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D'Aquila PS. Licking microstructure in response to novel rewards, reward devaluation and dopamine antagonists: Possible role of D1 and D2 medium spiny neurons in the nucleus accumbens. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 165:105861. [PMID: 39159734 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2024] [Revised: 07/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/16/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024]
Abstract
Evidence on the effect of dopamine D1 and D2-like antagonists and of manipulations of reward value on licking microstructure is reanalysed considering recent findings on the role of nucleus accumbens (NAc) medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the control of sugar intake. The results of this analysis suggest that D1 MSN activation, which is involved in the emission of licking bursts, might play a crucial role in response to novel rewards. D2 MSN activation, which results in reduction of burst size and suppression of licking, might mediate the response to reward devaluation. Elucidating the neural mechanisms underlying the licking response might lead to a better definition of its microstructural measures in behaviourally and psychologically meaningful functional terms. This could further support its use as a behavioural substrate in the study of the neural mechanisms of ingestive behaviour and motivation, as well as in animal models of pathological conditions such as eating disorders and obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo S D'Aquila
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Università di Sassari, Viale S. Pietro 43/b, Sassari 07100, Italy.
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Xu Y, Lin Y, Yu M, Zhou K. The nucleus accumbens in reward and aversion processing: insights and implications. Front Behav Neurosci 2024; 18:1420028. [PMID: 39184934 PMCID: PMC11341389 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1420028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc), a central component of the brain's reward circuitry, has been implicated in a wide range of behaviors and emotional states. Emerging evidence, primarily drawing from recent rodent studies, suggests that the function of the NAc in reward and aversion processing is multifaceted. Prolonged stress or drug use induces maladaptive neuronal function in the NAc circuitry, which results in pathological conditions. This review aims to provide comprehensive and up-to-date insights on the role of the NAc in motivated behavior regulation and highlights areas that demand further in-depth analysis. It synthesizes the latest findings on how distinct NAc neuronal populations and pathways contribute to the processing of opposite valences. The review examines how a range of neuromodulators, especially monoamines, influence the NAc's control over various motivational states. Furthermore, it delves into the complex underlying mechanisms of psychiatric disorders such as addiction and depression and evaluates prospective interventions to restore NAc functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Kuikui Zhou
- School of Health and Life Sciences, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao, China
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Castel J, Li G, Onimus O, Leishman E, Cani PD, Bradshaw H, Mackie K, Everard A, Luquet S, Gangarossa G. NAPE-PLD in the ventral tegmental area regulates reward events, feeding and energy homeostasis. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:1478-1490. [PMID: 38361126 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02427-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
The N-acyl phosphatidylethanolamine-specific phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD) catalyzes the production of N-acylethanolamines (NAEs), a family of endogenous bioactive lipids, which are involved in various biological processes ranging from neuronal functions to energy homeostasis and feeding behaviors. Reward-dependent behaviors depend on dopamine (DA) transmission between the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which conveys reward-values and scales reinforced behaviors. However, whether and how NAPE-PLD may contribute to the regulation of feeding and reward-dependent behaviors has not yet been investigated. This biological question is of paramount importance since NAEs are altered in obesity and metabolic disorders. Here, we show that transcriptomic meta-analysis highlights a potential role for NAPE-PLD within the VTA→NAc circuit. Using brain-specific invalidation approaches, we report that the integrity of NAPE-PLD is required for the proper homeostasis of NAEs within the midbrain VTA and it affects food-reward behaviors. Moreover, region-specific knock-down of NAPE-PLD in the VTA enhanced food-reward seeking and reinforced behaviors, which were associated with increased in vivo DA release dynamics in response to both food- and non-food-related rewards together with heightened tropism towards food consumption. Furthermore, midbrain knock-down of NAPE-PLD, which increased energy expenditure and adapted nutrient partitioning, elicited a relative protection against high-fat diet-mediated body fat gain and obesity-associated metabolic features. In conclusion, these findings reveal a new key role of VTA NAPE-PLD in shaping DA-dependent events, feeding behaviors and energy homeostasis, thus providing new insights on the regulation of body metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Castel
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, F-75013, Paris, France
| | - Guangping Li
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, F-75013, Paris, France
| | - Oriane Onimus
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, F-75013, Paris, France
| | - Emma Leishman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Patrice D Cani
- Metabolism and Nutrition Research group, Louvain Drug Research Institute (LDRI), UCLouvain, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- WELBIO-Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology, WELBIO department, WEL Research Institute, Wavre, Belgium
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research (IREC), UCLouvain, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Heather Bradshaw
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Ken Mackie
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Gill Center for Biomolecular Science, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Amandine Everard
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, F-75013, Paris, France
- Metabolism and Nutrition Research group, Louvain Drug Research Institute (LDRI), UCLouvain, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- WELBIO-Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology, WELBIO department, WEL Research Institute, Wavre, Belgium
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research (IREC), UCLouvain, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Serge Luquet
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, F-75013, Paris, France.
| | - Giuseppe Gangarossa
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, F-75013, Paris, France.
- Institut universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France.
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