRT) and response accuracy as they get older, but little change in post-error slowing. Rodent models of the countermanding paradigm have been developed recently, yet none have directly examined age-related changes in performance throughout the lifespan. Male Wistar rats (N = 16) were trained to respond to a visual stimulus (go signal) by pressing a lever directly below an illuminated light for food reward, but to countermand the lever press subsequent to a tone (stop signal) that was presented occasionally (25% of trials) at a variable delay. Subjects were tested in 1 h sessions at approximately 7 and 12 months of age with intermittent training in between. Rats demonstrated longer go trial RT, a higher proportion of go trial errors and performed less total trials at 12, compared to 7 months of age. Consistent SSRT and post-error slowing were observed for rats at both ages. These results suggest that the countermanding performance of rats does vary throughout the lifespan, in a manner similar to humans, suggesting that rodents may provide a suitable model for behavioral impairment related to normal aging. These findings also highlight the importance of indicating the age at which rodents are tested in countermanding investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Beuk
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Richard J Beninger
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's UniversityKingston, ON, Canada; Department of Psychology, Queen's UniversityKingston, ON, Canada
| | - Martin Paré
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's UniversityKingston, ON, Canada; Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's UniversityKingston, ON, Canada
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24
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Buhusi M, Olsen K, Yang BZ, Buhusi CV. Stress-Induced Executive Dysfunction in GDNF-Deficient Mice, A Mouse Model of Parkinsonism. Front Behav Neurosci 2016; 10:114. [PMID: 27445722 PMCID: PMC4914592 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 05/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Maladaptive reactivity to stress is linked to improper decision making, impulsivity, and discounting of delayed rewards. Chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) alters dopaminergic function, re-shapes dopaminergic circuits in key areas involved in decision making, and impairs prefrontal-cortex dependent response inhibition and working memory. Glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is essential for regulating dopamine (DA) release in the basal ganglia and for the survival of dopaminergic neurons; GDNF-deficient mice are considered an animal model for aging-related Parkinsonism. Recently, GDNF expression in the striatum has been linked to resilience to stress. Here we investigated the effects of CUS on decision making in GDNF-heterozygous (HET) mice and their wild-type littermate controls (WT). Before CUS no differences in temporal discounting (TD) were found between genotypes. However, following CUS GDNF HET mice, having a partial reduction of GDNF levels, showed increased impulsive choice indexed by a reduction in percent Larger-Later (LL) choices in the TD paradigm, and a reduction in area under the TD curve. Moreover, stressed GDNF HET mice, but not their WT controls, showed decreased neuronal activation (number of cFos positive neurons) in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), nucleus accumbens (NA) core, and NA shell, suggestive of a maladaptive response to stress. Interestingly, area under the TD curve positively correlated with cFos activation in the NA core, and NA shell, but not with orbitofrontal activity. These results provide further evidence of the differential involvement of the OFC, NA core, and NA shell in impulsive choice, and identify GDNF-deficient mice as a double-hit (gene × environment) model of stress-related executive dysfunction, particularly relevant to substance abuse and Parkinson’s disease (PD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Buhusi
- Department of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Utah State University Logan, UT, USA
| | - Kaitlin Olsen
- Department of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Utah State University Logan, UT, USA
| | - Benjamin Z Yang
- Department of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Utah State University Logan, UT, USA
| | - Catalin V Buhusi
- Department of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Utah State University Logan, UT, USA
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25
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Sex differences in reinstatement of alcohol seeking in response to cues and yohimbine in rats with and without a history of adolescent corticosterone exposure. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2016; 233:2277-87. [PMID: 27048157 PMCID: PMC5604312 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-016-4278-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Women represent a vulnerable and growing population with respect to alcohol abuse. Elevated glucocorticoid exposure in adolescence increases addiction risk and stress sensitivity in adulthood. However, little is known about sex differences in ethanol craving-like behavior. OBJECTIVE This study characterized sex differences in ethanol-motivated behavior following ethanol-paired cues and/or acute stimulation of the HPA axis in male and female rats with or without exposure to chronically elevated glucocorticoids in adolescence. METHODS Adolescent corticosterone-treated (Experiment 1) or naïve (Experiment 2) male and female rats were trained as adults to self-administer ethanol paired with a cue, and tested for the effects of this cue, alone or in combination with yohimbine, on the reinstatement of ethanol seeking. RESULTS Females showed elevated ethanol self-administration and seeking compared to males. In Experiment 1, corticosterone exposure in adolescence augmented cue-induced reinstatement of ethanol seeking in females only, and females were more sensitive to yohimbine in promoting reinstatement. Experiment 2 replicated these findings and showed that exposure to both yohimbine and alcohol-related cues enhanced the reinstatement of alcohol seeking, producing additive effects in females. Corticosterone levels were higher in females and in yohimbine-treated rats, and corticosterone and estradiol correlated with responding during reinstatement. CONCLUSIONS Chronic manipulations in adolescence and acute manipulations in adulthood of the HPA axis increase cue-induced reinstatement of ethanol seeking to a greater degree in females than in males. Elucidating the mechanisms that underlie these effects may lead to the development of sex-specific interventions aimed at mitigating alcohol relapse risk in females.
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Darcet F, Gardier AM, Gaillard R, David DJ, Guilloux JP. Cognitive Dysfunction in Major Depressive Disorder. A Translational Review in Animal Models of the Disease. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2016; 9:ph9010009. [PMID: 26901205 PMCID: PMC4812373 DOI: 10.3390/ph9010009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2015] [Revised: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is the most common psychiatric disease, affecting millions of people worldwide. In addition to the well-defined depressive symptoms, patients suffering from MDD consistently complain about cognitive disturbances, significantly exacerbating the burden of this illness. Among cognitive symptoms, impairments in attention, working memory, learning and memory or executive functions are often reported. However, available data about the heterogeneity of MDD patients and magnitude of cognitive symptoms through the different phases of MDD remain difficult to summarize. Thus, the first part of this review briefly overviewed clinical studies, focusing on the cognitive dysfunctions depending on the MDD type. As animal models are essential translational tools for underpinning the mechanisms of cognitive deficits in MDD, the second part of this review synthetized preclinical studies observing cognitive deficits in different rodent models of anxiety/depression. For each cognitive domain, we determined whether deficits could be shared across models. Particularly, we established whether specific stress-related procedures or unspecific criteria (such as species, sex or age) could segregate common cognitive alteration across models. Finally, the role of adult hippocampal neurogenesis in rodents in cognitive dysfunctions during MDD state was also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavie Darcet
- Université Paris-Saclay, University Paris-Sud, Faculté de Pharmacie, CESP, INSERM UMRS1178, Chatenay-Malabry 92296, France.
| | - Alain M Gardier
- Université Paris-Saclay, University Paris-Sud, Faculté de Pharmacie, CESP, INSERM UMRS1178, Chatenay-Malabry 92296, France.
| | - Raphael Gaillard
- Laboratoire de "Physiopathologie des maladies Psychiatriques", Centre de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences U894, INSERM, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris 75014, France.
- Service de Psychiatrie, Centre Hospitalier Sainte-Anne, Faculté de Médecine Paris Descartes, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris 75014, France.
- Human Histopathology and Animal Models, Infection and Epidemiology Department, Institut Pasteur, Paris 75015, France.
| | - Denis J David
- Université Paris-Saclay, University Paris-Sud, Faculté de Pharmacie, CESP, INSERM UMRS1178, Chatenay-Malabry 92296, France.
| | - Jean-Philippe Guilloux
- Université Paris-Saclay, University Paris-Sud, Faculté de Pharmacie, CESP, INSERM UMRS1178, Chatenay-Malabry 92296, France.
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Schippers MC, Schetters D, De Vries TJ, Pattij T. Differential effects of the pharmacological stressor yohimbine on impulsive decision making and response inhibition. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2016; 233:2775-85. [PMID: 27251129 PMCID: PMC4917594 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-016-4337-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2016] [Accepted: 05/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE High levels of impulsivity have been associated with psychiatric disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and substance abuse. In addition, acute stress is known to exacerbate many psychiatric symptoms in impulse control disorders. OBJECTIVES The purpose of the current study was to investigate the acute effects of the pharmacological stressor yohimbine on response inhibition and impulsive choice. METHODS A group of male rats (n = 12) was trained in the delayed reward task (DRT) to assess impulsive choice. A separate group (n = 10) was trained in the stop-signal task (SST) to measure response inhibition. Upon stable responding, the effects of yohimbine (0, 1.25, 2.5, and 5 mg/kg i.p.) were tested in a Latin square design. RESULTS Acute yohimbine significantly increased the preference for the large and delayed reinforcer in the DRT, indicating a decrease in impulsive choice. On the contrary, the effect size of 1.25 mg/kg yohimbine on stop-signal reaction times correlated negatively with baseline performance, suggesting a baseline-dependent effect on response inhibition as measured in the SST. CONCLUSIONS The current data suggest that the effects of the pharmacological stressor yohimbine on impulse control strongly depend on the type of impulsive behavior. Pharmacological stress decreased impulsive decision making, an observation that is in line with previously published rodent studies. By contrast, the lowest dose of yohimbine revealed a baseline-dependent effect on response inhibition. As such, the effects of yohimbine are largely comparable to the effects of psychostimulants on impulsivity and may support the notion of cross sensitization of stress and psychostimulants.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. C. Schippers
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - D. Schetters
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - T. J. De Vries
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - T. Pattij
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Does Chronic Unpredictable Stress during Adolescence Affect Spatial Cognition in Adulthood? PLoS One 2015; 10:e0141908. [PMID: 26580066 PMCID: PMC4651310 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial abilities allow animals to retain and cognitively manipulate information about their spatial environment and are dependent upon neural structures that mature during adolescence. Exposure to stress in adolescence is thought to disrupt neural maturation, possibly compromising cognitive processes later in life. We examined whether exposure to chronic unpredictable stress in adolescence affects spatial ability in late adulthood. We evaluated spatial learning, reference and working memory, as well as long-term retention of visuospatial cues using a radial arm water maze. We found that stress in adolescence decreased the rate of improvement in spatial learning in adulthood. However, we found no overall performance impairments in adult reference memory, working memory, or retention caused by adolescent-stress. Together, these findings suggest that adolescent-stress may alter the strategy used to solve spatial challenges, resulting in performance that is more consistent but is not refined by incorporating available spatial information. Interestingly, we also found that adolescent-stressed rats showed a shorter latency to begin the water maze task when re-exposed to the maze after an overnight delay compared with control rats. This suggests that adolescent exposure to reoccurring stressors may prepare animals for subsequent reoccurring challenges. Overall, our results show that stress in adolescence does not affect all cognitive processes, but may affect cognition in a context-dependent manner.
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Chaby LE, Sheriff MJ, Hirrlinger AM, Braithwaite VA. Does early stress prepare individuals for a stressful future? Stress during adolescence improves foraging under threat. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Connolly NP, Kim JS, Tunstall BJ, Kearns DN. A test of stress, cues, and re-exposure to large wins as potential reinstaters of suboptimal decision making in rats. Front Psychol 2015; 6:394. [PMID: 25904885 PMCID: PMC4387858 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2014] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The present experiment investigated potential reinstaters of suboptimal economic decision making in rats. Rats were first trained on a version of the rat Gambling Task under conditions designed to promote choice of a suboptimal option that occasionally resulted in large “wins” (four sucrose pellets). In a second phase, preference for this economically suboptimal option was reduced by substantially increasing the probability of punishment when this option was chosen. Then, three events were tested for their ability to reinstate choice of the suboptimal option. A brief period of re-exposure to a high frequency of large wins significantly increased choice of the suboptimal option. The pharmacological stressor yohimbine did not reinstate suboptimal choice, but did increase impulsive action as indexed by premature responding. Presentation of cues previously associated with large wins did not alter behavior. Results suggest reinstaters of suboptimal choice may differ from reinstaters of extinguished drug- and food-seeking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina P Connolly
- Department of Psychology, American University , Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jung S Kim
- Department of Psychology, American University , Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - David N Kearns
- Department of Psychology, American University , Washington, DC, USA
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31
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Treatment of cognitive dysfunction in major depressive disorder—a review of the preclinical evidence for efficacy of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors and the multimodal-acting antidepressant vortioxetine. Eur J Pharmacol 2015; 753:19-31. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2014.07.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2014] [Revised: 06/06/2014] [Accepted: 07/24/2014] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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Renaud SM, Pickens LRG, Fountain SB. Paradoxical effects of injection stress and nicotine exposure experienced during adolescence on learning in a serial multiple choice (SMC) task in adult female rats. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2014; 48:40-8. [PMID: 25527003 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2014.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2014] [Revised: 12/09/2014] [Accepted: 12/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Nicotine exposure in adolescent rats has been shown to cause learning impairments that persist into adulthood long after nicotine exposure has ended. This study was designed to assess the extent to which the effects of adolescent nicotine exposure on learning in adulthood can be accounted for by adolescent injection stress experienced concurrently with adolescent nicotine exposure. Female rats received either 0.033 mg/h nicotine (expressed as the weight of the free base) or bacteriostatic water vehicle by osmotic pump infusion on postnatal days 25-53 (P25-53). Half of the nicotine-exposed rats and half of the vehicle rats also received twice-daily injection stress consisting of intraperitoneal saline injections on P26-53. Together these procedures produced 4 groups: No Nicotine/No Stress, Nicotine/No Stress, No Nicotine/Stress, and Nicotine/Stress. On P65-99, rats were trained to perform a structurally complex 24-element serial pattern of responses in the serial multiple choice (SMC) task. Four general results were obtained in the current study. First, learning for within-chunk elements was not affected by either adolescent nicotine exposure, consistent with past work (Pickens, Rowan, Bevins, and Fountain, 2013), or adolescent injection stress. Thus, there were no effects of adolescent nicotine exposure or injection stress on adult within-chunk learning typically attributed to rule learning in the SMC task. Second, adolescent injection stress alone (i.e., without concurrent nicotine exposure) caused transient but significant facilitation of adult learning restricted to a single element of the 24-element pattern, namely, the "violation element," that was the only element of the pattern that was inconsistent with pattern structure. Thus, adolescent injection stress alone facilitated violation element acquisition in adulthood. Third, also consistent with past work (Pickens et al., 2013), adolescent nicotine exposure, in this case both with and without adolescent injection stress, caused a learning impairment in adulthood for the violation element in female rats. Thus, adolescent nicotine impaired adult violation element learning typically attributed to multiple-item learning in the SMC task. Fourth, a paradoxical interaction of injection stress and nicotine exposure in acquisition was observed. In the same female rats in which violation-element learning was impaired by adolescent nicotine exposure, adolescent nicotine experienced without adolescent injection stress produced better learning for chunk-boundary elements in adulthood compared to all other conditions. Thus, adolescent nicotine without concurrent injection stress facilitated adult chunk-boundary element learning typically attributed to concurrent stimulus-response discrimination learning and serial-position learning in the SMC task. To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first to demonstrate facilitation of adult learning caused by adolescent nicotine exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha M Renaud
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242-0001, USA.
| | - Laura R G Pickens
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242-0001, USA.
| | - Stephen B Fountain
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242-0001, USA.
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Bickel WK, Johnson MW, Koffarnus MN, MacKillop J, Murphy JG. The behavioral economics of substance use disorders: reinforcement pathologies and their repair. Annu Rev Clin Psychol 2014; 10:641-77. [PMID: 24679180 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032813-153724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 392] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The field of behavioral economics has made important inroads into the understanding of substance use disorders through the concept of reinforcer pathology. Reinforcer pathology refers to the joint effects of (a) the persistently high valuation of a reinforcer, broadly defined to include tangible commodities and experiences, and/or (b) the excessive preference for the immediate acquisition or consumption of a commodity despite long-term negative outcomes. From this perspective, reinforcer pathology results from the recursive interactions of endogenous person-level variables and exogenous environment-level factors. The current review describes the basic principles of behavioral economics that are central to reinforcer pathology, the processes that engender reinforcer pathology, and the approaches and procedures that can repair reinforcement pathologies. The overall goal of this review is to present a new understanding of substance use disorders as viewed by recent advances in behavioral economics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren K Bickel
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Roanoke, Virginia 24016; ,
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Barker JM, Taylor JR. Habitual alcohol seeking: modeling the transition from casual drinking to addiction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 47:281-94. [PMID: 25193245 PMCID: PMC4258136 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2014] [Revised: 07/17/2014] [Accepted: 08/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The transition from goal-directed actions to habitual ethanol seeking models the development of addictive behavior that characterizes alcohol use disorders. The progression to habitual ethanol-seeking behavior occurs more rapidly than for natural rewards, suggesting that ethanol may act on habit circuit to drive the loss of behavioral flexibility. This review will highlight recent research that has focused on the formation and expression of habitual ethanol seeking, and the commonalities and distinctions between ethanol and natural reward-seeking habits, with the goal of highlighting important, understudied research areas that we believe will lead toward the development of novel treatment and prevention strategies for uncontrolled drinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline M Barker
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, Ribicoff Labs, New Haven, CT, USA; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jane R Taylor
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
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35
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Jupp B, Dalley JW. Convergent pharmacological mechanisms in impulsivity and addiction: insights from rodent models. Br J Pharmacol 2014; 171:4729-66. [PMID: 24866553 PMCID: PMC4209940 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2014] [Revised: 05/02/2014] [Accepted: 05/12/2014] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Research over the last two decades has widely demonstrated that impulsivity, in its various forms, is antecedent to the development of drug addiction and an important behavioural trait underlying the inability of addicts to refrain from continued drug use. Impulsivity describes a variety of rapidly and prematurely expressed behaviours that span several domains from impaired response inhibition to an intolerance of delayed rewards, and is a core symptom of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other brain disorders. Various theories have been advanced to explain how impulsivity interacts with addiction both causally and as a consequence of chronic drug abuse; these acknowledge the strong overlaps in neural circuitry and mechanisms between impulsivity and addiction and the seemingly paradoxical treatment of ADHD with stimulant drugs with high abuse potential. Recent years have witnessed unprecedented progress in the elucidation of pharmacological mechanisms underpinning impulsivity. Collectively, this work has significantly improved the prospect for new therapies in ADHD as well as our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the shift from recreational drug use to addiction. In this review, we consider the extent to which pharmacological interventions that target impulsive behaviour are also effective in animal models of addiction. We highlight several promising examples of convergence based on empirical findings in rodent-based studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Jupp
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, University of CambridgeCambridge, UK
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of MelbourneParkville, Australia
| | - J W Dalley
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, University of CambridgeCambridge, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, University of CambridgeCambridge, UK
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36
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Aliczki M, Fodor A, Balogh Z, Haller J, Zelena D. The effects of lactation on impulsive behavior in vasopressin-deficient Brattleboro rats. Horm Behav 2014; 66:545-51. [PMID: 25117459 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2013] [Revised: 07/31/2014] [Accepted: 08/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Vasopressin (AVP)-deficient Brattleboro rats develop a specific behavioral profile, which-among other things-include altered cognitive performance. This profile is markedly affected by alterations in neuroendocrine state of the animal such as during lactation. Given the links between AVP and cognition we hypothesized that AVP deficiency may lead to changes in impulsivity that is under cognitive control and the changes might be altered by lactation. Comparing virgin and lactating AVP-deficient female Brattleboro rats to their respective controls, we assessed the putative lactation-dependent effects of AVP deficiency on impulsivity in the delay discounting paradigm. Furthermore, to investigate the basis of such effects, we assessed possible interactions of AVP deficiency with GABAergic and serotonergic signaling and stress axis activity, systems playing important roles in impulse control. Our results showed that impulsivity was unaltered by AVP deficiency in virgin rats. In contrast a lactation-induced increase in impulsivity was abolished by AVP deficiency in lactating females. We also found that chlordiazepoxide-induced facilitation of GABAergic and imipramine-induced enhancement of serotonergic activity in virgins led to increased and decreased impulsivity, respectively. In contrast, during lactation these effects were visible only in AVP-deficient rats. These rats also exhibited increased stress axis activity compared to virgin animals, an effect that was abolished by AVP deficiency. Taken together, AVP appears to play a role in the regulation of impulsivity exclusively during lactation: it has an impulsivity increasing effect which is potentially mediated via stress axis-dependent mechanisms and fine-tuning of GABAergic and serotonergic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mano Aliczki
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Anna Fodor
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary; Janos Szentagothai School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltan Balogh
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Jozsef Haller
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dora Zelena
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
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37
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Bernheim A, Halfon O, Boutrel B. Controversies about the enhanced vulnerability of the adolescent brain to develop addiction. Front Pharmacol 2013; 4:118. [PMID: 24348419 PMCID: PMC3842532 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2013.00118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2013] [Accepted: 08/29/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence, defined as a transition phase toward autonomy and independence, is a natural time of learning and adjustment, particularly in the setting of long-term goals and personal aspirations. It also is a period of heightened sensation seeking, including risk taking and reckless behaviors, which is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among teenagers. Recent observations suggest that a relative immaturity in frontal cortical neural systems may underlie the adolescent propensity for uninhibited risk taking and hazardous behaviors. However, converging preclinical and clinical studies do not support a simple model of frontal cortical immaturity, and there is substantial evidence that adolescents engage in dangerous activities, including drug abuse, despite knowing and understanding the risks involved. Therefore, a current consensus considers that much brain development during adolescence occurs in brain regions and systems that are critically involved in the perception and evaluation of risk and reward, leading to important changes in social and affective processing. Hence, rather than naive, immature and vulnerable, the adolescent brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex, should be considered as prewired for expecting novel experiences. In this perspective, thrill seeking may not represent a danger but rather a window of opportunities permitting the development of cognitive control through multiple experiences. However, if the maturation of brain systems implicated in self-regulation is contextually dependent, it is important to understand which experiences matter most. In particular, it is essential to unveil the underpinning mechanisms by which recurrent adverse episodes of stress or unrestricted access to drugs can shape the adolescent brain and potentially trigger life-long maladaptive responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélien Bernheim
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Olivier Halfon
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin Boutrel
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital Lausanne, Switzerland ; Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital Lausanne, Switzerland
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Scott D, Taylor JR. Chronic nicotine attenuates phencyclidine-induced impulsivity in a mouse serial reaction time task. Behav Brain Res 2013; 259:164-73. [PMID: 24239695 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2013] [Revised: 10/16/2013] [Accepted: 11/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a disorder characterized by positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. While positive symptoms can be effectively treated with typical antipsychotic medication, which generally affects the dopaminergic system, negative and cognitive symptoms, including attentional deficits and impulsive behavior, are less sensitive to standard treatments. It has further been well documented that schizophrenic patients use tobacco products at a rate much higher than the general population, and this persists despite treatment. It has been argued this behavior may be a form of self-medication, to alleviate some symptoms of schizophrenia. It has further been posited that prefrontal glutamatergic hypofunction may underlie some aspects of schizophrenia, and in accordance with this model, systemic phencyclidine has been used to model the disease. We employed a modified 5-choice serial reaction time test, a paradigm that is often used to investigate many of the treatment-resistant symptoms of schizophrenia including impulsivity, selective attention, and sustained attention/cognitive vigilance, to determine the medicinal effects of nicotine. We demonstrate that chronic oral, but not acute injections of nicotine can selectively attenuate phencyclidine-induced increases in impulsivity without affecting other measures of attention. This suggests that nicotine use by schizophrenics may provide some relief of distinct symptoms that involve impulsive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Scott
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Jane R Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States.
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39
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Bari A, Robbins TW. Inhibition and impulsivity: Behavioral and neural basis of response control. Prog Neurobiol 2013; 108:44-79. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2013.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1193] [Impact Index Per Article: 108.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2012] [Revised: 05/24/2013] [Accepted: 06/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Norepinephrine and impulsivity: effects of acute yohimbine. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2013; 229:83-94. [PMID: 23559222 PMCID: PMC3742556 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-013-3088-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2012] [Accepted: 03/22/2013] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Rapid-response impulsivity, characterized by inability to withhold response to a stimulus until it is adequately appraised, is associated with risky behavior and may be increased in a state-dependent manner by norepinephrine. OBJECTIVE We assessed effects of yohimbine, which increases norepinephrine release by blocking alpha-2 noradrenergic receptors, on plasma catecholamine metabolites, blood pressure, subjective symptoms, and laboratory-measured rapid-response impulsivity. METHODS Subjects were 23 healthy controls recruited from the community, with normal physical examination and ECG, and negative history for hypertension, cardiovascular illness, and axis I or II disorder. Blood pressure, pulse, and behavioral measures were obtained before and periodically after 0.4 mg/kg oral yohimbine or placebo in a randomized, counterbalanced design. Metabolites of norepinephrine [3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) and vanillylmandelic acid (VMA)] and dopamine [homovanillic acid (HVA)] were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Rapid-response impulsivity was measured by commission errors and reaction times on the immediate memory task (IMT), a continuous performance test designed to measure impulsivity and attention. RESULTS Yohimbine increased plasma MHPG and VMA but not HVA. Yohimbine increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse rate. On the IMT, yohimbine increased impulsive errors and impulsive response bias and accelerated reaction times. Yohimbine-associated increase in plasma MHPG correlated with increased impulsive response rates. Time courses varied; effects on blood pressure generally preceded those on metabolites and test performance. CONCLUSIONS These effects are consistent with increased rapid-response impulsivity after pharmacological noradrenergic stimulation in healthy controls. Labile noradrenergic responses, or increased sensitivity to norepinephrine, may increase risk for impulsive behavior.
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41
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Chaby LE, Cavigelli SA, White A, Wang K, Braithwaite VA. Long-term changes in cognitive bias and coping response as a result of chronic unpredictable stress during adolescence. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:328. [PMID: 23847501 PMCID: PMC3701140 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2013] [Accepted: 06/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals that experience adverse events in early life often have life-long changes to their physiology and behavior. Long-term effects of stress during early life have been studied extensively, but less attention has been given to the consequences of negative experiences solely during the adolescent phase. Adolescence is a particularly sensitive period of life when regulation of the glucocorticoid “stress” hormone response matures and specific regions in the brain undergo considerable change. Aversive experiences during this time might, therefore, be expected to generate long-term consequences for the adult phenotype. Here we investigated the long-term effects of exposure to chronic unpredictable stress during adolescence on adult decision-making, coping response, cognitive bias, and exploratory behavior in rats. Rats exposed to chronic unpredictable stress (e.g., isolation, crowding, cage tilt) were compared to control animals that were maintained in standard, predictable conditions throughout development. Unpredictable stress during adolescence resulted in a suite of long-term behavioral and cognitive changes including a negative cognitive bias [F(1, 12) = 5.000, P < 0.05], altered coping response [T(1, 14) = 2.216, P = 0.04], and accelerated decision-making [T(1, 14) = 3.245, P = 0.01]. Exposure to chronic stress during adolescence also caused a short-term increase in boldness behaviors; in a novel object test 15 days after the last stressor, animals exposed to chronic unpredictable stress had decreased latencies to leave a familiar shelter and approach a novel object [T(1, 14) = 2.240, P = 0.04; T(1, 14) = 2.419, P = 0.03, respectively]. The results showed that stress during adolescence has long-term impacts on behavior and cognition that affect the interpretation of ambiguous stimuli, behavioral response to adverse events, and how animals make decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Chaby
- Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park PA, USA ; Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park PA, USA
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Early social experience is critical for the development of cognitive control and dopamine modulation of prefrontal cortex function. Neuropsychopharmacology 2013; 38:1485-94. [PMID: 23403694 PMCID: PMC3682143 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.47] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Social experiences during youth are thought to be critical for proper social and cognitive development. Conversely, social insults during development can cause long-lasting behavioral impairments and increase the vulnerability for psychopathology later in life. To investigate the importance of social experience during the juvenile and early adolescent stage for the development of cognitive control capacities, rats were socially isolated from postnatal day 21 to 42 followed by re-socialization until they reached adulthood. Subsequently, two behavioral dimensions of impulsivity (impulsive action in the five-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) and impulsive choice in the delayed reward task) and decision making (in the rat gambling task) were assessed. In a separate group of animals, long-lasting cellular and synaptic changes in adult medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) pyramidal neurons were determined following social isolation. Juvenile and early adolescent social isolation resulted in impairments in impulsive action and decision making under novel or challenging circumstances. Moreover, socially isolated rats had a reduced response to enhancement of dopaminergic neurotransmission (using amphetamine or GBR12909) in the 5-CSRTT under challenging conditions. Impulsive choice was not affected by social isolation. These behavioral deficits were accompanied by a loss of sensitivity to dopamine of pyramidal neurons in the medial PFC. Our data show long-lasting deleterious effects of early social isolation on cognitive control and its neural substrates. Alterations in prefrontal cognitive control mechanisms may contribute to the enhanced risk for psychiatric disorders induced by aberrations in the early social environment.
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Parker CC, Chen H, Flagel SB, Geurts AM, Richards JB, Robinson TE, Solberg Woods LC, Palmer AA. Rats are the smart choice: Rationale for a renewed focus on rats in behavioral genetics. Neuropharmacology 2013; 76 Pt B:250-8. [PMID: 23791960 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2013.05.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2013] [Revised: 05/15/2013] [Accepted: 05/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Due in part to their rich behavioral repertoire rats have been widely used in behavioral studies of drug abuse-related traits for decades. However, the mouse became the model of choice for researchers exploring the genetic underpinnings of addiction after the first mouse study was published demonstrating the capability of engineering the mouse genome through embryonic stem cell technology. The sequencing of the mouse genome and more recent re-sequencing of numerous inbred mouse strains have further cemented the status of mice as the premier mammalian organism for genetic studies. As a result, many of the behavioral paradigms initially developed and optimized for rats have been adapted to mice. However, numerous complex and interesting drug abuse-related behaviors that can be studied in rats are very difficult or impossible to adapt for use in mice, impeding the genetic dissection of those traits. Now, technological advances have removed many of the historical limitations of genetic studies in rats. For instance, the rat genome has been sequenced and many inbred rat strains are now being re-sequenced and outbred rat stocks are being used to fine-map QTLs. In addition, it is now possible to create "knockout" rats using zinc finger nucleases (ZFN), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) and related techniques. Thus, rats can now be used to perform quantitative genetic studies of sophisticated behaviors that have been difficult or impossible to study in mice. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'NIDA 40th Anniversary Issue'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clarissa C Parker
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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