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Chalhoub RM, Testen A, Hopkins J, Carthy C, Kalivas PW. Formation of an Enduring Ensemble of Accumbens Neurons Leads to Prepotent Seeking for Cocaine Over Natural Reward Cues. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.05.606522. [PMID: 39149274 PMCID: PMC11326163 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.05.606522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Neuronal activity in the nucleus accumbens core (NAcore) is necessary for reward-seeking behaviors. We hypothesized that the differential encoding of natural and drug rewards in the NAcore contributes to substance use disorder. We leveraged single-cell calcium imaging of dopamine D1- and D2-receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the NAcore of mice to examine differences between sucrose and cocaine rewarded (self-administration) and unrewarded (abstinent and cue-induced) seeking. Activity was time-locked to nose-poking for reward, clustered, and compared between sucrose and cocaine. Only in cocaine-trained mice were excited D1-MSNs securely stable, capable of decoding nose-poking in all rewarded and unrewarded sessions and correlated with the intensity of nose-poking for unrewarded seeking. Furthermore, D1-MSNs formed a stable ensemble predictive of seeking behavior after extended cocaine, but not sucrose abstinence. The excited D1-MSN ensemble uniquely drives cue-induced cocaine seeking and may contribute to why drug seeking is prepotent over natural reward seeking in cocaine use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reda M Chalhoub
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Anze Testen
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Jordan Hopkins
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Camille Carthy
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Peter W Kalivas
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Ralph Johnson Veterans Administration, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
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2
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Ahmed SH. The importance of choice and agency in animal models of addiction. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2024; 131:487-489. [PMID: 37906290 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-023-02712-8] [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: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this short commentary is twofold. First, it uncovers and outlines in broad strokes a historical, albeit oft-overlooked, trend toward a growing place for choice and agency in the design of animal models of addiction. Next, it tries to draw from this historical trend some perspectives and implications for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serge H Ahmed
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, 33000, Bordeaux, France.
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3
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Beasley MM, Amantini S, Gunawan T, Silberberg A, Kearns DN. Cocaine and heroin interact differently with nondrug reinforcers in a choice situation. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 2024; 32:158-172. [PMID: 37535523 PMCID: PMC10837314 DOI: 10.1037/pha0000674] [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] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
The present study used a rat choice model to test how cocaine or heroin economically interacted with two different nondrug reinforcers along the substitute-to-complement continuum. In Experiment 1, the nondrug alternative was the negative reinforcer timeout-from-avoidance (TOA)-that is, rats could press a lever to obtain a period of safety from footshock. One group of rats chose between cocaine and TOA and another group chose between heroin and TOA. The relative prices of the reinforcers were manipulated across phases while controlling for potential income effects. When cocaine was the reinforcer, rats reacted to price changes by increasing their allocation of behavior to the more expensive option, thereby maintaining relatively proportional intake of cocaine and TOA reinforcers across prices, suggesting these reinforcers were complements here. In contrast, when heroin became relatively cheap, rats increased allocation of income to heroin and decreased allocation of income to TOA, suggesting that heroin substituted for safety. Additionally, rats were willing to accept more footshocks when heroin was easily available. In Experiment 2, the nondrug alternative was saccharin, a positive reinforcer. Heroin and saccharin were complements, but there was no consistent effect of price changes on the allocation of behavior between cocaine and saccharin. As a model of the processes that could be involved in human drug use, these results show that drug-taking behavior depends on the type of drug, the type of nondrug alternative available, and the prices of both. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah Amantini
- Psychology Department, American University, Washington, DC
| | - Tommy Gunawan
- Human Psychopharmacology Laboratory, NIAAA/NIH, Bethesda, MD
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Johnson BN, Allen MI, Nader MA. Acquisition of cocaine reinforcement using fixed-ratio and concurrent choice schedules in socially housed female and male monkeys. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024; 241:263-274. [PMID: 37882812 PMCID: PMC10841868 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06483-8] [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: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Previous studies in socially housed monkeys examining acquisition of cocaine self-administration under fixed-ratio (FR) schedules of reinforcement found that subordinate males and dominant females were more vulnerable than their counterparts. OBJECTIVES The present studies extended these findings in two ways: (1) to replicate the earlier study, in which female monkeys were studied after a relatively short period of social housing (~ 3 months) using cocaine-naïve female monkeys (n = 9; 4 dominant and 5 subordinate) living in well-established social groups (~ 18 months); and (2) in male monkeys (n = 3/social rank), we studied cocaine acquisition under a concurrent schedule, with an alternative, non-drug reinforcer available. RESULTS In contrast to earlier findings, subordinate female monkeys acquired cocaine reinforcement (i.e., > saline reinforcement) at significantly lower cocaine doses compared with dominant monkeys. In the socially housed males, no dominant monkey acquired a cocaine preference (i.e., > 80% cocaine choice) over food, while two of three subordinate monkeys acquired cocaine reinforcement. In monkeys that did not acquire, the conditions were changed to an FR schedule with only cocaine available and after acquisition, returned to the concurrent schedule. In all monkeys, high doses of cocaine were chosen over food reinforcement. CONCLUSIONS The behavioral data in females suggests that duration of social enrichment and stress can differentially impact vulnerability to cocaine reinforcement. The findings in socially housed male monkeys, using concurrent food vs. cocaine choice schedules of reinforcement, confirmed earlier social-rank differences using an FR schedule and showed that vulnerability could be modified by exposure to cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard N Johnson
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical Center Blvd, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1083, USA
| | - Mia I Allen
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical Center Blvd, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1083, USA
| | - Michael A Nader
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical Center Blvd, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157-1083, USA.
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5
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Chang VN, Peters J. Neural circuits controlling choice behavior in opioid addiction. Neuropharmacology 2023; 226:109407. [PMID: 36592884 PMCID: PMC9898219 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109407] [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: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
As the opioid epidemic presents an ever-expanding public health threat, there is a growing need to identify effective new treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD). OUD is characterized by a behavioral misallocation in choice behavior between opioids and other rewards, as opioid use leads to negative consequences, such as job loss, family neglect, and potential overdose. Preclinical models of addiction that incorporate choice behavior, as opposed to self-administration of a single drug reward, are needed to understand the neural circuits governing opioid choice. These choice models recapitulate scenarios that humans suffering from OUD encounter in their daily lives. Indeed, patients with substance use disorders (SUDs) exhibit a propensity to choose drug under certain conditions. While most preclinical addiction models have focused on relapse as the outcome measure, our data suggest that choice is an independent metric of addiction severity, perhaps relating to loss of cognitive control over choice, as opposed to excessive motivational drive to seek drugs during relapse. In this review, we examine both preclinical and clinical literature on choice behavior for drugs, with a focus on opioids, and the neural circuits that mediate drug choice versus relapse. We argue that preclinical models of opioid choice are needed to identify promising new avenues for OUD therapy that are translationally relevant. Both forward and reverse translation will be necessary to identify novel treatment interventions. This article is part of the Special Issue on "Opioid-induced changes in addiction and pain circuits".
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria N Chang
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Jamie Peters
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
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6
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Marchant NJ, McDonald AJ, Matsuzaki R, van Mourik Y, Schetters D, De Vries TJ. Rats choose alcohol over social reward in an operant choice procedure. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:585-593. [PMID: 36109596 PMCID: PMC9938232 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01447-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The interaction between social factors and alcohol addiction is complex, with potential for both positive and negative contributions to drug use and abstinence. Positive social connections are an important component in successful abstinence, and yet the social context of alcohol use can also lead to relapse. Recently it was shown that rats overwhelmingly choose social reward over methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin in a discrete choice procedure, and that prolonged choice for social reward attenuates incubation of drug craving. The extent to which this effect generalises to rats trained to self-administer alcohol is not known. In this study we aimed to test the effect of social reward on choice for alcohol in male and female rats. We first validated social reward self-administration in both male and female Long-Evans rats, and found that 60 s access to a social partner of the same sex can serve as an operant reinforcer. Next we trained rats to self-administer both social reward and alcohol (20% ethanol in water), and then used discrete choice trial based tests to determine whether there is a choice preference for alcohol or social reward. Our main finding is that both male and female rats showed persistent choice for alcohol over social reward, with only minor differences between the sexes. We also show that choice for alcohol could be reduced via increased response requirement for alcohol, pre-choice alcohol exposure, and also decreasing the alcohol percentage. This study shows that preference for social rewards over drugs may not generalise to rats self-administering alcohol, and we describe several conditions where choice for social reward can be developed. This study highlights the important contribution of social factors to alcohol abuse, and future studies can investigate the neurobiology underlying a shift in preference from alcohol to social rewards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan J Marchant
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Compulsivity Impulsivity and Attention, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Allison J McDonald
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Compulsivity Impulsivity and Attention, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rie Matsuzaki
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Compulsivity Impulsivity and Attention, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Yvar van Mourik
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Compulsivity Impulsivity and Attention, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dustin Schetters
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Compulsivity Impulsivity and Attention, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Taco J De Vries
- Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences, Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Compulsivity Impulsivity and Attention, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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7
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Collins V, Bornhoft KN, Wolff A, Sinha S, Saunders BT. Hierarchical cue control of cocaine seeking in the face of cost. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:461-476. [PMID: 36069951 PMCID: PMC10131580 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06218-1] [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: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Addiction is characterized by intermittent drug seeking despite rising costs. This behavior is heavily influenced by environmental stimuli that signal drug availability and reinforce drug seeking. OBJECTIVE To establish the relationship between three key aspects of human drug use in rats: the intermittent, binge nature of drug intake, the motivational conflict of drug seeking in the face of escalating negative costs, and the ability of different drug cues to interact to modulate relapse. METHODS Male and female rats were trained to self-administer cocaine on an intermittent access schedule, where brief drug-availability states were signaled by a shift in the ambient lighting of the environment, and cocaine infusions were signaled by a separate proximal discrete cue. Rats then went through a conflict procedure, where foot shock intensity associated with cocaine seeking was escalated until intake was suppressed. We then completed relapse tests where the drug-delivery cue was noncontingently presented alone, or in the context of dynamic drug-availability state transitions. RESULTS Intermittent access spurred psychomotor sensitization and binge-like cocaine intake. The intensity of binge-like drug taking during training was predictive of later drug seeking despite escalating costs during conflict. In relapse tests, the ability of a proximal discrete drug cue to trigger relapse was gated by the presence of a global cue signaling drug-availability state transitions. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the pattern of drug intake plays a role in many features of addiction, including modifying an individual's willingness to endure high costs associated with drug seeking. Furthermore, our studies indicate that drug-related sensory information can be hierarchically organized to exert a dynamic modulating influence on drug-seeking motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Val Collins
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Medical Discovery Team On Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kaisa N Bornhoft
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Medical Discovery Team On Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Amy Wolff
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Medical Discovery Team On Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Sonal Sinha
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Benjamin T Saunders
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
- Medical Discovery Team On Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
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Anderson EM, Tsvetkov E, Galante A, DeVries D, McCue LM, Wood D, Barry S, Berto S, Lavin A, Taniguchi M, Cowan CW. Epigenetic function during heroin self-administration controls future relapse-associated behavior in a cell type-specific manner. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2210953120. [PMID: 36745812 PMCID: PMC9963300 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2210953120] [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: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Opioid use produces enduring associations between drug reinforcement/euphoria and discreet or diffuse cues in the drug-taking environment. These powerful associations can trigger relapse in individuals recovering from opioid use disorder (OUD). Here, we sought to determine whether the epigenetic enzyme, histone deacetylase 5 (HDAC5), regulates relapse-associated behavior in an animal model of OUD. We examined the effects of nucleus accumbens (NAc) HDAC5 on both heroin- and sucrose-seeking behaviors using operant self-administration paradigms. We utilized cre-dependent viral-mediated approaches to investigate the cell-type-specific effects of HDAC5 on heroin-seeking behavior, gene expression, and medium spiny neuron (MSN) cell and synaptic physiology. We found that NAc HDAC5 functions during the acquisition phase of heroin self-administration to limit future relapse-associated behavior. Moreover, overexpressing HDAC5 in the NAc suppressed context-associated and reinstated heroin-seeking behaviors, but it did not alter sucrose seeking. We also found that HDAC5 functions within dopamine D1 receptor-expressing MSNs to suppress cue-induced heroin seeking, and within dopamine D2 receptor-expressing MSNs to suppress drug-primed heroin seeking. Assessing cell-type-specific transcriptomics, we found that HDAC5 reduced expression of multiple ion transport genes in both D1- and D2-MSNs. Consistent with this observation, HDAC5 also produced firing rate depression in both MSN classes. These findings revealed roles for HDAC5 during active heroin use in both D1- and D2-MSNs to limit distinct triggers of drug-seeking behavior. Together, our results suggest that HDAC5 might limit relapse vulnerability through regulation of ion channel gene expression and suppression of MSN firing rates during active heroin use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan M. Anderson
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC29425
| | - Evgeny Tsvetkov
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC29425
| | - Allison Galante
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC29425
| | - Derek DeVries
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC29425
| | - Lauren M. McCue
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC29425
| | - Daniel Wood
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC29425
| | - Sarah Barry
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC29425
| | - Stefano Berto
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC29425
| | - Antonieta Lavin
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC29425
| | - Makoto Taniguchi
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC29425
| | - Christopher W. Cowan
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC29425
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Lenoir M, Navailles S, Vandaele Y, Vouillac-Mendoza C, Guillem K, Ahmed SH. Large-scale brain correlates of sweet versus cocaine reward in rats. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 57:423-439. [PMID: 36453530 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15879] [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: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Cocaine induces many supranormal changes in neuronal activity in the brain, notably in learning- and reward-related regions, in comparison with nondrug rewards-a difference that is thought to contribute to its relatively high addictive potential. However, when facing a choice between cocaine and a nondrug reward (e.g., water sweetened with saccharin), most rats do not choose cocaine, as one would expect from the extent and magnitude of its global activation of the brain, but instead choose the nondrug option. We recently showed that cocaine, though larger in magnitude, is also an inherently more delayed reward than sweet water, thereby explaining why it has less value during choice and why rats opt for the more immediate nondrug option. Here, we used a large-scale Fos brain mapping approach to measure brain responses to each option in saccharin-preferring rats, with the hope to identify brain regions whose activity may explain the preference for the nondrug option. In total, Fos expression was measured in 142 brain levels corresponding to 52 brain subregions and composing 5 brain macrosystems. Overall, our findings confirm in rats with a preference for saccharin that cocaine induces more global brain activation than the preferred nondrug option does. Only very few brain regions were uniquely activated by saccharin. They included regions involved in taste processing (i.e., anterior gustatory cortex) and also regions involved in processing reward delay and intertemporal choice (i.e., some components of the septohippocampal system and its connections with the lateral habenula).
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Affiliation(s)
- Magalie Lenoir
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | | | - Youna Vandaele
- INSERM, U-1084, Laboratoire des Neurosciences Expérimentales et Cliniques, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | | | - Karine Guillem
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - Serge H Ahmed
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
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10
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The Protective Effect of Social Reward on Opioid and Psychostimulant Reward and Relapse: Behavior, Pharmacology, and Brain Regions. J Neurosci 2022; 42:9298-9314. [PMID: 36517252 PMCID: PMC9794371 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0931-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Until recently, most modern neuroscience research on addiction using animal models did not incorporate manipulations of social factors. Social factors play a critical role in human addiction: social isolation and exclusion can promote drug use and relapse, while social connections and inclusion tend to be protective. Here, we discuss the state of the literature on social factors in animal models of opioid and psychostimulant preference, self-administration, and relapse. We first summarize results from rodent studies on behavioral, pharmacological, and circuit mechanisms of the protective effect of traditional experimenter-controlled social interaction procedures on opioid and psychostimulant conditioned place preference, self-administration, and relapse. Next, we summarize behavioral and brain-mechanism results from studies using newer operant social-interaction procedures that inhibit opioid and psychostimulant self-administration and relapse. We conclude by discussing how the reviewed studies point to future directions for the addiction field and other neuroscience and psychiatric fields, and their implications for mechanistic understanding of addiction and development of new treatments.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In this review, we propose that incorporating social factors into modern neuroscience research on addiction could improve mechanistic accounts of addiction and help close gaps in translating discovery to treatment. We first summarize rodent studies on behavioral, pharmacological, and circuit mechanisms of the protective effect of both traditional experimenter-controlled and newer operant social-interaction procedures. We then discuss potential future directions and clinical implications.
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11
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Padovan-Hernandez Y, Rojas G, Wu L, Knackstedt LA. Individual differences in cocaine seeking during voluntary abstinence predicts cocaine relapse and the circuitry mediating relapse. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:3963-3973. [PMID: 36329194 PMCID: PMC10240883 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06270-x] [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: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE There are no FDA-approved treatments to facilitate recovery from cocaine use disorder. Contingency management offers non-drug reinforcers to encourage abstinence and is effective at reducing drug seeking during treatment, but once discontinued, relapse rates increase. OBJECTIVES We sought to establish a choice-based rodent model of voluntary abstinence (VA) from cocaine to test the ability of ceftriaxone, an antibiotic consistently shown to prevent relapse to cocaine seeking in rodents, to attenuate relapse after discontinuation of VA, and to investigate relapse-induced neuronal activation via c-Fos expression. METHODS Male Sprague-Dawley rats self-administered sucrose pellets for 5 days and intravenous cocaine for 12 days. Rats then underwent 14 days of voluntary or forced abstinence. VA sessions entailed the opportunity to choose between sucrose and cocaine delivery in discrete trials (20 trials/day). Ceftriaxone (or vehicle) was administered during the last 7 days of abstinence. During a relapse test, only the cocaine-paired lever was available and presses on the lever delivered cocaine-paired cues. RESULTS There were more presses on the sucrose lever during VA, but cocaine intake did not decline to zero. Ceftriaxone had no effect on cocaine intake during VA. Neither ceftriaxone nor VA reduced cocaine seeking during the relapse test, and cocaine intake during VA positively correlated with cocaine seeking during the test in vehicle-treated animals. Relapse-induced c-Fos expression was found to be greater in the ventral orbitofrontal cortex following VA. CONCLUSIONS Sucrose availability leads to a decrease in, but not cessation of, cocaine seeking and a differential engagement of the circuitry underlying relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmin Padovan-Hernandez
- Psychology Department, University of Florida, 114 Psychology, 945 Center Dr, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
- Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
| | - Giselle Rojas
- Psychology Department, University of Florida, 114 Psychology, 945 Center Dr, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Lizhen Wu
- Psychology Department, University of Florida, 114 Psychology, 945 Center Dr, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Lori A Knackstedt
- Psychology Department, University of Florida, 114 Psychology, 945 Center Dr, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
- Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.
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12
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Neural correlates of ‘Liking’ and ‘Wanting’ in short-term eating behaviours and long-term energy balance. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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13
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Giannotti G, Mottarlini F, Heinsbroek JA, Mandel MR, James MH, Peters J. Oxytocin and orexin systems bidirectionally regulate the ability of opioid cues to bias reward seeking. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:432. [PMID: 36195606 PMCID: PMC9532415 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02161-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
As opioid-related fatalities continue to rise, the need for novel opioid use disorder (OUD) treatments could not be more urgent. Two separate hypothalamic neuropeptide systems have shown promise in preclinical OUD models. The oxytocin system, originating in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), may protect against OUD severity. By contrast, the orexin system, originating in the lateral hypothalamus (LH), may exacerbate OUD severity. Thus, activating the oxytocin system or inhibiting the orexin system are potential therapeutic strategies. The specific role of these systems with regard to specific OUD outcomes, however, is not fully understood. Here, we probed the therapeutic efficacy of pharmacological interventions targeting the orexin or oxytocin system on two distinct metrics of OUD severity in rats-heroin choice (versus choice for natural reward, i.e., food) and cued reward seeking. Using a preclinical model that generates approximately equal choice between heroin and food reward, we examined the impact of exogenously administered oxytocin, an oxytocin receptor antagonist (L-368,899), and a dual orexin receptor antagonist (DORA-12) on opioid choice. Whereas these agents did not alter heroin choice when rewards (heroin and food) were available, oxytocin and DORA-12 each significantly reduced heroin seeking in the presence of competing reward cues when no rewards were available. In addition, the number of LH orexin neurons and PVN oxytocin neurons correlated with specific behavioral economic variables indicative of heroin versus food motivation. These data identify a novel bidirectional role of the oxytocin and orexin systems in the ability of opioid-related cues to bias reward seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Giannotti
- grid.430503.10000 0001 0703 675XDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA
| | - Francesca Mottarlini
- grid.430503.10000 0001 0703 675XDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA ,grid.4708.b0000 0004 1757 2822Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Jasper A. Heinsbroek
- grid.430503.10000 0001 0703 675XDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA
| | - Mitchel R. Mandel
- grid.430503.10000 0001 0703 675XDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA
| | - Morgan H. James
- grid.430387.b0000 0004 1936 8796Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Jamie Peters
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA. .,Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
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14
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Engeln M, Fox ME, Chandra R, Choi EY, Nam H, Qadir H, Thomas SS, Rhodes VM, Turner MD, Herman RJ, Calarco CA, Lobo MK. Transcriptome profiling of the ventral pallidum reveals a role for pallido-thalamic neurons in cocaine reward. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:3980-3991. [PMID: 35764708 PMCID: PMC9722585 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01668-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Psychostimulant exposure alters the activity of ventral pallidum (VP) projection neurons. However, the molecular underpinnings of these circuit dysfunctions are unclear. We used RNA-sequencing to reveal alterations in the transcriptional landscape of the VP that are induced by cocaine self-administration in mice. We then probed gene expression in select VP neuronal subpopulations to isolate a circuit associated with cocaine intake. Finally, we used both overexpression and CRISPR-mediated knockdown to test the role of a gene target on cocaine-mediated behaviors as well as dendritic spine density. Our results showed that a large proportion (55%) of genes associated with structural plasticity were changed 24 h following cocaine intake. Among them, the transcription factor Nr4a1 (Nuclear receptor subfamily 4, group A, member 1, or Nur77) showed high expression levels. We found that the VP to mediodorsal thalamus (VP → MDT) projection neurons specifically were recapitulating this increase in Nr4a1 expression. Overexpressing Nr4a1 in VP → MDT neurons enhanced drug-seeking and drug-induced reinstatement, while Nr4a1 knockdown prevented self-administration acquisition and subsequent cocaine-mediated behaviors. Moreover, we showed that Nr4a1 negatively regulated spine dynamics in this specific cell subpopulation. Together, our study identifies for the first time the transcriptional mechanisms occurring in VP in drug exposure. Our study provides further understanding on the role of Nr4a1 in cocaine-related behaviors and identifies the crucial role of the VP → MDT circuit in drug intake and relapse-like behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Engeln
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.
| | - Megan E Fox
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Ramesh Chandra
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Eric Y Choi
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hyungwoo Nam
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Houman Qadir
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shavin S Thomas
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Victoria M Rhodes
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Makeda D Turner
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rae J Herman
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Cali A Calarco
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mary Kay Lobo
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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15
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The impact of caloric availability on eating behavior and ultra-processed food reward. Appetite 2022; 178:106274. [PMID: 35963586 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2022.106274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The food environment has changed rapidly and dramatically in the last 50 years. While industrial food processing has increased the safety and stability of the food supply, a rapid expansion in the scope and scale of food processing in the 1980's has resulted in a market dominated by ultra-processed foods. Here, we use the NOVA definition of category 4 ultra-processed foods (UPFs) as they make up around 58% of total calories consumed in the US and 66% of calories in US children. UPFs are formulated from ingredients with no or infrequent culinary use, contain additives, and have a long shelf-life, spending long periods in contact with packaging materials, allowing for the absorption of compounds from those materials. The full implications of this dietary shift to UPFs on human health and disease outcomes are difficult, if not impossible, to quantify. However, UPF consumption is linked with various forms of cancer, increased cardiovascular disease, and increased all-cause mortality. Understanding food choice is, therefore, a critical problem in health research. Although many factors influence food choice, here we focus on the properties of the foods themselves. UPFs are generally treated as food, not as the highly refined, industrialized substances that they are, whose properties and components must be studied. Here, we examine one property of UPFs, that they deliver useable calories rapidly as a potential factor driving UPF overconsumption. First, we explore evidence that UPFs deliver calories more rapidly. Next, we examine the role of the gut-brain axis and its interplay with canonical reward systems, and last, we describe how speed affects both basic learning processes and drugs of abuse.
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16
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Chow JJ, Beacher NJ, Chabot JM, Oke M, Venniro M, Lin DT, Shaham Y. Characterization of operant social interaction in rats: effects of access duration, effort, peer familiarity, housing conditions, and choice between social interaction vs. food or remifentanil. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:2093-2108. [PMID: 35230469 PMCID: PMC10724845 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06064-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVE Social factors play a critical role in drug addiction. We recently showed that rats will abstain from methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and remifentanil self-administration when given a choice between the addictive drug and operant social interaction. Here, we further characterized operant social interaction by determining the effects of access duration, effort, peer familiarity, and housing conditions. We also determined choice between social interaction vs. palatable food or remifentanil. METHODS We first trained single-housed male and female rats to lever-press for social interaction with a sex- and age-matched peer. Next, we determined effects of access duration (3.75 to 240 s), effort (increasing fixed-ratio schedule requirements or progressive ratio schedule), peer familiarity (familiar vs. unfamiliar), and housing conditions (single vs. paired housing) on social self-administration. We also determined choice between social interaction vs. palatable food pellets or intravenous remifentanil (0, 1, 10 µg/kg/infusion). RESULTS Increasing access duration to a peer decreased social self-administration under fixed ratio but not progressive ratio schedule; the rats showed similar preference for short vs. long access duration. Social self-administration under different fixed ratio requirements was higher in single-housed than in paired-housed rats and higher for a familiar vs. unfamiliar partner in single-housed but not paired-housed rats. Response rates of food-sated rats under increasing fixed-ratio requirements were higher for palatable food than for social interaction. The rats strongly preferred palatable food over social interaction and showed dose-dependent preference for social interaction vs. remifentanil. CONCLUSIONS We identified parameters influencing the reinforcing effects of operant social interaction and introduce a choice procedure sensitive to remifentanil self-administration dose.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jules M Chabot
- Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Marvellous Oke
- Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Marco Venniro
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Da-Ting Lin
- Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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17
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Peters J. Mile high on heroin: Lessons on the opioid epidemic from the Mile High City. Bioessays 2022; 44:e2100297. [PMID: 35357019 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202100297] [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: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
This commentary discusses the novelty of the preclinical opioid choice model published in Heinsbroek et al., Nat Commun, 2021, and the potential influence of altitude on the reported findings. The studies were performed in the Mile High City of Denver, Colorado, where a unique subpopulation of heroin-choosing rats were noted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Peters
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
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18
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Brown RM, Dayas CV, James MH, Smith RJ. New directions in modelling dysregulated reward seeking for food and drugs. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 132:1037-1048. [PMID: 34736883 PMCID: PMC8816817 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral models are central to behavioral neuroscience. To study the neural mechanisms of maladaptive behaviors (including binge eating and drug addiction), it is essential to develop and utilize appropriate animal models that specifically focus on dysregulated reward seeking. Both food and cocaine are typically consumed in a regulated manner by rodents, motivated by reward and homeostatic mechanisms. However, both food and cocaine seeking can become dysregulated, resulting in binge-like consumption and compulsive patterns of intake. The speakers in this symposium for the 2021 International Behavioral Neuroscience Meeting utilize behavioral models of dysregulated reward-seeking to investigate the neural mechanisms of binge-like consumption, enhanced cue-driven reward seeking, excessive motivation, and continued use despite negative consequences. In this review, we outline examples of maladaptive patterns of intake and explore recent animal models that drive behavior to become dysregulated, including stress exposure and intermittent access to rewards. Lastly, we explore select behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying dysregulated reward-seeking for both food and drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn M Brown
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia; Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.
| | - Christopher V Dayas
- School of Biomedical Sciences & Pharmacy, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Morgan H James
- Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA; Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
| | - Rachel J Smith
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
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19
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Venniro M, Panlilio LV, Epstein DH, Shaham Y. The protective effect of operant social reward on cocaine self-administration, choice, and relapse is dependent on delay and effort for the social reward. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:2350-2357. [PMID: 34400784 PMCID: PMC8580997 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01148-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Social reinforcement-based treatments are effective for many, but not all, people with addictions to drugs. We recently developed an operant rat model that mimics features of one such treatment, the community-reinforcement approach. In this model, rats uniformly choose social interaction over methamphetamine or heroin. Abstinence induced by social preference protects against the incubation of drug-seeking that would emerge during forced abstinence. Here, we determined whether these findings generalize to cocaine and whether delaying or increasing effort for social interaction could reveal possibly human-relevant individual differences in responsiveness. We trained male and female rats for social self-administration (6 days) and then for cocaine self-administration, initially for 2-h/day for 4 days, and then for 12-h/day continuously or intermittently for 8 days. We assessed relapse to cocaine seeking after 1 and 15 days. Between tests, the rats underwent either forced abstinence or social-choice-induced abstinence. After establishing stable social preference, we manipulated the delay for both rewards or for social reward alone, or the response requirements (effort) for social reward. Independent of cocaine-access conditions and sex, operant social interaction inhibited cocaine self-administration and prevented incubation of cocaine seeking. Preference for social access was decreased by the delay of both rewards or social reward alone, or by increased response requirements for social reward, with notable individual variability. This choice procedure can identify mechanisms of individual differences in an animal model of cocaine use and could thereby help screen medications for people who are relatively unresponsive to treatments based on rewarding social interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Venniro
- Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, USA.
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | | | | | - Yavin Shaham
- Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, Baltimore, USA.
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20
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Doyle MR, Sulima A, Rice KC, Collins GT. Influence of Contingent and Noncontingent Drug Histories on the Development of High Levels of MDPV Self-Administration. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2021; 379:108-116. [PMID: 34413199 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.121.000655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A subset of rats that self-administer 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) develop unusually high levels of drug taking. A history of responding maintained by cocaine, but not food, prevents the development of this high-responder phenotype; however, it is unclear how histories of noncontingent cocaine exposure or self-administering drugs from other pharmacological classes would affect its development. In the current studies, 5 groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to determine whether histories of responding maintained by drugs from different pharmacological classes (e.g., MDPV, cocaine, fentanyl, nicotine, or ketamine) would differentially impact the development of the high-responder phenotype when MDPV was available for self-administration. Two additional groups were used to determine whether noncontingent exposure to cocaine would prevent the development of the high-responder phenotype when MDPV was available for self-administration, and whether noncontingent exposure to MDPV would facilitate the development of the high-responder phenotype when cocaine was available for self-administration. Consistent with previous reports, a history of response-contingent cocaine, and to a lesser extent noncontingent cocaine, prevented the MDPV high-responder phenotype; however, when responding was initially maintained by fentanyl, nicotine, or ketamine, the MDPV high-responder phenotype developed in ∼45% of rats. By manipulating behavioral and pharmacological histories prior to evaluating MDPV self-administration, the current studies provide additional evidence that a history of response-contingent (or noncontingent) cocaine can prevent the transition from well regulated to aberrant drug-taking when responding is maintained by MDPV. Although the mechanism(s) that underlies this novel high-responder phenotype are unknown, elucidation may provide insight into individual differences relating to substance use disorder. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: A subset of outbred Sprague-Dawley rats self-administer high levels of the synthetic cathinone 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV). Understanding the behavioral and/or pharmacological factors that can prevent the development of dysregulated MDPV self-administration may provide insight into individual differences in vulnerability to develop a substance use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle R Doyle
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas (M.R.D., G.T.C.); South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, Texas (M.R.D., G.T.C.); and Drug Design and Synthesis Section, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, NIDA and NIAAA, Bethesda, Maryland (A.S., K.C.R.)
| | - Agnieszka Sulima
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas (M.R.D., G.T.C.); South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, Texas (M.R.D., G.T.C.); and Drug Design and Synthesis Section, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, NIDA and NIAAA, Bethesda, Maryland (A.S., K.C.R.)
| | - Kenner C Rice
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas (M.R.D., G.T.C.); South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, Texas (M.R.D., G.T.C.); and Drug Design and Synthesis Section, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, NIDA and NIAAA, Bethesda, Maryland (A.S., K.C.R.)
| | - Gregory T Collins
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas (M.R.D., G.T.C.); South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, Texas (M.R.D., G.T.C.); and Drug Design and Synthesis Section, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, NIDA and NIAAA, Bethesda, Maryland (A.S., K.C.R.)
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21
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Heinsbroek JA, Giannotti G, Mandel MR, Josey M, Aston-Jones G, James MH, Peters J. A common limiter circuit for opioid choice and relapse identified in a rodent addiction model. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4788. [PMID: 34373454 PMCID: PMC8352904 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25080-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Activity in numerous brain regions drives heroin seeking, but no circuits that limit heroin seeking have been identified. Furthermore, the neural circuits controlling opioid choice are unknown. In this study, we examined the role of the infralimbic cortex (IL) to nucleus accumbens shell (NAshell) pathway during heroin choice and relapse. This model yielded subpopulations of heroin versus food preferring rats during choice, and choice was unrelated to subsequent relapse rates to heroin versus food cues, suggesting that choice and relapse are distinct behavioral constructs. Supporting this, inactivation of the IL with muscimol produced differential effects on opioid choice versus relapse. A pathway-specific chemogenetic approach revealed, however, that the IL-NAshell pathway acts as a common limiter of opioid choice and relapse. Furthermore, dendritic spines in IL-NAshell neurons encode distinct aspects of heroin versus food reinforcement. Thus, opioid choice and relapse share a common addiction-limiting circuit in the IL-NAshell pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasper A Heinsbroek
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Giuseppe Giannotti
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Mitchel R Mandel
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Megan Josey
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Gary Aston-Jones
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Morgan H James
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Piscataway, NJ, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Jamie Peters
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA. .,Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
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22
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Smith AP, Beckmann JS. Quantifying value-based determinants of drug and non-drug decision dynamics. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:2047-2057. [PMID: 33839902 PMCID: PMC8529627 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05830-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE A growing body of research suggests that substance use disorder (SUD) may be characterized as disorders of decision making. However, drug choice studies assessing drug-associated decision making often lack more complex and dynamic conditions that better approximate contexts outside the laboratory and may lead to incomplete conclusions regarding the nature of drug-associated value. OBJECTIVES The current study assessed isomorphic (choice between identical food options) and allomorphic (choice between remifentanil [REMI] and food) choice across dynamically changing reward probabilities, magnitudes, and differentially reward-predictive stimuli in male rats to better understand determinants of drug value. Choice data were analyzed at aggregate and choice-by-choice levels using quantitative matching and reinforcement learning (RL) models, respectively. RESULTS Reductions in reward probability or magnitude independently reduced preferences for food and REMI commodities. Inclusion of reward-predictive cues significantly increased preference for food and REMI rewards. Model comparisons revealed that reward-predictive stimuli significantly altered the economic substitutability of food and REMI rewards at both levels of analysis. Furthermore, model comparisons supported the reformulation of reward value updating in RL models from independent terms to a shared, relative term, more akin to matching models. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that value-based quantitative choice models can accurately capture choice determinants within complex decision-making contexts and corroborate drug choice as a multidimensional valuation process. Collectively, the present study indicates commonalities in decision-making for drug and non-drug rewards, validates the use of economic-based SUD therapies (e.g., contingency management), and implicates the neurobehavioral processes underlying drug-associated decision-making as a potential avenue for future SUD treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron P Smith
- Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Joshua S Beckmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
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23
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Bjorness TE, Greene RW. Interaction between cocaine use and sleep behavior: A comprehensive review of cocaine's disrupting influence on sleep behavior and sleep disruptions influence on reward seeking. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2021; 206:173194. [PMID: 33940055 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2021.173194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Dopamine, orexin (hypocretin), and adenosine systems have dual roles in reward and sleep/arousal suggesting possible mechanisms whereby drugs of abuse may influence both reward and sleep/arousal. While considerable variability exists across studies, drugs of abuse such as cocaine induce an acute sleep loss followed by an immediate recovery pattern that is consistent with a normal response to loss of sleep. Under more chronic cocaine exposure conditions, an abnormal recovery pattern is expressed that includes a retention of sleep disturbance under withdrawal and into abstinence conditions. Conversely, experimentally induced sleep disturbance can increase cocaine seeking. Thus, complementary, sleep-related therapeutic approaches may deserve further consideration along with development of non-human models to better characterize sleep disturbance-reward seeking interactions across drug experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa E Bjorness
- Research Service, VA North Texas Health Care System, Dallas, TX 75126, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9111, USA.
| | - Robert W Greene
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9111, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9111, USA; International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8577, Japan
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24
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Dopamine 'ups and downs' in addiction revisited. Trends Neurosci 2021; 44:516-526. [PMID: 33892963 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2021.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Repeated drug use can change dopamine (DA) function in ways that promote the development and persistence of addiction, but in what direction? By one view, drug use blunts DA neurotransmission, producing a hypodopaminergic state that fosters further drug use to overcome a DA deficiency. Another view is that drug use enhances DA neurotransmission, producing a sensitized, hyperdopaminergic reaction to drugs and drug cues. According to this second view, continued drug use is motivated by sensitization of drug 'wanting'. Here we discuss recent evidence supporting the latter view, both from preclinical studies using intermittent cocaine self-administration procedures that mimic human patterns of use and from related human neuroimaging studies. These studies have implications for the modeling of addiction in the laboratory and for treatment.
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25
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Townsend EA, Schwienteck KL, Robinson HL, Lawson ST, Banks ML. A drug-vs-food "choice" self-administration procedure in rats to investigate pharmacological and environmental mechanisms of substance use disorders. J Neurosci Methods 2021; 354:109110. [PMID: 33705855 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2021.109110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preclinical drug self-administration procedures are commonly used to investigate expression, mechanisms, and treatment of substance use disorders. NEW METHOD The aims were to back-translate an intravenous drug-vs-food choice procedure primarily utilized in monkeys to male and female rats and to develop a surgical method for sustained intravenous catheter patency suitable for long-term drug-choice studies. RESULTS The surgical protocol resulted in a median intravenous jugular catheter patency in male and female rats of 126 days (range: 25-365 days). Drug-vs-food choice was established with opioids (fentanyl and heroin), psychostimulants (cocaine, methamphetamine, and amphetamine), and an opioid/psychostimulant mixture (fentanyl + methamphetamine). The average time from catheter implantation to stable choice behavior across all drugs was 27 sessions (range: 16-44 sessions). Choice behavior stabilized more quickly for cocaine and fentanyl than for other drugs. Manipulations of both environmental variables (e.g., response requirement or food reinforcer magnitude) and pharmacological variables (e.g., extended access drug self-administration or continuous buprenorphine treatment via osmotic pump) significantly shifted opioid-vs-food choice consistent with previous monkey studies. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS Duration of intravenous catheter patency in rats was suitable for long-term, within-subject drug choice studies. Effects of environmental and pharmacological manipulations in rats confirmed and extended previous results from monkeys. CONCLUSIONS The concordance of behavioral results between rats and monkeys using the present drug-vs-food choice procedure supports its utility to improve our basic understanding of the expression and mechanisms of substance use disorders towards to development of more effective therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Andrew Townsend
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA.
| | - Kathryn L Schwienteck
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Hannah L Robinson
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Stephen T Lawson
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Matthew L Banks
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA.
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Abstract
Addiction is a disease characterized by compulsive drug seeking and consumption observed in 20-30% of users. An addicted individual will favor drug reward over natural rewards, despite major negative consequences. Mechanistic research on rodents modeling core components of the disease has identified altered synaptic transmission as the functional substrate of pathological behavior. While the initial version of a circuit model for addiction focused on early drug adaptive behaviors observed in all individuals, it fell short of accounting for the stochastic nature of the transition to compulsion. The model builds on the initial pharmacological effect common to all addictive drugs-an increase in dopamine levels in the mesolimbic system. Here, we consolidate this early model by integrating circuits underlying compulsion and negative reinforcement. We discuss the genetic and epigenetic correlates of individual vulnerability. Many recent data converge on a gain-of-function explanation for circuit remodeling, revealing blueprints for novel addiction therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Lüscher
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland; .,Clinic of Neurology, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University Hospital, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Patricia H Janak
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.,The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
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Improving translation of animal models of addiction and relapse by reverse translation. Nat Rev Neurosci 2020; 21:625-643. [PMID: 33024318 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-020-0378-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Critical features of human addiction are increasingly being incorporated into complementary animal models, including escalation of drug intake, punished drug seeking and taking, intermittent drug access, choice between drug and non-drug rewards, and assessment of individual differences based on criteria in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Combined with new technologies, these models advanced our understanding of brain mechanisms of drug self-administration and relapse, but these mechanistic gains have not led to improvements in addiction treatment. This problem is not unique to addiction neuroscience, but it is an increasing source of disappointment and calls to regroup. Here we first summarize behavioural and neurobiological results from the animal models mentioned above. We then propose a reverse translational approach, whose goal is to develop models that mimic successful treatments: opioid agonist maintenance, contingency management and the community-reinforcement approach. These reverse-translated 'treatments' may provide an ecologically relevant platform from which to discover new circuits, test new medications and improve translation.
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