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Hernández-Ortiz E, Luis-Islas J, Tecuapetla F, Gutierrez R, Bermúdez-Rattoni F. Top-down circuitry from the anterior insular cortex to VTA dopamine neurons modulates reward-related memory. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113365. [PMID: 37924513 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113365] [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: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The insular cortex (IC) has been linked to the processing of interoceptive and exteroceptive signals associated with addictive behavior. However, whether the IC modulates the acquisition of drug-related affective states by direct top-down connectivity with ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons is unknown. We found that photostimulation of VTA terminals of the anterior insular cortex (aIC) induces rewarding contextual memory, modulates VTA activity, and triggers dopamine release within the VTA. Employing neuronal recordings and neurochemical and transsynaptic tagging techniques, we disclose the functional top-down organization tagging the aIC pre-synaptic neuronal bodies and identifying VTA recipient neurons. Furthermore, systemic administration of amphetamine altered the VTA excitability of neurons modulated by the aIC projection, where photoactivation enhances, whereas photoinhibition impairs, a contextual rewarding behavior. Our study reveals a key circuit involved in developing and retaining drug reward-related contextual memory, providing insight into the neurobiological basis of addictive behavior and helping develop therapeutic addiction strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Hernández-Ortiz
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, División de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City 04510, México
| | - Jorge Luis-Islas
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Appetitive, Department of Pharmacology, Center of Aging Research (CIE), Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Fatuel Tecuapetla
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, División de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City 04510, México
| | - Ranier Gutierrez
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Appetitive, Department of Pharmacology, Center of Aging Research (CIE), Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Federico Bermúdez-Rattoni
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, División de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City 04510, México.
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2
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Zhou JL, de Guglielmo G, Ho AJ, Kallupi M, Pokhrel N, Li HR, Chitre AS, Munro D, Mohammadi P, Carrette LLG, George O, Palmer AA, McVicker G, Telese F. Single-nucleus genomics in outbred rats with divergent cocaine addiction-like behaviors reveals changes in amygdala GABAergic inhibition. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:1868-1879. [PMID: 37798411 PMCID: PMC10620093 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01452-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala processes positive and negative valence and contributes to addiction, but the cell-type-specific gene regulatory programs involved are unknown. We generated an atlas of single-nucleus gene expression and chromatin accessibility in the amygdala of outbred rats with high and low cocaine addiction-like behaviors following prolonged abstinence. Differentially expressed genes between the high and low groups were enriched for energy metabolism across cell types. Rats with high addiction index (AI) showed increased relapse-like behaviors and GABAergic transmission in the amygdala. Both phenotypes were reversed by pharmacological inhibition of the glyoxalase 1 enzyme, which metabolizes methylglyoxal-a GABAA receptor agonist produced by glycolysis. Differences in chromatin accessibility between high and low AI rats implicated pioneer transcription factors in the basic helix-loop-helix, FOX, SOX and activator protein 1 families. We observed opposite regulation of chromatin accessibility across many cell types. Most notably, excitatory neurons had greater accessibility in high AI rats and inhibitory neurons had greater accessibility in low AI rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Zhou
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Integrative Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Aaron J Ho
- Integrative Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Marsida Kallupi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Narayan Pokhrel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Hai-Ri Li
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Apurva S Chitre
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Daniel Munro
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Pejman Mohammadi
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Olivier George
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Abraham A Palmer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Graham McVicker
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Integrative Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Francesca Telese
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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Vento PJ, Watson JR, Pullmann D, Black SL, Tomberlin JS, Jhou TC. Pumping the brakes: rostromedial tegmental inhibition of compulsive cocaine seeking. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.04.560908. [PMID: 38405989 PMCID: PMC10889025 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.04.560908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Addiction is marked by aberrant decision-making and an inability to suppress inappropriate and often dangerous behaviors. We previously demonstrated that inactivation of the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) in rats causes persistent food seeking despite impending aversive footshock, an effect strikingly similar to the punishment resistance observed in people with a history of protracted drug use [1]. Here, we extend these studies to demonstrate chemogenetic silencing of RMTg axonal projections to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) (RMTg→VTA pathway) causes rats to endure significantly more footshock to receive cocaine infusions. To further test whether activation of this circuit is sufficient to suppress reward seeking in the absence of an overtly aversive stimulus, we used temporally specific optogenetic stimulation of the RMTg→VTA pathway as a "punisher" in place of footshock following lever pressing for either food or cocaine reward. While optical stimulation of the RMTg→VTA pathway robustly suppressed lever pressing for food, we found that stimulation of this circuit had only modest effects on suppressing responding for cocaine infusions. Even though optical RMTg→VTA stimulation was not particularly effective at reducing ongoing cocaine use, this experience nevertheless had long-lasting consequences, as reinstatement of drug seeking in response to cocaine-associated cues was profoundly suppressed when tested nearly two weeks later. These results suggest the RMTg may serve as a useful target for producing enduring reductions in drug craving, particularly during periods of abstinence from drug use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Vento
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | - Jacob R Watson
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | - Dominika Pullmann
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
| | | | - Jensen S Tomberlin
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
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Glover EJ, Margaret Starr E, Gascon A, Clayton-Stiglbauer K, Amegashie CL, Selchick AH, Vaughan DT, Wayman WN, Woodward JJ, Chandler LJ. Involvement of cortical input to the rostromedial tegmental nucleus in aversion to foot shock. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:1455-1464. [PMID: 37221326 PMCID: PMC10425416 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01612-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) encodes negative reward prediction error (RPE) and plays an important role in guiding behavioral responding to aversive stimuli. Previous research has focused on regulation of RMTg activity by the lateral habenula despite studies revealing RMTg afferents from other regions including the frontal cortex. The current study provides a detailed anatomical and functional analysis of cortical input to the RMTg of male rats. Retrograde tracing uncovered dense cortical input to the RMTg spanning the medial prefrontal cortex, the orbitofrontal cortex and anterior insular cortex. Afferents were most dense in the dorsomedial subregion of the PFC (dmPFC), an area that is also implicated in both RPE signaling and aversive responding. RMTg-projecting dmPFC neurons originate in layer V, are glutamatergic, and collateralize to select brain regions. In-situ mRNA hybridization revealed that neurons in this circuit are predominantly D1 receptor-expressing with a high degree of D2 receptor colocalization. Consistent with cFos induction in this neural circuit during exposure to foot shock and shock-predictive cues, optogenetic stimulation of dmPFC terminals in the RMTg drove avoidance. Lastly, acute slice electrophysiology and morphological studies revealed that exposure to repeated foot shock resulted in significant physiological and structural changes consistent with a loss of top-down modulation of RMTg-mediated signaling. Altogether, these data reveal the presence of a prominent cortico-subcortical projection involved in adaptive behavioral responding to aversive stimuli such as foot shock and provide a foundation for future work aimed at exploring alterations in circuit function in diseases characterized by deficits in cognitive control over reward and aversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth J Glover
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - E Margaret Starr
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Andres Gascon
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Kacey Clayton-Stiglbauer
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Christen L Amegashie
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Alyson H Selchick
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Dylan T Vaughan
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Wesley N Wayman
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - John J Woodward
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - L Judson Chandler
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
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Mesa JR, Wesson DW, Schwendt M, Knackstedt LA. The roles of rat medial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices in relapse to cocaine-seeking: A comparison across methods for identifying neurocircuits. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 4:100031. [PMID: 36277334 PMCID: PMC9583858 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2022.100031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
A large body of research supports the notion that regions of the rodent frontal cortex regulate reinstatement of cocaine seeking after cessation of intravenous cocaine self-administration. However, earlier studies identifying the roles of medial (mPFC) and orbital prefrontal cortices (OFC) in reinstatement relied on pharmacological inactivation methods, which indiscriminately inhibited cells within a target region. Here, we first review the anatomical borders and pathways of the rat mPFC and OFC. Next, we compare and contrast findings from more recent cocaine seeking and reinstatement studies that used chemogenetics, optogenetics, or advanced tracing to manipulate specific local cell types or input/output projections of the mPFC and OFC subregions. We found that these studies largely corroborated the roles for mPFC subregions as ascribed by pharmacological inactivation studies. Namely, the prelimbic cortex generally drives cocaine seeking behaviors while the infralimbic cortex is recruited to inhibit cocaine seeking by extinction training but may contribute to seeking after prolonged abstinence. While the OFC remains understudied, we suggest it should not be overlooked, and, as with prelimbic and infralimbic cortices, we identify specific pathways of interest for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier R. Mesa
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, 114 Psychology, 945 Center Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611, USA,Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA,Corresponding author at: Department of Psychology, University of Florida, 114 Psychology, 945 Center Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. (J.R. Mesa)
| | - Daniel W. Wesson
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA,Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Marek Schwendt
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, 114 Psychology, 945 Center Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611, USA,Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Lori A. Knackstedt
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, 114 Psychology, 945 Center Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611, USA,Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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Plocinski JA, Ball KT. Prelimbic medial prefrontal cortex has bidirectional control over the expression of behavioral sensitization to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) depending on the context of drug administration. Neurosci Lett 2022; 783:136710. [PMID: 35671916 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2022.136710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral sensitization to MDMA is observed in the vast majority of rats if tested in the same environment in which previous MDMA exposure occurred, but not if tested in a novel, unpaired context. Previous studies have revealed a critical role for the prelimbic region of medial prefrontal cortex (PL) in the expression of sensitization to MDMA, but these studies assessed sensitization only in MDMA-paired environments. Given that PL activity can both facilitate and suppress behavior depending on context, we tested the hypothesis that PL has bidirectional control over the expression of locomotor sensitization to MDMA depending on the context of drug administration. Rats were treated with either saline or MDMA (5.0 mg/kg) twice daily for 5 days, in either their home cages (unpaired groups) or the activity monitors that were used for tests of sensitization on challenge days (paired groups). Prior to MDMA challenge injections (2.5 mg/kg; at ∼2 weeks of withdrawal), rats received bilateral PL microinjections of either lidocaine (100 μg/0.5 μl/side) or physiological saline (0.5 μl/side). Locomotor activity in response to MDMA challenge was unaffected by PL inactivation in saline pretreated rats. However, PL inactivation caused a decrease in locomotion to the challenge injection in MDMA/paired rats and an increase in locomotion in MDMA/unpaired rats. These results establish a novel role for PL in suppressing the expression of behavioral sensitization when subjects are challenged in a drug-unpaired context, adding to the literature implicating PL activity in both the expression and inhibition of other drug-related behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A Plocinski
- Department of Psychology, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 400 E. 2(nd) St., Bloomsburg, PA, 17815, USA
| | - Kevin T Ball
- Department of Psychology, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 400 E. 2(nd) St., Bloomsburg, PA, 17815, USA.
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Jhou TC. The rostromedial tegmental (RMTg) "brake" on dopamine and behavior: A decade of progress but also much unfinished work. Neuropharmacology 2021; 198:108763. [PMID: 34433088 PMCID: PMC8593889 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Between 2005 and 2009, several research groups identified a strikingly dense inhibitory input to midbrain dopamine neurons arising from a previously uncharted region posterior to the ventral tegmental area (VTA). This region is now denoted as either the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) or the "tail of the VTA" (tVTA), and is recognized to express distinct genetic markers, encode negative "prediction errors" (inverse to dopamine neurons), and play critical roles in behavioral inhibition and punishment learning. RMTg neurons are also influenced by many categories of abused drugs, and may drive some aversive responses to such drugs, particularly cocaine and alcohol. However, despite much progress, many important questions remain about RMTg molecular/genetic properties, diversity of projection targets, and applications to addiction, depression, and other neuropsychiatric disorders. This article is part of the special Issue on 'Neurocircuitry Modulating Drug and Alcohol Abuse'.
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From head to tail (of the VTA): role of projections from prelimbic cortex to rostromedial tegmental nucleus in cocaine reinstatement. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1395-1396. [PMID: 33452436 PMCID: PMC8208967 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00933-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Cruz AM, Kim TH, Smith RJ. Monosynaptic Retrograde Tracing From Prelimbic Neuron Subpopulations Projecting to Either Nucleus Accumbens Core or Rostromedial Tegmental Nucleus. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:639733. [PMID: 33732114 PMCID: PMC7959753 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.639733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The prelimbic (PL) region of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been implicated in both driving and suppressing motivated behaviors, including cocaine-seeking in rats. These seemingly opposing functions may be mediated by different efferent targets of PL projections, such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core and rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), which have contrasting roles in reward-seeking behaviors. We sought to characterize the anatomical connectivity differences between PL neurons projecting to NAc core and RMTg. We used conventional retrograde tracers to reveal distinct subpopulations of PL neurons projecting to NAc core vs. RMTg in rats, with very little overlap. To examine potential differences in input specificity for these two PL subpopulations, we then used Cre-dependent rabies virus (EnvA-RV-EGFP) as a monosynaptic retrograde tracer and targeted specific PL neurons via injections of retrograde CAV2-Cre in either NAc core or RMTg. We observed a similar catalog of cortical, thalamic, and limbic afferents for both NAc- and RMTg-projecting populations, with the primary source of afferent information arising from neighboring prefrontal neurons in ipsilateral PL and infralimbic cortex (IL). However, when the two subpopulations were directly compared, we found that RMTg-projecting PL neurons received a greater proportion of input from ipsilateral PL and IL, whereas NAc-projecting PL neurons received a greater proportion of input from most other cortical areas, mediodorsal thalamic nucleus, and several other subcortical areas. NAc-projecting PL neurons also received a greater proportion of contralateral cortical input. Our findings reveal that PL subpopulations differ not only in their efferent target but also in the input specificity from afferent structures. These differences in connectivity are likely to be critical to functional differences of PL subpopulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adelis M Cruz
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Tabitha H Kim
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Rachel J Smith
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.,Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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