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Cheng Z, Zhao F, Piao J, Yang W, Cui R, Li B. Rasd2 regulates depression-like behaviors via DRD2 neurons in the prelimbic cortex afferent to nucleus accumbens core circuit. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02684-5. [PMID: 39097664 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02684-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/05/2024]
Abstract
Depressive symptoms, such as anhedonia, decreased social interaction, and lack of motivation, implicate brain reward systems in the pathophysiology of depression. Exposure to chronic stress impairs the function of brain reward circuits and is well-known to be involved in the etiology of depression. A transcriptomic analysis found that stress alters the expression of Rasd2 in mice prefrontal cortex (PFC). Similarly, in our previous study, acute fasting decreased Rasd2 expression in mice PFC, and RASD2 modulated dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2)-mediated antidepressant-like effects in ovariectomized mice. This research suggests the role of RASD2 in stress-induced depression and its underlying neural mechanisms that require further investigation. Here, we show that 5-day unpredictable mild stress (5-d UMS) exposure reduces RASD2 expression in both the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of mice, while overexpression (but not knock-down) of Rasd2 in the NAc core (NAcc) alleviates 5-d UMS-induced depression-like behaviors and activates the DRD2-cAMP-PKA-DARPP-32 signaling pathway. Further studies investigated neuronal projections between the mPFC (Cg1, PrL, and IL) and NAcc, labeled by the retrograde tracer Fluorogold. Depression-like behaviors induced by 5-d UMS were only related to inhibition of the PrL-NAcc circuit. DREADD (Designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drug) analysis found that the activation of PrL-NAcc glutaminergic projection alleviated depression-like behaviors and increased DRD2- and RASD2-positive neurons in the NAcc. Using Drd2-cre transgenic mice, we constructed mice with Rasd2 overexpression in DRD2PrL-NAcc neurons, finding that Rasd2 overexpression ameliorated 5-d UMS-induced depression-like behaviors. These findings demonstrate a critical role for RASD2 modulation of DRD2PrL-NAcc neurons in 5-d UMS-induced depression-like behaviors. In addition, the study identifies a new potential strategy for precision medical treatment of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziqian Cheng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory on Molecular and Chemical Genetic, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130041, PR China
- Engineering Lab on Screening of Antidepressant Drugs, Jilin Province Development and Reform Commission, Changchun, 130041, PR China
| | - Fangyi Zhao
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory on Molecular and Chemical Genetic, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130041, PR China
- Engineering Lab on Screening of Antidepressant Drugs, Jilin Province Development and Reform Commission, Changchun, 130041, PR China
| | - Jingjing Piao
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory on Molecular and Chemical Genetic, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130041, PR China
- Engineering Lab on Screening of Antidepressant Drugs, Jilin Province Development and Reform Commission, Changchun, 130041, PR China
| | - Wei Yang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory on Molecular and Chemical Genetic, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130041, PR China
- Engineering Lab on Screening of Antidepressant Drugs, Jilin Province Development and Reform Commission, Changchun, 130041, PR China
| | - Ranji Cui
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory on Molecular and Chemical Genetic, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130041, PR China.
- Engineering Lab on Screening of Antidepressant Drugs, Jilin Province Development and Reform Commission, Changchun, 130041, PR China.
| | - Bingjin Li
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory on Molecular and Chemical Genetic, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130041, PR China.
- Engineering Lab on Screening of Antidepressant Drugs, Jilin Province Development and Reform Commission, Changchun, 130041, PR China.
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Lin S, Fan CY, Wang HR, Li XF, Zeng JL, Lan PX, Li HX, Zhang B, Hu C, Xu J, Luo JH. Frontostriatal circuit dysfunction leads to cognitive inflexibility in neuroligin-3 R451C knockin mice. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:2308-2320. [PMID: 38459194 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02505-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
Cognitive and behavioral rigidity are observed in various psychiatric diseases, including in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. In this study, we found that neuroligin-3 (NL3) R451C knockin mouse model of autism (KI mice) exhibited deficits in behavioral flexibility in choice selection tasks. Single-unit recording of medium spiny neuron (MSN) activity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) revealed altered encoding of decision-related cue and impaired updating of choice anticipation in KI mice. Additionally, fiber photometry demonstrated significant disruption in dynamic mesolimbic dopamine (DA) signaling for reward prediction errors (RPEs), along with reduced activity in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neurons projecting to the NAc in KI mice. Interestingly, NL3 re-expression in the mPFC, but not in the NAc, rescued the deficit of flexible behaviors and simultaneously restored NAc-MSN encoding, DA dynamics, and mPFC-NAc output in KI mice. Taken together, this study reveals the frontostriatal circuit dysfunction underlying cognitive inflexibility and establishes a critical role of the mPFC NL3 deficiency in this deficit in KI mice. Therefore, these findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of cognitive and behavioral inflexibility and potential intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shen Lin
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Fujian Provincial Institutes of Brain Disorders and Brain Sciences, First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
| | - Cui-Ying Fan
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hao-Ran Wang
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Nanhu Brain-Computer Interface Institute, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-Machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Fan Li
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jia-Li Zeng
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Pei-Xuan Lan
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hui-Xian Li
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Novel Targets and Drug Study for Neural Repair of Zhejiang Province, School of Medicine, Hangzhou City University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chun Hu
- Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, Key Laboratory of Brain Cognition and Education Sciences of Ministry of Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Junyu Xu
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-Machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Jian-Hong Luo
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Nanhu Brain-Computer Interface Institute, Hangzhou, China.
- Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-Machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
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3
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Chen JF, Choi DS, Cunha RA. Striatopallidal adenosine A 2A receptor modulation of goal-directed behavior: Homeostatic control with cognitive flexibility. Neuropharmacology 2023; 226:109421. [PMID: 36634866 PMCID: PMC10132052 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Dysfunction of goal-directed behaviors under stressful or pathological conditions results in impaired decision-making and loss of flexibility of thoughts and behaviors, which underlie behavioral deficits ranging from depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders and drug addiction. Tackling the neuromodulators fine-tuning this core behavioral element may facilitate the development of effective strategies to control these deficits present in multiple psychiatric disorders. The current investigation of goal-directed behaviors has concentrated on dopamine and glutamate signaling in the corticostriatal pathway. In accordance with the beneficial effects of caffeine intake on mood and cognitive dysfunction, we now propose that caffeine's main site of action - adenosine A2A receptors (A2AR) - represent a novel target to homeostatically control goal-directed behavior and cognitive flexibility. A2AR are abundantly expressed in striatopallidal neurons and colocalize and interact with dopamine D2, NMDA and metabotropic glutamate 5 receptors to integrate dopamine and glutamate signaling. Specifically, striatopallidal A2AR (i) exert an overall "break" control of a variety of cognitive processes, making A2AR antagonists a novel strategy for improving goal-directed behavior; (ii) confer homeostatic control of goal-directed behavior by acting at multiple sites with often opposite effects, to enhance cognitive flexibility; (iii) integrate dopamine and adenosine signaling through multimeric A2AR-D2R heterocomplexes allowing a temporally precise fine-tuning in response to local signaling changes. As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the A2AR antagonist Nourianz® (istradefylline) to treat Parkinson's disease, striatal A2AR-mediated control of goal-directed behavior may offer a new and real opportunity for improving deficits of goal-directed behavior and enhance cognitive flexibility under various neuropsychiatric conditions. This article is part of the Special Issue on "Purinergic Signaling: 50 years".
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiang-Fan Chen
- Molecular Neuropharmacology Laboratory, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China; Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Doo-Sup Choi
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA.
| | - Rodrigo A Cunha
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; FMUC-Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
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4
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Obray JD, Landin JD, Vaughan DT, Scofield MD, Chandler LJ. Adolescent alcohol exposure reduces dopamine 1 receptor modulation of prelimbic neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens and basolateral amygdala. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 4:100044. [PMID: 36643604 PMCID: PMC9836047 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2022.100044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Binge drinking during adolescence is highly prevalent despite increasing evidence of its long-term impact on behaviors associated with modulation of behavioral flexibility by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). In the present study, male and female rats underwent adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure by vapor inhalation. After aging to adulthood, retrograde bead labelling and viral tagging were used to identify populations of neurons in the prelimbic region (PrL) of the mPFC that project to specific subcortical targets. Electrophysiological recording from bead-labelled neurons in PrL slices revealed that AIE did not alter the intrinsic excitability of PrL neurons that projected to either the NAc or the BLA. Similarly, recordings of spontaneous inhibitory and excitatory post-synaptic currents revealed no AIE-induced changes in synaptic drive onto either population of projection neurons. In contrast, AIE exposure was associated with a loss of dopamine receptor 1 (D1), but no change in dopamine receptor 2 (D2), modulation of evoked firing of both populations of projection neurons. Lastly, confocal imaging of proximal and apical dendritic tufts of viral-labelled PrL neurons that projected to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) revealed AIE did not alter the density of dendritic spines. Together, these observations provide evidence that AIE exposure results in disruption of D1 receptor modulation of PrL inputs to at least two major subcortical target regions that have been implicated in AIE-induced long-term changes in behavioral control.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Daniel Obray
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA
| | - Justine D. Landin
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA
| | - Dylan T. Vaughan
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA
| | - Michael D. Scofield
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA,Department of Anesthesiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston SC, USA
| | - L. Judson Chandler
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA,Corresponding author. (L.J. Chandler)
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5
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Chen APF, Malgady JM, Chen L, Shi KW, Cheng E, Plotkin JL, Ge S, Xiong Q. Nigrostriatal dopamine pathway regulates auditory discrimination behavior. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5942. [PMID: 36209150 PMCID: PMC9547888 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33747-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The auditory striatum, the tail portion of dorsal striatum in basal ganglia, is implicated in perceptual decision-making, transforming auditory stimuli to action outcomes. Despite its known connections to diverse neurological conditions, the dopaminergic modulation of sensory striatal neuronal activity and its behavioral influences remain unknown. We demonstrated that the optogenetic inhibition of dopaminergic projections from the substantia nigra pars compacta to the auditory striatum specifically impairs mouse choice performance but not movement in an auditory frequency discrimination task. In vivo dopamine and calcium imaging in freely behaving mice revealed that this dopaminergic projection modulates striatal tone representations, and tone-evoked striatal dopamine release inversely correlated with the evidence strength of tones. Optogenetic inhibition of D1-receptor expressing neurons and pharmacological inhibition of D1 receptors in the auditory striatum dampened choice performance accuracy. Our study uncovers a phasic mechanism within the nigrostriatal system that regulates auditory decisions by modulating ongoing auditory perception. The auditory striatum, the tail portion of dorsal striatum, is implicated in decision-making. This study uncovers a phasic mechanism within the nigrostriatal system that regulates auditory decisions by modulating ongoing auditory perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allen P F Chen
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.,Medical Scientist Training Program, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Malgady
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Lu Chen
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Kaiyo W Shi
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Eileen Cheng
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.,Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Joshua L Plotkin
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.,Center for Nervous System Disorders, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Shaoyu Ge
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Qiaojie Xiong
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
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6
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Kuniishi H, Nakatake Y, Sekiguchi M, Yamada M. Adolescent social isolation induces distinct changes in the medial and lateral OFC-BLA synapse and social and emotional alterations in adult mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1597-1607. [PMID: 35697823 PMCID: PMC9283446 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01358-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Early-life social isolation is associated with social and emotional problems in adulthood. However, neural mechanisms underlying how social deprivation impairs social and emotional development are poorly understood. Recently, the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) have been highlighted as key nodes for social and emotional functions. Hence, we hypothesize that early social deprivation disrupts the information processing in the OFC-BLA pathway and leads to social and emotional dysfunction. Here, we examined the effects of adolescent social isolation on the OFC-BLA synaptic transmission by optogenetic and whole-cell patch-clamp methods in adult mice. Adolescent social isolation decreased social preference and increased passive stress-coping behaviour in adulthood. Then, we examined excitatory synaptic transmissions to BLA from medial or lateral subregions of the OFC (mOFC or lOFC). Notably, adolescent social isolation decreased the AMPA/NMDA ratio in the mOFC-BLA synapse in adulthood, while the ratio was increased in the lOFC-BLA synapse. Furthermore, we optogenetically manipulated the mOFC-BLA or lOFC-BLA transmission in behaving mice and examined the effects on social and stress-coping behaviours. Optogenetic manipulation of the mOFC-BLA transmission altered social behaviour without affecting passive stress-coping behaviour, while optogenetic manipulation of the lOFC-BLA transmission altered passive stress-coping behaviour without affecting social behaviour. Our results suggest that adolescent social isolation induces distinct postsynaptic changes in the mOFC-BLA and lOFC-BLA synapses, and these changes may separately contribute to abnormalities in social and emotional development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Kuniishi
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan. .,United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University and University of Fukui, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan. .,Division of Development of Mental Functions, Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan.
| | - Yuko Nakatake
- grid.419280.60000 0004 1763 8916Department of Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo Japan
| | - Masayuki Sekiguchi
- grid.419280.60000 0004 1763 8916Department of Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo Japan ,grid.419280.60000 0004 1763 8916Department of Degenerative Neurological Diseases, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo Japan
| | - Mitsuhiko Yamada
- grid.419280.60000 0004 1763 8916Department of Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo Japan
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7
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Cheng ST, Liu S, Ou-Yang B, Dai XY, Cheng L. Specific Effects of Characteristics of Enriched Environment on Innovative Problem Solving by Animals. Psychol Sci 2022; 33:1097-1111. [PMID: 35776087 DOI: 10.1177/09567976211070562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous studies have revealed that an enriched environment can enhance the survival-related behaviors and brain functions of animals. However, the effects and specific roles of the enrichment characteristics on animals' innovative capability, a cognitive ability crucial for survival in nature, are still not well known. In this study, we assigned mice to environment-manipulation groups (n = 15 each) to investigate the specific effects of environmental novelty (novel vs. familiar) and environmental complexity (complex vs. normal) on innovative problem solving and its possible neural mechanisms. Results showed that mice in only the novel-environment group performed better at innovative-problem-solving tasks and showed greater numbers of novel explorations and dopaminergic projections from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens in the brain. These findings indicate that an enriched environment has the potential to promote the innovative capability of mice by enhancing their novel exploratory motivation, which depends on the novelty of the environment but not its complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sha-Te Cheng
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University.,Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, Central China Normal University
| | - Sha Liu
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University.,Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, Central China Normal University
| | - Bo Ou-Yang
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University.,Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, Central China Normal University
| | - Xin-Yu Dai
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University.,Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, Central China Normal University
| | - Liang Cheng
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University.,Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, Central China Normal University
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8
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Macpherson T, Kim JY, Hikida T. Nucleus Accumbens Core Dopamine D2 Receptor-Expressing Neurons Control Reversal Learning but Not Set-Shifting in Behavioral Flexibility in Male Mice. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:885380. [PMID: 35837123 PMCID: PMC9275008 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.885380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to use environmental cues to flexibly guide responses is crucial for adaptive behavior and is thought to be controlled within a series of cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loops. Previous evidence has indicated that different prefrontal cortical regions control dissociable aspects of behavioral flexibility, with the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) necessary for the ability to shift attention to a novel strategy (set-shifting) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) necessary for shifting attention between learned stimulus-outcome associations (reversal learning). The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a major downstream target of both the mPFC and the OFC; however, its role in controlling reversal learning and set-shifting abilities is still unclear. Here we investigated the contribution of the two major NAc neuronal populations, medium spiny neurons expressing either dopamine D1 or D2 receptors (D1-/D2-MSNs), in guiding reversal learning and set-shifting in an attentional set-shifting task (ASST). Persistent inhibition of neurotransmitter release from NAc D2-MSNs, but not D1-MSNs, resulted in an impaired ability for reversal learning, but not set-shifting in male mice. These findings suggest that NAc D2-MSNs play a critical role in suppressing responding toward specific learned cues that are now associated with unfavorable outcomes (i.e., in reversal stages), but not in the suppression of more general learned strategies (i.e., in set-shifting). This study provides further evidence for the anatomical separation of reversal learning and set-shifting abilities within cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Macpherson
- Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
- Medical Innovation Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- *Correspondence: Tom Macpherson,
| | - Ji Yoon Kim
- Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Takatoshi Hikida
- Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
- Medical Innovation Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Takatoshi Hikida,
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9
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How Can Animal Models Inform the Understanding of Cognitive Inflexibility in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa? J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11092594. [PMID: 35566718 PMCID: PMC9105411 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11092594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Deficits in cognitive flexibility are consistently seen in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). This type of cognitive impairment is thought to be associated with the persistence of AN because it leads to deeply ingrained patterns of thought and behaviour that are highly resistant to change. Neurobiological drivers of cognitive inflexibility have some commonalities with the abnormal brain functional outcomes described in patients with AN, including disrupted prefrontal cortical function, and dysregulated dopamine and serotonin neurotransmitter systems. The activity-based anorexia (ABA) model recapitulates the key features of AN in human patients, including rapid weight loss caused by self-starvation and hyperactivity, supporting its application in investigating the cognitive and neurobiological causes of pathological weight loss. The aim of this review is to describe the relationship between AN, neural function and cognitive flexibility in human patients, and to highlight how new techniques in behavioural neuroscience can improve the utility of animal models of AN to inform the development of novel therapeutics.
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10
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Macpherson T, Matsumoto M, Gomi H, Morimoto J, Uchibe E, Hikida T. Parallel and hierarchical neural mechanisms for adaptive and predictive behavioral control. Neural Netw 2021; 144:507-521. [PMID: 34601363 DOI: 10.1016/j.neunet.2021.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Our brain can be recognized as a network of largely hierarchically organized neural circuits that operate to control specific functions, but when acting in parallel, enable the performance of complex and simultaneous behaviors. Indeed, many of our daily actions require concurrent information processing in sensorimotor, associative, and limbic circuits that are dynamically and hierarchically modulated by sensory information and previous learning. This organization of information processing in biological organisms has served as a major inspiration for artificial intelligence and has helped to create in silico systems capable of matching or even outperforming humans in several specific tasks, including visual recognition and strategy-based games. However, the development of human-like robots that are able to move as quickly as humans and respond flexibly in various situations remains a major challenge and indicates an area where further use of parallel and hierarchical architectures may hold promise. In this article we review several important neural and behavioral mechanisms organizing hierarchical and predictive processing for the acquisition and realization of flexible behavioral control. Then, inspired by the organizational features of brain circuits, we introduce a multi-timescale parallel and hierarchical learning framework for the realization of versatile and agile movement in humanoid robots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Macpherson
- Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masayuki Matsumoto
- Division of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Gomi
- NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Co., Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Jun Morimoto
- Department of Brain Robot Interface, ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, Kyoto, Japan; Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Eiji Uchibe
- Department of Brain Robot Interface, ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takatoshi Hikida
- Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
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11
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Whole-Brain Mapping of Direct Inputs to Dopamine D1 and D2 Receptor-Expressing Medium Spiny Neurons in the Posterior Dorsomedial Striatum. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0348-20.2020. [PMID: 33380525 PMCID: PMC7877463 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0348-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 12/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The posterior dorsomedial striatum (pDMS) is mainly composed of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) expressing either dopamine D1 receptors (D1Rs) or D2Rs. Activation of these two MSN types produces opposing effects on addictive behaviors. However, it remains unclear whether pDMS D1-MSNs or D2-MSNs receive afferent inputs from different brain regions or whether the extrastriatal afferents express distinct dopamine receptors. To assess whether these afferents also contained D1Rs or D2Rs, we generated double transgenic mice, in which D1R-expressing and D2R-expressing neurons were fluorescently labeled. We used rabies virus-mediated retrograde tracing in these mice to perform whole-brain mapping of direct inputs to D1-MSNs or D2-MSNs in the pDMS. We found that D1-MSNs preferentially received inputs from the secondary motor, secondary visual, and cingulate cortices, whereas D2-MSNs received inputs from the primary motor and primary sensory cortices, and the thalamus. We also discovered that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) contained abundant D2R-expressing, but few D1R-expressing, neurons in a triple transgenic mouse model. Remarkably, although limited D1R or D2R expression was observed in extrastriatal neurons that projected to D1-MSNs or D2-MSNs, we found that cortical structures preferentially contained D1R-expressing neurons that projected to D1-MSNs or D2-MSNs, while the thalamus, substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), and BNST had more D2R-expressing cells that projected to D2-MSNs. Taken together, these findings provide a foundation for future understanding of the pDMS circuit and its role in action selection and reward-based behaviors.
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Targeting presynaptic H3 heteroreceptor in nucleus accumbens to improve anxiety and obsessive-compulsive-like behaviors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:32155-32164. [PMID: 33257584 PMCID: PMC7749329 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2008456117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Anxiety commonly co-occurs with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Both of them are closely related to stress. However, the shared neurobiological substrates and therapeutic targets remain unclear. Here we report an amelioration of both anxiety and OCD via the histamine presynaptic H3 heteroreceptor on glutamatergic afferent terminals from the prelimbic prefrontal cortex (PrL) to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core, a vital node in the limbic loop. The NAc core receives direct hypothalamic histaminergic projections, and optogenetic activation of hypothalamic NAc core histaminergic afferents selectively suppresses glutamatergic rather than GABAergic synaptic transmission in the NAc core via the H3 receptor and thus produces an anxiolytic effect and improves anxiety- and obsessive-compulsive-like behaviors induced by restraint stress. Although the H3 receptor is expressed in glutamatergic afferent terminals from the PrL, basolateral amygdala (BLA), and ventral hippocampus (vHipp), rather than the thalamus, only the PrL- and not BLA- and vHipp-NAc core glutamatergic pathways among the glutamatergic afferent inputs to the NAc core is responsible for co-occurrence of anxiety- and obsessive-compulsive-like behaviors. Furthermore, activation of the H3 receptor ameliorates anxiety and obsessive-compulsive-like behaviors induced by optogenetic excitation of the PrL-NAc glutamatergic afferents. These results demonstrate a common mechanism regulating anxiety- and obsessive-compulsive-like behaviors and provide insight into the clinical treatment strategy for OCD with comorbid anxiety by targeting the histamine H3 receptor in the NAc core.
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Jung DH, Ahn SM, Pak ME, Lee HJ, Jung YJ, Kim KB, Shin YI, Shin HK, Choi BT. Therapeutic effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation in a rat model of ADHD. eLife 2020; 9:56359. [PMID: 32955434 PMCID: PMC7535928 DOI: 10.7554/elife.56359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Most therapeutic candidates for treating attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have focused on modulating the dopaminergic neurotransmission system with neurotrophic factors. Regulation of this system by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) could contribute to the recovery of cognitive symptoms observed in patients with ADHD. Here, male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were subjected to consecutive high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) (20 min, 50 μA, current density 63.7 A/m2, charge density 76.4 kC/m2) over the prefrontal cortex. This treatment alleviated cognitive deficits, with an increase in tyrosine hydroxylase and vesicular monoamine transporter two and significantly decreased plasma membrane reuptake transporter (DAT). HD-tDCS application increased the expression of several neurotrophic factors, particularly brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and activated hippocampal neurogenesis. Our results suggest that anodal HD-tDCS over the prefrontal cortex may ameliorate cognitive dysfunction via regulation of DAT and BDNF in the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic pathways, and therefore represents a potential adjuvant therapy for ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da Hee Jung
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.,Graduate Training Program of Korean Medicine for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Min Ahn
- Korean Medical Science Research Center for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Malk Eun Pak
- Korean Medical Science Research Center for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Hong Ju Lee
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.,Graduate Training Program of Korean Medicine for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Jin Jung
- Department of Radiological Science, Health Science Division, Dongseo University, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Ki Bong Kim
- Department of Korean Pediatrics, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-Il Shin
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Hwa Kyoung Shin
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.,Graduate Training Program of Korean Medicine for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.,Korean Medical Science Research Center for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung Tae Choi
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.,Graduate Training Program of Korean Medicine for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.,Korean Medical Science Research Center for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
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14
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A limbic circuitry involved in emotional stress-induced grooming. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2261. [PMID: 32385304 PMCID: PMC7210270 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16203-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Prolonged exposure to negative stressors could be harmful if a subject cannot respond appropriately. Strategies evolved to respond to stress, including repetitive displacement behaviours, are important in maintaining behavioural homoeostasis. In rodents, self-grooming is a frequently observed repetitive behaviour believed to contribute to post-stress de-arousal with adaptive value. Here we identified a rat limbic di-synaptic circuit that regulates stress-induced self-grooming with positive affective valence. This circuit links hippocampal ventral subiculum to ventral lateral septum (LSv) and then lateral hypothalamus tuberal nucleus. Optogenetic activation of this circuit triggers delayed but robust excessive grooming with patterns closely resembling those evoked by emotional stress. Consistently, the neural activity of LSv reaches a peak before emotional stress-induced grooming while inhibition of this circuit significantly suppresses grooming triggered by emotional stress. Our results uncover a previously unknown limbic circuitry involved in regulating stress-induced self-grooming and pinpoint a critical role of LSv in this ethologically important behaviour. Self-grooming is a frequently observed repetitive behaviour in rodents that is believed to contribute to post-stress de-arousal. The authors identified a previously unknown limbic circuit that includes the ventral lateral septum in rats and is involved in regulating stress-induced self-grooming.
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Co M, Hickey SL, Kulkarni A, Harper M, Konopka G. Cortical Foxp2 Supports Behavioral Flexibility and Developmental Dopamine D1 Receptor Expression. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:1855-1870. [PMID: 31711176 PMCID: PMC7132914 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Revised: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic studies have associated FOXP2 variation with speech and language disorders and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) involving pathology of the cortex. In this brain region, FoxP2 is expressed from development into adulthood, but little is known about its downstream molecular and behavioral functions. Here, we characterized cortex-specific Foxp2 conditional knockout mice and found a major deficit in reversal learning, a form of behavioral flexibility. In contrast, they showed normal activity levels, anxiety, and vocalizations, save for a slight decrease in neonatal call loudness. These behavioral phenotypes were accompanied by decreased cortical dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) expression at neonatal and adult stages, while general cortical development remained unaffected. Finally, using single-cell transcriptomics, we identified at least five excitatory and three inhibitory D1R-expressing cell types in neonatal frontal cortex, and we found changes in D1R cell type composition and gene expression upon cortical Foxp2 deletion. Strikingly, these alterations included non-cell-autonomous changes in upper layer neurons and interneurons. Together, these data support a role for Foxp2 in the development of dopamine-modulated cortical circuits and behaviors relevant to NDDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa Co
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Stephanie L Hickey
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Ashwinikumar Kulkarni
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Matthew Harper
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Genevieve Konopka
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
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A specific prelimbic-nucleus accumbens pathway controls resilience versus vulnerability to food addiction. Nat Commun 2020; 11:782. [PMID: 32034128 PMCID: PMC7005839 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14458-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Food addiction is linked to obesity and eating disorders and is characterized by a loss of behavioral control and compulsive food intake. Here, using a food addiction mouse model, we report that the lack of cannabinoid type-1 receptor in dorsal telencephalic glutamatergic neurons prevents the development of food addiction-like behavior, which is associated with enhanced synaptic excitatory transmission in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). In contrast, chemogenetic inhibition of neuronal activity in the mPFC-NAc pathway induces compulsive food seeking. Transcriptomic analysis and genetic manipulation identified that increased dopamine D2 receptor expression in the mPFC-NAc pathway promotes the addiction-like phenotype. Our study unravels a new neurobiological mechanism underlying resilience and vulnerability to the development of food addiction, which could pave the way towards novel and efficient interventions for this disorder. Food addiction is linked to obesity and eating disorders. In a mouse model of food addiction, the authors show that a medial prefrontal cortex-nucleus accumbens pathway is involved in vulnerability and resilience against the development of food addiction-like behavior.
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Abstract
The striatum is essential for learning which actions lead to reward and for implementing those actions. Decades of experimental and theoretical work have led to several influential theories and hypotheses about how the striatal circuit mediates these functions. However, owing to technical limitations, testing these hypotheses rigorously has been difficult. In this Review, we briefly describe some of the classic ideas of striatal function. We then review recent studies in rodents that take advantage of optical and genetic methods to test these classic ideas by recording and manipulating identified cell types within the circuit. This new body of work has provided experimental support of some longstanding ideas about the striatal circuit and has uncovered critical aspects of the classic view that are incorrect or incomplete.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Cox
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Ilana B Witten
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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Cameron CM, Murugan M, Choi JY, Engel EA, Witten IB. Increased Cocaine Motivation Is Associated with Degraded Spatial and Temporal Representations in IL-NAc Neurons. Neuron 2019; 103:80-91.e7. [PMID: 31101395 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Craving for cocaine progressively increases in cocaine users during drug-free periods, contributing to relapse. The projection from the infralimbic cortex to the nucleus accumbens shell (IL-NAc) is thought to inhibit cocaine seeking. However, it is not known whether and how IL-NAc neurons contribute to the increased motivation associated with a drug-free period. We first performed cellular resolution imaging of IL-NAc neurons in rats during a drug-seeking test. This revealed neurons with spatial selectivity within the cocaine-associated context, a decrease in activity around the time of cocaine seeking, and an inverse relationship between cocaine-seeking activity and subsequent cocaine motivation. All these properties were reduced by a drug-free period. Next, we transiently activated this projection, which resulted in reduced drug seeking, regardless of the drug-free period. Taken together, this suggests that altered IL-NAc activity after a drug-free period may enhance cocaine motivation without fundamentally altering the projection's ability to inhibit drug seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney M Cameron
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Malavika Murugan
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Jung Yoon Choi
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Esteban A Engel
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Ilana B Witten
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
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Zhou J, Wu B, Lin X, Dai Y, Li T, Zheng W, Guo W, Vakal S, Chen X, Chen JF. Accumbal Adenosine A 2A Receptors Enhance Cognitive Flexibility by Facilitating Strategy Shifting. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:130. [PMID: 31031594 PMCID: PMC6470273 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2019] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The deficits of cognitive flexibility (including attentional set-shifting and reversal learning) concomitant with dysfunction of the striatum are observed in several neuropsychiatric disorders. Rodent and human studies have identified the striatum [particularly the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) and nucleus accumbens (NAc)] as the critical locus for control of cognitive flexibility, but the effective neuromodulator and pharmacological control of cognitive flexibility remains to be determined. The adenosine A2A receptors (A2ARs) are highly enriched in the striatopallidal neurons where they integrate dopamine and glutamate signals to modulate several cognitive behaviors, but their contribution to cognitive flexibility control is unclear. In this study, by coupling an automated operant cognitive flexibility task with striatal subregional knockdown (KD) of the A2AR via the Cre-loxP strategy, we demonstrated that NAc A2AR KD improved cognitive flexibility with enhanced attentional set-shifting and reversal learning by decreasing regressive and perseverative errors, respectively. This facilitation was not attributed to mnemonic process or motor activity as NAc A2AR KD did not affect the visual discrimination, lever-pressing acquisition, and locomotor activity, but was associated with increased attention and motivation as evident by the progressive ratio test (PRT). In contrast to NAc A2ARs, DMS A2ARs KD neither affected visual discrimination nor improved set-shifting nor reversal learning, but promoted the effort-related motivation. Thus, NAc and DMS A2ARs exert dissociable controls of cognitive flexibility with NAc A2ARs KD selectively enhancing cognitive flexibility by facilitating strategy shifting with increased motivation/attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhong Zhou
- Molecular Neuropharmacology Laboratory, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Optometry & Vision Science, Wenzhou, China
| | - Beibei Wu
- Molecular Neuropharmacology Laboratory, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Optometry & Vision Science, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xiangxiang Lin
- Molecular Neuropharmacology Laboratory, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Optometry & Vision Science, Wenzhou, China
| | - Yuwei Dai
- Molecular Neuropharmacology Laboratory, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Optometry & Vision Science, Wenzhou, China
| | - Tingting Li
- Molecular Neuropharmacology Laboratory, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Optometry & Vision Science, Wenzhou, China
| | - Wu Zheng
- Molecular Neuropharmacology Laboratory, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Optometry & Vision Science, Wenzhou, China
| | - Wei Guo
- Molecular Neuropharmacology Laboratory, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Optometry & Vision Science, Wenzhou, China
| | - Sergii Vakal
- Molecular Neuropharmacology Laboratory, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xingjun Chen
- Molecular Neuropharmacology Laboratory, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Optometry & Vision Science, Wenzhou, China
| | - Jiang-Fan Chen
- Molecular Neuropharmacology Laboratory, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Optometry & Vision Science, Wenzhou, China
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Gallo EF. Disentangling the diverse roles of dopamine D2 receptors in striatal function and behavior. Neurochem Int 2019; 125:35-46. [PMID: 30716356 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2019.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Revised: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Dopamine D2 receptors (D2Rs) mediate many of the actions of dopamine in the striatum, ranging from movement to the effortful pursuit of reward. Yet despite significant advances in linking D2Rs to striatal functions with pharmacological and genetic strategies in animals, how dopamine orchestrates its myriad actions on different cell populations -each expressing D2Rs- remains unclear. Furthermore, brain imaging and genetic studies in humans have consistently associated striatal D2R alterations with various neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, but how and which D2Rs are involved in each case is poorly understood. Therefore, a critical first step is to engage in a refined and systematic investigation of the impact of D2R function on specific striatal cells, circuits, and behaviors. Here, I will review recent efforts, primarily in animal models, aimed at unlocking the complex and heterogeneous roles of D2Rs in striatum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo F Gallo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA.
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Robakiewicz I, Polak M, Rawska M, Alberski D, Polowy R, Wytrychiewicz K, Syperek M, Matysiak J, Filipkowski RK. Stimulus-seeking in rats is accompanied by increased c-Fos expression in hippocampal CA1 as well as short 22 kHz and flat 50 kHz calls. Acta Neurobiol Exp (Wars) 2019. [DOI: 10.21307/ane-2019-029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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