1
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Chohan MO, Lewandowski AB, Siegel RN, O'Reilly KC, Veenstra-VanderWeele J. Adolescent chemogenetic activation of dopaminergic neurons leads to reversible decreases in amphetamine-induced stereotypic behavior. Mol Brain 2024; 17:36. [PMID: 38858755 PMCID: PMC11165814 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-024-01110-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic perturbations of neuronal activity can evoke homeostatic and new setpoints for neurotransmission. Using chemogenetics to probe the relationship between neuronal cell types and behavior, we recently found reversible decreases in dopamine (DA) transmission, basal behavior, and amphetamine (AMPH) response following repeated stimulation of DA neurons in adult mice. It is unclear, however, whether altering DA neuronal activity via chemogenetics early in development leads to behavioral phenotypes that are reversible, as alterations of neuronal activity during developmentally sensitive periods might be expected to induce persistent effects on behavior. To examine the impact of developmental perturbation of DA neuron activity on basal and AMPH behavior, we expressed excitatory hM3D(Gq) in postnatal DA neurons in TH-Cre and WT mice. Basal and CNO- or AMPH-induced locomotion and stereotypy was evaluated in a longitudinal design, with clozapine N-oxide (CNO, 1.0 mg/kg) administered across adolescence (postnatal days 15-47). Repeated CNO administration did not impact basal behavior and only minimally reduced AMPH-induced hyperlocomotor response in adolescent TH-CrehM3Dq mice relative to WThM3Dq littermate controls. Following repeated CNO administration, however, AMPH-induced stereotypic behavior robustly decreased in adolescent TH-CrehM3Dq mice relative to controls. A two-month CNO washout period rescued the diminished AMPH-induced stereotypic behavior. Our findings indicate that the homeostatic compensations that take place in response to chronic hM3D(Gq) stimulation during adolescence are temporary and are dependent on ongoing chemogenetic stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad O Chohan
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
| | - Amy B Lewandowski
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Rebecca N Siegel
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Kally C O'Reilly
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, 10032, USA
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2
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Liu C, Filbey FM. Unlocking the age-old secrets of reward and substance use. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024; 239:173766. [PMID: 38604456 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Although substance use is widespread across the lifespan from early adolescence to older adulthood, the prevalence of substance use disorder (SUD) differs between age groups. These age differences in SUD rates necessitate an investigation into how age moderates reward sensitivity, and consequently influences the risks and consequences related to substance use. This theoretical review integrates evidence from the literature to address the dynamic interplay between age and reward in the context of substance use. Overall, increasing evidence demonstrates that age moderates reward sensitivity and underlying reward system neurobiology. Reward sensitivity undergoes a non-linear trajectory across the lifespan. Low levels of reward sensitivity are associated with childhood and late adulthood. In contrast, high levels are associated with early to late adolescence, followed by a decline in the twenties. These fluctuations in reward sensitivity across the lifespan contribute to complex associations with substance use. This lends support to adolescence and young adulthood as vulnerable periods for the risk of subsequent SUD. More empirical research is needed to investigate reward sensitivity during SUD maintenance and recovery. Future research should also involve larger sample sizes and encompass a broader range of age groups, including older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Che Liu
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235, United States of America.
| | - Francesca M Filbey
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235, United States of America
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3
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Kirkland JM, Edgar EL, Patel I, Feustel P, Belin S, Kopec AM. Synaptic pruning during adolescence shapes adult social behavior in both males and females. Dev Psychobiol 2024; 66:e22473. [PMID: 38433422 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Evolutionarily conserved, peer-directed social behaviors are essential to participate in many aspects of human society. These behaviors directly impact psychological, physiological, and behavioral maturation. Adolescence is an evolutionarily conserved period during which reward-related behaviors, including social behaviors, develop via developmental plasticity in the mesolimbic dopaminergic "reward" circuitry of the brain. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is an intermediate reward relay center that develops during adolescence and mediates both social behaviors and dopaminergic signaling. In several developing brain regions, synaptic pruning mediated by microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, is important for normal behavioral development. We previously demonstrated that during adolescence, in rats, microglial synaptic pruning shapes the development of NAc and social play behavior in males and females. In this report, we hypothesize that interrupting microglial pruning in NAc during adolescence will have persistent effects on male and female social behavior in adulthood. We found that inhibiting microglial pruning in the NAc during adolescence had different effects on social behavior in males and females. In males, inhibiting pruning increased familiar exploration and increased nonsocial contact. In females, inhibiting pruning did not change familiar exploration behavior but increased active social interaction. This leads us to infer that naturally occurring NAc pruning serves to reduce social behaviors toward a familiar conspecific in both males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M Kirkland
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Erin L Edgar
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Ishan Patel
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Paul Feustel
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Sophie Belin
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York, USA
| | - Ashley M Kopec
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York, USA
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4
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Kirkland JM, Edgar EL, Patel I, Kopec AM. Impaired microglia-mediated synaptic pruning in the nucleus accumbens during adolescence results in persistent dysregulation of familiar, but not novel social interactions in sex-specific ways. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.02.539115. [PMID: 37205324 PMCID: PMC10187149 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.02.539115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Evolutionarily conserved, peer-directed social behaviors are essential to participate in many aspects of human society. These behaviors directly impact psychological, physiological, and behavioral maturation. Adolescence is an evolutionarily conserved period during which reward-related behaviors, including social behaviors, develop via developmental plasticity in the mesolimbic dopaminergic 'reward' circuitry of the brain. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is an intermediate reward relay center that develops during adolescence and mediates both social behaviors and dopaminergic signaling. In several developing brain regions, synaptic pruning mediated by microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, is important for normal behavioral development. In rats, we previously demonstrated that microglial synaptic pruning also mediates NAc and social development during sex-specific adolescent periods and via sex-specific synaptic pruning targets. In this report, we demonstrate that interrupting microglial pruning in NAc during adolescence persistently dysregulates social behavior towards a familiar, but not novel social partner in both sexes, via sex-specific behavioral expression. This leads us to infer that naturally occurring NAc pruning serves to reduce social behaviors primarily directed toward a familiar conspecific in both sexes, but in sex-specific ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M. Kirkland
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College
| | - Erin L. Edgar
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College
| | - Ishan Patel
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College
| | - Ashley M. Kopec
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College
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5
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Peters KZ, Naneix F. The role of dopamine and endocannabinoid systems in prefrontal cortex development: Adolescence as a critical period. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:939235. [PMID: 36389180 PMCID: PMC9663658 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.939235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex plays a central role in the control of complex cognitive processes including action control and decision making. It also shows a specific pattern of delayed maturation related to unique behavioral changes during adolescence and allows the development of adult cognitive processes. The adolescent brain is extremely plastic and critically vulnerable to external insults. Related to this vulnerability, adolescence is also associated with the emergence of numerous neuropsychiatric disorders involving alterations of prefrontal functions. Within prefrontal microcircuits, the dopamine and the endocannabinoid systems have widespread effects on adolescent-specific ontogenetic processes. In this review, we highlight recent advances in our understanding of the maturation of the dopamine system and the endocannabinoid system in the prefrontal cortex during adolescence. We discuss how they interact with GABA and glutamate neurons to modulate prefrontal circuits and how they can be altered by different environmental events leading to long-term neurobiological and behavioral changes at adulthood. Finally, we aim to identify several future research directions to help highlight gaps in our current knowledge on the maturation of these microcircuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Zara Peters
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, United Kingdom
| | - Fabien Naneix
- The Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom,*Correspondence: Fabien Naneix
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6
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Luciana M, Collins PF. Is Adolescence a Sensitive Period for the Development of Incentive-Reward Motivation? Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2021; 53:79-99. [PMID: 34784026 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2021_275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Human adolescence is broadly construed as a time of heightened risk-taking and a vulnerability period for the emergence of psychopathology. These tendencies have been attributed to the age-related development of neural systems that mediate incentive motivation and other aspects of reward processing as well as individual difference factors that interact with ongoing development. Here, we describe the adolescent development of incentive motivation, which we view as an inherently positive developmental progression, and its associated neural mechanisms. We consider challenges in applying the sensitive period concept to these maturational events and discuss future directions that may help to clarify mechanisms of change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Luciana
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
| | - Paul F Collins
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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7
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Reynolds LM, Flores C. Mesocorticolimbic Dopamine Pathways Across Adolescence: Diversity in Development. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:735625. [PMID: 34566584 PMCID: PMC8456011 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.735625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Mesocorticolimbic dopamine circuity undergoes a protracted maturation during adolescent life. Stable adult levels of behavioral functioning in reward, motivational, and cognitive domains are established as these pathways are refined, however, their extended developmental window also leaves them vulnerable to perturbation by environmental factors. In this review, we highlight recent advances in understanding the mechanisms underlying dopamine pathway development in the adolescent brain, and how the environment influences these processes to establish or disrupt neurocircuit diversity. We further integrate these recent studies into the larger historical framework of anatomical and neurochemical changes occurring during adolescence in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system. While dopamine neuron heterogeneity is increasingly appreciated at molecular, physiological, and anatomical levels, we suggest that a developmental facet may play a key role in establishing vulnerability or resilience to environmental stimuli and experience in distinct dopamine circuits, shifting the balance between healthy brain development and susceptibility to psychiatric disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Reynolds
- Plasticité du Cerveau CNRS UMR8249, École supérieure de physique et de chimie industrielles de la Ville de Paris (ESPCI Paris), Paris, France.,Neuroscience Paris Seine CNRS UMR 8246 INSERM U1130, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Cecilia Flores
- Department of Psychiatry and Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montréal, QC, Canada
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8
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Parr AC, Calabro F, Larsen B, Tervo-Clemmens B, Elliot S, Foran W, Olafsson V, Luna B. Dopamine-related striatal neurophysiology is associated with specialization of frontostriatal reward circuitry through adolescence. Prog Neurobiol 2021; 201:101997. [PMID: 33667595 PMCID: PMC8096717 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2021.101997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Characterizing developmental changes in frontostriatal circuitry is critical to understanding adolescent development and can clarify neurobiological mechanisms underlying increased reward sensitivity and risk-taking and the emergence of psychopathology during this period. However, the role of striatal neurobiology in the development of frontostriatal circuitry through human adolescence remains largely unknown. We examined background connectivity during a reward-guided decision-making task ("reward-state"), in addition to resting-state, and assessed the association between age-related changes in frontostriatal connectivity and age-related changes in reward learning and risk-taking through adolescence. Further, we examined the contribution of dopaminergic processes to changes in frontostriatal circuitry and decision-making using MR-based assessments of striatal tissue-iron as a correlate of dopamine-related neurobiology. Connectivity between the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and ventral anterior cingulate, subgenual cingulate, and orbitofrontal cortices decreased through adolescence into adulthood, and decreases in reward-state connectivity were associated with improvements reward-guided decision-making as well as with decreases in risk-taking. Finally, NAcc tissue-iron mediated age-related changes and was associated with variability in connectivity, and developmental increases in NAcc R2' corresponded with developmental decreases in connectivity. Our results provide evidence that dopamine-related striatal properties contribute to the specialization of frontostriatal circuitry, potentially underlying changes in risk-taking and reward sensitivity into adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley C. Parr
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 14213, United States
| | - Finnegan Calabro
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 14213, United States
| | - Bart Larsen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 14213, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
| | - Brenden Tervo-Clemmens
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 14213, United States
| | - Samuel Elliot
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 14213, United States
| | - Will Foran
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 14213, United States
| | - Valur Olafsson
- NUBIC, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, United States
| | - Beatriz Luna
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 14213, United States
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9
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Naneix F, Peters KZ, Young AMJ, McCutcheon JE. Age-dependent effects of protein restriction on dopamine release. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:394-403. [PMID: 32737419 PMCID: PMC7852901 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0783-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Despite the essential role of protein intake for health and development, very little is known about the impact of protein restriction on neurobiological functions, especially at different stages of the lifespan. The dopamine system is a central actor in the integration of food-related processes and is influenced by physiological state and food-related signals. Moreover, it is highly sensitive to dietary effects during early life periods such as adolescence due to its late maturation. In the present study, we investigated the impact of protein restriction either during adolescence or adulthood on the function of the mesolimbic (nucleus accumbens) and nigrostriatal (dorsal striatum) dopamine pathways using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry in rat brain slices. In the nucleus accumbens, protein restriction in adults increased dopamine release in response to low and high frequency trains of stimulation (1-20 Hz). By contrast, protein restriction during adolescence decreased nucleus accumbens dopamine release. In the dorsal striatum, protein restriction at adulthood has no impact on dopamine release but the same diet during adolescence induced a frequency-dependent increase in stimulated dopamine release. Taken together, our results highlight the sensitivity of the different dopamine pathways to the effect of protein restriction, as well as their vulnerability to deleterious diet effects at different life stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Naneix
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology & Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
- The Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
| | - Kate Z Peters
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew M J Young
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology & Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - James E McCutcheon
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology & Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
- Department of Psychology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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10
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Lin WC, Delevich K, Wilbrecht L. A role for adaptive developmental plasticity in learning and decision making. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2020; 36:48-54. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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11
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Sex and strain differences in dynamic and static properties of the mesolimbic dopamine system. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:2079-2086. [PMID: 32663840 PMCID: PMC7547712 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0765-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Sex is a biological variable that contributes to the incidence, clinical course, and treatment outcome of brain disorders. Chief among these are disorders associated with the dopamine system. These include Parkinson's disease, ADHD, schizophrenia, and mood disorders, which show stark differences in prevalence and outcome between men and women. In order to reveal the influence of biological sex as a risk factor in these disorders, there is a critical need to collect fundamental information about basic properties of the dopamine system in males and females. In Long Evans rats, we measured dynamic and static properties related to the mesolimbic dopamine system. Static measures included assessing ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine cell number and volume and expression of tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine transporter. Dynamic measures in behaving animals included assessing (1) VTA neuronal encoding during learning of a cue-action-reward instrumental task and (2) dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens in response to electrical stimulation of the VTA, vesicular depletion of dopamine, and amphetamine. We found little or no sex difference in these measures, suggesting sexual congruency in fundamental static and dynamic properties of dopamine neurons. Thus, dopamine related sex-differences are likely mediated by secondary mechanisms that flexibly influence the function of the dopamine cells and circuits. Finally, we noted that most behavioral sex differences had been reported in Sprague-Dawley rats and repeated some of the above measures in that strain. We found some sex differences in those animals highlighting the importance of considering strain differences in experimental design and result interpretation.
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12
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Moin Afshar N, Keip AJ, Taylor JR, Lee D, Groman SM. Reinforcement Learning during Adolescence in Rats. J Neurosci 2020; 40:5857-5870. [PMID: 32601244 PMCID: PMC7380962 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0910-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 06/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The most dynamic period of postnatal brain development occurs during adolescence, the period between childhood and adulthood. Neuroimaging studies have observed morphologic and functional changes during adolescence, and it is believed that these changes serve to improve the functions of circuits that underlie decision-making. Direct evidence in support of this hypothesis, however, has been limited because most preclinical decision-making paradigms are not readily translated to humans. Here, we developed a reversal-learning protocol for the rapid assessment of adaptive choice behavior in dynamic environments in rats as young as postnatal day 30. A computational framework was used to elucidate the reinforcement-learning mechanisms that change in adolescence and into adulthood. Using a cross-sectional and longitudinal design, we provide the first evidence that value-based choice behavior in a reversal-learning task improves during adolescence in male and female Long-Evans rats and demonstrate that the increase in reversal performance is due to alterations in value updating for positive outcomes. Furthermore, we report that reversal-learning trajectories in adolescence reliably predicted reversal performance in adulthood. This novel behavioral protocol provides a unique platform for conducting biological and systems-level analyses of the neurodevelopmental mechanisms of decision-making.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The neurodevelopmental adaptations that occur during adolescence are hypothesized to underlie age-related improvements in decision-making, but evidence to support this hypothesis has been limited. Here, we describe a novel behavioral protocol for rapidly assessing adaptive choice behavior in adolescent rats with a reversal-learning paradigm. Using a computational approach, we demonstrate that age-related changes in reversal-learning performance in male and female Long-Evans rats are linked to specific reinforcement-learning mechanisms and are predictive of reversal-learning performance in adulthood. Our behavioral protocol provides a unique platform for elucidating key components of adolescent brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neema Moin Afshar
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06511
| | - Alex J Keip
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06511
| | - Jane R Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06511
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8001
| | - Daeyeol Lee
- The Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218
- Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
| | - Stephanie M Groman
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06511
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13
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Guerin AA, Zbukvic IC, Luikinga SJ, Drummond KD, Lawrence AJ, Madsen HB, Kim JH. Extinction and drug-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking following self-administration or conditioned place preference in adolescent and adult rats. Dev Psychobiol 2020; 63:125-137. [PMID: 32666555 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence marks a particularly vulnerable period to developing substance use disorders, and people who start using drugs in adolescence are more likely to relapse. A limited number of studies have investigated age difference in relapse following re-exposure to the drug after a period of abstinence. Using a cocaine self-administration paradigm, we showed no age difference in acquisition or extinction of self-administration. Interestingly, adolescent rats displayed impaired cocaine-primed reinstatement of cocaine seeking. Using the same dose as that self-administered in the first experiment, we then investigated age differences in acquisition and extinction of conditioned place preference, as well as locomotor sensitization. While there were no differences in locomotor activity or acquisition of preference, adolescents failed to extinguish their preference, even when the number of extinction sessions was doubled from what adults received. Taken together, these results suggest that while cocaine has similar rewarding and reinforcing effects regardless of age, adolescents may attribute stronger salience to the drug-associated context. In addition, re-exposure to cocaine itself may not be a strong relapse trigger in adolescence. Overall, these findings suggest that we should focus more on alleviating drug-context salience compared to re-exposure to substance in order to reduce relapse of drug seeking in adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre A Guerin
- Mental Health Theme, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Isabel C Zbukvic
- Mental Health Theme, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Sophia J Luikinga
- Mental Health Theme, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Katherine D Drummond
- Mental Health Theme, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Andrew J Lawrence
- Mental Health Theme, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Heather B Madsen
- Mental Health Theme, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Jee Hyun Kim
- Mental Health Theme, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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14
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Namba H, Nawa H. Post-pubertal Difference in Nigral Dopaminergic Cells Firing in the Schizophrenia Model Prepared by Perinatal Challenges of a Cytokine, EGF. Neuroscience 2020; 441:22-32. [PMID: 32531471 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia in humans typically develops during and after adolescence; however, the biological underpinning for the specificity of this onset time window remains to be determined. In the present study, we investigated this knowledge gap using our own animal model for schizophrenia. Rodents and monkeys challenged with a cytokine, epidermal growth factor (EGF), as neonates are known to exhibit various behavioral and cognitive abnormalities at the post-pubertal stage. We used the EGF-challenged mice as an animal model for schizophrenia to evaluate the electrophysiological impact of this modeling on nigral dopamine neurons before and after puberty. In vivo single unit recording revealed that the burst firing of putative dopamine neurons in substantia nigra pars compacta was significantly higher in the post-pubertal stage of the EGF model than in that of control mice; in contrast, this difference was not observed in the pre-pubertal stage. The increase in burst firing was accompanied by a decline in Ca2+-activated K+ (ISK) currents, which influence the firing pattern of dopamine neurons. In vivo local application of the SK channel blocker apamin (80 μM) to the substantia nigra was less effective at increasing burst firing in the EGF model than in control mice, suggesting the pathologic role of the ISK decrease in this model. Thus, these results suggest that the aberrant post-pubertal hyperactivity of midbrain dopaminergic neurons is associated with the temporal specificity of the behavioral deficit of this model, and support the hypothesis that this dopaminergic aberration could be implicated in the adolescent onset of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisaaki Namba
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8585, Japan.
| | - Hiroyuki Nawa
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8585, Japan.
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15
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Laube C, Lorenz R, van den Bos W. Pubertal testosterone correlates with adolescent impatience and dorsal striatal activity. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 42:100749. [PMID: 31942858 PMCID: PMC7242510 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent self-report and behavioral studies have demonstrated that pubertal testosterone is related to an increase in risky and impulsive behavior. Yet, the mechanisms underlying such a relationship are poorly understood. Findings from both human and rodent studies point towards distinct striatal pathways including the ventral and dorsal striatum as key target regions for pubertal hormones. In this study we investigated task-related impatience of boys between 10 and 15 years of age (N = 75), using an intertemporal choice task combined with measures of functional magnetic resonance imaging and hormonal assessment. Increased levels of testosterone were associated with a greater response bias towards choosing the smaller sooner option. Furthermore, our results show that testosterone specifically modulates the dorsal, not ventral, striatal pathway. These results provide novel insights into our understanding of adolescent impulsive and risky behaviors and how pubertal hormones are related to neural processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinna Laube
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Robert Lorenz
- Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Wouter van den Bos
- Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany; Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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16
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Corongiu S, Dessì C, Cadoni C. Adolescence versus adulthood: Differences in basal mesolimbic and nigrostriatal dopamine transmission and response to drugs of abuse. Addict Biol 2020; 25:e12721. [PMID: 30779271 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Epidemiological studies have shown that people who begin experimenting drugs of abuse during adolescence are more likely to develop substance use disorders, and the earliest is the beginning of their use, the greatest is the likelihood to become dependent. Understanding the neurobiological changes increasing adolescent vulnerability to drug use is becoming imperative. Although all neurotransmitter systems undergo relevant developmental changes, dopamine system is of particular interest, given its role in a variety of functions related to reward, motivation, and decision making. Thus, in the present study, we investigated differences in mesolimbic and nigrostriatal dopamine transmission between adolescent (5, 6, 7 weeks of age) and adult rats (10-12 weeks of age), in basal conditions and following drug challenge, by using in vivo brain microdialysis. Although no significant difference between adolescents and adults was observed in dopamine basal levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAc)shell and core, reduced DA levels were found in the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) of early and mid-adolescent rats. Adolescent rats showed greater increase of dopamine in the NAc shell following nicotine (0.4 mg/kg), THC (1.0 mg/kg), and morphine (1.0 mg/kg), in the NAc core following nicotine and morphine, and in the DLS following THC, morphine, and cocaine (10 mg/kg). These results, while adding new insight in the development and functionality of the dopamine system during different stages of adolescence, might provide a neurochemical basis for the greater vulnerability of adolescents to drugs of abuse and for the postulated gateway effect of nicotine and THC toward abuse of other illicit substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Corongiu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Neuropsychopharmacology SectionUniversity of Cagliari Italy
| | - Christian Dessì
- National Research Council of ItalyInstitute of Neuroscience Italy
| | - Cristina Cadoni
- National Research Council of ItalyInstitute of Neuroscience Italy
- Centre of Excellence “Neurobiology of Dependence”University of Cagliari Italy
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17
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Doumas DM, Turrisi R, Miller R, Esp S, Flay B. Age of Drinking Initiation as a Mediator of the Relationship between Sensation Seeking and Heavy Drinking among High School Seniors. JOURNAL OF CHILD & ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE ABUSE 2019; 28:32-38. [PMID: 31481826 DOI: 10.1080/1067828x.2018.1561579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Sensation seeking has been identified as a significant risk factor for adolescent alcohol use. Little is known, however, about the process by which sensation seeking impacts heavy alcohol use. The current study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the relationships among sensation seeking, age of drinking initiation, and heavy alcohol use in a sample of high school seniors (N = 221). Results supporting age of drinking initiation as a mediator of the relationship between sensation seeking and heavy alcohol use. Implications include providing personality-targeted prevention to adolescents who display sensation seeking traits to delay drinking initiation among these students.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana M Doumas
- Department of Counselor Education, Institute for the Study of Behavioral Health and Addiction, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725
| | - Rob Turrisi
- Department of Biobehavioral Health and Prevention Research Center, The Pennsylvania State University, 109 Henderson South Building, University Park, PA, 16802,
| | - Raissa Miller
- Department of Counselor Education, Institute for the Study of Behavioral Health and Addiction, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725,
| | - Susan Esp
- School of Social Work, Institute for the Study of Behavioral Health and Addiction, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, 83725,
| | - Brian Flay
- Initiative for Healthy Schools, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, 83725,
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18
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Pérez-Valenzuela E, Castillo-Faúndez R, Fuentealba J. Comparing dopaminergic dynamics in the dorsolateral striatum between adolescent and adult rats: Effect of an acute dose of WIN55212-2. Brain Res 2019; 1719:235-242. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2019.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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19
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D'Souza D, Sadananda M. Stressor during Early Adolescence in Hyperreactive Female Wistar Kyoto Rats Induces a 'Double Hit' Manifested by Variation in Neurobehaviors and Brain Monoamines. Neuroscience 2019; 414:200-209. [PMID: 31279049 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.06.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Stress is an additive factor in the development of depressive-like profiles that mainly onsets during adolescence. However, effects of early post-weaning stress on developing brain neurochemical pathways in inducing anxiety- and depressive-like profiles in vulnerable females have not been extensively studied. The Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat, a putative model of adolescent depression and stress-sensitivity could elucidate the pathophysiology of stress-related depression in vulnerability. Through such an approach, links between inherent risk for predisposition to depression and homotypic stress, as in a 'double hit' would unravel endocrine regulation, interference in developing neural pathways and neurobehaviors. Here, early adolescent WKY female rats were subjected to 1-h physical restraint over 7 days followed by neurobehavioral testing in the elevated plus maze (EPM) and forced swim test (FST). The stressor's effectiveness was assayed by plasma corticosterone (CORT) and altered functioning in depression-implicated brain areas by assaying monoamines/metabolites. Homotypic stress induced an anxiolytic-like response in the EPM with learned helplessness and reduced struggling behavior in FST. Significant elevation in CORT levels (p < 0.05) indicated an upregulated HPA axis. Medial prefrontal cortex, a still maturing brain area, exhibited increased serotonin (5-HT) metabolite (p < 0.01) and turnover rates (p < 0.01) indicative of altered/maladaptive serotonergic functioning. Nucleus accumbens (p < 0.05) and dorsal striatum (p < 0.01) also depicted increased 5-HT metabolite, with the latter also demonstrating reduced Dopamine turnover (p < 0.01) as a result of homotypic stress. Hence, female WKY rats could constitute a diathesis-stress model to study underlying mechanisms of stress-related depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepthi D'Souza
- Brain Research Laboratory, Biotechnology Unit, Department of Biosciences, Mangalore University, Mangalagangothri- 574 199, Karnataka, India
| | - Monika Sadananda
- Brain Research Laboratory, Biotechnology Unit, Department of Biosciences, Mangalore University, Mangalagangothri- 574 199, Karnataka, India.
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20
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Krentzel AA, Meitzen J. Biological Sex, Estradiol and Striatal Medium Spiny Neuron Physiology: A Mini-Review. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:492. [PMID: 30618639 PMCID: PMC6299026 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The caudate-putamen, nucleus accumbens core and shell are important striatal brain regions for premotor, limbic, habit formation, reward, and other critical cognitive functions. Striatal-relevant behaviors such as anxiety, motor coordination, locomotion, and sensitivity to reward, all change with fluctuations of the menstrual cycle in humans and the estrous cycle in rodents. These fluctuations implicate sex steroid hormones, such as 17β-estradiol, as potent neuromodulatory signals for striatal neuron activity. The medium spiny neuron (MSN), the primary neuron subtype of the striatal regions, expresses membrane estrogen receptors and exhibits sex differences both in intrinsic and synaptic electrophysiological properties. In this mini-review, we first describe sex differences in the electrophysiological properties of the MSNs in prepubertal rats. We then discuss specific examples of how the human menstrual and rat estrous cycles induce differences in striatal-relevant behaviors and neural substrate, including how female rat MSN electrophysiology is influenced by the estrous cycle. We then conclude the mini-review by discussing avenues for future investigation, including possible roles of striatal-localized membrane estrogen receptors and estradiol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda A Krentzel
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States.,W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - John Meitzen
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States.,W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States.,Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States.,Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
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21
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Gee DG, Bath KG, Johnson CM, Meyer HC, Murty VP, van den Bos W, Hartley CA. Neurocognitive Development of Motivated Behavior: Dynamic Changes across Childhood and Adolescence. J Neurosci 2018; 38:9433-9445. [PMID: 30381435 PMCID: PMC6209847 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1674-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 09/23/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to anticipate and respond appropriately to the challenges and opportunities present in our environments is critical for adaptive behavior. Recent methodological innovations have led to substantial advances in our understanding of the neurocircuitry supporting such motivated behavior in adulthood. However, the neural circuits and cognitive processes that enable threat- and reward-motivated behavior undergo substantive changes over the course of development, and these changes are less well understood. In this article, we highlight recent research in human and animal models demonstrating how developmental changes in prefrontal-subcortical neural circuits give rise to corresponding changes in the processing of threats and rewards from infancy to adulthood. We discuss how these developmental trajectories are altered by experiential factors, such as early-life stress, and highlight the relevance of this research for understanding the developmental onset and treatment of psychiatric disorders characterized by dysregulation of motivated behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan G Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520,
| | - Kevin G Bath
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912
| | - Carolyn M Johnson
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Heidi C Meyer
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065
| | - Vishnu P Murty
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122
| | - Wouter van den Bos
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands, and
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22
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Dopamine Triggers the Maturation of Striatal Spiny Projection Neuron Excitability during a Critical Period. Neuron 2018; 99:540-554.e4. [PMID: 30057204 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.06.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2017] [Revised: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Neural circuits are formed and refined during childhood, including via critical changes in neuronal excitability. Here, we investigated the ontogeny of striatal intrinsic excitability. We found that dopamine neurotransmission increases from the first to the third postnatal week in mice and precedes the reduction in spiny projection neuron (SPN) intrinsic excitability during the fourth postnatal week. In mice developmentally deficient for striatal dopamine, direct pathway D1-SPNs failed to undergo maturation of excitability past P18 and maintained hyperexcitability into adulthood. We found that the absence of D1-SPN maturation was due to altered phosphatidylinositol 4,5-biphosphate dynamics and a consequent lack of normal ontogenetic increases in Kir2 currents. Dopamine replacement corrected these deficits in SPN excitability when provided from birth or during a specific period of juvenile development (P18-P28), but not during adulthood. These results identify a sensitive period of dopamine-dependent striatal maturation, with implications for the pathophysiology and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders.
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23
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Shepard R, Beckett E, Coutellier L. Assessment of the acquisition of executive function during the transition from adolescence to adulthood in male and female mice. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2017; 28:29-40. [PMID: 29102727 PMCID: PMC6987909 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 10/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Executive functions (EF) reached full maturity during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Human studies provide important information about adolescent developmental trajectories; however, little remains known about the neural circuits underlying the acquisition of mature EF. Ethical and technical considerations with human subjects limit opportunities to design experimental studies that allows for an in-depth understanding of developmental changes in neural circuits that regulate cognitive maturation. Preclinical models can offer solutions to this problem. Unfortunately, current rodent models of adolescent development have inherent flaws that limit their translational value. For instance, females are often omitted from studies, preventing the assessment of potential sex-specific developmental trajectories. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether cognitive developmental changes in rodents are similar to those observed in humans. Here, we tested adolescent and adult male and female mice in a neurocognitive battery of assays. Based on this approach, we assessed mice performances within distinct subdomains of EF, and observed similarities with human developmental trajectories. Furthermore, the sex-specific cognitive changes we observed were paralleled by molecular and neural activity changes demonstrating that our approach can be used in future research to assess the contribution of precise neural circuits to adolescent cognitive maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Shepard
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Emily Beckett
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Laurence Coutellier
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
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24
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Romer D, Reyna VF, Satterthwaite TD. Beyond stereotypes of adolescent risk taking: Placing the adolescent brain in developmental context. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2017; 27:19-34. [PMID: 28777995 PMCID: PMC5626621 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 182] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent neuroscience models of adolescent brain development attribute the morbidity and mortality of this period to structural and functional imbalances between more fully developed limbic regions that subserve reward and emotion as opposed to those that enable cognitive control. We challenge this interpretation of adolescent development by distinguishing risk-taking that peaks during adolescence (sensation seeking and impulsive action) from risk taking that declines monotonically from childhood to adulthood (impulsive choice and other decisions under known risk). Sensation seeking is primarily motivated by exploration of the environment under ambiguous risk contexts, while impulsive action, which is likely to be maladaptive, is more characteristic of a subset of youth with weak control over limbic motivation. Risk taking that declines monotonically from childhood to adulthood occurs primarily under conditions of known risks and reflects increases in executive function as well as aversion to risk based on increases in gist-based reasoning. We propose an alternative Life-span Wisdom Model that highlights the importance of experience gained through exploration during adolescence. We propose, therefore, that brain models that recognize the adaptive roles that cognition and experience play during adolescence provide a more complete and helpful picture of this period of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Romer
- Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania, United States.
| | - Valerie F Reyna
- Human Neuroscience Institute, Cornell University, United States
| | - Theodore D Satterthwaite
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, United States
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25
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Moe AAK, Medely GA, Reeks T, Burne THJ, Eyles DW. Short- and long-term effects of risperidone on catalepsy sensitisation and acquisition of conditioned avoidance response: Adolescent vs adult rats. Pharmacol Res 2017; 121:1-13. [PMID: 28414178 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2017.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The effects of antipsychotic drugs (APDs) on the adolescent brain are poorly understood despite a dramatic increase in prescription of these drugs in adolescents over the past twenty years. Neuronal systems continue to be remodeled during adolescence. Therefore, when given in adolescence, antipsychotic drugs (APDs) have the potential to affect this remodeling. In this study we investigated the effects of chronic 22-day risperidone treatment (1.3mg/kg/day) in both adolescent and adult rats. We examined short- and long-term changes in behaviour (catalepsy, locomotion and conditioned avoidance response (CAR)), and dopaminergic and serotonergic neurochemistry in the striatum and the nucleus accumbens. Here, we report that, both during chronic treatment and after a lengthy drug-free interval, risperidone induced a sensitised cataleptic response regardless of the age of exposure. Selectively in adolescents, risperidone-induced catalepsy was inversely correlated with striatal dopamine turnover immediately after chronic treatment. After a drug-free interval, a significant proportion of rats with prior adolescent risperidone treatment also failed to acquire CAR to a defined criterion. Our data provide evidence that the same chronic risperidone treatment regimen can induce contrasting short- and long-term neural outcomes in the adolescent and adult brains.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gregory A Medely
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Timothy Reeks
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Thomas H J Burne
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia; Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Australia
| | - Darryl W Eyles
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia; Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Australia.
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26
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Doumas DM, Miller R, Esp S. Impulsive sensation seeking, binge drinking, and alcohol-related consequences: Do protective behavioral strategies help high risk adolescents? Addict Behav 2017; 64:6-12. [PMID: 27533076 PMCID: PMC10662253 DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2016] [Revised: 07/19/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This study examined protective behavioral strategies (PBS) as a moderator of the relationship between impulsive sensation seeking and binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences in a sample of high school seniors (N=346). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that impulsive sensation seeking was a significant predictor of binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences and that PBS moderated these relationships. Specifically, manner of drinking moderated the relationships such that among students with high impulsive sensation seeking, those using strategies related to how they drink (e.g. avoiding rapid and excessive drinking) reported lower levels of binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences than those using fewer of these strategies. Clinical implications are discussed including using personality-targeted interventions that equip high impulsive sensation seeking adolescents with specific strategies to reduce binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana M Doumas
- Department of Counselor Education, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725, USA; Institute for the Study of Addiction, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725, USA.
| | - Raissa Miller
- Department of Counselor Education, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725, USA; Institute for the Study of Addiction, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725, USA
| | - Susan Esp
- Institute for the Study of Addiction, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725, USA; Department of Community and Environmental Health, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725, USA
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27
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Doremus-Fitzwater TL, Spear LP. Reward-centricity and attenuated aversions: An adolescent phenotype emerging from studies in laboratory animals. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 70:121-134. [PMID: 27524639 PMCID: PMC5612441 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2016] [Revised: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 08/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is an evolutionarily conserved developmental period, with neural circuits and behaviors contributing to the detection, procurement, and receipt of rewards bearing similarity across species. Studies with laboratory animals suggest that adolescence is typified by a "reward-centric" phenotype-an increased sensitivity to rewards relative to adults. In contrast, adolescent rodents are reportedly less sensitive to the aversive properties of many drugs and naturally aversive stimuli. Alterations within the mesocorticolimbic dopamine and endocannabinoid systems likely contribute to an adolescent reward-sensitive, yet aversion-resistant, phenotype. Although early hypotheses postulated that developmental changes in dopaminergic circuitry would result in a "reward deficiency" syndrome, evidence now suggests the opposite: that adolescents are uniquely poised to seek out hedonic stimuli, experience greater "pleasure" from rewards, and consume rewarding stimuli in excess. Future studies that more clearly define the role of specific brain regions and neurotransmitter systems in the expression of behaviors toward reward- and aversive-related cues and stimuli are necessary to more fully understand an adolescent-proclivity for and vulnerability to rewards and drugs of potential abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara L Doremus-Fitzwater
- Developmental Alcohol Exposure Research Center, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902-6000, USA.
| | - Linda P Spear
- Developmental Alcohol Exposure Research Center, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902-6000, USA
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28
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Jordan CJ, Andersen SL. Sensitive periods of substance abuse: Early risk for the transition to dependence. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2016; 25:29-44. [PMID: 27840157 PMCID: PMC5410194 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2016.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 10/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Early substance use dramatically increases the risk of substance use disorder (SUD). Although many try drugs, only a small percentage transition to SUD. High reactivity of reward, habit, and stress systems increase risk. Identification of early risk enables targeted, preventative interventions for SUD. Prevention must start before the sensitive adolescent period to maximize resilience.
Early adolescent substance use dramatically increases the risk of lifelong substance use disorder (SUD). An adolescent sensitive period evolved to allow the development of risk-taking traits that aid in survival; today these may manifest as a vulnerability to drugs of abuse. Early substance use interferes with ongoing neurodevelopment to induce neurobiological changes that further augment SUD risk. Although many individuals use drugs recreationally, only a small percentage transition to SUD. Current theories on the etiology of addiction can lend insights into the risk factors that increase vulnerability from early recreational use to addiction. Building on the work of others, we suggest individual risk for SUD emerges from an immature PFC combined with hyper-reactivity of reward salience, habit, and stress systems. Early identification of risk factors is critical to reducing the occurrence of SUD. We suggest preventative interventions for SUD that can be either tailored to individual risk profiles and/or implemented broadly, prior to the sensitive adolescent period, to maximize resilience to developing substance dependence. Recommendations for future research include a focus on the juvenile and adolescent periods as well as on sex differences to better understand early risk and identify the most efficacious preventions for SUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe J Jordan
- Department of Psychiatry, Mclean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA 02478, United States.
| | - Susan L Andersen
- Department of Psychiatry, Mclean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA 02478, United States
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29
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Moe AAK, Scott JG, Burne TH, Eyles DW. Neural changes induced by antipsychotic administration in adolescence: A review of studies in laboratory rodents. J Psychopharmacol 2016; 30:771-94. [PMID: 27413140 DOI: 10.1177/0269881116654776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence is characterized by major remodelling processes in the brain. Use of antipsychotic drugs (APDs) in adolescents has increased dramatically in the last 20 years; however, our understanding of the neurobiological consequences of APD treatment on the adolescent brain has not kept the same pace and significant concerns have been raised. In this review, we examined currently available preclinical studies of the effects of APDs on the adolescent brain. In animal models of neuropsychiatric disorders, adolescent APD treatment appears to be protective against selected structural, behavioural and neurochemical phenotypes. In "neurodevelopmentally normal" adolescent animals, a range of short- and long-term alterations in behaviour and neurochemistry have been reported. In particular, the adolescent brain appears to be sensitive to long-term locomotor/reward effects of chronic atypical APDs in contrast with the outcomes in adults. Long-lasting changes in dopaminergic, glutamatergic and gamma-amino butyric acid-ergic systems induced by adolescent APD administration have been observed in the nucleus accumbens. A detailed examination of other potential target regions such as striatum, prefrontal cortex and ventral tegmental area is still required. Through identification of specific neural pathways targeted by adolescent APD treatment, future studies will expand the current knowledge on long-term neural outcomes which are of translational value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aung Aung Kywe Moe
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - James G Scott
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Wacol, QLD, Australia Discipline of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, Herston, QLD, Australia Metro North Mental Health Service, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, QLD, Australia
| | - Thomas Hj Burne
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Wacol, QLD, Australia
| | - Darryl W Eyles
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Wacol, QLD, Australia
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30
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Simon NW, Moghaddam B. Methylphenidate has nonlinear dose effects on cued response inhibition in adults but not adolescents. Brain Res 2016; 1654:171-176. [PMID: 27431940 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2016.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2016] [Revised: 06/16/2016] [Accepted: 07/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Ongoing development of the dopamine system during adolescence may provide a partial mechanism for behavioral and psychiatric vulnerabilities. Despite early evidence for a hyperactive adolescent dopaminergic system, recent data suggest that adolescent dopamine may be functionally hypoactive compared to in adults. While this distinction has been established in response to dopaminergic drugs and natural rewards, little is known about age-related differences in cognitive efficacy of dopaminergic drugs. Using a recently established Cued Response Inhibition Task, we tested the effects of acute systemic methylphenidate, commonly known as Ritalin, on response inhibition and response initiation in adolescent and adults rats. First, we replicated previous data that adolescents are able to inhibit a response to a cue on par with adults, but are slower to produce a rewarded response after a stop cue. Next, we observed that methylphenidate modulated response inhibition in adult rats, with low dose (0.3mg/kg) improving inhibition, and high dose (3mg/kg) impairing performance. This dose-response pattern is commonly observed with psychostimulant cognitive modulation. In adolescents, however, methylphenidate had no effect on response inhibition at any dose. Latency of response initiation after the stop cue was not affected by methylphenidate in either adult or adolescent rats. These data establish that dose-response of a commonly prescribed psychostimulant medication is different in adolescents and adults. They further demonstrate that healthy adolescent response inhibition is not as sensitive to psychostimulants as in adults, supporting the idea that the dopamine system is hypoactive in adolescence. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Adolescent plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas W Simon
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Neuroscience, A210 Langley Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States
| | - Bita Moghaddam
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Neuroscience, A210 Langley Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States.
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31
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Rippberger H, van Gaalen MM, Schwarting RKW, Wohr M. Environmental and Pharmacological Modulation of Amphetamine- Induced 50-kHz Ultrasonic Vocalizations in Rats. Curr Neuropharmacol 2016; 13:220-32. [PMID: 26411764 PMCID: PMC4598433 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x1302150525124408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Rats emit high-frequency 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) in appetitive situations like social interactions. Drugs of abuse are probably the most potent non-social elicitors of 50-kHz USV, possibly reflecting their euphorigenic properties. Psychostimulants induce the strongest elevation in 50-kHz USV emission, particularly amphetamine (AMPH), either when applied systemically or locally into the nucleus accumbens (Nacc). Emission of AMPH-induced 50-kHz USV depends on test context, such as the presence of conspecifics, and can be manipulated pharmacologically by targeting major neurotransmitter systems, including dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NA), and serotonin (5-HT), but also protein kinase C (PKC) signaling. Several D1 and D2 receptor antagonists, as well as typical and atypical antipsychotics block the AMPH-induced elevation in 50-kHz USV. Inhibiting D1 and D2 receptors in the Nacc abolishes AMPH-induced 50-kHz USV, indicating a key role for this brain area. NA neurotransmission also regulates AMPH-induced 50-kHz USV emission given that α1 receptor antagonists and α2 receptor agonists exert attenuating effects. Supporting the involvement of the 5-HT system, AMPH-induced 50-kHz USV are attenuated by 5-HT2C receptor activation, whereas 5-HT2C receptor antagonism leads to the opposite effect. Finally, treatment with lithium, tamoxifen, and myricitrin was all found to result in a complete abolishment of the AMPH-induced increase in 50-kHz USV, suggesting the involvement of PKC signaling. Neurotransmitter systems involved in AMPH-induced 50-kHz USV emission only partially overlap with other AMPH-induced behaviors like hyperlocomotion. The validity of AMPH-induced 50-kHz USV as a preclinical model for neuropsychiatric disorders is discussed, particularly with relevance to altered drive and mood seen in bipolar disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Markus Wohr
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Gutenbergstr. 18, 35032 Marburg, Germany.
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Kim Y, Simon NW, Wood J, Moghaddam B. Reward Anticipation Is Encoded Differently by Adolescent Ventral Tegmental Area Neurons. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 79:878-86. [PMID: 26067679 PMCID: PMC4636980 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Revised: 04/23/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Elucidating the neurobiology of the adolescent brain is fundamental to our understanding of the etiology of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and addiction, the symptoms of which often manifest during this developmental period. Dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are strongly implicated in adolescent behavioral and psychiatric vulnerabilities, but little is known about how adolescent VTA neurons encode information during motivated behavior. METHODS We recorded daily from VTA neurons in adolescent and adult rats during learning and maintenance of a cued, reward-motivated instrumental task and extinction from this task. RESULTS During performance of the same motivated behavior, identical events were encoded differently by adult and adolescent VTA neurons. Adolescent VTA neurons with dopamine-like characteristics lacked a reward anticipation signal and showed a smaller response to reward delivery compared with adults. After extinction, however, these neurons maintained a strong phasic response to cues formerly predictive of reward opportunity. CONCLUSIONS Anticipatory neuronal activity in the VTA supports preparatory attention and is implicated in error prediction signaling. Absence of this activity, combined with persistent representations of previously rewarded experiences, may provide a mechanism for rash decision making in adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunbok Kim
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Nicholas W Simon
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Jesse Wood
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Bita Moghaddam
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania..
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33
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Kennedy JL, Xiong N, Yu J, Zai CC, Pouget JG, Li J, Liu K, Qing H, Wang T, Martin E, Levy DL, Lin Z. Increased Nigral SLC6A3 Activity in Schizophrenia Patients: Findings From the Toronto-McLean Cohorts. Schizophr Bull 2016; 42:772-81. [PMID: 26707863 PMCID: PMC4838105 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbv191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
SLC6A3, which encodes the primary regulator of extracellular dopamine (DA) concentration, the DA transporter, has been implicated in schizophrenia (SCZ). However, the details of its genetic effect on risk remain largely unknown. The purpose of this candidate gene study was to identify a specificSLC6A3activity associated with SCZ by using functional genetic approaches. We first examined gene activity in DA neurons isolated from case-control postmortem nigral tissue and found that the averageSLC6A3mRNA level in controls was only 0.37-fold of that in cases (P= .0034). To understand this expression difference, we examined the association of 10 genetic markers, mostly located in the promoter region, with SCZ in 1717 subjects collected from Toronto and McLean cohorts, including 881 controls and 836 cases and identified the 5' promoter SNP rs1478435 as having a significant association signal (uncorrectedPvalue: .00462; adjustedPvalue: .0319) in unrelated Caucasians. Allele T was over-represented in controls (OR = .75); T-carrier controls had decreased mRNA levels in nigral DA neurons, contributing to the reduced activity in the controls. In vitro functional analysis confirmed that T carriers displayed attenuated enhancement of promoter activity. These findings collectively suggest that increased nigralSLC6A3activity may be a risk factor for SCZ, and may help to explain high rates of comorbidity with substance abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- James L. Kennedy
- Neurogenetics Section, Neuroscience Research Department, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nian Xiong
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurogenomics, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA;,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA;,Department of Neurology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jinlong Yu
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurogenomics, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA;,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Clement C. Zai
- Neurogenetics Section, Neuroscience Research Department, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jennie G. Pouget
- Neurogenetics Section, Neuroscience Research Department, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jie Li
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurogenomics, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA;,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA;,Institute of Psychiatry, Tianjin Mental Health Center, Tianjin, China
| | - Kefu Liu
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurogenomics, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA;,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA;,School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Hong Qing
- School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Department of Neurology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Eden Martin
- Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL
| | - Deborah L. Levy
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA;,Psychology Research Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA,Joint last author
| | - Zhicheng Lin
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurogenomics, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA;
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Moe AAK, Kurniawan ND, Alexander S, Cui X, Burne THJ, Eyles DW. Risperidone induces long-lasting changes in the conditioned avoidance response and accumbal gene expression selectively in animals treated as adolescents. Neuropharmacology 2016; 108:264-74. [PMID: 27130903 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.04.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2015] [Revised: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence is a period of dynamic remodeling and maturation in the brain. Exposure to psychotropic drugs during adolescence can potentially alter neural maturation in the adolescent brain subsequently altering neural function at maturity. In this regard, antipsychotic drugs (APDs) are important given a notable global increase in prescription of these APDs to adolescents for a variety of behavioural symptoms and conditions over the past twenty years. However, there is a paucity of data on the long-term consequences of APDs on the adolescent brain. In this preclinical study, we have examined whether the adolescent brain is more susceptible than the adult brain to long-term neural changes induced by risperidone, which is the APD most frequently prescribed to adolescents. Rats were chronically treated (21 days) with 1.3 mg/kg/day risperidone or vehicle either as adolescents (postnatal day (PND) 36-56)) or adults (PND80-100). Behaviour was assessed using the well-described suppression of the conditioned avoidance response (CAR) by APDs. We examined CAR after all animals had reached maturity (PND127). We show that mature rats treated with risperidone as adolescents had increased CAR suppression compared to adults when rechallenged with this same drug. In the nucleus accumbens, significant downregulation of serotonergic 5HT2A receptors and catechol-o-methyl transferase mRNA levels was observed only in the adolescent treated animals. Impaired 5HT2A receptor signaling may explain the increased CAR suppression observed in rats treated with risperidone as adolescents. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), however, did not detect any risperidone-induced long-term brain structural change at maturity. These findings confirm that APD administration during adolescence may produce long-term behavioural and neurochemical alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Suzanne Alexander
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia; Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Australia
| | - Xiaoying Cui
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Thomas H J Burne
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia; Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Australia
| | - Darryl W Eyles
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia; Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Australia.
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35
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Neural Dysfunction in Cognitive Control Circuits in Persons at Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis. Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:1241-50. [PMID: 26354046 PMCID: PMC4793108 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2015] [Revised: 08/22/2015] [Accepted: 08/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive control, a set of functions that develop throughout adolescence, is important in the pathogenesis of psychotic disorders. Whether cognitive control has a role in conferring vulnerability for the development of psychotic illness is still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the neural systems supporting cognitive control in individuals deemed to be potentially prodromal for psychotic illness. We recruited 56 participants at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis based on the Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes (SIPS) and 49 healthy controls. Twelve of the CHR participants eventually developed psychosis. We compared functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) BOLD signal during the performance of the Simon task. We tested for differences between CHR individuals and controls in conflict-related functional activity. In the CHR group when compared with controls, we detected smaller conflict-related activations in several cortical areas, including the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC). Furthermore, conflict-related activations in the DLPFC of those CHR individuals who ultimately developed psychosis (CHR converters) were smaller than in non-converters (CHR non-converters). Higher levels of conflict-related activation were associated with better social and role outcome. Risk for psychosis was associated at the neural level with reduced conflict-related brain activity. This neural phenotype appears correlated within the DLPFC with the development of psychosis and with functional outcome.
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36
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McCollum LA, McCullumsmith RE, Roberts RC. Tyrosine hydroxylase localization in the nucleus accumbens in schizophrenia. Brain Struct Funct 2016; 221:4451-4458. [PMID: 26740229 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-015-1174-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAcc) has been implicated in schizophrenia (SZ) pathology, based on antipsychotic action therein. However, recent imaging studies suggest that the NAcc may not be a locus of dopamine dysregulation in SZ. This study examined postmortem human tissue to determine if abnormalities are present in dopamine synthesis in the NAcc in SZ. We compared the immunohistochemical localization of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting synthesizing enzyme of dopamine, in postmortem tissue from SZ subjects and demographically matched controls. To study the effects of chronic antipsychotic drug (APD) treatment on TH immunolabeling in the NAcc, rats were treated for 6 months with haloperidol or olanzapine. In the NAcc, TH immunolabeling was similar in control and SZ subjects, in both the core and shell. Rats had similar TH optical density levels across treatment groups in both the core and shell. Similar levels of TH suggest DA synthesis may be normal. These findings provide further insight into the role of the NAcc in SZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lesley A McCollum
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Sparks Center 865D, 1720 2nd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
| | - Robert E McCullumsmith
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, USA
| | - Rosalinda C Roberts
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Sparks Center 865D, 1720 2nd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA.
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37
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Telzer EH. Dopaminergic reward sensitivity can promote adolescent health: A new perspective on the mechanism of ventral striatum activation. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2015; 17:57-67. [PMID: 26708774 PMCID: PMC4727991 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2015.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2015] [Revised: 09/26/2015] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The prevailing view in the field of adolescent brain development is that heightened activity in the mesolimbic dopaminergic reward system serves as a liability, orienting adolescents toward risky behaviors, increasing their sensitivity to social evaluation and loss, and resulting in compromised well-being. Several findings inconsistent with this deficit view challenge the perspective that adolescent reward sensitivity largely serves as a liability and highlights the potential adaptive function that heightened striatal reactivity can serve. The goal of this review is to refine our understanding of dopaminergic reward sensitivity in adolescence. I review several studies showing that ventral striatum activation serves an adaptive function for adolescents’ health and well being relating to declines in both risk taking and depression and increases in cognitive persistence and achievement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva H Telzer
- Psychology Department, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, United States; Beckman Institute for Science and Technology, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, United States; Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, United States.
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38
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Yildirim BO, Derksen JJL. Mesocorticolimbic dopamine functioning in primary psychopathy: A source of within-group heterogeneity. Psychiatry Res 2015; 229:633-77. [PMID: 26277034 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2014] [Revised: 04/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Despite similar emotional deficiencies, primary psychopathic individuals can be situated on a continuum that spans from controlled to disinhibited. The constructs on which primary psychopaths are found to diverge, such as self-control, cognitive flexibility, and executive functioning, are crucially regulated by dopamine (DA). As such, the goal of this review is to examine which specific alterations in the meso-cortico-limbic DA system and corresponding genes (e.g., TH, DAT, COMT, DRD2, DRD4) might bias development towards a more controlled or disinhibited expression of primary psychopathy. Based on empirical data, it is argued that primary psychopathy is generally related to a higher tonic and population activity of striatal DA neurons and lower levels of D2-type DA receptors in meso-cortico-limbic projections, which may boost motivational drive towards incentive-laden goals, dampen punishment sensitivity, and increase future reward-expectancy. However, increasingly higher levels of DA activity in the striatum (moderate versus pathological elevations), lower levels of DA functionality in the prefrontal cortex, and higher D1-to-D2-type receptor ratios in meso-cortico-limbic projections may lead to increasingly disinhibited and impetuous phenotypes of primary psychopathy. Finally, in order to provide a more coherent view on etiological mechanisms, we discuss interactions between DA and serotonin that are relevant for primary psychopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bariş O Yildirim
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Radboud University Nijmegen, De Kluyskamp 1002, 6545 JD Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Jan J L Derksen
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Room: A.07.04B, Radboud University Nijmegen, Montessorilaan 3, 6525 HR Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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Voss JL, O'Neil JT, Kharitonova M, Briggs-Gowan MJ, Wakschlag LS. Adolescent development of context-dependent stimulus-reward association memory and its neural correlates. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:581. [PMID: 26578926 PMCID: PMC4623208 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Expression of learned stimulus-reward associations based on context is essential for regulation of behavior to meet situational demands. Contextual regulation improves during development, although the developmental progression of relevant neural and cognitive processes is not fully specified. We therefore measured neural correlates of flexible, contextual expression of stimulus-reward associations in pre/early-adolescent children (ages 9-13 years) and young adults (ages 19-22 years). After reinforcement learning using standard parameters, a contextual reversal manipulation was used whereby contextual cues indicated that stimulus-reward associations were the same as previously reinforced for some trials (consistent trials) or were reversed on other trials (inconsistent trials). Subjects were thus required to respond according to original stimulus-reward associations vs. reversed associations based on trial-specific contextual cues. Children and young adults did not differ in reinforcement learning or in relevant functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) correlates. In contrast, adults outperformed children during contextual reversal, with better performance specifically for inconsistent trials. fMRI signals corresponding to this selective advantage included greater activity in lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC), hippocampus, and dorsal striatum for young adults relative to children. Flexible expression of stimulus-reward associations based on context thus improves via adolescent development, as does recruitment of brain regions involved in reward learning and contextual expression of memory. HighlightsEarly-adolescent children and young adults were equivalent in reinforcement learning.Adults outperformed children in contextual expression of stimulus-reward associations.Adult advantages correlated with increased activity of relevant brain regions.Specific neurocognitive developmental changes support better contextual regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel L Voss
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago, IL, USA ; Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology and Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jonathan T O'Neil
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Maria Kharitonova
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Lauren S Wakschlag
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago, IL, USA ; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA
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40
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Yuan M, Cross SJ, Loughlin SE, Leslie FM. Nicotine and the adolescent brain. J Physiol 2015; 593:3397-412. [PMID: 26018031 PMCID: PMC4560573 DOI: 10.1113/jp270492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 337] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 05/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence encompasses a sensitive developmental period of enhanced clinical vulnerability to nicotine, tobacco, and e-cigarettes. While there are sociocultural influences, data at preclinical and clinical levels indicate that this adolescent sensitivity has strong neurobiological underpinnings. Although definitions of adolescence vary, the hallmark of this period is a profound reorganization of brain regions necessary for mature cognitive and executive function, working memory, reward processing, emotional regulation, and motivated behavior. Regulating critical facets of brain maturation are nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). However, perturbations of cholinergic systems during this time with nicotine, via tobacco or e-cigarettes, have unique consequences on adolescent development. In this review, we highlight recent clinical and preclinical data examining the adolescent brain's distinct neurobiology and unique sensitivity to nicotine. First, we discuss what defines adolescence before reviewing normative structural and neurochemical alterations that persist until early adulthood, with an emphasis on dopaminergic systems. We review how acute exposure to nicotine impacts brain development and how drug responses differ from those seen in adults. Finally, we discuss the persistent alterations in neuronal signaling and cognitive function that result from chronic nicotine exposure, while highlighting a low dose, semi-chronic exposure paradigm that may better model adolescent tobacco use. We argue that nicotine exposure, increasingly occurring as a result of e-cigarette use, may induce epigenetic changes that sensitize the brain to other drugs and prime it for future substance abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah J Cross
- Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | | | - Frances M Leslie
- Departments of Pharmacology
- Anatomy & Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
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Abstract
The gastrointestinal hormone peptide tyrosine tyrosine 3-36 (PYY(3-36)) has attained broad recognition with respect to its involvement in energy homeostasis and the control of food intake. It is mainly secreted by distal intestinal enteroendocrine L-cells in response to eating and exerts neurally mediated, paracrine and endocrine effects on various target organs. In addition to its gastrointestinal effects, PYY(3-36) has long been known to inhibit food intake. Recent closer examination of the effects of PYY(3-36) revealed that this gut-derived peptide also influences a wide spectrum of behavioral and cognitive functions that are pivotal for basic processes of perception and judgment, including central information processing, salience learning, working memory, and behavioral responding to novelty. Here, we review the effects of PYY(3-36) that go beyond food intake and provide a conceptual framework suggesting that several apparently unrelated behavioral actions of PYY(3-36) may actually reflect different manifestations of modulating the central dopamine system.
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Kuhn C. Emergence of sex differences in the development of substance use and abuse during adolescence. Pharmacol Ther 2015; 153:55-78. [PMID: 26049025 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2015.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Substance use and abuse begin during adolescence. Male and female adolescent humans initiate use at comparable rates, but males increase use faster. In adulthood, more men than women use and abuse addictive drugs. However, some women progress more rapidly from initiation of use to entry into treatment. In animal models, adolescent males and females consume addictive drugs similarly. However, reproductively mature females acquire self-administration faster, and in some models, escalate use more. Sex/gender differences exist in neurobiologic factors mediating both reinforcement (dopamine, opioids) and aversiveness (CRF, dynorphin), as well as intrinsic factors (personality, psychiatric co-morbidities) and extrinsic factors (history of abuse, environment especially peers and family) which influence the progression from initial use to abuse. Many of these important differences emerge during adolescence, and are moderated by sexual differentiation of the brain. Estradiol effects which enhance both dopaminergic and CRF-mediated processes contribute to the female vulnerability to substance use and abuse. Testosterone enhances impulsivity and sensation seeking in both males and females. Several protective factors in females also influence initiation and progression of substance use including hormonal changes of pregnancy as well as greater capacity for self-regulation and lower peak levels of impulsivity/sensation seeking. Same sex peers represent a risk factor more for males than females during adolescence, while romantic partners increase risk for women during this developmental epoch. In summary, biologic factors, psychiatric co-morbidities as well as personality and environment present sex/gender-specific risks as adolescents begin to initiate substance use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Kuhn
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Box 3813, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
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Baladi MG, Horton RE, Owens WA, Daws LC, France CP. Eating high fat chow decreases dopamine clearance in adolescent and adult male rats but selectively enhances the locomotor stimulating effects of cocaine in adolescents. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 18:pyv024. [PMID: 25805560 PMCID: PMC4540111 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyv024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2014] [Revised: 01/22/2015] [Accepted: 01/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Feeding conditions can influence dopamine neurotransmission and impact behavioral and neurochemical effects of drugs acting on dopamine systems. This study examined whether eating high fat chow alters the locomotor effects of cocaine and dopamine transporter activity in adolescent (postnatal day 25) and adult (postnatal day 75) male Sprague-Dawley rats. METHODS Dose-response curves for cocaine-induced locomotor activity were generated in rats with free access to either standard or high fat chow or restricted access to high fat chow (body weight matched to rats eating standard chow). RESULTS Compared with eating standard chow, eating high fat chow increased the sensitivity of adolescent, but not adult, rats to the acute effects of cocaine. When tested once per week, sensitization to the locomotor effects of cocaine was enhanced in adolescent rats eating high fat chow compared with adolescent rats eating standard chow. Sensitization to cocaine was not different among feeding conditions in adults. When adolescent rats that previously ate high fat chow ate standard chow, sensitivity to cocaine returned to normal. As measured by chronoamperometry, dopamine clearance rate in striatum was decreased in both adolescent and adult rats eating high fat chow compared with age-matched rats eating standard chow. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that high fat diet-induced reductions in dopamine clearance rate do not always correspond to increased sensitivity to the locomotor effects of cocaine, suggesting that mechanisms other than dopamine transporter might play a role. Moreover, in adolescent but not adult rats, eating high fat chow increases sensitivity to cocaine and enhances the sensitization that develops to cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle G Baladi
- Departments of Pharmacology (Drs Baladi, Daws, and France), Psychiatry (Dr France), and Physiology (Ms. Horton, Mr. Owens, and Dr. Daws), University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Rebecca E Horton
- Departments of Pharmacology (Drs Baladi, Daws, and France), Psychiatry (Dr France), and Physiology (Ms. Horton, Mr. Owens, and Dr. Daws), University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - William A Owens
- Departments of Pharmacology (Drs Baladi, Daws, and France), Psychiatry (Dr France), and Physiology (Ms. Horton, Mr. Owens, and Dr. Daws), University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Lynette C Daws
- Departments of Pharmacology (Drs Baladi, Daws, and France), Psychiatry (Dr France), and Physiology (Ms. Horton, Mr. Owens, and Dr. Daws), University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Charles P France
- Departments of Pharmacology (Drs Baladi, Daws, and France), Psychiatry (Dr France), and Physiology (Ms. Horton, Mr. Owens, and Dr. Daws), University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
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Shnitko TA, Robinson DL. Regional variation in phasic dopamine release during alcohol and sucrose self-administration in rats. ACS Chem Neurosci 2015; 6:147-54. [PMID: 25493956 PMCID: PMC4304482 DOI: 10.1021/cn500251j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
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While
dopamine input to the dorsal striatum is well-known to be
critical for action selection, including alcohol-motivated behaviors,
it is unknown whether changes in phasic dopamine accompany these behaviors.
Long-term alcohol abuse is believed to promote alterations in the
neurocircuitry of reward learning in both ventral and dorsal striatum,
potentially through increasing dopamine release. Using fast-scan cyclic
voltammetry, we measured phasic dopamine release in the dorsal and
ventral striatum during alcoholic and nonalcoholic reward-seeking
behavior and reward-related cues in rats trained on a variable-interval
schedule of reinforcement. We observed robust phasic dopamine release
in the dorsolateral striatum after reinforced lever presses and inconsistent
dopamine release in the dorsomedial striatum. Contrary to our expectations,
alcohol did not enhance dopamine release in rats drinking alcoholic
rewards. Cue-induced dopamine release was also observed in the nucleus
accumbens core of rats drinking the reward solutions. These data demonstrate
that alcoholic and nonalcoholic reward self-administration on a variable-interval
schedule of reinforcement in rats is accompanied by phasic dopamine
release time-locked to reinforcement in the dorsolateral striatum
and the nucleus accumbens, but not the dorsomedial striatum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana A. Shnitko
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and ‡Department
of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
| | - Donita L. Robinson
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and ‡Department
of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States
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45
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Granholm L, Rowley S, Ellgren M, Segerström L, Nylander I. Impact of adolescent ethanol exposure and adult amphetamine self-administration on evoked striatal dopamine release in male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:4421-31. [PMID: 26407601 PMCID: PMC4646932 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-015-4070-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2015] [Accepted: 08/31/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Adolescent binge drinking is common and associated with increased risk of substance use disorders. Transition from recreational to habitual ethanol consumption involves alterations in dorsal striatal function, but the long-term impact of adolescent ethanol exposure upon this region remains unclear. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to characterise and describe relationships between adolescent ethanol exposure, amphetamine self-administration and adult dopamine dynamics in dorsal striatum, including response to amphetamine challenge, in male Wistar rats. METHODS Ethanol (2 g/kg) or water was administered intragastrically in an episodic binge-like regimen (three continuous days/week) between 4 and 9 weeks of age (i.e. post-natal days 28-59). In adulthood, animals were divided into two groups. In the first, dorsal striatal potassium-evoked dopamine release was examined via chronoamperometry, in the basal state and after a single amphetamine challenge (2 mg/kg, i.v.). In the second, amphetamine self-administration behaviour was studied (i.e. fixed and progressive ratio) before chronoamperometric analysis was conducted as described above. RESULTS Adolescent ethanol exposure suppressed locally evoked dopamine response after amphetamine challenge in adulthood, whereas in the basal state, no differences in dopamine dynamics were detected. Ethanol-exposed animals showed no differences in adult amphetamine self-administration behaviour but an abolished effect on dopamine removal in response to a single amphetamine challenge after self-administration. CONCLUSION Amphetamine challenges in adult rats revealed differences in in vivo dopamine function after adolescent ethanol exposure. The attenuated drug response in ethanol-exposed animals may affect habit formation and contribute to increased risk for substance use disorders as a consequence of adolescent ethanol.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Granholm
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Division of Neuropharmacology, Addiction and Behaviour, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - S Rowley
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Division of Neuropharmacology, Addiction and Behaviour, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - M Ellgren
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Division of Neuropharmacology, Addiction and Behaviour, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - L Segerström
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Division of Neuropharmacology, Addiction and Behaviour, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - I Nylander
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Division of Neuropharmacology, Addiction and Behaviour, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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46
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Serlin H, Torregrossa MM. Adolescent rats are resistant to forming ethanol seeking habits. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2014; 16:183-190. [PMID: 25575668 PMCID: PMC4480209 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2014.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2014] [Revised: 12/03/2014] [Accepted: 12/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Adult rats develop ethanol-seeking habits more rapidly than adolescents. Adolescents appear resistant to the habit promoting effects of ethanol. Adolescent rats self-administer more ethanol than adults. Adolescent onset ethanol self-administration results in greater self-administration in adulthood.
Early age of onset alcohol drinking is significantly more likely to lead to alcohol use disorders (AUDs) than alcohol drinking that begins after the age of 18. Unfortunately, the majority of people in the United States begin drinking in adolescence. Therefore, it is important to understand how early alcohol drinking leads to increased risk for AUDs so that better treatments and prevention strategies can be developed. Adolescents perceive greater rewarding properties of alcohol, and adolescents may be more likely to form alcohol-seeking habits that promote continued use throughout the lifetime. Therefore, we compared the development of alcohol seeking habits in adolescent and adult male, Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were trained to lever press to receive 10% ethanol + 0.1% saccharin on a schedule that promotes habit formation. Rats were tested using a contingency degradation procedure at different points in training. Adult rats formed ethanol-seeking habits with only moderate training, while adolescents remained goal-directed even with extended training. Nevertheless, adolescents consumed more ethanol than adults throughout the experiment and continued to consume more ethanol than adults when they reached adulthood. Therefore, early onset alcohol use may promote AUD formation through establishment of high levels of drinking that becomes habitual in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Serlin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, United States
| | - Mary M Torregrossa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, United States.
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47
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Simon NW, Moghaddam B. Neural processing of reward in adolescent rodents. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2014; 11:145-54. [PMID: 25524828 PMCID: PMC4597598 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2014.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2014] [Revised: 11/11/2014] [Accepted: 11/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The adolescent brain processes rewards differently than in adults. These differences occur even when behavior is similar between age groups. DS was the locus of substantial developmental differences in reward activity. Surprisingly, differences were not as pronounced in VS. These differences may have implications for adolescent psychiatric vulnerability.
Immaturities in adolescent reward processing are thought to contribute to poor decision making and increased susceptibility to develop addictive and psychiatric disorders. Very little is known; however, about how the adolescent brain processes reward. The current mechanistic theories of reward processing are derived from adult models. Here we review recent research focused on understanding of how the adolescent brain responds to rewards and reward-associated events. A critical aspect of this work is that age-related differences are evident in neuronal processing of reward-related events across multiple brain regions even when adolescent rats demonstrate behavior similar to adults. These include differences in reward processing between adolescent and adult rats in orbitofrontal cortex and dorsal striatum. Surprisingly, minimal age related differences are observed in ventral striatum, which has been a focal point of developmental studies. We go on to discuss the implications of these differences for behavioral traits affected in adolescence, such as impulsivity, risk-taking, and behavioral flexibility. Collectively, this work suggests that reward-evoked neural activity differs as a function of age and that regions such as the dorsal striatum that are not traditionally associated with affective processing in adults may be critical for reward processing and psychiatric vulnerability in adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas W Simon
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Neuroscience, United States
| | - Bita Moghaddam
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Neuroscience, United States.
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48
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Palm S, Nylander I. Dopamine release dynamics change during adolescence and after voluntary alcohol intake. PLoS One 2014; 9:e96337. [PMID: 24788731 PMCID: PMC4006883 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0096337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2014] [Accepted: 04/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is associated with high impulsivity and risk taking, making adolescent individuals more inclined to use drugs. Early drug use is correlated to increased risk for substance use disorders later in life but the neurobiological basis is unclear. The brain undergoes extensive development during adolescence and disturbances at this time are hypothesized to contribute to increased vulnerability. The transition from controlled to compulsive drug use and addiction involve long-lasting changes in neural networks including a shift from the nucleus accumbens, mediating acute reinforcing effects, to recruitment of the dorsal striatum and habit formation. This study aimed to test the hypothesis of increased dopamine release after a pharmacological challenge in adolescent rats. Potassium-evoked dopamine release and uptake was investigated using chronoamperometric dopamine recordings in combination with a challenge by amphetamine in early and late adolescent rats and in adult rats. In addition, the consequences of voluntary alcohol intake during adolescence on these effects were investigated. The data show a gradual increase of evoked dopamine release with age, supporting previous studies suggesting that the pool of releasable dopamine increases with age. In contrast, a gradual decrease in evoked release with age was seen in response to amphetamine, supporting a proportionally larger storage pool of dopamine in younger animals. Dopamine measures after voluntary alcohol intake resulted in lower release amplitudes in response to potassium-chloride, indicating that alcohol affects the releasable pool of dopamine and this may have implications for vulnerability to addiction and other psychiatric diagnoses involving dopamine in the dorsal striatum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Palm
- Neuropharmacology, Addiction & Behaviour, Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- * E-mail:
| | - Ingrid Nylander
- Neuropharmacology, Addiction & Behaviour, Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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49
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Staffend NA, Mohr MA, DonCarlos LL, Sisk CL. A decrease in the addition of new cells in the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex between puberty and adulthood in male rats. Dev Neurobiol 2014; 74:633-42. [PMID: 24339170 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2013] [Revised: 11/19/2013] [Accepted: 12/09/2013] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence involves shifts in social behaviors, behavioral flexibility, and adaptive risk-taking that coincide with structural remodeling of the brain. We previously showed that new cells are added to brain regions associated with sexual behaviors, suggesting that cytogenesis may be a mechanism for acquiring adult-typical behaviors during adolescence. Whether pubertal cell addition occurs in brain regions associated with behavioral flexibility or motivation and whether these patterns differ between pubertal and adult animals had not been determined. Therefore, we assessed patterns of cell proliferation or survival in the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. Pubertal and adult male rats were given injections of bromo-deoxyuridine (BrdU). To assess cell proliferation, half of the animals from each group were sacrificed 24 h following the last injection. The remaining animals were sacrificed at Day 30 following the last injection to evaluate cell survival. Adult animals had significantly lower densities of BrdU-immunoreactive (ir) cells in the prefrontal cortex, irrespective of post-BrdU survival time, whereas in the nucleus accumbens, adult animals had a lower density of BrdU-ir cells at the short survival time; however, the density of BrdU-ir cells was equivalent in pubertal and adult animals at the longer survival time. These data provide evidence that cell addition during puberty may contribute to the remodeling of brain regions associated with behavioral flexibility and motivation, and this cell addition continues into adulthood, albeit at lower levels. Higher levels of cell proliferation or survival in younger animals may reflect a higher level of plasticity, possibly contributing to the dynamic remodeling of the pubertal brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy A Staffend
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824
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50
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Lee RS, Sawa A. Environmental stressors and epigenetic control of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Neuroendocrinology 2014; 100:278-87. [PMID: 25427939 PMCID: PMC4428760 DOI: 10.1159/000369585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2013] [Accepted: 11/05/2014] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
In this review, we provide a brief summary of several key studies that broaden our understanding of stress and its epigenetic control of the function and behavior of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Clinical and animal studies suggest a link among exposure to stress, dysregulation of the HPA axis, and susceptibility to neuropsychiatric illnesses. Recent studies have supported the notion that exposure to glucocorticoids and stress in various forms, durations, and intensities during different periods of development leads to long-lasting maladaptive HPA axis response in the brain. They demonstrate that this maladaptive response is comprised of persistent epigenetic changes in the function of HPA axis-associated genes that govern homeostatic levels of glucocorticoids. Stressors and/or disruption of glucocorticoid dynamics also target genes such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF) and tyrosine hydroxylase(TH) that are important for neuronal function and behavior. While a definitive role for epigenetic mechanisms remains unclear, these emerging studies implicate glucocorticoid signaling and its ability to alter the epigenetic landscape as one of the key mechanisms that alter the function of the HPA axis and its associated cascades. We also suggest some of the requisite studies and techniques that are important, such as additional candidate gene approaches, genome-wide epigenomic screens, and innovative functional and behavioral studies, in order to further explore and define the relationship between epigenetics and HPA axis biology. Additional studies examining stress-induced epigenetic changes of HPA axis genes, aided by innovative techniques and methodologies, are needed to advance our understanding of this relationship and lead to better preventive, diagnostic, and corrective measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard S Lee
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md., USA
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