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Liu X, Li H, Ma R, Tong X, Wu J, Huang X, So KF, Tao Q, Huang L, Lin S, Ren C. Burst firing in Output-Defined Parallel Habenula Circuit Underlies the Antidepressant Effects of Bright Light Treatment. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024:e2401059. [PMID: 38863324 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202401059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Research highlights the significance of increased bursting in lateral habenula (LHb) neurons in depression and as a focal point for bright light treatment (BLT). However, the precise spike patterns of LHb neurons projecting to different brain regions during depression, their roles in depression development, and BLT's therapeutic action remain elusive. Here, LHb neurons are found projecting to the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), ventral tegmental area (VTA), and median raphe nucleus (MnR) exhibit increased bursting following aversive stimuli exposure, correlating with distinct depressive symptoms. Enhanced bursting in DRN-projecting LHb neurons is pivotal for anhedonia and anxiety, while concurrent bursting in LHb neurons projecting to the DRN, VTA, and MnR is essential for despair. Remarkably, reducing bursting in distinct LHb neuron subpopulations underlies the therapeutic effects of BLT on specific depressive behaviors. These findings provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of depression and the antidepressant action of BLT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianwei Liu
- Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-human Primate Research, GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Han Li
- Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-human Primate Research, GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Ruijia Ma
- Physiology Department, Key Laboratory of Viral Pathogenesis & Infection Prevention and Control, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Xiaohan Tong
- Physiology Department, Key Laboratory of Viral Pathogenesis & Infection Prevention and Control, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Jijin Wu
- Physiology Department, Key Laboratory of Viral Pathogenesis & Infection Prevention and Control, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Xiaodan Huang
- Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-human Primate Research, GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Kwok-Fai So
- Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-human Primate Research, GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
- Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
- Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation Institute, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao, 266113, China
| | - Qian Tao
- Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation Institute, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao, 266113, China
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Psychology Department, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Lu Huang
- Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-human Primate Research, GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Song Lin
- Physiology Department, Key Laboratory of Viral Pathogenesis & Infection Prevention and Control, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Chaoran Ren
- Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-human Primate Research, GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
- Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
- Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation Institute, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao, 266113, China
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Spreen A, Alkhoury D, Walter H, Müller S. Optogenetic behavioral studies in depression research: A systematic review. iScience 2024; 27:109776. [PMID: 38726370 PMCID: PMC11079475 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Optogenetics has made substantial contributions to our understanding of the mechanistic underpinnings of depression. This systematic review employs quantitative analysis to investigate the impact of optogenetic stimulation in mice and rats on behavioral alterations in social interaction, sucrose consumption, and mobility. The review analyses optogenetic behavioral studies using standardized behavioral tests to detect behavioral changes induced via optogenetic stimulation in stressed or stress-naive mice and rats. Behavioral changes were evaluated as either positive, negative, or not effective. The analysis comprises the outcomes of 248 behavioral tests of 168 studies described in 37 articles, including negative and null results. Test outcomes were compared for each behavior, depending on the animal cohort, applied type of stimulation and the stimulated neuronal circuit and cell type. The presented synthesis contributes toward a comprehensive picture of optogenetic behavioral research in the context of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anika Spreen
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, CCM, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental Biophysics, Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dana Alkhoury
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, CCM, Berlin, Germany
| | - Henrik Walter
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, CCM, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sabine Müller
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, CCM, Berlin, Germany
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Chen RS, Liu J, Wang YJ, Ning K, Liu JG, Liu ZQ. Glutamatergic neurons in ventral pallidum modulate heroin addiction via epithalamic innervation in rats. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2024; 45:945-958. [PMID: 38326624 PMCID: PMC11053033 DOI: 10.1038/s41401-024-01229-4] [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: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Glutamatergic neurons in ventral pallidum (VPGlu) were recently reported to mediate motivational and emotional behavior, but its role in opioid addiction still remains to be elucidated. In this study we investigated the function of VPGlu in the context-dependent heroin taking and seeking behavior in male rats under the ABA renewal paradigm. By use of cell-type-specific fiber photometry, we showed that the calcium activity of VPGlu were inhibited during heroin self-administration and context-induced relapse, but activated after extinction in a new context. The drug seeking behavior was accompanied by the decreased calcium signal of VPGlu. Chemogenetic manipulation of VPGlu bidirectionally regulated heroin taking and seeking behavior. Anterograde tracing showed that the lateral habenula, one of the epithalamic structures, was the major output region of VPGlu, and its neuronal activity was consistent with VPGlu in different phases of heroin addiction and contributed to the motivation for heroin. VPGlu axon terminals in LHb exhibited dynamic activity in different phases of heroin addiction. Activation of VPGlu-LHb circuit reduced heroin seeking behavior during context-induced relapse. Furthermore, the balance of excitation/inhibition from VP to LHb was shifted to enhanced glutamate transmission after extinction of heroin seeking motivation. Overall, the present study demonstrated that the activity of VPGlu was involved in the regulation of heroin addiction and identified the VPGlu-LHb pathway as a potential intervention to reduce heroin seeking motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruo-Song Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 201204, China
- Center for Neurological and Psychiatric Research and Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Center for Neurological and Psychiatric Research and Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Biopharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Yu-Jun Wang
- Center for Neurological and Psychiatric Research and Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Kuan Ning
- Center for Neurological and Psychiatric Research and Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Jing-Gen Liu
- Center for Neurological and Psychiatric Research and Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.
- Key Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Translational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053, China.
| | - Zhi-Qiang Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 201204, China.
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Groos D, Helmchen F. The lateral habenula: A hub for value-guided behavior. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113968. [PMID: 38522071 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113968] [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: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The habenula is an evolutionarily highly conserved diencephalic brain region divided into two major parts, medial and lateral. Over the past two decades, studies of the lateral habenula (LHb), in particular, have identified key functions in value-guided behavior in health and disease. In this review, we focus on recent insights into LHb connectivity and its functional relevance for different types of aversive and appetitive value-guided behavior. First, we give an overview of the anatomical organization of the LHb and its main cellular composition. Next, we elaborate on how distinct LHb neuronal subpopulations encode aversive and appetitive stimuli and on their involvement in more complex decision-making processes. Finally, we scrutinize the afferent and efferent connections of the LHb and discuss their functional implications for LHb-dependent behavior. A deepened understanding of distinct LHb circuit components will substantially contribute to our knowledge of value-guided behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Groos
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Dynamics, Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Fritjof Helmchen
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Dynamics, Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; University Research Priority Program (URPP), Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Huang T, Guo X, Huang X, Yi C, Cui Y, Dong Y. Input-output specific orchestration of aversive valence in lateral habenula during stress dynamics. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B 2024:1-11. [PMID: 38616136 DOI: 10.1631/jzus.b2300933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Stress has been considered as a major risk factor for depressive disorders, triggering depression onset via inducing persistent dysfunctions in specialized brain regions and neural circuits. Among various regions across the brain, the lateral habenula (LHb) serves as a critical hub for processing aversive information during the dynamic process of stress accumulation, thus having been implicated in the pathogenesis of depression. LHb neurons integrate aversive valence conveyed by distinct upstream inputs, many of which selectively innervate the medial part (LHbM) or lateral part (LHbL) of LHb. LHb subregions also separately assign aversive valence via dissociable projections to the downstream targets in the midbrain which provides feedback loops. Despite these strides, the spatiotemporal dynamics of LHb-centric neural circuits remain elusive during the progression of depression-like state under stress. In this review, we attempt to describe a framework in which LHb orchestrates aversive valence via the input-output specific neuronal architecture. Notably, a physiological form of Hebbian plasticity in LHb under multiple stressors has been unveiled to incubate neuronal hyperactivity in an input-specific manner, which causally encodes chronic stress experience and drives depression onset. Collectively, the recent progress and future efforts in elucidating LHb circuits shed light on early interventions and circuit-specific antidepressant therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taida Huang
- Department of Neurology and International Institutes of Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu 322000, China
- Department of Neurology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-Machine Integration, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Research Centre, the Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Xiaonan Guo
- Department of Neurology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Xiaomin Huang
- Research Centre, the Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Chenju Yi
- Research Centre, the Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Guangzhou 510080, China.
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Active Substance Screening and Translational Research, Shenzhen 518107, China.
| | - Yihui Cui
- Department of Neurology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China. ,
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-Machine Integration, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. ,
| | - Yiyan Dong
- Department of Neurology and International Institutes of Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu 322000, China. ,
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Wu J, Li X, Zhang Q, Li J, Cui R, Li X. Differential effects of intra-RMTg infusions of pilocarpine or 4-DAMP on regulating depression- and anxiety-like behaviors. Behav Brain Res 2024; 462:114833. [PMID: 38220059 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114833] [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: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Depression and anxiety are associated with dysfunction of the mesolimbic dopamine system. The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) is predominantly composed of GABAergic neurons that exhibit dense projections and strongly inhibit mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons, proposed as a major "brake" for the system. Consequently, the RMTg may be a crucial brain region for regulating these emotions. The central cholinergic system, particularly the muscarinic receptors, plays an important regulatory role in depression and anxiety. M3 muscarinic receptors are distributed on GABAergic neurons in the RMTg, but their involvement in the regulation of depression and anxiety remains uncertain. This study aimed to examine the effects of RMTg M3 muscarinic receptors on regulating depression- and anxiety-like behaviors in adult male Wistar rats, as assessed through the forced swim, tail suspension, and elevated plus maze tests. The results showed that intra-RMTg injections of the M1/M3 muscarinic receptors agonist, pilocarpine (3, 10, and 30 μg/side), or the M3 muscarinic receptors antagonist, 4-DAMP (0.5, 1, and 2 μg/side), did not alter the immobility time in the forced swim and tail suspension tests. Additionally, pilocarpine (30 μg/side) decreased time spent in open arms and increased time in closed arms in the elevated plus maze; while 4-DAMP (1 and 2 μg/side) played the opposite role by increasing time spent in open arms and decreasing time in closed arms. These findings suggest that RMTg M3 muscarinic receptors have differential effects on regulating depression- and anxiety-like behaviors. Enhancing or inhibiting these receptors can produce anxiogenic or anxiolytic effects, but have no impact on depression-like behavior. Therefore, RMTg M3 muscarinic receptors are involved in regulating anxiety and may be a potential therapeutic target for anxiolytic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China; Faculty of Education, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Xuhong Li
- Department of Education, Lyuliang University, Lyuliang, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jiaxiang Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Ruisi Cui
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xinwang Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.
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Simmons SC, Flerlage WJ, Langlois LD, Shepard RD, Bouslog C, Thomas EH, Gouty KM, Sanderson JL, Gouty S, Cox BM, Dell'Acqua ML, Nugent FS. AKAP150-anchored PKA regulates synaptic transmission and plasticity, neuronal excitability and CRF neuromodulation in the mouse lateral habenula. Commun Biol 2024; 7:345. [PMID: 38509283 PMCID: PMC10954712 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06041-8] [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: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The scaffolding A-kinase anchoring protein 150 (AKAP150) is critically involved in kinase and phosphatase regulation of synaptic transmission/plasticity, and neuronal excitability. Emerging evidence also suggests that AKAP150 signaling may play a key role in brain's processing of rewarding/aversive experiences, however its role in the lateral habenula (LHb, as an important brain reward circuitry) is completely unknown. Using whole cell patch clamp recordings in LHb of male wildtype and ΔPKA knockin mice (with deficiency in AKAP-anchoring of PKA), here we show that the genetic disruption of PKA anchoring to AKAP150 significantly reduces AMPA receptor-mediated glutamatergic transmission and prevents the induction of presynaptic endocannabinoid-mediated long-term depression in LHb neurons. Moreover, ΔPKA mutation potentiates GABAA receptor-mediated inhibitory transmission while increasing LHb intrinsic excitability through suppression of medium afterhyperpolarizations. ΔPKA mutation-induced suppression of medium afterhyperpolarizations also blunts the synaptic and neuroexcitatory actions of the stress neuromodulator, corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), in mouse LHb. Altogether, our data suggest that AKAP150 complex signaling plays a critical role in regulation of AMPA and GABAA receptor synaptic strength, glutamatergic plasticity and CRF neuromodulation possibly through AMPA receptor and potassium channel trafficking and endocannabinoid signaling within the LHb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C Simmons
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - William J Flerlage
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Ludovic D Langlois
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Ryan D Shepard
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Christopher Bouslog
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Emily H Thomas
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Kaitlyn M Gouty
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Jennifer L Sanderson
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Shawn Gouty
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Brian M Cox
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Mark L Dell'Acqua
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
| | - Fereshteh S Nugent
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA.
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Chen C, Wang M, Yu T, Feng W, Xu Y, Ning Y, Zhang B. Habenular functional connections are associated with depression state and modulated by ketamine. J Affect Disord 2024; 345:177-185. [PMID: 37879411 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.10.136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression is a widespread mental health disorder with complex neurobiological underpinnings. The habenula, known as the 'anti-reward center', is thought to play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of depression. This study aims to elucidate the association between the functional connections of the habenula and depression severity and to explore the modulation of these connections by ketamine. METHODS We studied 177 participants from a 7-T resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging subset of the Human Connectome Project dataset to determine the associations between the functional connections of the habenula and depression. Additionally, we analyzed 60 depressed patients from our ketamine database to conduct a preliminary study on alterations in the functional connections of the habenula after ketamine infusions. We also investigated whether the baseline functional connectivity of the habenula is linked to subsequent improvement in depression. RESULTS We found that functional connections between the habenula and the substantia nigra, as well as the ventral tegmental area were negatively correlated with depression scores and elevated after ketamine infusions. Furthermore, the connection between the right habenula and the right substantia nigra was negatively associated with the improvement of depression. LIMITATIONS The Human Connectome Project dataset primarily consists of data from healthy participants, with varying levels of depression scores. CONCLUSION These results suggest that the habenula may facilitate depression by suppressing dopamine reward centers, and ketamine may relieve depression by disinhibiting these dopaminergic regions. This study may enhance our understanding of the neural underpinnings of depression and ketamine's antidepressant effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengfeng Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mingqia Wang
- Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China; National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Tong Yu
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wanting Feng
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yingyi Xu
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuping Ning
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Institute of Mental Health, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
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9
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Bromberg-Martin ES, Feng YY, Ogasawara T, White JK, Zhang K, Monosov IE. A neural mechanism for conserved value computations integrating information and rewards. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:159-175. [PMID: 38177339 PMCID: PMC10774124 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01511-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Behavioral and economic theory dictate that we decide between options based on their values. However, humans and animals eagerly seek information about uncertain future rewards, even when this does not provide any objective value. This implies that decisions are made by endowing information with subjective value and integrating it with the value of extrinsic rewards, but the mechanism is unknown. Here, we show that human and monkey value judgements obey strikingly conserved computational principles during multi-attribute decisions trading off information and extrinsic reward. We then identify a neural substrate in a highly conserved ancient structure, the lateral habenula (LHb). LHb neurons signal subjective value, integrating information's value with extrinsic rewards, and the LHb predicts and causally influences ongoing decisions. Neurons in key input areas to the LHb largely signal components of these computations, not integrated value signals. Thus, our data uncover neural mechanisms of conserved computations underlying decisions to seek information about the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yang-Yang Feng
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Takaya Ogasawara
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - J Kael White
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kaining Zhang
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ilya E Monosov
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA.
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA.
- Pain Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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10
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Simmons S, Flerlage W, Langlois L, Shepard R, Bouslog C, Thomas E, Gouty K, Sanderson J, Gouty S, Cox B, Dell’Acqua M, Nugent F. AKAP150-anchored PKA regulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity, neuronal excitability and CRF neuromodulation in the lateral habenula. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.06.570160. [PMID: 38106086 PMCID: PMC10723374 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.06.570160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Numerous studies of hippocampal synaptic function in learning and memory have established the functional significance of the scaffolding A-kinase anchoring protein 150 (AKAP150) in kinase and phosphatase regulation of synaptic receptor and ion channel trafficking/function and hence synaptic transmission/plasticity, and neuronal excitability. Emerging evidence also suggests that AKAP150 signaling may play a critical role in brain's processing of rewarding/aversive experiences. Here we focused on an unexplored role of AKAP150 in the lateral habenula (LHb), a diencephalic brain region that integrates and relays negative reward signals from forebrain striatal and limbic structures to midbrain monoaminergic centers. LHb aberrant activity (specifically hyperactivity) is also linked to depression. Using whole cell patch clamp recordings in LHb of male wildtype (WT) and ΔPKA knockin mice (with deficiency in AKAP-anchoring of PKA), we found that the genetic disruption of PKA anchoring to AKAP150 significantly reduced AMPA receptor (AMPAR)-mediated glutamatergic transmission and prevented the induction of presynaptic endocannabinoid (eCB)-mediated long-term depression (LTD) in LHb neurons. Moreover, ΔPKA mutation potentiated GABAA receptor (GABAAR)-mediated inhibitory transmission postsynaptically while increasing LHb intrinsic neuronal excitability through suppression of medium afterhyperpolarizations (mAHPs). Given that LHb is a highly stress-responsive brain region, we further tested the effects of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) stress neuromodulator on synaptic transmission and intrinsic excitability of LHb neurons in WT and ΔPKA mice. As in our earlier study in rat LHb, CRF significantly suppressed GABAergic transmission onto LHb neurons and increased intrinsic excitability by diminishing small-conductance potassium (SK) channel-mediated mAHPs. ΔPKA mutation-induced suppression of mAHPs also blunted the synaptic and neuroexcitatory actions of CRF in mouse LHb. Altogether, our data suggest that AKAP150 complex signaling plays a critical role in regulation of AMPAR and GABAAR synaptic strength, glutamatergic plasticity and CRF neuromodulation possibly through AMPAR and potassium channel trafficking and eCB signaling within the LHb.
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Affiliation(s)
- S.C. Simmons
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - W.J. Flerlage
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - L.D. Langlois
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - R.D. Shepard
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - C. Bouslog
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - E.H. Thomas
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - K.M. Gouty
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - J.L. Sanderson
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - S. Gouty
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - B.M. Cox
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - M.L. Dell’Acqua
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - F.S. Nugent
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
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11
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Wilczkowski M, Karwowska K, Kielbinski M, Zajda K, Pradel K, Drwięga G, Rajfur Z, Blasiak T, Przewlocki R, Solecki WB. Recruitment of inhibitory neuronal pathways regulating dopaminergic activity for the control of cocaine seeking. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 58:4487-4501. [PMID: 36479859 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15885] [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: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Drug seeking is associated with the ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopaminergic (DA) activity. Previously, we have shown that brief optogenetic inhibition of VTA DA neurons with 1 s pulses delivered every 9 s attenuates cocaine seeking under extinction conditions in rats without producing overt signs of dysphoria or locomotor sedation. Whether recruitment of neuronal pathways inhibiting VTA neuronal activity would suppress drug seeking remains unknown. Here, we asked if optogenetic stimulation of the lateral habenula (LHb) efferents in the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) as well as RMTg efferents in VTA would reduce drug seeking. To investigate this, we measured how recruitment of elements of this inhibitory pathway affects cocaine seeking in male rats under extinction conditions. The effectiveness of brief optogenetic manipulations was confirmed electrophysiologically at the level of electrical activity of VTA DA neurons. Real-time conditioned place aversion (RT-CPA) and open field tests were performed to control for potential dysphoric/sedating effects of brief optogenetic stimulation of LHb-RMTg-VTA circuitry. Optogenetic stimulation of either RMTg or LHb inhibited VTA DAergic neuron firing, whereas similar stimulation of RMTg efferents in VTA or LHb efferents in RMTg reduced cocaine seeking under extinction conditions. Moreover, stimulation of LHb-RMTg efferents produced an effect that was maintained 24 h later, during cocaine seeking test without stimulation. This effect was specific, as brief optogenetic stimulation did not affect locomotor activity and was not aversive. Our results indicate that defined inhibitory pathways can be recruited to inhibit cocaine seeking, providing potential new targets for non-pharmacological treatment of drug craving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Wilczkowski
- Department of Neurobiology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Applied Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
- Department of Brain Biochemistry, Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Karolina Karwowska
- Department of Neurobiology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Applied Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Michal Kielbinski
- Department of Neurobiology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Applied Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Zajda
- Department of Neurobiology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Applied Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Kamil Pradel
- Department of Neurophysiology and Chronobiology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Gniewosz Drwięga
- Department of Neurobiology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Applied Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Zenon Rajfur
- Department of Biosystems Physics, Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Tomasz Blasiak
- Department of Neurophysiology and Chronobiology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Ryszard Przewlocki
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Wojciech B Solecki
- Department of Neurobiology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Applied Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
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12
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Martianova E, Sadretdinova R, Pageau A, Pausic N, Gentiletti TD, Leblanc D, Rivera AM, Labonté B, Proulx CD. Hypothalamic neuronal outputs transmit sensorimotor signals at the onset of locomotor initiation. iScience 2023; 26:108328. [PMID: 38026162 PMCID: PMC10665817 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The lateral hypothalamus (LH) plays a critical role in sensory integration to organize behavior responses. However, how projection-defined LH neuronal outputs dynamically transmit sensorimotor signals to major downstream targets to organize behavior is unknown. Here, using multi-fiber photometry, we show that three major LH neuronal outputs projecting to the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), ventral tegmental area (VTA), and lateral habenula (LHb) exhibit significant coherent activity in mice engaging sensory-evoked or self-initiated motor responses. Increased activity at LH axon terminals precedes movement initiation during active coping responses and the activity of serotonin neurons and dopamine neurons. The optogenetic activation of LH axon terminals in either of the DRN, VTA, or LHb was sufficient to increase motor initiation but had different effects on passive avoidance and sucrose consumption. Our findings support the complementary role of three projection-defined LH neuronal outputs in the transmission of sensorimotor signals to major downstream regions at movement onset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Martianova
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Renata Sadretdinova
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Alicia Pageau
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Nikola Pausic
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Tommy Doucet Gentiletti
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Danahé Leblanc
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Arturo Marroquin Rivera
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Benoît Labonté
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Christophe D. Proulx
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
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Lloyd A, Viding E, McKay R, Furl N. Understanding patch foraging strategies across development. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:1085-1098. [PMID: 37500422 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.07.004] [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: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Patch foraging is a near-ubiquitous behaviour across the animal kingdom and characterises many decision-making domains encountered by humans. We review how a disposition to explore in adolescence may reflect the evolutionary conditions under which hunter-gatherers foraged for resources. We propose that neurocomputational mechanisms responsible for reward processing, learning, and cognitive control facilitate the transition from exploratory strategies in adolescence to exploitative strategies in adulthood - where individuals capitalise on known resources. This developmental transition may be disrupted by psychopathology, as there is emerging evidence of biases in explore/exploit choices in mental health problems. Explore/exploit choices may be an informative marker for mental health across development and future research should consider this feature of decision-making as a target for clinical intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Lloyd
- Clinical, Educational, and Health Psychology, Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, UK.
| | - Essi Viding
- Clinical, Educational, and Health Psychology, Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AP, UK
| | - Ryan McKay
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Nicholas Furl
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, TW20 0EX, UK
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14
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Chen JY, Wu K, Guo MM, Song W, Huang ST, Zhang YM. The PrL Glu→avBNST GABA circuit rapidly modulates depression-like behaviors in male mice. iScience 2023; 26:107878. [PMID: 37810240 PMCID: PMC10551841 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Depression is a global disease with a high prevalence. Here, we examine the role of the circuit from prelimbic mPFC (PrL) to the anterior ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (avBNST) in depression-like mice through behavioral tests, immunofluorescence, chemogenetics, optogenetics, pharmacology, and fiber photometry. Mice exposed to chronic restraint stress with individual housing displayed depression-like behaviors. Optogenetic or chemogenetic activation of the avBNST-projecting glutamatergic neurons in the PrL had an antidepressant effect. Moreover, we found that α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionicacid receptors (AMPARs) play a dominant role in this circuit. Systemic administration of ketamine profoundly alleviated depression-like behaviors in the mice and rapidly rescued the decreased activity in the PrLGlu→avBNSTGABA circuit. Furthermore, the fast-acting effect of ketamine on depressive behaviors was diminished when the circuit was inhibited. To summarize, activating the PrLGlu→avBNSTGABA circuit quickly ameliorated depression-like behaviors. Thus, we propose the PrLGlu→avBNSTGABA circuit as a target for fast regulation of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie-ying Chen
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
| | - Ke Wu
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
| | - Miao-miao Guo
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
| | - Wei Song
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
| | - Si-ting Huang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
| | - Yong-mei Zhang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, China
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15
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Esposito-Zapero C, Fernández-Rodríguez S, Sánchez-Catalán MJ, Zornoza T, Cano-Cebrián MJ, Granero L. The rostromedial tegmental nucleus RMTg is not a critical site for ethanol-induced motor activation in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:2071-2080. [PMID: 37474756 PMCID: PMC10506920 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06425-4] [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: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Opioid drugs indirectly activate dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) through a disinhibition mechanism mediated by mu opioid receptors (MORs) present both on the GABA projection neurons located in the medial tegmental nucleus/tail of the VTA (RMTg/tVTA) and on the VTA GABA interneurons. It is well demonstrated that ethanol, like opioid drugs, provokes VTA DA neuron disinhibition by interacting (through its secondary metabolite, salsolinol) with MORs present in VTA GABA interneurons, but it is not known whether ethanol could disinhibit VTA DA neurons through the MORs present in the RMTg/tVTA. OBJECTIVES The objective of the present study was to determine whether ethanol, directly microinjected into the tVTA/RMTg, is also able to induce VTA DA neurons disinhibition. METHODS Disinhibition of VTA DA neurons was indirectly assessed through the analysis of the motor activity of rats. Cannulae were placed into the tVTA/RMTg to perform microinjections of DAMGO (0.13 nmol), ethanol (150 or 300 nmol) or acetaldehyde (250 nmol) in animals pre-treated with either aCSF or the irreversible antagonist of MORs, beta-funaltrexamine (beta-FNA; 2.5 nmol). After injections, spontaneous activity was monitored for 30 min. RESULTS Neither ethanol nor acetaldehyde directly administered into the RMTg/tVTA were able to increase the locomotor activity of rats at doses that, in previous studies performed in the posterior VTA, were effective in increasing motor activities. However, microinjections of 0.13 nmol of DAMGO into the tVTA/RMTg significantly increased the locomotor activity of rats. These activating effects were reduced by local pre-treatment of rats with beta-FNA (2.5 nmol). CONCLUSIONS The tVTA/RMTg does not appear to be a key brain region for the disinhibiting action of ethanol on VTA DA neurons. The absence of dopamine in the tVTA/RMTg extracellular medium, the lack of local ethanol metabolism or both could explain the present results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Esposito-Zapero
- Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica i Parasitologia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Sandra Fernández-Rodríguez
- Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica i Parasitologia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain
| | - María José Sánchez-Catalán
- Lab of Functional Neuroanatomy (NeuroFun-UJI-UV), Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón de la Plana, Spain
| | - Teodoro Zornoza
- Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica i Parasitologia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain
| | - María José Cano-Cebrián
- Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica i Parasitologia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain.
| | - Luis Granero
- Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica i Parasitologia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain.
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16
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Thompson SM. Plasticity of synapses and reward circuit function in the genesis and treatment of depression. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:90-103. [PMID: 36057649 PMCID: PMC9700729 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01422-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
What changes in brain function cause the debilitating symptoms of depression? Can we use the answers to this question to invent more effective, faster acting antidepressant drug therapies? This review provides an overview and update of the converging human and preclinical evidence supporting the hypothesis that changes in the function of excitatory synapses impair the function of the circuits they are embedded in to give rise to the pathological changes in mood, hedonic state, and thought processes that characterize depression. The review also highlights complementary human and preclinical findings that classical and novel antidepressant drugs relieve the symptoms of depression by restoring the functions of these same synapses and circuits. These findings offer a useful path forward for designing better antidepressant compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott M Thompson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, 80045, CO, USA.
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17
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Flerlage WJ, Langlois LD, Rusnak M, Simmons SC, Gouty S, Armstrong RC, Cox BM, Symes AJ, Tsuda MC, Nugent FS. Involvement of Lateral Habenula Dysfunction in Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury-Induced Motivational Deficits. J Neurotrauma 2023; 40:125-140. [PMID: 35972745 PMCID: PMC9917318 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2022.0224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Affective disorders including depression (characterized by reduced motivation, social withdrawal, and anhedonia), anxiety, and irritability are frequently reported as long-term consequences of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in addition to cognitive deficits, suggesting a possible dysregulation within mood/motivational neural circuits. One of the important brain regions that control motivation and mood is the lateral habenula (LHb), whose hyperactivity is associated with depression. Here, we used a repetitive closed-head injury mTBI model that is associated with social deficits in adult male mice and explored the possible long-term alterations in LHb activity and motivated behavior 10-18 days post-injury. We found that mTBI increased the proportion of spontaneous tonically active LHb neurons yet decreased the proportion of LHb neurons displaying bursting activity. Additionally, mTBI diminished spontaneous glutamatergic and GABAergic synaptic activity onto LHb neurons, while synaptic excitation and inhibition (E/I) balance was shifted toward excitation through a greater suppression of GABAergic transmission. Behaviorally, mTBI increased the latency in grooming behavior in the sucrose splash test suggesting reduced self-care motivated behavior following mTBI. To show whether limiting LHb hyperactivity could restore motivational deficits in grooming behavior, we then tested the effects of Gi (hM4Di)-DREADD-mediated inhibition of LHb activity in the sucrose splash test. We found that chemogenetic inhibition of LHb glutamatergic neurons was sufficient to reverse mTBI-induced delays in grooming behavior. Overall, our study provides the first evidence for persistent LHb neuronal dysfunction due to an altered synaptic integration as causal neural correlates of dysregulated motivational states by mTBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J. Flerlage
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Ludovic D. Langlois
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Milan Rusnak
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Sarah C. Simmons
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Shawn Gouty
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Regina C. Armstrong
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Brian M. Cox
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Aviva J. Symes
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Mumeko C. Tsuda
- Preclinical Behavior and Modeling Core, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Fereshteh S. Nugent
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.,Address correspondence to: Fereshteh S. Nugent, PhD, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences,, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
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18
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Zalachoras I, Ramos-Fernández E, Hollis F, Trovo L, Rodrigues J, Strasser A, Zanoletti O, Steiner P, Preitner N, Xin L, Astori S, Sandi C. Glutathione in the nucleus accumbens regulates motivation to exert reward-incentivized effort. eLife 2022; 11:77791. [DOI: 10.7554/elife.77791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence is implicating mitochondrial function and metabolism in the nucleus accumbens in motivated performance. However, the brain is vulnerable to excessive oxidative insults resulting from neurometabolic processes, and whether antioxidant levels in the nucleus accumbens contribute to motivated performance is not known. Here, we identify a critical role for glutathione (GSH), the most important endogenous antioxidant in the brain, in motivation. Using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy at ultra-high field in both male humans and rodent populations, we establish that higher accumbal GSH levels are highly predictive of better, and particularly, steady performance over time in effort-related tasks. Causality was established in in vivo experiments in rats that, first, showed that downregulating GSH levels through micro-injections of the GSH synthesis inhibitor buthionine sulfoximine in the nucleus accumbens impaired effort-based reward-incentivized performance. In addition, systemic treatment with the GSH precursor N-acetyl-cysteine increased accumbal GSH levels in rats and led to improved performance, potentially mediated by a cell-type-specific shift in glutamatergic inputs to accumbal medium spiny neurons. Our data indicate a close association between accumbal GSH levels and an individual’s capacity to exert reward-incentivized effort over time. They also suggest that improvement of accumbal antioxidant function may be a feasible approach to boost motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis Zalachoras
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics (LGC), Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
| | - Eva Ramos-Fernández
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics (LGC), Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
| | - Fiona Hollis
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics (LGC), Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine
| | - Laura Trovo
- Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Nestlé Research, Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Vers-chez-les-Blanc
| | - João Rodrigues
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics (LGC), Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
| | - Alina Strasser
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics (LGC), Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
| | - Olivia Zanoletti
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics (LGC), Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
| | - Pascal Steiner
- Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Nestlé Research, Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Vers-chez-les-Blanc
| | - Nicolas Preitner
- Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Nestlé Research, Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Vers-chez-les-Blanc
| | - Lijing Xin
- Animal Imaging and Technology Core (AIT), Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM), EPFL
| | - Simone Astori
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics (LGC), Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
| | - Carmen Sandi
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics (LGC), Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
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19
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Nentwig TB, Vaughan DT, Braunscheidel KM, Browning BD, Woodward JJ, Chandler LJ. The lateral habenula is not required for ethanol dependence-induced escalation of drinking. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:2123-2131. [PMID: 35717465 PMCID: PMC9556754 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01357-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The lateral habenula (LHb) is an epithalamic nuclei that has been shown to signal the aversive properties of ethanol. The present study tested the hypothesis that activity of the LHb is required for the acquisition and/or expression of dependence-induced escalation of ethanol drinking and somatic withdrawal symptoms. Male Sprague-Dawley rats completed 4 weeks of baseline drinking under a standard intermittent access two-bottle choice (2BC) paradigm before undergoing 2 weeks of daily chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) via vapor inhalation. Following this CIE exposure period, rats resumed 2BC drinking to assess dependence-induced changes in voluntary ethanol consumption. CIE exposed rats exhibited a significant increase in ethanol drinking that was associated with high levels of blood alcohol and a reduction in somatic symptoms of ethanol withdrawal. However, despite robust cFos activation in the LHb during ethanol withdrawal, chemogenetic inhibition of the LHb did not alter either ethanol consumption or somatic signs of ethanol withdrawal. Consistent with this observation, ablating LHb outputs via electrolytic lesions of the fasciculus retroflexus (FR) did not alter the acquisition of somatic withdrawal symptoms or escalation of ethanol drinking in CIE-exposed rats. The LHb controls activity of the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), a midbrain nucleus activated by aversive experiences including ethanol withdrawal. During ethanol withdrawal, both FR lesioned and sham control rats exhibited similar cFos activation in the RMTg, suggesting that RMTg activation during ethanol withdrawal does not require LHb input. These data suggest that, at least in male rats, the LHb is not necessary for the acquisition or expression of escalation of ethanol consumption or expression of somatic symptoms of ethanol withdrawal. Overall, our findings provide evidence that the LHb is dispensable for some of the negative consequences of ethanol withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd B Nentwig
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Dylan T Vaughan
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Kevin M Braunscheidel
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Department of Neuroscience Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Brittney D Browning
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - John J Woodward
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - L Judson Chandler
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
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20
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Johnson SB, Lingg RT, Skog TD, Hinz DC, Romig-Martin SA, Viau V, Narayanan NS, Radley JJ. Activity in a prefrontal-periaqueductal gray circuit overcomes behavioral and endocrine features of the passive coping stress response. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2210783119. [PMID: 36306326 PMCID: PMC9636920 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2210783119] [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: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The question of how the brain links behavioral and biological features of defensive responses has remained elusive. The importance of this problem is underscored by the observation that behavioral passivity in stress coping is associated with elevations in glucocorticoid hormones, and each may carry risks for susceptibility to a host of stress-related diseases. Past work implicates the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in the top-down regulation of stress-related behaviors; however, it is unknown whether such changes have the capacity to buffer against the longer-lasting biological consequences associated with aversive experiences. Using the shock probe defensive burying test in rats to naturalistically measure behavioral and endocrine features of coping, we observed that the active behavioral component of stress coping is associated with increases in activity along a circuit involving the caudal mPFC and midbrain dorsolateral periaqueductal gray (PAG). Optogenetic manipulations of the caudal mPFC-to-dorsolateral PAG pathway bidirectionally modulated active (escape and defensive burying) behaviors, distinct from a rostral mPFC-ventrolateral PAG circuit that instead limited passive (immobility) behavior. Strikingly, under conditions that biased rats toward a passive coping response set, including exaggerated stress hormonal output and increased immobility, excitation of the caudal mPFC-dorsolateral PAG projection significantly attenuated each of these features. These results lend insight into how the brain coordinates response features to overcome passive coping and may be of importance for understanding how activated neural systems promote stress resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane B. Johnson
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Ryan T. Lingg
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Timothy D. Skog
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Dalton C. Hinz
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Sara A. Romig-Martin
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Victor Viau
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2, Canada
| | - Nandakumar S. Narayanan
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
- Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Jason J. Radley
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
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21
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Post RJ, Bulkin DA, Ebitz RB, Lee V, Han K, Warden MR. Tonic activity in lateral habenula neurons acts as a neutral valence brake on reward-seeking behavior. Curr Biol 2022; 32:4325-4336.e5. [PMID: 36049479 PMCID: PMC9613558 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.08.016] [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: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Survival requires both the ability to persistently pursue goals and the ability to determine when it is time to stop, an adaptive balance of perseverance and disengagement. Neural activity in the lateral habenula (LHb) has been linked to negative valence, but its role in regulating the balance between engaged reward seeking and disengaged behavioral states remains unclear. Here, we show that LHb neural activity is tonically elevated during minutes-long periods of disengagement from reward-seeking behavior, both when due to repeated reward omission (negative valence) and when sufficient reward has been consumed (positive valence). Furthermore, we show that LHb inhibition extends ongoing reward-seeking behavioral states but does not prompt task re-engagement. We find no evidence for similar tonic activity changes in ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons. Our findings support a framework in which tonic activity in LHb neurons suppresses engagement in reward-seeking behavior in response to both negatively and positively valenced factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J Post
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; Cornell Neurotech, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - David A Bulkin
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; Cornell Neurotech, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - R Becket Ebitz
- Department of Neuroscience, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Vladlena Lee
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Kasey Han
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Melissa R Warden
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; Cornell Neurotech, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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22
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Ren LY, Cicvaric A, Zhang H, Meyer MA, Guedea AL, Gao P, Petrovic Z, Sun X, Lin Y, Radulovic J. Stress-induced changes of the cholinergic circuitry promote retrieval-based generalization of aversive memories. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:3795-3805. [PMID: 35551246 PMCID: PMC9846583 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01610-x] [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: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Generalization, the process of applying knowledge acquired in one context to other contexts, often drives the expression of similar behaviors in related situations. At the cellular level, generalization is thought to depend on the activity of overlapping neurons that represent shared features between contexts (general representations). Using contextual fear conditioning in mice, we demonstrate that generalization can also occur in response to stress and result from reactivation of specific, rather than general context representations. We found that generalization emerges during memory retrieval, along with stress-induced abnormalities of septohippocampal oscillatory activity and acetylcholine release, which are typically found in negative affective states. In hippocampal neurons that represent aversive memories and drive generalization, cholinergic septohippocampal afferents contributed to a unique reactivation pattern of cFos, Npas4, and repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor (REST). Together, these findings suggest that generalization can be triggered by perceptually dissimilar but valence-congruent memories of specific aversive experiences. Through promoting the reactivation of such memories and their interference with ongoing behavior, abnormal cholinergic signaling could underlie maladaptive cognitive and behavioral generalization linked to negative affective states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn Y Ren
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Ana Cicvaric
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hui Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mariah Aa Meyer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Anita L Guedea
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Pan Gao
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Zorica Petrovic
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Xiaochen Sun
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Yingxi Lin
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jelena Radulovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
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23
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Lu J, Zhang Z, Yin X, Tang Y, Ji R, Chen H, Guang Y, Gong X, He Y, Zhou W, Wang H, Cheng K, Wang Y, Chen X, Xie P, Guo ZV. An entorhinal-visual cortical circuit regulates depression-like behaviors. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:3807-3820. [PMID: 35388184 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01540-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder is viewed as a 'circuitopathy'. The hippocampal-entorhinal network plays a pivotal role in regulation of depression, and its main sensory output, the visual cortex, is a promising target for stimulation therapy of depression. However, whether the entorhinal-visual cortical pathway mediates depression and the potential mechanism remains unknown. Here we report a cortical circuit linking entorhinal cortex layer Va neurons to the medial portion of secondary visual cortex (Ent→V2M) that bidirectionally regulates depression-like behaviors in mice. Analyses of brain-wide projections of Ent Va neurons and two-color retrograde tracing indicated that Ent Va→V2M projection neurons represented a unique population of neurons in Ent Va. Immunostaining of c-Fos revealed that activity in Ent Va neurons was decreased in mice under chronic social defeat stress (CSDS). Both chemogenetic inactivation of Ent→V2M projection neurons and optogenetic inactivation of the projection terminals induced social deficiency, anxiety- and despair-related behaviors in healthy mice. Chemogenetic inactivation of Ent→V2M projection neurons also aggravated these depression-like behaviors in CSDS-resilient mice. Optogenetic activation of Ent→V2M projection terminals rapidly ameliorated depression-like phenotypes. Optical recording using fiber photometry indicated that elevated neural activity in Ent→V2M projection terminals promoted antidepressant-like behaviors. Thus, the Ent→V2M circuit plays a crucial role in regulation of depression-like behaviors, and can function as a potential target for treating major depressive disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Lu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases & Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, 400016, Chongqing, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China.,Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Zhouzhou Zhang
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China.,Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Xinxin Yin
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China.,Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Yingjun Tang
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China.,Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Runan Ji
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China.,Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Han Chen
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China.,Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Guang
- Department of gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University (The Second People's Hospital of Shenzhen) and Dapeng Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, 518028, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xue Gong
- NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases & Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, 400016, Chongqing, China
| | - Yong He
- NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases & Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, 400016, Chongqing, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases & Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, 400016, Chongqing, China
| | - Haiyang Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases & Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, 400016, Chongqing, China
| | - Ke Cheng
- NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases & Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, 400016, Chongqing, China
| | - Yue Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases & Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, 400016, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiaowei Chen
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, 400038, Chongqing, China
| | - Peng Xie
- NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases & Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, 400016, Chongqing, China.
| | - Zengcai V Guo
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China. .,Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, 100084, Beijing, China.
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24
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Tan JXM, Ang RJW, Wee CL. Larval Zebrafish as a Model for Mechanistic Discovery in Mental Health. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:900213. [PMID: 35813062 PMCID: PMC9263853 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.900213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal models are essential for the discovery of mechanisms and treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders. However, complex mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety are difficult to fully recapitulate in these models. Borrowing from the field of psychiatric genetics, we reiterate the framework of 'endophenotypes' - biological or behavioral markers with cellular, molecular or genetic underpinnings - to reduce complex disorders into measurable behaviors that can be compared across organisms. Zebrafish are popular disease models due to the conserved genetic, physiological and anatomical pathways between zebrafish and humans. Adult zebrafish, which display more sophisticated behaviors and cognition, have long been used to model psychiatric disorders. However, larvae (up to 1 month old) are more numerous and also optically transparent, and hence are particularly suited for high-throughput screening and brain-wide neural circuit imaging. A number of behavioral assays have been developed to quantify neuropsychiatric phenomena in larval zebrafish. Here, we will review these assays and the current knowledge regarding the underlying mechanisms of their behavioral readouts. We will also discuss the existing evidence linking larval zebrafish behavior to specific human behavioral traits and how the endophenotype framework can be applied. Importantly, many of the endophenotypes we review do not solely define a diseased state but could manifest as a spectrum across the general population. As such, we make the case for larval zebrafish as a promising model for extending our understanding of population mental health, and for identifying novel therapeutics and interventions with broad impact.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Caroline Lei Wee
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
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25
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Zhao YN, Zhang Y, Tao SY, Huang ZL, Qu WM, Yang SR. Whole-Brain Monosynaptic Afferents to Rostromedial Tegmental Nucleus Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid-Releasing Neurons in Mice. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:914300. [PMID: 35733933 PMCID: PMC9207306 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.914300] [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: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence has revealed that the rostromedial tegmental area (RMTg) mediates many behaviors, including sleep and addiction. However, presynaptic patterns governing the activity of γ-aminobutyric acid-releasing (GABAergic) neurons, the main neuronal type in the RMTg, have not been defined. Here, we used cell-type-specific retrograde trans-synaptic rabies viruses to map and quantify the monosynaptic afferents to RMTg GABAergic neurons in mouse whole brains. We identified 71 ascending projection brain regions. Sixty-eight percent of the input neurons arise from the ipsilateral and 32% from the contralateral areas of the brain. The first three strongest projection regions were the ipsilateral lateral hypothalamus, zone incerta, and contralateral pontine reticular nucleus. Immunohistochemistry imaging showed that the input neurons in the dorsal raphe, laterodorsal tegmentum, and dorsal part of zone incerta were colocalized with serotoninergic, cholinergic, and neuronal nitric oxide synthetase-expressing neurons, respectively. However, in the lateral hypothalamus, a few input neurons innervating RMTg GABAergic neurons colocalized orexinergic neurons but lacked colocalization of melanin-concentrating hormone neurons. Our findings provide anatomical evidence to understand how RMTg GABAergic neurons integrate diverse information to exert varied functions.
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26
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Sachella TE, Ihidoype MR, Proulx CD, Pafundo DE, Medina JH, Mendez P, Piriz J. A novel role for the lateral habenula in fear learning. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1210-1219. [PMID: 35217797 PMCID: PMC9018839 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01294-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Revised: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Fear is an extreme form of aversion that underlies pathological conditions such as panic or phobias. Fear conditioning (FC) is the best-understood model of fear learning. In FC the context and a cue are independently associated with a threatening unconditioned stimulus (US). The lateral habenula (LHb) is a general encoder of aversion. However, its role in fear learning remains poorly understood. Here we studied in rats the role of the LHb in FC using optogenetics and pharmacological tools. We found that inhibition or activation of the LHb during entire FC training impaired both cued and contextual FC. In contrast, optogenetic inhibition of the LHb restricted to cue and US presentation impaired cued but not contextual FC. In either case, simultaneous activation of contextual and cued components of FC, by the presentation of the cue in the training context, recovered the conditioned fear response. Our results support the notion that the LHb is required for the formation of independent contextual and cued fear memories, a previously uncharacterized function for this structure, that could be critical in fear generalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas E. Sachella
- grid.423606.50000 0001 1945 2152Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica “Bernardo Houssay” (IFIBIO-Houssay), Grupo de Neurociencia de Sistemas, Universidad de Buenos Aires y Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Marina R. Ihidoype
- grid.423606.50000 0001 1945 2152Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica “Bernardo Houssay” (IFIBIO-Houssay), Grupo de Neurociencia de Sistemas, Universidad de Buenos Aires y Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Christophe D. Proulx
- grid.23856.3a0000 0004 1936 8390CERVO Brain Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec Canada
| | - Diego E. Pafundo
- grid.423606.50000 0001 1945 2152Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica “Bernardo Houssay” (IFIBIO-Houssay), Grupo de Neurociencia de Sistemas, Universidad de Buenos Aires y Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jorge H. Medina
- grid.423606.50000 0001 1945 2152Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia “Prof. E. De Robertis” (IBCN), Universidad de Buenos Aires y Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina ,grid.441574.70000000090137393Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pablo Mendez
- grid.419043.b0000 0001 2177 5516Instituto Cajal, CSIC, Madrid, España
| | - Joaquin Piriz
- Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica "Bernardo Houssay" (IFIBIO-Houssay), Grupo de Neurociencia de Sistemas, Universidad de Buenos Aires y Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina. .,Instituto de Fisiología Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE), Universidad de Buenos Aires y Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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27
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Hones VI, Mizumori SJY. Response Flexibility: The Role of the Lateral Habenula. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:852235. [PMID: 35444521 PMCID: PMC9014270 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.852235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to make appropriate decisions that result in an optimal outcome is critical for survival. This process involves assessing the environment as well as integrating prior knowledge about the environment with information about one’s current internal state. There are many neural structures that play critical roles in mediating these processes, but it is not yet known how such information coalesces to influence behavioral output. The lateral habenula (LHb) has often been cited as a structure critical for adaptive and flexible responding when environmental contexts and internal state changes. A challenge, however, has been understanding how LHb promotes response flexibility. In this review, we hypothesize that the LHb enables flexible responding following the integration of context memory and internal state information by signaling downstream brainstem structures known to drive hippocampal theta. In this way, animals respond more flexibly in a task situation not because the LHb selects a particular action, but rather because LHb enhances a hippocampal neural state that is often associated with greater attention, arousal, and exploration. In freely navigating animals, these are essential conditions that are needed to discover and implement appropriate alternative choices and behaviors. As a corollary to our hypothesis, we describe short- and intermediate-term functions of the LHb. Finally, we discuss the effects on the behavior of LHb dysfunction in short- and intermediate-timescales, and then suggest that new therapies may act on the LHb to alleviate the behavioral impairments following long-term LHb disruption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria I. Hones
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Sheri J. Y. Mizumori
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- *Correspondence: Sheri J. Y. Mizumori
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28
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Levinstein MR, Bergkamp DJ, Lewis ZK, Tsobanoudis A, Hashikawa K, Stuber GD, Neumaier JF. PACAP-expressing neurons in the lateral habenula diminish negative emotional valence. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2022; 21:e12801. [PMID: 35304804 PMCID: PMC9444940 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The lateral habenula (LHb) is a small, bilateral, epithalamic nucleus which processes aversive information. While primarily glutamatergic, LHb neurons express genes coding for many neuropeptides, such as Adcyap1 the gene encoding pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), which itself has been associated with anxiety and stress disorders. Using Cre-dependent viral vectors, we targeted and characterized these neurons based on their anatomical projections and found that they projected to both the raphe and rostromedial tegmentum but only weakly to ventral tegmental area. Using RiboTag to capture ribosomal-associated mRNA from these neurons and reanalysis of existing single cell RNA sequencing data, we did not identify a unique molecular phenotype that characterized these PACAP-expressing neurons in LHb. In order to understand the function of these neurons, we conditionally expressed hM3 Dq DREADD selectively in LHb PACAP-expressing neurons and chemogenetically excited these neurons during behavioral testing in the open field test, contextual fear conditioning, sucrose preference, novelty suppressed feeding, and conditioned place preference. We found that Gq activation of these neurons produce behaviors opposite to what is expected from the LHb as a whole-they decreased anxiety-like and fear behavior and produced a conditioned place preference. In conclusion, PACAP-expressing neurons in LHb represents a molecularly diverse population of cells that oppose the actions of the remainder of LHb neurons by being rewarding or diminishing the negative consequences of aversive events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie R. Levinstein
- Graduate Program in NeuroscienceUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA,Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research ProgramBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - David J. Bergkamp
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA,Department of PharmacologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Zoë K. Lewis
- Department of BiologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Alex Tsobanoudis
- Department of BiologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Koichi Hashikawa
- Department of PharmacologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA,Department of Anesthesiology and Pain MedicineUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA,Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and EmotionUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Garret D. Stuber
- Department of PharmacologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA,Department of Anesthesiology and Pain MedicineUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA,Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and EmotionUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - John F. Neumaier
- Graduate Program in NeuroscienceUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA,Department of PharmacologyUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA,Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and EmotionUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
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29
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Baker PM, Mathis V, Lecourtier L, Simmons SC, Nugent FS, Hill S, Mizumori SJY. Lateral Habenula Beyond Avoidance: Roles in Stress, Memory, and Decision-Making With Implications for Psychiatric Disorders. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:826475. [PMID: 35308564 PMCID: PMC8930415 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.826475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In this Perspective review, we highlight some of the less explored aspects of lateral habenula (LHb) function in contextual memory, sleep, and behavioral flexibility. We provide evidence that LHb is well-situated to integrate different internal state and multimodal sensory information from memory-, stress-, motivational-, and reward-related circuits essential for both survival and decision making. We further discuss the impact of early life stress (ELS) on LHb function as an example of stress-induced hyperactivity and dysregulation of neuromodulatory systems within the LHb that promote anhedonia and motivational deficits following ELS. We acknowledge that recent technological advancements in manipulation and recording of neural circuits in simplified and well-controlled behavioral paradigms have been invaluable in our understanding of the critical role of LHb in motivation and emotional regulation as well as the involvement of LHb dysfunction in stress-induced psychopathology. However, we also argue that the use of ethologically-relevant behaviors with consideration of complex aspects of decision-making is warranted for future studies of LHb contributions in a wide range of psychiatric illnesses. We conclude this Perspective with some of the outstanding issues for the field to consider where a multi-systems approach is needed to investigate the complex nature of LHb circuitry interactions with environmental stimuli that predisposes psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip M. Baker
- Department of Psychology, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA, United States
- *Correspondence: Phillip M. Baker,
| | - Victor Mathis
- CNRS UPR 3212, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Center National de la Recherche Scientifique, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Lucas Lecourtier
- CNRS, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), UMR 7364, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Lucas Lecourtier,
| | - Sarah C. Simmons
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Fereshteh S. Nugent
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Fereshteh S. Nugent,
| | - Sierra Hill
- Department of Psychology, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Sheri J. Y. Mizumori
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
- Sheri J. Y. Mizumori,
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30
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Sánchez-Catalán MJ, Barrot M. Fos response of the tail of the ventral tegmental area to food restriction entails a prediction error processing. Behav Brain Res 2022; 425:113826. [PMID: 35247487 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113826] [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: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The tail of the ventral tegmental area (tVTA) or rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) receives lateral habenula inputs and projects heavily to midbrain dopamine neurons. Midbrain dopamine and lateral habenula neurons participate in learning processes predicting the outcomes of actions, placing the tVTA in a critical location into prediction error pathways. tVTA GABA neurons show electrophysiological inhibition or activation after reward and aversive stimuli, respectively, and their predictive cues. tVTA molecular recruitment, however, is not elicited by all aversive stimuli. Indeed, precipitated opioid withdrawal, repeated footshocks or food restriction raise tVTA Fos expression, whereas various other unpleasant, stressful or painful stimuli does not elicit that molecular response. However, the basis of that difference remains unknown. In the present study, we tried to disentangle whether the tVTA c-Fos induction observed after food restriction was due to the aversive state of food restriction or to procedure-related reward prediction error. To this end, male Sprague-Dawley rats were food-restricted for 7-8 days. During this period, animals were handled and weighed every day before feeding. On the test day, rats underwent several behavioral procedures to explore the impact of food restriction and food-predictive cue exposure on tVTA c-Fos expression. We showed that food restriction per se was not able to recruit c-Fos in the tVTA. On the contrary, the food-predicting cues induced c-Fos locally in the absence of feeding, whereas the food-predicting cues followed by feeding evoked lower c-Fos expression. Overall, our results support the proposed involvement of the tVTA in reward prediction error.
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Affiliation(s)
- María-José Sánchez-Catalán
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain.
| | - Michel Barrot
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
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31
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Yee DM, Leng X, Shenhav A, Braver TS. Aversive motivation and cognitive control. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 133:104493. [PMID: 34910931 PMCID: PMC8792354 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Aversive motivation plays a prominent role in driving individuals to exert cognitive control. However, the complexity of behavioral responses attributed to aversive incentives creates significant challenges for developing a clear understanding of the neural mechanisms of this motivation-control interaction. We review the animal learning, systems neuroscience, and computational literatures to highlight the importance of experimental paradigms that incorporate both motivational context manipulations and mixed motivational components (e.g., bundling of appetitive and aversive incentives). Specifically, we postulate that to understand aversive incentive effects on cognitive control allocation, a critical contextual factor is whether such incentives are associated with negative reinforcement or punishment. We further illustrate how the inclusion of mixed motivational components in experimental paradigms enables increased precision in the measurement of aversive influences on cognitive control. A sharpened experimental and theoretical focus regarding the manipulation and assessment of distinct motivational dimensions promises to advance understanding of the neural, monoaminergic, and computational mechanisms that underlie the interaction of motivation and cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debbie M Yee
- Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, USA; Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, USA; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in Saint Louis, USA.
| | - Xiamin Leng
- Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, USA; Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, USA
| | - Amitai Shenhav
- Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, USA; Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, USA
| | - Todd S Braver
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in Saint Louis, USA
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32
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Pulcu E, Guinea C, Cowen PJ, Murphy SE, Harmer CJ. A translational perspective on the anti-anhedonic effect of ketamine and its neural underpinnings. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:81-87. [PMID: 34158619 PMCID: PMC8960410 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01183-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Anhedonia, a pronounced reduction in interest or pleasure in any of life's daily activities, is a cardinal symptom of major depression. In this Perspective article, we synthesise the recent evidence from rodent, monkey and human neuroimaging literature to highlight how the habenula, a small evolutionarily conserved subcortical structure located in the midbrain, may orchestrate the behavioural expression of anhedonia across fronto-mesolimbic networks. We then review how this circuitry can be modulated by ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist with rapid antidepressant properties. We propose that experimental paradigms founded in reinforcement learning and value-based decision-making can usefully probe this network and thereby help elucidate the mechanisms underlying ketamine's rapid antidepressant action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erdem Pulcu
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. .,Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK.
| | - Calum Guinea
- grid.4991.50000 0004 1936 8948Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK ,grid.416938.10000 0004 0641 5119Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX UK
| | - Philip J. Cowen
- grid.4991.50000 0004 1936 8948Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK ,grid.416938.10000 0004 0641 5119Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX UK
| | - Susannah E. Murphy
- grid.4991.50000 0004 1936 8948Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK ,grid.416938.10000 0004 0641 5119Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX UK
| | - Catherine J. Harmer
- grid.4991.50000 0004 1936 8948Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK ,grid.416938.10000 0004 0641 5119Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX UK
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33
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Lin S, Du Y, Xia Y, Xie Y, Xiao L, Wang G. Advances in optogenetic studies of depressive-like behaviors and underlying neural circuit mechanisms. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:950910. [PMID: 36159933 PMCID: PMC9492959 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.950910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUNDS The neural circuit mechanisms underlying depression remain unclear. Recently optogenetics has gradually gained recognition as a novel technique to regulate the activity of neurons with light stimulation. Scientists are now transferring their focus to the function of brain regions and neural circuits in the pathogenic progress of depression. Deciphering the circuitry mechanism of depressive-like behaviors may help us better understand the symptomatology of depression. However, few studies have summarized current progress on optogenetic researches into the neural circuit mechanisms of depressive-like behaviors. AIMS This review aimed to introduce fundamental characteristics and methodologies of optogenetics, as well as how this technique achieves specific neuronal control with spatial and temporal accuracy. We mainly summarized recent progress in neural circuit discoveries in depressive-like behaviors using optogenetics and exhibited the potential of optogenetics as a tool to investigate the mechanism and possible optimization underlying antidepressant treatment such as ketamine and deep brain stimulation. METHODS A systematic review of the literature published in English mainly from 2010 to the present in databases was performed. The selected literature is then categorized and summarized according to their neural circuits and depressive-like behaviors. CONCLUSIONS Many important discoveries have been made utilizing optogenetics. These findings support optogenetics as a powerful and potential tool for studying depression. And our comprehension to the etiology of depression and other psychiatric disorders will also be more thorough with this rapidly developing technique in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanshan Lin
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,Institute of Neuropsychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yiwei Du
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,Institute of Neuropsychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yujie Xia
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,Institute of Neuropsychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yumeng Xie
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,Institute of Neuropsychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ling Xiao
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,Institute of Neuropsychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Gaohua Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.,Institute of Neuropsychiatry, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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34
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Langlois LD, Berman RY, Shepard RD, Simmons SC, Tsuda MC, Gouty S, Choi KH, Nugent FS. Potentiation of glutamatergic synaptic transmission onto lateral habenula neurons following early life stress and intravenous morphine self-administration in rats. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13064. [PMID: 34036710 PMCID: PMC8613295 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Early life stress presents an important risk factor for drug addiction and comorbid depression and anxiety through persistent effects on the mesolimbic dopamine pathways. Using an early life stress model for child neglect (a single 24 h episode of maternal deprivation, MD) in rats, recent published works from our lab show that MD induces dysfunction in the ventral tegmental area and its negative controller, the lateral habenula (LHb). MD-induced potentiation of glutamatergic synaptic transmission onto LHb neurons shifts the coordination of excitation/inhibition (E/I) balance towards excitation, resulting in an increase in the overall spontaneous neuronal activity with elevation in bursting and tonic firing, and in the intrinsic excitability of LHb neurons in early adolescent male rats. Here, we explored how MD affects intravenous morphine self-administration (MSA) acquisition and sucrose preference as well as glutamatergic synaptic function in LHb neurons of adult male rats self-administering morphine. We found that MD-induced increases in LHb neuronal and glutamatergic synaptic activity and E/I ratio persisted into adulthood. Moreover, MD significantly reduced morphine intake, triggered anhedonia-like behaviour in the sucrose preference test and was associated with persistent glutamatergic potentiation 24 h after the last MSA session. MSA also altered the decay time kinetics of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor (AMPAR) currents in LHb neurons of control rats during this time period. Our data highlight that early life stress-induced glutamatergic plasticity in LHb may dampen the positive reinforcing and motivational properties of both natural rewards and opioids, and may contribute to the development of anhedonia and dysphoric states associated with opioids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovic D. Langlois
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - Rina Y. Berman
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - Ryan D. Shepard
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - Sarah C. Simmons
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - Mumeko C. Tsuda
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Rat Behavior Core, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - Shawn Gouty
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - Kwang H. Choi
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
| | - Fereshteh S. Nugent
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
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35
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Jhou TC. The rostromedial tegmental (RMTg) "brake" on dopamine and behavior: A decade of progress but also much unfinished work. Neuropharmacology 2021; 198:108763. [PMID: 34433088 PMCID: PMC8593889 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Between 2005 and 2009, several research groups identified a strikingly dense inhibitory input to midbrain dopamine neurons arising from a previously uncharted region posterior to the ventral tegmental area (VTA). This region is now denoted as either the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) or the "tail of the VTA" (tVTA), and is recognized to express distinct genetic markers, encode negative "prediction errors" (inverse to dopamine neurons), and play critical roles in behavioral inhibition and punishment learning. RMTg neurons are also influenced by many categories of abused drugs, and may drive some aversive responses to such drugs, particularly cocaine and alcohol. However, despite much progress, many important questions remain about RMTg molecular/genetic properties, diversity of projection targets, and applications to addiction, depression, and other neuropsychiatric disorders. This article is part of the special Issue on 'Neurocircuitry Modulating Drug and Alcohol Abuse'.
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36
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Nadel JA, Pawelko SS, Scott JR, McLaughlin R, Fox M, Ghanem M, van der Merwe R, Hollon NG, Ramsson ES, Howard CD. Optogenetic stimulation of striatal patches modifies habit formation and inhibits dopamine release. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19847. [PMID: 34615966 PMCID: PMC8494762 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99350-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Habits are inflexible behaviors that develop after extensive repetition, and overreliance on habits is a hallmark of many pathological states. The striatum is involved in the transition from flexible to inflexible responding, and interspersed throughout the striatum are patches, or striosomes, which make up ~15% of the volume of the striatum relative to the surrounding matrix compartment. Previous studies have suggested that patches are necessary for normal habit formation, but it remains unknown exactly how patches contribute to habit formation and expression. Here, using optogenetics, we stimulated striatal patches in Sepw1-NP67 mice during variable interval training (VI60), which is used to establish habitual responding. We found that activation of patches at reward retrieval resulted in elevated responding during VI60 training by modifying the pattern of head entry and pressing. Further, this optogenetic manipulation reduced subsequent responding following reinforcer devaluation, suggesting modified habit formation. However, patch stimulation did not generally increase extinction rates during a subsequent extinction probe, but did result in a small 'extinction burst', further suggesting goal-directed behavior. On the other hand, this manipulation had no effect in omission trials, where mice had to withhold responses to obtain rewards. Finally, we utilized fast-scan cyclic voltammetry to investigate how patch activation modifies evoked striatal dopamine release and found that optogenetic activation of patch projections to the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) is sufficient to suppress dopamine release in the dorsal striatum. Overall, this work provides novel insight into the role of the patch compartment in habit formation, and provides a potential mechanism for how patches modify habitual behavior by exerting control over dopamine signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Nadel
- Neuroscience Department, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, USA
| | - S S Pawelko
- Neuroscience Department, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, USA
| | - J R Scott
- Neuroscience Department, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, USA
| | - R McLaughlin
- Neuroscience Department, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, USA
| | - M Fox
- Neuroscience Department, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, USA
| | - M Ghanem
- Neuroscience Department, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, USA
| | | | - N G Hollon
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - E S Ramsson
- Department of Biomedical Science, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, USA
| | - C D Howard
- Neuroscience Department, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, USA.
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37
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Gordon-Fennell A, Stuber GD. Illuminating subcortical GABAergic and glutamatergic circuits for reward and aversion. Neuropharmacology 2021; 198:108725. [PMID: 34375625 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Reinforcement, reward, and aversion are fundamental processes for guiding appropriate behaviors. Longstanding theories have pointed to dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the limbic systems' descending pathways as crucial systems for modulating these behaviors. The application of optogenetic techniques in neurotransmitter- and projection-specific circuits has supported and enhanced many preexisting theories but has also revealed many unexpected results. Here, we review the past decade of optogenetic experiments to study the neural circuitry of reinforcement and reward/aversion with a focus on the mesolimbic dopamine system and brain areas along the medial forebrain bundle (MFB). The cumulation of these studies to date has revealed generalizable findings across molecularly defined cell types in areas of the basal forebrain and anterior hypothalamus. Optogenetic stimulation of GABAergic neurons in these brain regions drives reward and can support positive reinforcement and optogenetic stimulation of glutamatergic neurons in these regions drives aversion. We also review studies of the activity dynamics of neurotransmitter defined populations in these areas which have revealed varied response patterns associated with motivated behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Gordon-Fennell
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, 98195, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Garret D Stuber
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, 98195, Seattle, WA, USA.
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38
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Parrilla-Carrero J, Eid M, Li H, Chao YS, Jhou TC. Synaptic Adaptations at the Rostromedial Tegmental Nucleus Underlie Individual Differences in Cocaine Avoidance Behavior. J Neurosci 2021; 41:4620-4630. [PMID: 33753546 PMCID: PMC8260244 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1847-20.2021] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Although cocaine is powerfully rewarding, not all individuals are equally prone to abusing this drug. We postulate that these differences arise in part because some individuals exhibit stronger aversive responses to cocaine that protect them from cocaine seeking. Indeed, using conditioned place preference (CPP) and a runway operant cocaine self-administration task, we demonstrate that avoidance responses to cocaine vary greatly between individual high cocaine-avoider and low cocaine-avoider rats. These behavioral differences correlated with cocaine-induced activation of the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), measured using both in vivo firing and c-fos, whereas slice electrophysiological recordings from ventral tegmental area (VTA)-projecting RMTg neurons showed that relative to low avoiders, high avoiders exhibited greater intrinsic excitability, greater transmission via calcium-permeable AMPA receptors (CP-AMPARs), and higher presynaptic glutamate release. In behaving animals, blocking CP-AMPARs in the RMTg with NASPM reduced cocaine avoidance. Hence, cocaine addiction vulnerability may be linked to multiple coordinated synaptic differences in VTA-projecting RMTg neurons.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Although cocaine is highly addictive, not all individuals exposed to cocaine progress to chronic use for reasons that remain unclear. We find that cocaine's aversive effects, although less widely studied than its rewarding effects, show more individual variability, are predictive of subsequent propensity to seek cocaine, and are driven by variations in RMTg in response to cocaine that arise from distinct alterations in intrinsic excitability and glutamate transmission onto VTA-projecting RMTg neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Parrilla-Carrero
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Maya Eid
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Hao Li
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Ying S Chao
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
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39
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Lateral Habenula Mediates Defensive Responses Only When Threat and Safety Memories Are in Conflict. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0482-20.2021. [PMID: 33712440 PMCID: PMC8059882 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0482-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Survival depends on the ability to adaptively react or execute actions based on previous aversive salient experiences. Although lateral habenula (LHb) activity has been broadly implicated in the regulation of aversively motivated responses, it is not clear under which conditions this brain structure is necessary to regulate defensive responses to a threat. To address this issue, we combined pharmacological inactivations with behavioral tasks that involve aversive and appetitive events and evaluated defensive responses in rats. We found that LHb pharmacological inactivation did not affect cued threat conditioning (fear) and extinction (safety) learning and memory, anxiety-like or reward-seeking behaviors. Surprisingly, we found that LHb inactivation abolished reactive defensive responses (tone-elicited freezing) only when threat (conditioning) and safety memories (extinction and latent inhibition) compete during retrieval. Consistently, we found that LHb inactivation impaired active defensive responses [platform-mediated avoidance (PMA)], thereby biasing choice behavior (between avoiding a threat or approaching food) toward reward-seeking responses. Together, our findings suggest that LHb activity mediates defensive responses only when guided by competing threat and safety memories, consequently revealing a previously uncharacterized role for LHb in experience-dependent emotional conflict.
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40
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Liu C, Liu J, Zhou L, He H, Zhang Y, Cai S, Yuan C, Luo T, Zheng J, Yu T, Zhang M. Lateral Habenula Glutamatergic Neurons Modulate Isoflurane Anesthesia in Mice. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 14:628996. [PMID: 33746711 PMCID: PMC7969819 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.628996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Since their introduction in the 1840s, one of the largest mysteries of modern anesthesia are how general anesthetics create the state of reversible loss of consciousness. Increasing researchers have shown that neural pathways that regulate endogenous sleep–wake systems are also involved in general anesthesia. Recently, the Lateral Habenula (LHb) was considered as a hot spot for both natural sleep–wake and propofol-induced sedation; however, the role of the LHb and related pathways in the isoflurane-induced unconsciousness has yet to be identified. Here, using real-time calcium fiber photometry recordings in vivo, we found that isoflurane reversibly increased the activity of LHb glutamatergic neurons. Then, we selectively ablated LHb glutamatergic neurons in Vglut2-cre mice, which caused a longer induction time and less recovery time along with a decrease in delta-band power in mice under isoflurane anesthesia. Furthermore, using a chemogenetic approach to specifically activate LHb glutamatergic neurons shortened the induction time and prolonged the recovery time in mice under isoflurane anesthesia with an increase in delta-band power. In contrast, chemogenetic inhibition of LHb glutamatergic neurons was very similar to the effects of selective lesions of LHb glutamatergic neurons. Finally, optogenetic activation of LHb glutamatergic neurons or the synaptic terminals of LHb glutamatergic neurons in the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) produced a hypnosis-promoting effect in isoflurane anesthesia with an increase in slow wave activity. Our results suggest that LHb glutamatergic neurons and pathway are vital in modulating isoflurane anesthesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengxi Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Guizhou Key Laboratory of Anaesthesia and Organ Protection, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China.,Guizhou Key Laboratory of Brain Science, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Junxiao Liu
- Guizhou Key Laboratory of Anaesthesia and Organ Protection, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Liang Zhou
- Guizhou Key Laboratory of Anaesthesia and Organ Protection, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Haifeng He
- Guizhou Key Laboratory of Anaesthesia and Organ Protection, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China.,Guizhou Key Laboratory of Brain Science, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Guizhou Key Laboratory of Anaesthesia and Organ Protection, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China.,Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Shuang Cai
- Guizhou Key Laboratory of Anaesthesia and Organ Protection, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China.,Guizhou Key Laboratory of Brain Science, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Chengdong Yuan
- Guizhou Key Laboratory of Brain Science, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China.,Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Tianyuan Luo
- Guizhou Key Laboratory of Anaesthesia and Organ Protection, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China.,Guizhou Key Laboratory of Brain Science, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Jijian Zheng
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Tian Yu
- Guizhou Key Laboratory of Anaesthesia and Organ Protection, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China.,Guizhou Key Laboratory of Brain Science, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Mazhong Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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41
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Fakhoury M. Optogenetics: A revolutionary approach for the study of depression. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 106:110094. [PMID: 32890694 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Depression is a severe and chronic mental disorder that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Symptoms include depressed mood, loss of interest, reduced motivation and suicidal thoughts. Even though findings from genetic, molecular and imaging studies have helped provide some clues regarding the mechanisms underlying depression-like behaviors, there are still many unanswered questions that need to be addressed. Optogenetics, a technique developed in the early 2000s, has proved effective in the study and treatment of depression and depression-like behaviors and has revolutionized already known experimental techniques. This technique employs light and genetic tools to either inhibit or excite specific neurons or pathways within the brain. In this review paper, an up-to-date understanding of the use of optogenetics in the study of depression-like behaviors is provided, along with suggestions for future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Fakhoury
- Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut Campus, Lebanon.
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42
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Activation of proprotein convertase in the mouse habenula causes depressive-like behaviors through remodeling of extracellular matrix. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:442-454. [PMID: 32942293 PMCID: PMC7852607 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00843-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The lateral habenula (LHb) attracts a growing interest as a regulator of monoaminergic activity which were frequently reported to be defective in depression. Here we found that chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in LHb associated with mobilization of monocytes and remodeling of extracellular matrix by increased matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity. RNA-seq analysis identified proprotein convertase Pcsk5 as an upstream regulator of MMP activation, with upregulation in LHb neurons of mice with susceptibility to CSDS. PCSK5 facilitated motility of microglia in vitro by converting inactive pro-MMP14 and pro-MMP2 to their active forms, highlighting its role in mobilization of microglia and monocytes in neuroinflammation. Suppression of Pcsk5 expression via small interfering RNA (siRNA) ameliorated depressive-like behaviors and pathological mobilization of monocytes in mice with susceptibility to CSDS. PCSK5-MMPs signaling pathway could be a target for development of the antidepressants targeting the inflammatory response in specific brain regions implicated in depression.
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43
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Levinstein MR, Coffey KR, Marx RG, Lesiak AJ, Neumaier JF. Stress induces divergent gene expression among lateral habenula efferent pathways. Neurobiol Stress 2020; 13:100268. [PMID: 33344721 PMCID: PMC7739173 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2020.100268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The lateral habenula (LHb) integrates critical information regarding aversive stimuli that shapes decision making and behavioral responses. The three major LHb outputs innervate dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), ventral tegmental area (VTA), and the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg). LHb neurons that project to these targets are segregated and nonoverlapping, and this led us to consider whether they have distinct molecular phenotypes and adaptations to stress exposure. In order to capture a time-locked profile of gene expression after repeated forced swim stress, we used intersectional expression of RiboTag in rat LHb neurons and next-gen RNA sequencing to interrogate the RNAs actively undergoing translation from each of these pathways. The “translatome” in the neurons comprising these pathways was similar at baseline, but diverged after stress, especially in the neurons projecting to the RMTg. Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, we found one module, which had an overrepresentation of genes associated with phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K) signaling, comprising genes downregulated after stress in the RMTg-projecting LHb neurons. Reduced PI3K signaling in RMTg-projecting LHb neurons may be a compensatory adaptation that alters the functional balance of LHb outputs to GABAergic vs. monoaminergic neurons following repeated stress exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie R Levinstein
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kevin R Coffey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Russell G Marx
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Atom J Lesiak
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - John F Neumaier
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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44
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Simmons SC, Shepard RD, Gouty S, Langlois LD, Flerlage WJ, Cox BM, Nugent FS. Early life stress dysregulates kappa opioid receptor signaling within the lateral habenula. Neurobiol Stress 2020; 13:100267. [PMID: 33344720 PMCID: PMC7739170 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2020.100267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The lateral habenula (LHb) is an epithalamic brain region associated with value-based decision making and stress evasion through its modulation of dopamine (DA)-mediated reward circuitry. Specifically, increased activity of the LHb is associated with drug addiction, schizophrenia and stress-related disorders such as depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder. Dynorphin (Dyn)/Kappa opioid receptor (KOR) signaling is a mediator of stress response in reward circuitry. Previously, we have shown that maternal deprivation (MD), a severe early life stress, increases LHb spontaneous neuronal activity and intrinsic excitability while blunting the response of LHb neurons to extrahypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling, another stress mediator. CRF pathways also interact with Dyn/KOR signaling. Surprisingly, there has been little study of direct KOR regulation of the LHb despite its distinct role in stress, reward and aversion processing. To test the functional role of Dyn/KOR signaling in the LHb, we utilized ex-vivo electrophysiology combined with pharmacological tools in rat LHb slices. We show that activation of KORs by a KOR agonist (U50,488) exerted differential effects on the excitability of two distinct sub-populations of LHb neurons that differed in their expression of hyperpolarization-activated cation currents (HCN, Ih). Specifically, KOR stimulation increased neuronal excitability in LHb neurons with large Ih currents (Ih+) while decreasing neuronal excitability in small/negative Ih (Ih-) neurons. We found that an intact fast-synaptic transmission was required for the effects of U50,488 on the excitability of both Ih- and Ih+ LHb neuronal subpopulations. While AMPAR-, GABAAR-, or NMDAR-mediated synaptic transmission alone was sufficient to mediate the effects of U50,488 on excitability of Ih- neurons, either GABAAR- or NMDAR-mediated synaptic transmission could mediate these effects in Ih+ neurons. Consistently, KOR activation also altered both glutamatergic and GABAergic synaptic transmission where stimulation of presynaptic KORs uniformly suppressed glutamate release onto LHb neurons while primarily decreased or in some cases increased GABA release. We also found that MD significantly increased immunolabeled Dyn (the endogenous KOR agonist) labeling in neuronal fibers in LHb while significantly decreasing mRNA levels of KORs in LHb tissues compared to those from non-maternally deprived (non-MD) control rats. Moreover, the U50,488-mediated increase in LHb neuronal firing observed in non-MD rats was absent following MD. Altogether, this is the first demonstration of the existence of functional Dyn/KOR signaling in the LHb that can be modulated in response to severe early life stressors such as MD.
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Key Words
- Dynorphin
- Early life stress
- KOR
- Kappa opioid receptor
- Kappa opioid receptor, (KOR)
- LHb
- Lateral habenula
- action potential, (AP)
- adverse childhood experiences, (ACE)
- artificial cerebral spinal fluid, (ACSF)
- corticotropin-releasing factor, (CRF)
- dopamine, (DA)
- dynorphin, (Dyn)
- early life stress, (ELS)
- fastafterhyperpolarization, (fAHP)
- hyperpolarization activated cation current, (HCN, Ih)
- input resistance, (Rin)
- inter-event interval, (IEI)
- maternal deprivation, (MD)
- medium afterhyperpolarization, (mAHP)
- miniature excitatory postsynaptic current, (mEPSC)
- miniature inhibitory postsynaptic current, (mIPSC)
- non-maternally deprived, (non-MD)
- nucleus accumbens, (NAc)
- postnatal age, (PN)
- raphe nuclei, (RN)
- rostromedial tegmental area, (RMTg)
- serotonin, (5HT)
- ventral tegmental area, (VTA)
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C. Simmons
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Ryan D. Shepard
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Shawn Gouty
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Ludovic D. Langlois
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - William J. Flerlage
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Brian M. Cox
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Fereshteh S. Nugent
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
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45
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The Emerging Role of LHb CaMKII in the Comorbidity of Depressive and Alcohol Use Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21218123. [PMID: 33143210 PMCID: PMC7663385 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21218123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Depressive disorders and alcohol use disorders are widespread among the general population and are significant public health and economic burdens. Alcohol use disorders often co-occur with other psychiatric conditions and this dual diagnosis is called comorbidity. Depressive disorders invariably contribute to the development and worsening of alcohol use disorders, and vice versa. The mechanisms underlying these disorders and their comorbidities remain unclear. Recently, interest in the lateral habenula, a small epithalamic brain structure, has increased because it becomes hyperactive in depression and alcohol use disorders, and can inhibit dopamine and serotonin neurons in the midbrain reward center, the hypofunction of which is believed to be a critical contributor to the etiology of depressive disorders and alcohol use disorders as well as their comorbidities. Additionally, calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in the lateral habenula has emerged as a critical player in the etiology of these comorbidities. This review analyzes the interplay of CaMKII signaling in the lateral habenula associated with depressive disorders and alcohol use disorders, in addition to the often-comorbid nature of these disorders. Although most of the CaMKII signaling pathway's core components have been discovered, much remains to be learned about the biochemical events that propagate and link between depression and alcohol abuse. As the field rapidly advances, it is expected that further understanding of the pathology involved will allow for targeted treatments.
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46
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Lei T, Dong D, Song M, Sun Y, Liu X, Zhao H. Rislenemdaz treatment in the lateral habenula improves despair-like behavior in mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:1717-1724. [PMID: 32147667 PMCID: PMC7419533 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0652-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2019] [Revised: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The specific GluN2B antagonist rislenemdaz (Ris; a.k.a. MK-0657 and CERC-301) is in phase II clinical trial as an antidepressive drug, but the working mechanism for its antidepressant effects is not clearly understood. Given the important role of the lateral habenula (LHb) in the pathogenesis of depression and the fact that GluN2B-containing N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are expressed in the LHb, we conducted a study to examine whether the LHb mediates Ris' antidepressant effects in a chronic restraint stress (CRS)-induced depressive-like mouse model. In this study, Ris was administered systemically or locally into the LHb. Short hairpin RNAs were used to knockdown BDNF in the LHb. Depressive-like behaviors were assessed with the open field test, forced swimming test, tail suspension test, and sucrose preference test. Expression of GluN2B, BDNF, and c-Fos in the LHb were analyzed with western blotting and immunohistochemistry under condition with Ris administered systemically or with BDNF knockdown in the LHb. We found that both systemic and intra-LHb administration of Ris alleviated CRS-induced despair-like behavior and that systemic Ris reduced LHb expression of GluN2B, BDNF, and c-Fos (a neuronal activity marker). Specific knockdown of BDNF in the LHb prevented CRS-induced despair-like behavior, while preventing CRS-induced increases in BDNF and c-Fos expression in the LHb. Together these results suggest that Ris may exert its antidepressant effects through affecting the LHb such as downregulating BDNF expression in the LHb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Lei
- grid.430605.40000 0004 1758 4110Neuroscience Research Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021 PR China ,grid.64924.3d0000 0004 1760 5735Department of Physiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021 PR China
| | - Dan Dong
- grid.430605.40000 0004 1758 4110Department of Nephrology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021 PR China
| | - Meiying Song
- grid.430605.40000 0004 1758 4110Neuroscience Research Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021 PR China
| | - Yanfei Sun
- grid.64924.3d0000 0004 1760 5735Department of Physiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021 PR China
| | - Xiaofeng Liu
- grid.430605.40000 0004 1758 4110Neuroscience Research Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021 PR China
| | - Hua Zhao
- Neuroscience Research Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, PR China. .,Department of Physiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, PR China.
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47
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Engagement of the Lateral Habenula in the Association of a Conditioned Stimulus with the Absence of an Unconditioned Stimulus. Neuroscience 2020; 444:136-148. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.07.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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48
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Sun Y, Cao J, Xu C, Liu X, Wang Z, Zhao H. Rostromedial tegmental nucleus-substantia nigra pars compacta circuit mediates aversive and despair behavior in mice. Exp Neurol 2020; 333:113433. [PMID: 32791155 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
GABAergic neurons in the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) receive major input from the lateral habenula (LHb), which conveys negative reward and motivation related information, and project intensively to midbrain dopamine neurons, including those in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). The RMTg-VTA circuit has been shown to be linked to the affective behavior, but the role of the RMTg-SNc circuit in aversion and depression has not been well understood. This study demonstrated that exciting or inhibiting VgatRMTg-SNc neurons was sufficient to increase or decrease immobility time in the forced swim test (FST), respectively. Furthermore, exciting the VgatRMTg-SNc pathway caused aversive behavior. Ninety percent of the SNc putative dopamine neurons were inhibited in extracellular recordings. Furthermore, inhibiting the VgatRMTg-SNc pathway reversed behavioral despair in chronic restraint stress (CRS) depression model mice. Manipulations of the pathway did not affect the hedonic value of the reward in the sucrose-preference test (SPT) or general motor function. In conclusion, these results indicate that the VgatRMTg-SNc pathway regulates aversive and despair behavior, which suggests that the RMTg may mediate the role of LHb in negative behaviors through regulating the activity of SNc neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfei Sun
- Department of Physiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, PR China.
| | - Jing Cao
- Department of Physiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, PR China
| | - Chunpeng Xu
- Shijiazhuang Fifth Hospital, Shijiazhuang 050000, PR China
| | - Xiaofeng Liu
- Neuroscience Research Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, PR China
| | - Zicheng Wang
- Norman Bethune Health Science Center of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, PR China
| | - Hua Zhao
- Department of Physiology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, PR China; Neuroscience Research Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, PR China.
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49
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Chemogenetic inhibition of lateral habenula projections to the dorsal raphe nucleus reduces passive coping and perseverative reward seeking in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:1115-1124. [PMID: 31958800 PMCID: PMC7235029 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0616-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The lateral habenula (LHb) processes information about aversive experiences that contributes to the symptoms of stress disorders. Previously, we found that chemogenetic inhibition of rat LHb neurons reduced immobility in the forced swim test, but the downstream target of these neurons was not known. Using an intersectional viral vector strategy, we selectively transduced three different output pathways from the LHb by injecting AAV8-DIO-hM4Di into the LHb and CAV2-CRE (a retrograde viral vector) into one of the three target areas as follows: dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), ventral tegmental area (VTA), or rostromedial tegmentum (RMTg). Using the forced swim test, we found that chemogenetic inhibition of DRN-projecting LHb neurons reduced passive coping (immobility), whereas inhibition of the other pathways did not. Chemogenetic activation of DRN-projecting neurons using hM3Dq in another cohort did not further exacerbate immobility. We next examined the impact of inhibiting DRN-projecting LHb neurons on reward sensitivity, perseverative behavior, and anxiety-like behavior using saccharin preference testing, reward-omission testing, and open-field testing, respectively. There was no effect of inhibiting any of these pathways on reward sensitivity, locomotion, or anxiety-like behavior, but inhibiting DRN-projecting LHb neurons reduced perseverative licking during reward-omission testing, whereas activating these neurons increased perseverative licking. These results support the idea that inhibiting LHb projections to the DRN provides animals with resilience during highly stressful or frustrating conditions but not under low-stress circumstances, and that inhibiting these neurons may promote persistence in active coping strategies.
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50
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Hu H, Cui Y, Yang Y. Circuits and functions of the lateral habenula in health and in disease. Nat Rev Neurosci 2020; 21:277-295. [PMID: 32269316 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-020-0292-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 233] [Impact Index Per Article: 58.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The past decade has witnessed exponentially growing interest in the lateral habenula (LHb) owing to new discoveries relating to its critical role in regulating negatively motivated behaviour and its implication in major depression. The LHb, sometimes referred to as the brain's 'antireward centre', receives inputs from diverse limbic forebrain and basal ganglia structures, and targets essentially all midbrain neuromodulatory systems, including the noradrenergic, serotonergic and dopaminergic systems. Its unique anatomical position enables the LHb to act as a hub that integrates value-based, sensory and experience-dependent information to regulate various motivational, cognitive and motor processes. Dysfunction of the LHb may contribute to the pathophysiology of several psychiatric disorders, especially major depression. Recently, exciting progress has been made in identifying the molecular and cellular mechanisms in the LHb that underlie negative emotional state in animal models of drug withdrawal and major depression. A future challenge is to translate these advances into effective clinical treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hailan Hu
- Department of Psychiatry of First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China. .,The MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, Zhejiang University School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Hangzhou, China. .,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Mental Health Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. .,Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangzhou, China. .,Fountain-Valley Institute for Life Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Yihui Cui
- The MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, Zhejiang University School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yan Yang
- The MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, Zhejiang University School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Hangzhou, China
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