Dopamine modulation of GABAergic function enables network stability and input selectivity for sustaining working memory in a computational model of the prefrontal cortex

Parvalbumin interneuron deficiency in the prefrontal and motor cortices of spontaneously hypertensive rats: an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder animal model insight

Background

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by impairments in developmental-behavioral inhibition, resulting in impulsivity and hyperactivity. Recent research has underscored cortical inhibition deficiencies in ADHD via the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic system, which is crucial for maintaining excitatory-inhibitory balance in the brain. This study explored postnatal changes in parvalbumin (PV) immunoreactivity, indicating GABAergic interneuron types, in the prefrontal (PFC) and motor (MC) cortices of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), an ADHD animal model.

Methods

Examining PV- positive (PV+) cells associated with dopamine D2 receptors (D2) and the impact of dopamine on GABA synthesis, we also investigated changes in the immunoreactivity of D2 and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). Brain sections from 4- to 10-week-old SHRs and Wistar Kyoto rats (WKYs) were immunohistochemically analyzed, comparing PV+, D2+ cells, and TH+ fiber densities across age-matched SHRs and WKYs in specific PFC/MC regions.

Results

The results revealed significantly reduced PV+ cell density in SHRs: prelimbic (~20% less), anterior cingulate (~15% less), primary (~15% less), and secondary motor (~17% less) cortices. PV+ deficits coincided with the upregulation of D2 in prepubertal SHRs and the downregulation of TH predominantly in pubertal/postpubertal SHRs.

Conclusion

Reduced PV+ cells in various PFC regions could contribute to inattention/behavioral alterations in ADHD, while MC deficits could manifest as motor hyperactivity. D2 upregulation and TH deficits may impact GABA synthesis, exacerbating behavioral deficits in ADHD. These findings not only shed new light on ADHD pathophysiology but also pave the way for future research endeavors.

Late-adolescent onset of prefrontal endocannabinoid control of hippocampal and amygdalar inputs and its impact on trace-fear conditioning behavior

Prefrontal cortex (PFC) maturation during adolescence is characterized by structural and functional changes, which involve the remodeling of GABA and glutamatergic synapses, as well as changes in the endocannabinoid system. Yet, the way PFC endocannabinoid signaling interacts with local GABA and glutamatergic function to impact its processing of afferent transmission during the adolescent transition to adulthood remains unknown. Here we combined PFC local field potential recordings with local manipulations of 2-AG and anandamide levels to assess how PFC endocannabinoid signaling is recruited to modulate ventral hippocampal and basolateral amygdalar inputs in vivo in adolescent and adult male rats. We found that the PFC endocannabinoid signaling does not fully emerge until late-adolescence/young adulthood. Once present, both 2-AG and anandamide can be recruited in the PFC to limit the impact of hippocampal drive through a CB1R-mediated mechanism whereas basolateral amygdalar inputs are only inhibited by 2-AG. Similarly, the behavioral effects of increasing 2-AG and anandamide in the PFC do not emerge until late-adolescence/young adulthood. Using a trace fear conditioning paradigm, we found that elevating PFC 2-AG levels preferentially reduced freezing behavior during acquisition without affecting its extinction. In contrast, increasing anandamide levels in the PFC selectively disrupted the extinction of trace fear memory without affecting its acquisition. Collectively, these results indicate a protracted recruitment of PFC endocannabinoid signaling, which becomes online in late adolescence/young adulthood as revealed by its impact on hippocampal and amygdalar-evoked local field potential responses and trace fear memory behavior.

Dopaminergic Modulation of Prefrontal Cortex Inhibition

The prefrontal cortex is the highest stage of integration in the mammalian brain. Its functions vary greatly, from working memory to decision-making, and are primarily related to higher cognitive functions. This explains the considerable effort devoted to investigating this area, revealing the complex molecular, cellular, and network organization, and the essential role of various regulatory controls. In particular, the dopaminergic modulation and the impact of local interneurons activity are critical for prefrontal cortex functioning, controlling the excitatory/inhibitory balance and the overall network processing. Though often studied separately, the dopaminergic and GABAergic systems are deeply intertwined in influencing prefrontal network processing. This mini review will focus on the dopaminergic modulation of GABAergic inhibition, which plays a significant role in shaping prefrontal cortex activity.

Role of Glutamatergic Projections from Lateral Habenula to Ventral Tegmental Area in Inflammatory Pain-Related Spatial Working Memory Deficits

The lateral habenula (LHb) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which form interconnected circuits, have important roles in the crucial control of sensory and cognitive motifs. Signaling in the LHb-VTA pathway can be exacerbated during pain conditions by a hyperactivity of LHb glutamatergic neurons to inhibit local VTA DAergic cells. However, it is still unclear whether and how this circuit is endogenously engaged in pain-related cognitive dysfunctions. To answer this question, we modulated this pathway by expressing halorhodopsin in LHb neurons of adult male rats, and then selectively inhibited the axonal projections from these neurons to the VTA during a working memory (WM) task. Behavioral performance was assessed after the onset of an inflammatory pain model. We evaluated the impact of the inflammatory pain in the VTA synapses by performing immunohistochemical characterization of specific markers for GABAergic (GAD65/67) and dopaminergic neurons (dopamine transporter (DAT), dopamine D2 receptor (D2r) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)). Our results revealed that inhibition of LHb terminals in the VTA during the WM delay-period elicits a partial recovery of the performance of pain animals (in higher complexity challenges); this performance was not accompanied by a reduction of nociceptive responses. Finally, we found evidence that the pain-affected animals exhibit VTA structural changes, namely with an upregulation of GAD65/67, and a downregulation of DAT and D2r. These results demonstrate a role of LHb neurons and highlight their responsibility in the stability of the local VTA network, which regulates signaling in frontal areas necessary to support WM processes.

Maturation of Corticolimbic Functional Connectivity During Sensitive Periods of Brain Development

The maturation of key corticolimbic structures and the prefrontal cortex during sensitive periods of brain development from early life through adolescence is crucial for the acquisition of a variety of cognitive and affective processes associated with adult behavior. In this chapter, we first review how key cellular and circuit level changes during adolescence dictate the development of the prefrontal cortex and its capacity to integrate contextual and emotional information from the ventral hippocampus and the amygdala. We further discuss how afferent transmission from ventral hippocampal and amygdala inputs displays unique age-dependent trajectories that directly impact prefrontal functional maturation through adolescence. We conclude by proposing that time-sensitive strengthening of specific corticolimbic synapses is a critical contributing factor for the protracted maturation of cognitive and emotional regulation by the prefrontal cortex.

A computational lens on menopause-associated psychosis

Psychotic episodes are debilitating disease states that can cause extreme distress and impair functioning. There are sex differences that drive the onset of these episodes. One difference is that, in addition to a risk period in adolescence and early adulthood, women approaching the menopause transition experience a second period of risk for new-onset psychosis. One leading hypothesis explaining this menopause-associated psychosis (MAP) is that estrogen decline in menopause removes a protective factor against processes that contribute to psychotic symptoms. However, the neural mechanisms connecting estrogen decline to these symptoms are still not well understood. Using the tools of computational psychiatry, links have been proposed between symptom presentation and potential algorithmic and biological correlates. These models connect changes in signaling with symptom formation by evaluating changes in information processing that are not easily observable (latent states). In this manuscript, we contextualize the observed effects of estrogen (decline) on neural pathways implicated in psychosis. We then propose how estrogen could drive changes in latent states giving rise to cognitive and psychotic symptoms associated with psychosis. Using computational frameworks to inform research in MAP may provide a systematic method for identifying patient-specific pathways driving symptoms and simultaneously refine models describing the pathogenesis of psychosis across all age groups.

Age- and sex-specific effects of stress on parvalbumin interneurons in preclinical models: Relevance to sex differences in clinical neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders

Stress is a major risk factor for neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, with the capacity to impact susceptibility to disease as well as long-term neurobiological and behavioral outcomes. Parvalbumin (PV) interneurons, the most prominent subtype of GABAergic interneurons in the cortex, are uniquely responsive to stress due to their protracted development throughout the highly plastic neonatal period and into puberty and adolescence. Additionally, PV + interneurons appear to respond to stress in a sex-specific manner. This review aims to discuss existing preclinical studies that support our overall hypothesis that the sex-and age-specific impacts of stress on PV + interneurons contribute to differences in individual vulnerability to stress across the lifespan, particularly in regard to sex differences in the diagnostic rate of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric diseases in clinical populations. We also emphasize the importance of studying sex as a biological variable to fully understand the mechanistic and behavioral differences between males and females in models of neuropsychiatric disease.

Developmental regulation of excitatory-inhibitory synaptic balance in the prefrontal cortex during adolescence

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a cortical structure involved in a variety of complex functions in the cognitive and affective domains. The intrinsic function of the PFC is defined by the interaction of local glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons and their modulation by long-range inputs. The ensuing interactions generate a ratio of excitation and inhibition (E-I) in each output neuron, a balance which is refined during the adolescent to adult transition. In this short review, we aim to describe how an increase in GABAergic transmission during adolescence modifies the E-I ratio in adults. We further discuss how this new setpoint may change the dynamics of PFC networks observed during the transition to adulthood.

Prefrontal α7nAChR Signaling Differentially Modulates Afferent Drive and Trace Fear Conditioning Behavior in Adolescent and Adult Rats

Increased level of kynurenic acid is thought to contribute to the development of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia through an α7nAChR-mediated mechanism in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). However, it remains unclear to what extent disruption of PFC α7nAChR signaling impacts afferent transmission and its modulation of behavior. Using male rats, we found that PFC infusion of methyllycaconitine (MLA; α7nAChR antagonist) shifts ventral hippocampal-induced local field potential (LFP) suppression to LFP facilitation, an effect only observed in adults. Hippocampal stimulation can also elicit a GluN2B-mediated LFP potentiation (when PFC GABA_AR is blocked) that is insensitive to MLA. Conversely, PFC infusion of MLA diminished the gain of amygdalar transmission, which is already enabled by postnatal day (P)30. Behaviorally, the impact of prefrontal MLA on trace fear-conditioning and extinction was also age related. While freezing behavior during conditioning was reduced by MLA only in adults, it elicited opposite effects in adolescent and adult rats during extinction as revealed by the level of reduced and increased freezing response, respectively. We next asked whether the late-adolescent onset of α7nAChR modulation of hippocampal inputs contributes to the age-dependent effect of MLA during extinction. Data revealed that the increased freezing behavior elicited by MLA in adult rats could be driven by a dysregulation of the GluN2B transmission in the PFC. Collectively, these results indicate that distinct neural circuits are recruited during the extinction of trace fear memory in adolescents and adults, likely because of the late-adolescent maturation of the ventral hippocampal-PFC functional connectivity and its modulation by α7nAChR signaling.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Abnormal elevation of the astrocyte-derived metabolite kynurenic acid in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is thought to impair cognitive functions in schizophrenia through an α7nAChR-mediated mechanism. Here, we found that prefrontal α7nAChR signaling is recruited to control the gain of hippocampal and amygdalar afferent transmission in an input-specific, age-related manner during the adolescent transition to adulthood. Behaviorally, prefrontal α7nAChR modulation of trace fear memory was also age-related, likely because of the late-adolescent maturation of the ventral hippocampal pathway and its recruitment of PFC GABAergic transmission enabled by local α7nAChR signaling. Collectively, these results reveal that distinct α7nAChR-sensitive neural circuits contribute to regulate behavior responses in adolescents and adults, particularly those requiring proper integration of hippocampal and amygdalar inputs by the PFC.

Downregulation of parvalbumin expression in the prefrontal cortex during adolescence causes enduring prefrontal disinhibition in adulthood

The expression of the calcium binding protein parvalbumin (PV) has been observed in several cortical regions during development in a temporal pattern consistent with increased afferent-dependent activity. In the prefrontal cortex (PFC), PV expression appears last and continues to substantially increase throughout adolescence, yet the significance of this increase remains unclear. Because of the expression of PV in fast-spiking GABAergic interneurons, we hypothesized that PV upregulation during adolescence is necessary to sustain the increase in GABAergic activity observed in the PFC during this period. To test this hypothesis, we utilized an RNAi strategy to directly downregulate PV levels in the PFC during adolescence and examined its impact on prefrontal GABAergic function, plasticity, and associated behaviors during adulthood. The data indicate that a mere 25% reduction of adult PV levels in the PFC was sufficient to reduce local GABAergic transmission onto pyramidal neurons, disrupt prefrontal excitatory-inhibitory balance, and alter processing of afferent information from the ventral hippocampus. Accordingly, these animals displayed an impairment in the level of extinction learning of a trace fear conditioning response, a behavioral paradigm that requires intact PFC-ventral hippocampus connectivity. These results indicate the PV upregulation observed in the PFC during adolescence is necessary for refinement of prefrontal GABAergic function, the absence of which results in immature afferent processing and a hypofunctional state. Importantly, these results suggest there is a critical window of plasticity during which PV upregulation supports the acquisition of mature GABAergic phenotype necessary to sustain adult PFC functions.

Polysubstance addiction vulnerability in mental illness: Concurrent alcohol and nicotine self-administration in the neurodevelopmental hippocampal lesion rat model of schizophrenia

Multiple addictions frequently occur in patients with mental illness. However, basic research on the brain-based linkages between these comorbidities is extremely limited. Toward characterizing the first animal modeling of polysubstance use and addiction vulnerability in schizophrenia, adolescent rats with neonatal ventral hippocampal lesions (NVHLs) and controls had 19 weekdays of 1 hour/day free access to alcohol/sucrose solutions (fading from 10% sucrose to 10% alcohol/2% sucrose on day 10) during postnatal days (PD 35-60). Starting in adulthood (PD 63), rats acquired lever pressing for concurrent oral alcohol (10% with 2% sucrose) and iv nicotine (0.015 mg/kg/injection) across 15 sessions. Subsequently, 10 operant extinction sessions and 3 reinstatement sessions examined drug seeking upon withholding of nicotine, then both nicotine and alcohol, then reintroduction. Adolescent alcohol consumption did not differ between NVHLs and controls. However, in adulthood, NVHLs showed increased lever pressing at alcohol and nicotine levers that progressed more strongly at the nicotine lever, even as most pressing by both groups was at the alcohol lever. In extinction, both groups showed expected declines in effort as drugs were withheld, but NVHLs persisted with greater pressing at both alcohol and nicotine levers. In reinstatement, alcohol reaccess increased pressing, with NVHLs showing greater nicotine lever activity overall. Developmental temporal-limbic abnormalities that produce mental illness can thus generate adult polydrug addiction vulnerability as a mechanism independent from putative cross-sensitization effects between addictive drugs. Further preclinical modeling of third-order (and higher) addiction-mental illness comorbidities may advance our understanding and treatment of these complex, yet common brain illnesses.

Selective optogenetic inhibition of medial prefrontal glutamatergic neurons reverses working memory deficits induced by neuropathic pain

Stability of local medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) network activity is believed to be critical for sustaining cognitive processes such as working memory (WM) and decision making. Dysfunction of the mPFC has been identified as a leading cause to WM deficits in several chronic pain conditions; however, the underlying mechanisms remain largely undetermined. Here, to address this issue, we implanted multichannel arrays of electrodes in the prelimbic region of the mPFC and recorded the neuronal activity during a food-reinforced delayed nonmatch to sample (DNMS) task of spatial WM. In addition, we used an optogenetic technique to selectively suppress the activity of excitatory pyramidal neurons that are considered the neuronal substrate for memory retention during the delay period of the behavioral task. Within-subject behavioral performance and pattern of neuronal activity were assessed after the onset of persistent pain using the spared nerve injury model of peripheral neuropathy. Our results show that the nerve lesion caused a disruption in WM and prelimbic spike activity and that this disruption was reversed by the selective inhibition of prelimbic glutamatergic pyramidal neurons during the delay period of the WM task. In spared nerve injury animals, photoinhibition of excitatory neurons improved the performance level and restored neural activity to a similar profile observed in the control animals. In addition, we found that selective inhibition of excitatory neurons does not produce antinociceptive effects. Together, our findings suggest that disruption of balance in local prelimbic networks may be crucial for the neurological and cognitive deficits observed during painful syndromes.

Prolonged exposure of rats to varenicline increases anxiety and alters serotonergic system, but has no effect on memory

Varenicline is a drug used for smoking addiction cessation treatment and acts as a partial agonist of nicotinic cholinergic receptors. Recent clinical trial data support use of varenicline for treatment of conditions/addictions that are not related to smoking cessation. Considering the importance of this issue and the need for new studies on its effects, especially on behavior, more studies using animal models are necessary. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of prolonged exposure to varenicline in anxiety-like behavior and memory, as well as in cerebral neurochemistry of rats. Male rats received three different doses of varenicline: 0.03 (therapeutic dose for humans), 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg orally (gavage) for 30 days. Animal behavior was analyzed through open field, elevated plus maze, light/dark box, social interaction, Barnes maze and novel object recognition tests. Neurotransmitter levels and their metabolites in different brain structures (hippocampus, striatum and frontal cortex) were measured. Results showed that prolonged exposure of rats to varenicline: 1) did not interfere in motor activity, but caused an anxiogenic effect on elevated plus maze, light/dark box and social interaction testes; 2) did not alter memory; and 3) promoted alterations on serotoninergic system in the striatum and frontal cortex. In conclusion, compilation of the data indicates that prolonged exposure of rats to varenicline promoted anxiogenic effects and alteration in serotonergic system, which corroborated behavioral findings.

Multi-Scale Expressions of One Optimal State Regulated by Dopamine in the Prefrontal Cortex

The prefrontal cortex (PFC), which plays key roles in many higher cognitive processes, is a hierarchical system consisting of multi-scale organizations. Optimizing the working state at each scale is essential for PFC's information processing. Typical optimal working states at different scales have been separately reported, including the dopamine-mediated inverted-U profile of the working memory (WM) at the system level, critical dynamics at the network level, and detailed balance of excitatory and inhibitory currents (E/I balance) at the cellular level. However, it remains unclear whether these states are scale-specific expressions of the same optimal state and, if so, what is the underlying mechanism for its regulation traversing across scales. Here, by studying a neural network model, we show that the optimal performance of WM co-occurs with the critical dynamics at the network level and the E/I balance at the level of individual neurons, suggesting the existence of a unified, multi-scale optimal state for the PFC. Importantly, such a state could be modulated by dopamine at the synaptic level through a series of U or inverted-U profiles. These results suggest that seemingly different optimal states for specific scales are multi-scale expressions of one condition regulated by dopamine. Our work suggests a cross-scale perspective to understand the PFC function and its modulation.

COMT and GAD1 gene polymorphisms are associated with impaired antisaccade task performance in schizophrenic patients

Genetic influences modulating executive functions engaging prefrontal cortical brain systems were investigated in 141 male subjects. The effects of variations in two genes implicated in dopamine and GABA activities in the prefrontal cortex: rs4680 (Val158/Met polymorphism of the catechol-o-methyltransferase gene-COMT) and rs3749034 (C/T) substitution in the promoter region of the glutamic acid decarboxylase gene (GAD1) were studied on antisaccade (AS) performance in healthy subjects and schizophrenic patients. Genotyping revealed a trend towards a reduced proportion of COMT Val/Met heterozygotes and a significantly increased frequency of the GAD1 rs3749034 C allele in schizophrenic patients relative to controls. Patients had elevated error rates, increased AS latencies and increased latency variability (coefficient of variation) compared to controls. The influence of polymorphisms was observed only in patients but not in controls. A substantial effect of the COMT genotype was noted on the coefficient of variation in latency, and this measure was higher in Val homozygotes compared to Met allele carriers (p < 0.05) in the patient group. The outcome from rs3749034 was also disclosed on the error rate (higher in T carriers relative to C homozygotes, p < 0.01) and latency (increased in C homozygotes relative to T carriers, p < 0.01). Binary logistic regression showed that inclusion of the genotype factor (i.e., selective estimation of antisaccade measures in CC carriers) considerably increased the validity of the diagnostic model based on the AS measures. These findings may well be derived from specific genetic associations with prefrontal cortex functioning in schizophrenia.

Putative dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area enhance information coding in the prefrontal cortex

It has been proposed that neuronal populations in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) robustly encode task-relevant information through an interplay with the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Yet, the precise computation underlying such functional interaction remains elusive. Here, we conducted simultaneous recordings of single-unit activity in PFC and VTA of rats performing a GO/NoGO task. We found that mutual information between stimuli and neural activity increases in the PFC as soon as stimuli are presented. Notably, it is the activity of putative dopamine neurons in the VTA that contributes critically to enhance information coding in the PFC. The higher the activity of these VTA neurons, the better the conditioned stimuli are encoded in the PFC.

Efficient enhancement of information in the prefrontal cortex during the presence of reward predicting stimuli

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a key brain structure for decision making, behavioural flexibility and working memory. Neurons in PFC encode relevant stimuli through changes in their firing rate, although the metabolic cost of spiking activity puts strong constrains to neural codes based on firing rate modulation. Thus, how PFC neural populations code relevant information in an efficient way is not clearly understood. To address this issue we made single unit recordings in the PFC of rats performing a GO/NOGO discrimination task and analysed how entropy between pairs of neurons changes during cue presentation. We found that entropy rises only during reward-predicting cues. Moreover, this change in entropy occurred along an increase in the efficiency of the whole process. We studied possible mechanisms behind the efficient gain in entropy by means of a two neuron leaky integrate-and-fire model, and found that a precise relationship between synaptic efficacy and firing rate is required to explain the experimentally observed results.

A novel ecological account of prefrontal cortex functional development

In this paper, we argue that prefrontal cortex ontogenetic functional development is best understood through an ecological lens. We first begin by reviewing evidence supporting the existing consensus that PFC structural and functional development is protracted based on maturational constraints. We then examine recent findings from neuroimaging studies in infants, early life stress research, and connectomics that support the novel hypothesis that PFC functional development is driven by reciprocal processes of neural adaptation and niche construction. We discuss implications and predictions of this model for redefining the construct of executive functions and for informing typical and atypical child development. This ecological account of PFC functional development moves beyond descriptions of development that are characteristic of existing frameworks, and provides novel insights into the mechanisms of developmental change, including its catalysts and influences. (PsycINFO Database Record

Age-dependent, lasting effects of methylphenidate on the GABAergic system of ADHD patients

Stimulants are the main pharmacological treatment for patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Their current prescription rates are rising, both in children, adolescents and adults. Related to the impulse control phenotype, both preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated lower γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) levels in prefrontal brain regions in ADHD. Whereas stimulant treatment increases GABA levels, preclinical studies have suggested that stimulant treatment effects may be age-dependent. As the long-term consequences of stimulant use in ADHD children and adolescents have so far been poorly studied, we used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to assess GABA+ and glutamate + glutamine (Glx) levels in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of adult ADHD patients, both before and after an oral methylphenidate (MPH) challenge. Three groups were studied: 1) ADHD patients who were first treated with stimulants before 16 years of age, i.e. during periods of ongoing brain development (early-stimulant-treated, EST); 2) patients first treated with stimulants in adulthood (i.e. > 23 years) (late-stimulant-treated, LST), and 3) stimulant-treatment-naive (STN) ADHD patients. Reduced basal GABA+ levels were found in EST compared to LST patients (p = 0.04), while after an MPH challenge, only the EST patients showed significant increases in GABA+ (p = 0.01). For Glx, no differences were found at baseline, nor after an MPH challenge. First stimulant exposure at a young age is thus associated with lower baseline levels of GABA+ and increased responsivity in adulthood. This effect could not be found in patients that started treatment at an adult age. Hence, while adult stimulant treatment seems to exert no major effects on GABA+ levels in the mPFC, MPH may induce long-lasting alterations in the adult mPFC GABAergic system when treatment was started at a young age.

Mechanisms contributing to cognitive deficits in cannabis users

Studies from preclinical animal models indicate that sustained activation of CB1 receptor signaling is a major contributing factor for the onset of cognitive deficits associated to chronic cannabis use, in particular within the working memory and decision-making domains. Yet, very few studies have been designed to directly assess the role of CB1 receptors in mediating the effects of cannabis on human brain function. This perspective review article provides an overview of current state of knowledge on possible neurobiological mechanisms accounting for the detrimental effects of chronic cannabis use on cognition and related changes in brain structure and functional connectivity. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled "A New Dawn in Cannabinoid Neurobiology".

Exogenous dopamine reduces GABA receptor availability in the human brain

BACKGROUND

While it has recently been shown that dopamine release stimulates conscious self-monitoring through the generation of gamma oscillations in medial prefrontal/anterior cingulate cortex, and that the GABAergic system is effective in producing such oscillations, interaction of the two transmitter systems has not been demonstrated in humans. We here hypothesize that dopamine challenge stimulates the GABA system directly in the medial prefrontal/anterior cingulate region in the human brain.

METHODS

Positron emission tomography (PET) with the GABA receptor α1/α5 subtype ligand [(11)C] Ro15-4513 was used to detect changes in GABA receptor availability after clinical oral doses of levodopa in a double blind controlled study.

RESULTS

We here provide the first direct evidence for such coupling in the cerebral cortex, in particular in the medial prefrontal anterior cingulate region, by showing that exogenous dopamine decreases [(11)C] Ro15-4513 binding widely in the human brain compatible with a fall in α1 subtype availability in GABA complexes due to increased GABA activity.

Mechanisms contributing to prefrontal cortex maturation during adolescence

Adolescence is defined as a transitional period between childhood and adulthood characterized by changes in social interaction and acquisition of mature cognitive abilities. These changes have been associated with the maturation of brain regions involved in the control of motivation, emotion, and cognition. Among these regions, the protracted development of the human prefrontal cortex during adolescence has been proposed to underlie the maturation of cognitive functions and the regulation of affective responses. Studies in animal models allow us to test the causal contribution of specific neural processes in the development of the prefrontal cortex and the acquisition of adult behavior. This review summarizes the cellular and synaptic mechanisms occurring in the rodent prefrontal cortex during adolescence as a model for understanding the changes underlying human prefrontal development.

Similarities between adult female crack cocaine users and adolescents in risky decision-making scenarios

BACKGROUND

Although previous studies have shown that both adolescence and drug addiction can influence risk-taking and decision-making processes, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Specifically, there is a lack of evidence as to whether these conditions could affect deliberative and affective processes involved in risk taking, such as feedback learning and valuation of profits and risk.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives were to compare the role of feedback and the use of information in risk-taking behavior between female crack cocaine users and adolescents. Additionally, we aimed to investigate whether sensation seeking, impulsivity, depressive and anxiety symptoms, executive functioning, and working memory performance could explain differences in risk-taking behavior.

METHOD

This is a quasi-experimental study comparing 27 low-income adult female crack cocaine users (CU) to 18 female adolescents (AD) within two conditions (no-feedback or delayed-feedback) of the Columbia Card Task (CCT). In order to investigate CCT reference values for adult females, we also included 20 female non-drug-users with regular education and income as a reference group (RG).

RESULTS

A similar pattern of risk-taking behavior was found between CU and AD within the CCT no-feedback condition. When delayed feedback was provided, AD exhibited a similar pattern of risk-taking behavior in the no-feedback condition, while CU showed a reduction of risk-taking behavior. Both groups exhibited higher risk taking than the RG within the CCT no-feedback condition, but only the AD group showed higher risk-taking behavior within the CCT feedback condition. Depressive symptom severity and working memory deficits were associated with higher risk-taking behaviors in CU. Executive functioning deficits were associated with higher risk-taking behavior in AD.

CONCLUSIONS

Adult female crack cocaine users and female adolescents took similar risks during risky decision-making scenarios where feedback about their own performance was absent. However, when participants were provided with such feedback, it modulated risk-taking behaviors in crack cocaine users but not in adolescents.

Layer- and area-specific actions of norepinephrine on cortical synaptic transmission

The cerebral cortex is a critical target of the central noradrenergic system. The importance of norepinephrine (NE) in the regulation of cortical activity is underscored by clinical findings that involve this catecholamine and its receptor subtypes in the regulation of a large number of emotional and cognitive functions and illnesses. In this review, we highlight diverse effects of the LC/NE system in the mammalian cortex. Indeed, electrophysiological, pharmacological, and behavioral studies in the last few decades reveal that NE elicits a mixed repertoire of excitatory, inhibitory, and biphasic effects on the firing activity and transmitter release of cortical neurons. At the intrinsic cellular level, NE can produce a series of effects similar to those elicited by other monoamines or acetylcholine, associated with systemic arousal. At the synaptic level, NE induces numerous acute changes in synaptic function, and ׳gates' the induction of long-term plasticity of glutamatergic synapses, consisting in an enhancement of engaged and relevant cortical synapses and/or depression of unengaged synapses. Equally important in shaping cortical function, in many cortical areas NE promotes a characteristic, most often reversible, increase in the gain of local inhibitory synapses, whose extent and temporal properties vary between different areas and sometimes even between cortical layers of the same area. While we are still a long way from a comprehensive theory of the function of the LC/NE system, its cellular, synaptic, and plastic effects are consistent with the hypothesis that noradrenergic modulation is critical in coordinating the activity of cortical and subcortical circuits for the integration of sensory activity and working memory. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Noradrenergic System.

Lower neuronal variability in the monkey dorsolateral prefrontal than posterior parietal cortex

The dorsolateral prefrontal and posterior parietal cortex are two brain areas involved in cognitive functions such as spatial attention and working memory. When tested with identical tasks, only subtle differences in firing rate are present between neurons recorded in the two areas. In this article we report that major differences in neuronal variability characterize the two areas during working memory. The Fano factors of spike counts in dorsolateral prefrontal neurons were consistently lower than those of the posterior parietal cortex across a range of tasks, epochs, and conditions in the same monkeys. Variability differences were observed despite minor differences in firing rates between the two areas in the tasks tested and higher overall firing rate in the prefrontal than in the posterior parietal sample. Other measures of neuronal discharge variability, such as the coefficient of variation of the interspike interval, displayed the same pattern of lower prefrontal variability. Fano factor values were negatively correlated with performance in the working memory task, suggesting that higher neuronal variability was associated with diminished task performance. The results indicate that information involving remembered stimuli is more reliably represented in the prefrontal than the posterior parietal cortex based on the variability of neuronal responses, and suggest functional differentiation between the two areas beyond differences in firing rate.

Subthalamic nucleus activity in the awake hemiparkinsonian rat: relationships with motor and cognitive networks

Oscillatory activity in both beta and gamma ranges has been recorded in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and linked to motor function, with beta activity considered antikinetic, and gamma activity, prokinetic. However, the extent to which nonmotor networks contribute to this activity is unclear. This study uses hemiparkinsonian rats performing a treadmill walking task to compare synchronized STN local field potential (LFP) activity with activity in motor cortex (MCx) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), areas involved in motor and cognitive processes, respectively. Data show increases in STN and MCx 29-36 Hz LFP spectral power and coherence after dopamine depletion, which are reduced by apomorphine and levodopa treatments. In contrast, recordings from mPFC 3 weeks after dopamine depletion failed to show peaks in 29-36 Hz LFP power. However, mPFC and STN both showed peaks in the 45-55 Hz frequency range in LFP power and coherence during walking before and 21 days after dopamine depletion. Interestingly, power in this low gamma range was transiently reduced in both mPFC and STN after dopamine depletion but recovered by day 21. In contrast to the 45-55 Hz activity, the amplitude of the exaggerated 29-36 Hz rhythm in the STN was modulated by paw movement. Furthermore, as in PD patients, after dopamine treatment a third band (high gamma) emerged in the lesioned hemisphere. The results suggest that STN integrates activity from both motor and cognitive networks in a manner that varies with frequency, behavioral state, and the integrity of the dopamine system.