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Bao L, Rao J, Yu D, Zheng B, Yin B. Decoding the language of fear: Unveiling objective and subjective indicators in rodent models through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 157:105537. [PMID: 38215801 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105537] [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: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
While rodent models are vital for studying mental disorders, the underestimation of construct validity of fear indicators has led to limitations in translating to effective clinical treatments. Addressing this gap, we systematically reviewed 5054 articles from the 1960 s, understanding underlying theoretical advancement, and selected 68 articles with at least two fear indicators for a three-level meta-analysis. We hypothesized correlations between different indicators would elucidate similar functions, while magnitude differences could reveal distinct neural or behavioral mechanisms. Our findings reveal a shift towards using freezing behavior as the primary fear indicator in rodent models, and strong, moderate, and weak correlations between freezing and conditioned suppression ratios, 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations, and autonomic nervous system responses, respectively. Using freezing as a reference, moderator analysis shows treatment types and fear stages significantly influenced differences in magnitudes between two indicators. Our analysis supports a two-system model of fear in rodents, where objective and subjective fears could operate on a threshold-based mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Bao
- School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, China; Key Laboratory for Learning and Behavioral Sciences, Fujian Normal University, China
| | - Jiaojiao Rao
- School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, China; Key Laboratory for Learning and Behavioral Sciences, Fujian Normal University, China
| | - Delin Yu
- School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, China; Key Laboratory for Learning and Behavioral Sciences, Fujian Normal University, China
| | - Benhuiyuan Zheng
- School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, China; Key Laboratory for Learning and Behavioral Sciences, Fujian Normal University, China
| | - Bin Yin
- School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, China; Key Laboratory for Learning and Behavioral Sciences, Fujian Normal University, China.
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2
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Rich MT, Worobey SJ, Mankame S, Pang ZP, Swinford-Jackson SE, Pierce RC. Sex-dependent fear memory impairment in cocaine-sired rat offspring. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf6039. [PMID: 37851809 PMCID: PMC10584337 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf6039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Cocaine self-administration by male rats results in neuronal and behavioral alterations in offspring, including responses to cocaine. Given the high degree of overlap between the brain systems underlying the pathological responses to cocaine and stress, we examined whether sire cocaine taking would influence fear-associated behavioral effects in drug-naïve adult male and female progeny. Sire cocaine exposure had no effect on contextual fear conditioning or its extinction in either male or female offspring. During cued fear conditioning, freezing behavior was enhanced in female, but not male, cocaine-sired progeny. In contrast, male cocaine-sired progeny exhibited enhanced expression of cue-conditioned fear during extinction. Long-term potentiation (LTP) was robust in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), which encodes fear conditioning, of female offspring but was completely absent in male offspring of cocaine-exposed sires. Collectively, these results indicate that cued fear memory is enhanced in the male progeny of cocaine exposed sires, which also have BLA synaptic plasticity deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T. Rich
- Brain Health Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Samantha J. Worobey
- Brain Health Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Sharvari Mankame
- Brain Health Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Zhiping P. Pang
- Child Health Institute and Department of Neuroscience & Cell Biology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | | | - R. Christopher Pierce
- Brain Health Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
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3
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Rose TR, Marron Fernandez de Velasco E, Mitten EH, Wickman K. GIRK channel activity in prelimbic pyramidal neurons regulates the extinction of cocaine conditioned place preference in male mice. Addict Biol 2023; 28:e13256. [PMID: 36577727 PMCID: PMC10078116 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13256] [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: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Drug-induced neuroadaptations in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) have been implicated in drug-associated memories that motivate continued drug use. Chronic cocaine exposure increases pyramidal neuron excitability in the prelimbic subregion of the PFC (PL), an adaptation that has been attributed in part to a suppression of inhibitory signalling mediated by the GABAB receptor (GABAB R) and G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK/Kir3) channels. Although reduced GIRK channel activity in PL pyramidal neurons enhances the motor-stimulatory effect of cocaine in mice, the impact on cocaine reward and associated memories remains unclear. Here, we employed Cre- and CRISPR/Cas9-based viral manipulation strategies to evaluate the impact of GIRK channel or GABAB R ablation in PL pyramidal neurons on cocaine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) and extinction. Neither ablation of GIRK channels nor GABAB R impacted the acquisition of cocaine CPP. GIRK channel ablation in PL pyramidal neurons, however, impaired extinction of cocaine CPP in male but not female mice. Since ablation of GIRK channels but not GABAB R increased PL pyramidal neuron excitability, we used a chemogenetic approach to determine if acute excitation of PL pyramidal neurons impaired the expression of extinction in male mice. While acute chemogenetic excitation of PL pyramidal neurons induced locomotor hyperactivity, it did not impair the extinction of cocaine CPP. Lastly, we found that persistent enhancement of GIRK channel activity in PL pyramidal neurons accelerated the extinction of cocaine CPP. Collectively, our findings show that the strength of GIRK channel activity in PL pyramidal neurons bi-directionally regulates cocaine CPP extinction in male mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy R Rose
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Eric H Mitten
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Kevin Wickman
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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4
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Repeated cocaine exposure prior to fear conditioning induces persistency of PTSD-like symptoms and enhancement of hippocampal and amygdala cell density in male rats. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:2219-2241. [PMID: 34195855 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02320-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Pre- and post-trauma drug use can interfere with recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the biological underpinnings of this interference are poorly understood. Here we examined the effect of pre-fear conditioning cocaine self-administration on PTSD-like symptoms in male rats, and defined impairment of fear extinction as difficulty to recover from PTSD. We also examined cell density changes in brain regions suspected of being involved in resistance to PTSD recovery. Before footshock stress testing, rats were trained to self-administer cocaine during 20 consecutive days, after which they were exposed to footshocks, while other rats continued to self-administer cocaine until the end of the experiment. Upon assessment of three PTSD-like symptoms (fear during situational reminders, anxiety-like behavior, and impairment of recognition memory) and fear extinction learning and memory, changes in cell density were measured in the medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala. Results show that pre-footshock cocaine exposure did not affect fear during situational reminders. Fear conditioning did not lead to an increase in cocaine consumption. However, in footshock stressed rats, cocaine induced a reduction of anxiety-like behavior, an aggravation of recognition memory decline, and an impairment of extinction memory. These behavioral alterations were associated with increased cell density in the hippocampal CA1, CA2, and CA3 regions and basolateral amygdala, but not in the medial prefrontal cortex. Our findings suggest that enhancement of cell density in the hippocampus and amygdala may be changes associated with drug use, interfering with PTSD recovery.
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Paizanis E, Crotti M, Petit A, Règue M, Beray-Berthat V, Noble F, Lanfumey L, Mongeau R. Effects of Alcohol and Cocaine in a Mutant Mouse Model of Predisposition to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:623. [PMID: 32477119 PMCID: PMC7232567 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.00623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Comorbidity between drug abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a stress-related dysregulation of fear responses, is very high. While some drugs are known to increase fear and anxiety, there are only few data regarding interactions between voluntary drug consumption and fear memory. The spontaneous chronic consumption of either alcohol or cocaine under a 3-week free-choice progressive paradigm of alcohol (3/6/10%) or cocaine (0.2/0.4/0.6 mg/ml), was assessed in VGV transgenic mice, having full 5-HT2C receptor editing and displaying PTSD-like behaviors. The consequences of these drug consumptions on the potentiated contextual and cued fear conditioning responses of VGV mice were assessed. The effects of drugs on hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) mRNA were measured as its expression was previously found to be decreased in VGV mice. Chronic alcohol consumption was similar in WT and VGV mice. In the alcohol condition, fear acquisition was not different at the end of the learning session and cue-fear extinction was facilitated. Regarding cocaine, in contrast to WT mice, VGV mice did not increase their drug consumption along with increasing doses, an effect that might be related with enhanced drug stimuli discrimination via increased 5-HT2C receptors. Cocaine-intake VGV mice did not display the contextual fear generalization usually observed in control VGV mice. In addition, Bdnf expression was upregulated after either chronic alcohol or cocaine intake. Altogether, these results suggest that both chronic alcohol and cocaine voluntary oral consumptions can exert some therapeutic-like effects in a mutant model of PTSD predisposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Paizanis
- University of Caen Normandy, INSERM U1075 COMETE, Caen, France
| | - Michela Crotti
- CNRS ERL 3649 «Pharmacologie et thérapies des addictions» Université Paris Descartes, Inserm UMR-S 1124, Paris, France
| | - Anthony Petit
- IPNP-Université Paris Descartes, INSERM UMR-1266, Paris, France
| | - Mathilde Règue
- IPNP-Université Paris Descartes, INSERM UMR-1266, Paris, France
| | - Virginie Beray-Berthat
- CNRS ERL 3649 «Pharmacologie et thérapies des addictions» Université Paris Descartes, Inserm UMR-S 1124, Paris, France
| | - Florence Noble
- CNRS ERL 3649 «Pharmacologie et thérapies des addictions» Université Paris Descartes, Inserm UMR-S 1124, Paris, France
| | | | - Raymond Mongeau
- CNRS ERL 3649 «Pharmacologie et thérapies des addictions» Université Paris Descartes, Inserm UMR-S 1124, Paris, France
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Takahashi YK, Stalnaker TA, Marrero-Garcia Y, Rada RM, Schoenbaum G. Expectancy-Related Changes in Dopaminergic Error Signals Are Impaired by Cocaine Self-Administration. Neuron 2019; 101:294-306.e3. [PMID: 30653935 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Revised: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Addiction is a disorder of behavioral control and learning. While this may reflect pre-existing propensities, drug use also clearly contributes by causing changes in outcome processing in prefrontal and striatal regions. This altered processing is associated with behavioral deficits, including changes in learning. These areas provide critical input to midbrain dopamine neurons regarding expected outcomes, suggesting that effects on learning may result from changes in dopaminergic error signaling. Here, we show that dopamine neurons recorded in rats that had self-administered cocaine failed to suppress firing on omission of an expected reward and exhibited lower amplitude and imprecisely timed increases in firing to an unexpected reward. Learning also appeared to have less of an effect on reward-evoked and cue-evoked firing in the cocaine-experienced rats. Overall, the changes are consistent with reduced fidelity of input regarding the expected outcomes, such as their size, timing, and overall value, because of cocaine use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuji K Takahashi
- Intramural Research program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
| | - Thomas A Stalnaker
- Intramural Research program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Yasmin Marrero-Garcia
- Intramural Research program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Ray M Rada
- Intramural Research program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Geoffrey Schoenbaum
- Intramural Research program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA; Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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7
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Cocaine preexposure enhances sexual conditioning and increases resistance to extinction in male Japanese quail. Learn Behav 2018; 45:313-322. [PMID: 28488062 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-017-0274-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The incentive-sensitization theory posits that drug addiction results from altered learning and motivational processes that stem from drug-induced changes in the brain's reward circuitry. Although it is generally accepted that problematic drug use results from these neuroadaptations, less research has focused on how these neural changes affect the incentive-motivational properties of naturally rewarding stimuli such as sex. The present set of experiments was conducted to investigate (1) dose-dependent effects of preexposure to chronic cocaine on sexual conditioning and (2) how prior cocaine exposure affects the extinction of sexually conditioned behavior in male Japanese quail. In Experiment 1, male quail were exposed to saline or to cocaine (5, 10, or 20 mg/kg ip) for 10 days, and their locomotor activity was measured. After a washout period, ten sexual-conditioning trials were conducted in which a light (CS) was presented prior to the presentation of a female quail (US) and approach to the light was measured. The results showed that cocaine dose-dependently enhanced sexually conditioned approach behavior and copulation. Experiment 2 was procedurally similar to Experiment 1, except that the quail received either saline or 10 mg/kg cocaine (ip) and 24 extinction trials were conducted. During extinction, no female was presented after the CS. The results showed that preexposure to cocaine delayed extinction. Therefore, cocaine may dose-dependently increase the strength of sexual conditioning, and this may subsequently increase resistance to extinction. These findings and their possible mechanisms are explored.
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Frazer KM, Richards Q, Keith DR. The long-term effects of cocaine use on cognitive functioning: A systematic critical review. Behav Brain Res 2018; 348:241-262. [PMID: 29673580 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Revised: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The predominant view of chronic cocaine use maintains that it causes a broad range of cognitive deficits. However, concerns about the possibly deleterious impact of cocaine on cognitive functioning have yet to be thoroughly vetted. This review addresses the impact of cocaine use on such cognitive domains as executive function, memory, language, and psychomotor speed. Additionally, relevant neuroimaging data is considered to understand the neural basis underlying cocaine-related effects on cognitive functioning. METHODS We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and Embase using the search terms "cocaine and cognition," "cocaine and cognitive functioning," and "cocaine and cognitive deficits or impairment." To meet inclusion criteria we evaluated only cognitive and neuroimaging studies describing the long-term effects of cocaine on cognitive functioning published from 1999 to 2016. RESULTS The majority of studies reported statistically significant differences between cocaine users and non-drug-using controls in brain structures, blood-oxygen-level dependent signals, and brain metabolism. However, differences in cognitive performance were observed on a minority of measures. Additionally, the majority of studies were not compared against normative data. CONCLUSIONS The current evidence does not support the view that chronic cocaine use is associated with broad cognitive deficits. The view that cocaine users have broad cognitive deficits is inaccurate based upon current evidence, and the perpetuation of this view may have negative implications for treatment programs and development of public policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten M Frazer
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, 1190 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - Qwynten Richards
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, 1190 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Diana R Keith
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont Medical Center, 1 South Prospect Street, Burlington, VT 05401, USA
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Ruglass LM, Lopez-Castro T, Papini S, Killeen T, Back SE, Hien DA. Concurrent Treatment with Prolonged Exposure for Co-Occurring Full or Subthreshold Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Use Disorders: A Randomized Clinical Trial. PSYCHOTHERAPY AND PSYCHOSOMATICS 2017; 86:150-161. [PMID: 28490022 PMCID: PMC5610572 DOI: 10.1159/000462977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To test whether an integrated prolonged exposure (PE) approach could address posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms effectively in individuals with co-occurring substance use disorders (SUD), we compared concurrent treatment of PTSD and SUD using PE (COPE) to relapse prevention therapy (RPT) for SUD and an active monitoring control group (AMCG). METHODS We conducted a randomized 12-week trial with participants (n = 110; 64% males; 59% African Americans) who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision criteria for full or subthreshold PTSD and SUD. Participants were randomly assigned to COPE (n = 39), RPT (n = 43), or AMCG (n = 28). RESULTS At the end-of-treatment, COPE and RPT demonstrated greater reduction in PTSD symptom severity relative to AMCG (COPE-AMCG = -34.06, p < 0.001; RPT-AMCG = -22.58, p = 0.002). Although the difference between COPE and RPT was not significant in the complete sample, the subset of participants with full (vs. subthreshold) PTSD demonstrated significantly greater reduction of PTSD severity in COPE relative to RPT. Both treatments were superior to AMCG in reducing the days of primary substance use (COPE-AMCG = -0.97, p = 0.01; RPT-AMCG = -2.07, p < 0.001). Relative to COPE, RPT showed significantly more improvement in SUD outcome at end-of-treatment (RPT-COPE = -1.10, p = 0.047). At 3-month follow-up, COPE and RPT maintained their treatment gains and were not significantly different in PTSD severity or days of primary substance use. CONCLUSION COPE and RPT reduced PTSD and SUD severity in participants with PTSD + SUD. Findings suggest that among those with full PTSD, COPE improves PTSD symptoms more than a SUD-only treatment. The use of PE for PTSD was associated with significant decreases in PTSD symptoms without worsening of substance use.
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Ladrón de Guevara-Miranda D, Millón C, Rosell-Valle C, Pérez-Fernández M, Missiroli M, Serrano A, Pavón FJ, Rodríguez de Fonseca F, Martínez-Losa M, Álvarez-Dolado M, Santín LJ, Castilla-Ortega E. Long-lasting memory deficits in mice withdrawn from cocaine are concomitant with neuroadaptations in hippocampal basal activity, GABAergic interneurons and adult neurogenesis. Dis Model Mech 2017; 10:323-336. [PMID: 28138095 PMCID: PMC5374316 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.026682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cocaine addiction disorder is notably aggravated by concomitant cognitive and emotional pathology that impedes recovery. We studied whether a persistent cognitive/emotional dysregulation in mice withdrawn from cocaine holds a neurobiological correlate within the hippocampus, a limbic region with a key role in anxiety and memory but that has been scarcely investigated in cocaine addiction research. Mice were submitted to a chronic cocaine (20 mg/kg/day for 12 days) or vehicle treatment followed by 44 drug-free days. Some mice were then assessed on a battery of emotional (elevated plus-maze, light/dark box, open field, forced swimming) and cognitive (object and place recognition memory, cocaine-induced conditioned place preference, continuous spontaneous alternation) behavioral tests, while other mice remained in their home cage. Relevant hippocampal features [basal c-Fos activity, GABA+, parvalbumin (PV)+ and neuropeptide Y (NPY)+ interneurons and adult neurogenesis (cell proliferation and immature neurons)] were immunohistochemically assessed 73 days after the chronic cocaine or vehicle protocol. The cocaine-withdrawn mice showed no remarkable exploratory or emotional alterations but were consistently impaired in all the cognitive tasks. All the cocaine-withdrawn groups, independent of whether they were submitted to behavioral assessment or not, showed enhanced basal c-Fos expression and an increased number of GABA+ cells in the dentate gyrus. Moreover, the cocaine-withdrawn mice previously submitted to behavioral training displayed a blunted experience-dependent regulation of PV+ and NPY+ neurons in the dentate gyrus, and neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Results highlight the importance of hippocampal neuroplasticity for the ingrained cognitive deficits present during chronic cocaine withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Ladrón de Guevara-Miranda
- Departamento de Psicobiología y Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - Carmelo Millón
- Departamento de Fisiología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - Cristina Rosell-Valle
- Departamento de Psicobiología y Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - Mercedes Pérez-Fernández
- Laboratory of Cell-based Therapy for Neuropathologies, Centro Andaluz de Biología Molecular y Medicina Regenerativa (CABIMER), 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Michele Missiroli
- Laboratory of Cell-based Therapy for Neuropathologies, Centro Andaluz de Biología Molecular y Medicina Regenerativa (CABIMER), 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Antonia Serrano
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Salud Mental, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - Francisco J Pavón
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Salud Mental, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - Fernando Rodríguez de Fonseca
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Salud Mental, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - Magdalena Martínez-Losa
- Laboratory of Cell-based Therapy for Neuropathologies, Centro Andaluz de Biología Molecular y Medicina Regenerativa (CABIMER), 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Manuel Álvarez-Dolado
- Laboratory of Cell-based Therapy for Neuropathologies, Centro Andaluz de Biología Molecular y Medicina Regenerativa (CABIMER), 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Luis J Santín
- Departamento de Psicobiología y Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - Estela Castilla-Ortega
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Salud Mental, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
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Hadad-Ophir O, Brande-Eilat N, Richter-Levin G. Differential Effects of Controllable Stress Exposure on Subsequent Extinction Learning in Adult Rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2016; 9:366. [PMID: 26793083 PMCID: PMC4709827 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Deficits in fear extinction are thought to be related to various anxiety disorders. While failure to extinguish conditioned fear may result in pathological anxiety levels, the ability to quickly and efficiently attenuate learned fear through extinction processes can be extremely beneficial for the individual. One of the factors that may affect the efficiency of the extinction process is prior experience of stressful situations. In the current study, we examined whether exposure to controllable stress, which is suggested to induce stress resilience, can affect subsequent fear extinction. Here, following prolonged two-way shuttle (TWS) avoidance training and a validation of acquired stress controllability, adult rats underwent either cued or contextual fear-conditioning (FC), followed by an extinction session. We further evaluated long lasting alterations of GABAergic targets in the medial pre-frontal cortex (mPFC), as these were implicated in FC and extinction and stress controllability. In cued, but not in contextual fear extinction, within-session extinction was enhanced following controllable stress compared to a control group. Interestingly, impaired extinction recall was detected in both extinction types following the stress procedure. Additionally, stress controllability-dependent alterations in GABAergic markers expression in infralimbic (IL), but not prelimbic (PL) cortex, were detected. These alterations are proposed to be related to the within-session effect, but not the recall impairment. The results emphasize the contribution of prior experience on coping with subsequent stressful experiences. Moreover, the results emphasize that exposure to controllable stress does not generally facilitate future stress coping as previously claimed, but its effects are dependent on specific features of the events taking place.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osnat Hadad-Ophir
- "Sagol" Department of Neurobiology, University of HaifaHaifa, Israel; The Institute for the Study of Affective Neuroscience (ISAN), University of HaifaHaifa, Israel
| | | | - Gal Richter-Levin
- "Sagol" Department of Neurobiology, University of HaifaHaifa, Israel; The Institute for the Study of Affective Neuroscience (ISAN), University of HaifaHaifa, Israel; Department of Psychology, University of HaifaHaifa, Israel
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Abstract
Anxiety disorders commonly co-occur with substance use disorders both in the general population and in treatment-seeking samples. This co-occurrence is associated with greater symptom severity, higher levels of disability, and poorer course of illness relative to either disorder alone. Little research has been conducted, however, on the treatment of these co-occurring disorders. This gap may not only leave anxiety untreated or undertreated but also increase the risk for relapse and poor substance use outcomes. The aim of this article is to review the current state of the literature on treating co-occurring anxiety and substance use disorders. In addition to presenting a brief overview of the epidemiology of this co-occurrence, the article discusses the challenges in assessing anxiety in the context of a substance use disorder, the evidence for various treatment approaches, and recent advances and future directions in this understudied area. Also highlighted is the need for future research to identify optimal behavioral and pharmacologic treatments for co-occurring anxiety and substance use disorders.
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Deschaux O, Vendruscolo L, Schlosburg J, Diaz-Aguilar L, Yuan CJ, Sobieraj JC, George O, Koob GF, Mandyam CD. Hippocampal neurogenesis protects against cocaine-primed relapse. Addict Biol 2014; 19:562-74. [PMID: 23278919 PMCID: PMC3620729 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence demonstrates a functional role for the hippocampus in mediating relapse to cocaine-seeking behavior and extinction-induced inhibition of cocaine seeking, and dentate gyrus neurogenesis in the hippocampus may have a role. Here, we tested the hypothesis that disruption of normal hippocampal activity during extinction alters relapse to cocaine-seeking behavior as a function of dentate gyrus neurogenesis. Adult rats were trained to self-administer cocaine on a fixed-ratio schedule, followed by extinction and cocaine-primed reinstatement testing. Some rats received low-frequency stimulation (LFS; 2 Hz for 25 minutes) after each extinction session in the dorsal or ventral hippocampal formation. All rats received an injection of the mitotic marker 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) to label developing dentate gyrus neurons during self-administration, as well as before or after extinction and LFS. We found that LFS during extinction did not alter extinction behavior but enhanced cocaine-primed reinstatement. Cocaine self-administration reduced levels of 24-day-old BrdU cells and dentate gyrus neurogenesis, which was normalized by extinction. LFS during extinction prevented extinction-induced normalization of dentate gyrus neurogenesis and potentiated cocaine-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. LFS inhibition of extinction-induced neurogenesis was not due to enhanced cell death, revealed by quantification of activated caspase3-labeled cells. These data suggest that LFS during extinction disrupts hippocampal networking by disrupting neurogenesis and also strengthens relapse-like behaviors. Thus, newly born dentate gyrus neurons during withdrawal and extinction learning facilitate hippocampal networking that mediates extinction-induced inhibition of cocaine seeking and may play a key role in preventing relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Deschaux
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie et Psychotraumatologie, Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis, France
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Leandro Vendruscolo
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Joel Schlosburg
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Luis Diaz-Aguilar
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Clara J. Yuan
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jeffery C. Sobieraj
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Olivier George
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - George F. Koob
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Chitra D. Mandyam
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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Tipps ME, Raybuck JD, Lattal KM. Substance abuse, memory, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2013; 112:87-100. [PMID: 24345414 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2013.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2013] [Revised: 11/23/2013] [Accepted: 12/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
A large body of literature demonstrates the effects of abused substances on memory. These effects differ depending on the drug, the pattern of delivery (acute or chronic), and the drug state at the time of learning or assessment. Substance use disorders involving these drugs are often comorbid with anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When the cognitive effects of these drugs are considered in the context of the treatment of these disorders, it becomes clear that these drugs may play a deleterious role in the development, maintenance, and treatment of PTSD. In this review, we examine the literature evaluating the cognitive effects of three commonly abused drugs: nicotine, cocaine, and alcohol. These three drugs operate through both common and distinct neurobiological mechanisms and alter learning and memory in multiple ways. We consider how the cognitive and affective effects of these drugs interact with the acquisition, consolidation, and extinction of learned fear, and we discuss the potential impediments that substance abuse creates for the treatment of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E Tipps
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, United States.
| | - Jonathan D Raybuck
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, United States.
| | - K Matthew Lattal
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, United States.
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15
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Therapeutic potential of histaminergic compounds in the treatment of addiction and drug-related cognitive disorders. Behav Brain Res 2013; 237:357-68. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.09.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2012] [Revised: 09/13/2012] [Accepted: 09/16/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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16
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Cognitive enhancers for facilitating drug cue extinction: insights from animal models. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2011; 99:229-44. [PMID: 21295059 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2011.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2010] [Revised: 12/23/2010] [Accepted: 01/24/2011] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Given the success of cue exposure (extinction) therapy combined with a cognitive enhancer for reducing anxiety, it is anticipated that this approach will prove more efficacious than exposure therapy alone in preventing relapse in individuals with substance use disorders. Several factors may undermine the efficacy of exposure therapy for substance use disorders, but we suspect that neurocognitive impairments associated with chronic drug use are an important contributing factor. Numerous insights on these issues are gained from research using animal models of addiction. In this review, the relationship between brain sites whose learning, memory and executive functions are impaired by chronic drug use and brain sites that are important for effective drug cue extinction learning is explored first. This is followed by an overview of animal research showing improved treatment outcome for drug addiction (e.g. alcohol, amphetamine, cocaine, heroin) when explicit extinction training is conducted in combination with acute dosing of a cognitive-enhancing drug. The mechanism by which cognitive enhancers are thought to exert their benefits is by facilitating consolidation of drug cue extinction memory after activation of glutamatergic receptors. Based on the encouraging work in animals, factors that may be important for the treatment of drug addiction are considered.
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17
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Lecca S, Melis M, Luchicchi A, Ennas MG, Castelli MP, Muntoni AL, Pistis M. Effects of drugs of abuse on putative rostromedial tegmental neurons, inhibitory afferents to midbrain dopamine cells. Neuropsychopharmacology 2011; 36:589-602. [PMID: 21048703 PMCID: PMC3055682 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2010.190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Recent findings have underlined the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), a structure located caudally to the ventral tegmental area, as an important site involved in the mechanisms of aversion. RMTg contains γ-aminobutyric acid neurons responding to noxious stimuli, densely innervated by the lateral habenula and providing a major inhibitory projection to reward-encoding midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons. One of the key features of drug addiction is the perseverance of drug seeking in spite of negative and unpleasant consequences, likely mediated by response suppression within neural pathways mediating aversion. To investigate whether the RMTg has a function in the mechanisms of addicting drugs, we studied acute effects of morphine, cocaine, the cannabinoid agonist WIN55212-2 (WIN), and nicotine on putative RMTg neurons. We utilized single unit extracellular recordings in anesthetized rats and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in brain slices to identify and characterize putative RMTg neurons and their responses to drugs of abuse. Morphine and WIN inhibited both firing rate in vivo and excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) evoked by stimulation of rostral afferents in vitro, whereas cocaine inhibited discharge activity without affecting EPSC amplitude. Conversely, nicotine robustly excited putative RMTg neurons and enhanced EPSCs, an effect mediated by α7-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Our results suggest that activity of RMTg neurons is profoundly influenced by drugs of abuse and, as important inhibitory afferents to midbrain DA neurons, they might take place in the complex interplay between the neural circuits mediating aversion and reward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore Lecca
- B.B. Brodie Department of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy
| | - Miriam Melis
- B.B. Brodie Department of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy
| | - Antonio Luchicchi
- B.B. Brodie Department of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy
| | | | - Maria Paola Castelli
- B.B. Brodie Department of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy,Center of Excellence for the Neurobiology of Addiction, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy
| | - Anna Lisa Muntoni
- Center of Excellence for the Neurobiology of Addiction, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy,C.N.R. Neuroscience Institute-Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy
| | - Marco Pistis
- B.B. Brodie Department of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy,Center of Excellence for the Neurobiology of Addiction, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy,B.B. Brodie Department of Neuroscience, Center of Excellence for the Neurobiology of Addiction, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, Monserrato (CA) 09042, Italy. Tel: +39 070 675 4324; Fax: +39 070 675 4320; E-mail:
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18
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19
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Setlow B, Mendez IA, Mitchell MR, Simon NW. Effects of chronic administration of drugs of abuse on impulsive choice (delay discounting) in animal models. Behav Pharmacol 2009; 20:380-9. [PMID: 19667970 PMCID: PMC2874684 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0b013e3283305eb4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Drug-addicted individuals show high levels of impulsive choice, characterized by preference for small immediate over larger but delayed rewards. Although the causal relationship between chronic drug use and elevated impulsive choice in humans has been unclear, a small but growing body of literature over the past decade has shown that chronic drug administration in animal models can cause increases in impulsive choice, suggesting that a similar causal relationship may exist in human drug users. This article reviews this literature, with a particular focus on the effects of chronic cocaine administration, which have been most thoroughly characterized. The potential mechanisms of these effects are described in terms of drug-induced neural alterations in ventral striatal and prefrontal cortical brain systems. Some implications of this research for pharmacological treatment of drug-induced increases in impulsive choice are discussed, along with suggestions for future research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barry Setlow
- Behavioral and Cellular Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-4235, USA.
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20
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King LN, Dafny N, Yang PB, Swann AC. Does a rat's exposure to cocaine during adolescence affect its response to cocaine in adulthood? Int J Neurosci 2009; 119:879-907. [PMID: 19326290 DOI: 10.1080/00207450701591016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Many contradictory responses to cocaine have been observed in adolescent rats as compared to adult rats including increased and decreased activity levels. Previous studies reported that adolescent exposure to cocaine affects adulthood response to cocaine. However, most studies compare age differences in cocaine response in separate groups of adolescents and adults. The present study assessed the acute and chronic dose effects of cocaine on the same rats during their adolescent period and again when they matured into young adults. Forty-eight female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four treatment groups. Group 1 served as our control and received saline for 6 consecutive days, 3 days washout, and a day of rechallenge. Groups 2-4 received either 3.0, 7.5, or 15 mg/kg cocaine respectively for 6 consecutive days, 3 days washout, and a day of rechallenge. Adolescent rats did not show an acute or chronic response to 3.0 mg/kg cocaine whereas as adults they responded to the acute treatment and moreover became sensitized to this dose. The 7.5 and 15 mg/kg cocaine doses significantly increased the locomotor activity following the initial (acute) injection and therefore induced sensitization in adolescents, whereas as adults these doses elicited different responses. The same rats as adults developed tolerance to the 7.5 mg/kg cocaine and failed to respond significantly to the 15 mg/kg cocaine dose. The results of this study indicate that chronic cocaine exposure during adolescence alters the same rats' responses to cocaine during their adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey N King
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The University of Texas-Medical School, Houston, TX 77225, USA
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21
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Gabriele A, Setlow B, Packard MG. Cocaine self-administration alters the relative effectiveness of multiple memory systems during extinction. Learn Mem 2009; 16:296-9. [PMID: 19389915 PMCID: PMC2683006 DOI: 10.1101/lm.1253409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2008] [Accepted: 03/05/2009] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Rats were trained to run a straight-alley maze for an oral cocaine or sucrose vehicle solution reward, followed by either response or latent extinction training procedures that engage neuroanatomically dissociable "habit" and "cognitive" memory systems, respectively. In the response extinction condition, rats performed a runway approach response to an empty fluid well. In the latent extinction condition, rats were placed at the empty fluid well without performing a runway approach response. Rats trained with the sucrose solution displayed normal extinction behavior in both conditions. In contrast, rats trained with the cocaine solution showed normal response extinction but impaired latent extinction. The selective impairment of latent extinction indicates that oral cocaine self-administration alters the relative effectiveness of multiple memory systems during subsequent extinction training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Gabriele
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Barry Setlow
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Mark G. Packard
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
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22
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Peters J, Kalivas PW, Quirk GJ. Extinction circuits for fear and addiction overlap in prefrontal cortex. Learn Mem 2009; 16:279-88. [PMID: 19380710 DOI: 10.1101/lm.1041309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 567] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Extinction is a form of inhibitory learning that suppresses a previously conditioned response. Both fear and drug seeking are conditioned responses that can lead to maladaptive behavior when expressed inappropriately, manifesting as anxiety disorders and addiction, respectively. Recent evidence indicates that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is critical for the extinction of both fear and drug-seeking behaviors. Moreover, a dorsal-ventral distinction is apparent within the mPFC, such that the prelimbic (PL-mPFC) cortex drives the expression of fear and drug seeking, whereas the infralimbic (IL-mPFC) cortex suppresses these behaviors after extinction. For conditioned fear, the dorsal-ventral dichotomy is accomplished via divergent projections to different subregions of the amygdala, whereas for drug seeking, it is accomplished via divergent projections to the subregions of the nucleus accumbens. Given that the mPFC represents a common node in the extinction circuit for these behaviors, treatments that target this region may help alleviate symptoms of both anxiety and addictive disorders by enhancing extinction memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Peters
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936.
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23
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Scholl JL, Feng N, Watt MJ, Renner KJ, Forster GL. Individual differences in amphetamine sensitization, behavior and central monoamines. Physiol Behav 2008; 96:493-504. [PMID: 19103211 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2008.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2008] [Revised: 11/29/2008] [Accepted: 12/03/2008] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Repeated amphetamine treatment results in behavioral sensitization in a high percentage of rats. Alterations to plasma corticosterone, neural monoamines and stress behavior can accompany amphetamine sensitization. Whether these changes occur following repeated amphetamine treatment in the absence of behavioral sensitization is not known. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with amphetamine (2.5 mg/kg, i.p.) or saline once daily for 6 days. Amphetamine-induced locomotion and stereotypy, open-field anxiety behavior, plasma corticosterone and limbic monoamines were measured during withdrawal. Sixty-two percent of amphetamine-treated rats showed behavioral sensitization over the test periods. Only amphetamine-sensitized rats showed increased latency to enter the center of the open-field, as well as increased plasma corticosterone when compared to saline-treated controls. Amphetamine-sensitized rats showed increased dopamine concentrations in the shell of the nucleus accumbens and increased serotonin concentrations in the dorsal hippocampus, which were not observed in amphetamine-treated non-sensitized rats. These findings suggest that anxiety behavior, plasma corticosterone and limbic monoamines concentrations are altered by repeated amphetamine (2.5 mg/kg) treatment, and that these neuroendocrine and behavioral changes are often associated with sensitization to the psychostimulant effects of amphetamine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie L Scholl
- Basic Biomedical Sciences & Neuroscience Group, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark St. Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
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24
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Briand LA, Flagel SB, Garcia-Fuster MJ, Watson SJ, Akil H, Sarter M, Robinson TE. Persistent alterations in cognitive function and prefrontal dopamine D2 receptors following extended, but not limited, access to self-administered cocaine. Neuropsychopharmacology 2008; 33:2969-80. [PMID: 18305460 PMCID: PMC3092154 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2008.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Drug addicts have deficits in frontocortical function and cognition even long after the discontinuation of drug use. It is not clear, however, whether the cognitive deficits are a consequence of drug use, or are present prior to drug use, and thus are a potential predisposing factor for addiction. To determine if self-administration of cocaine is capable of producing long-lasting alterations in cognition, rats were allowed access to cocaine for either 1 h/day (short access, ShA) or 6 h/day (long access, LgA) for 3 weeks. Between 1 and 30 days after the last self-administration session, we examined performance on a cognitively demanding test of sustained attention that requires an intact medial prefrontal cortex. The expression levels of dopamine D1 and D2 receptor mRNA and D2 protein in the prefrontal cortex were also examined. Early after discontinuation of drug use, LgA (but not ShA) animals were markedly impaired on the sustained attention task. Although the LgA animals improved over time, they continued to show a persistent pattern of performance deficits indicative of a disruption of cognitive flexibility up to 30 days after the discontinuation of drug use. This was accompanied by a significant decrease in DA D2 (but not D1) mRNA in the medial and orbital prefrontal cortex, and D2 receptor protein in the medial prefrontal cortex of LgA (but not ShA) animals. These findings establish that repeated cocaine use is capable of producing persistent alterations in the prefrontal cortex and in cognitive function, and illustrate the usefulness of extended access self-administration procedures for studying the neurobiology of addiction.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Cocaine/pharmacology
- Cocaine-Related Disorders/metabolism
- Cocaine-Related Disorders/physiopathology
- Cognition Disorders/chemically induced
- Cognition Disorders/metabolism
- Cognition Disorders/physiopathology
- Disease Models, Animal
- Dopamine/metabolism
- Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors/pharmacology
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Neural Pathways/drug effects
- Neural Pathways/metabolism
- Neural Pathways/physiopathology
- Neurons/drug effects
- Neurons/metabolism
- Prefrontal Cortex/drug effects
- Prefrontal Cortex/metabolism
- Prefrontal Cortex/physiopathology
- RNA, Messenger/drug effects
- RNA, Messenger/metabolism
- Receptors, Dopamine D1/drug effects
- Receptors, Dopamine D1/genetics
- Receptors, Dopamine D1/metabolism
- Receptors, Dopamine D2/drug effects
- Receptors, Dopamine D2/genetics
- Receptors, Dopamine D2/metabolism
- Self Administration
- Synaptic Transmission/drug effects
- Synaptic Transmission/physiology
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shelly B. Flagel
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, The University of Michigan
| | | | - Stanley J. Watson
- Neuroscience Program, The University of Michigan
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, The University of Michigan
| | - Huda Akil
- Neuroscience Program, The University of Michigan
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, The University of Michigan
| | - Martin Sarter
- Neuroscience Program, The University of Michigan
- Department of Psychology, The University of Michigan
| | - Terry E. Robinson
- Neuroscience Program, The University of Michigan
- Department of Psychology, The University of Michigan
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25
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Briand LA, Gross JP, Robinson TE. Impaired object recognition following prolonged withdrawal from extended-access cocaine self-administration. Neuroscience 2008; 155:1-6. [PMID: 18590801 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2008] [Revised: 06/02/2008] [Accepted: 06/03/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Cocaine addicts have a number of cognitive deficits that persist following prolonged abstinence. These include impairments in executive functions dependent on the prefrontal cortex, as well as deficits on learning and memory tasks sensitive to hippocampal function. Recent preclinical studies using non-human animals have demonstrated that cocaine treatment can produce persistent deficits in executive functions, but there is relatively little evidence that treatment with cocaine produces persistent deficits in performance on hippocampal-dependent tasks. We recently demonstrated that extended (but not limited) access to self-administered cocaine is especially effective in producing persistent deficits on a test of cognitive vigilance, and therefore, we used this procedure to examine the effects of limited or extended access to cocaine self-administration on recognition memory performance, which is sensitive to hippocampal function. We found that extended access to cocaine produced deficits in recognition memory in rats that persisted for at least 2 weeks after the cessation of drug use. We conclude that the deficits in learning and memory observed in cocaine addicts may be at least in part due to repeated drug use, rather than just due to a pre-existing condition, and that in studying the neural basis of such deficits procedures involving extended access to self-administered cocaine may be especially useful.
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Affiliation(s)
- L A Briand
- Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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26
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Takahashi Y, Roesch MR, Stalnaker TA, Schoenbaum G. Cocaine exposure shifts the balance of associative encoding from ventral to dorsolateral striatum. Front Integr Neurosci 2007; 1:11. [PMID: 18958239 PMCID: PMC2526005 DOI: 10.3389/neuro.07.011.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2007] [Accepted: 12/08/2007] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Both dorsal and ventral striatum are implicated in the "habitization" of behavior that occurs in addiction. Here we examined the effect of cocaine exposure on associative encoding in these two regions. Neural activity was recorded during go/no-go discrimination learning and reversal. Activity in ventral striatum developed and reversed rapidly, tracking the valence of the predicted outcome, whereas activity in dorsolateral striatum developed and reversed more slowly, tracking discriminative responding. This difference is consistent with the putative roles of these two areas in promoting habit-like behavior. Dorsolateral striatum has been directly implicated in habit or stimulus-response learning, whereas ventral striatum appears to be involved indirectly by allowing cues associated with reward to exert a general motivational influence on responding. Interestingly cocaine exposure did not uniformly enhance processing across both regions. Instead cocaine reduced the degree and flexibility of cue-evoked firing in ventral striatum while marginally enhanced cue-selective firing in dorsolateral striatum. Thus cocaine exposure causes regionally specific effects on neural processing in striatum; these effects may promote the habitization of behavior by shifting control from ventral to dorsolateral regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuji Takahashi
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine USA.
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27
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Abstract
In this study, the authors examined the long-term effects of prior exposure to cocaine on a delay-discounting task commonly used to measure impulsive choice. Male Long-Evans rats received daily intraperitoneal injections of 30 mg/kg cocaine HCl or saline for 14 days. Following 3 weeks of withdrawal, rats began training. On each trial, rats were given a choice between 2 levers. A press on 1 lever resulted in immediate delivery of a single 45-mg food pellet, and a press on the other resulted in delivery of 4 pellets after a delay period. Impulsive choice was defined as preference for the small immediate over the large delayed reward. Three months after treatment, cocaine-exposed rats displayed increased impulsive choice behavior. They also showed less anticipatory responding (entries into the food trough) during the delays prior to reward delivery, indicating that the enhanced impulsive choice in these rats may be related to deficits in bridging the delay between response and reward. These data demonstrate that cocaine exposure can cause enduring increases in impulsive choice behavior, consistent with observations in human subjects with drug addictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas W Simon
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4235, USA.
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28
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Mendez IA, Montgomery KS, LaSarge CL, Simon NW, Bizon JL, Setlow B. Long-term effects of prior cocaine exposure on Morris water maze performance. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2007; 89:185-91. [PMID: 17904876 PMCID: PMC2258220 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2007.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2007] [Revised: 07/27/2007] [Accepted: 08/15/2007] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cocaine addiction is associated with long-term cognitive alterations including deficits on tests of declarative/spatial learning and memory. To determine the extent to which cocaine exposure plays a causative role in these deficits, adult male Long-Evans rats were given daily injections of cocaine (30 mg/kg/day x 14 days) or saline vehicle. Three months later, rats were trained for 6 sessions on a Morris water maze protocol adapted from Gallagher, Burwell, and Burchinal [Gallagher, M., Burwell, R., & Burchinal, M. (1993). Severity of spatial learning impairment in aging: development of a learning index for performance in the Morris water maze. Behavioral Neuroscience, 107, 618-626]. Rats given prior cocaine exposure performed similarly to controls on training trials, but searched farther from the platform location on probe trials interpolated throughout the training sessions and showed increased thigmotaxis. The results demonstrate that a regimen of cocaine exposure can impair Morris water maze performance as long as 3 months after exposure. Although the impairments were not consistent with major deficits in spatial learning and memory, they may have resulted from cocaine-induced increases in stress responsiveness and/or anxiety. Increased stress and anxiety would be expected to increase thigmotaxis as well as cause impairments in searching for the platform location, possibly through actions on ventral striatal dopamine signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian A. Mendez
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843−4235
| | | | - Candi L. LaSarge
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843−4235
| | - Nicholas W. Simon
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843−4235
| | - Jennifer L. Bizon
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843−4235
- Faculty of Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843−4235
| | - Barry Setlow
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843−4235
- Faculty of Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843−4235
- Corresponding author: Barry Setlow, Ph.D. Behavioral and Cellular Neuroscience Program Department of Psychology Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843−4235 Telephone: (979) 845−2507 Fax: (979) 845−4727
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Roesch MR, Takahashi Y, Gugsa N, Bissonette GB, Schoenbaum G. Previous cocaine exposure makes rats hypersensitive to both delay and reward magnitude. J Neurosci 2007; 27:245-50. [PMID: 17202492 PMCID: PMC2249703 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4080-06.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2006] [Revised: 12/01/2006] [Accepted: 12/01/2006] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals prefer an immediate over a delayed reward, just as they prefer a large over a small reward. Exposure to psychostimulants causes long-lasting changes in structures critical for this behavior and might disrupt normal time-discounting performance. To test this hypothesis, we exposed rats to cocaine daily for 2 weeks (30 mg/kg, i.p.). Approximately 6 weeks later, we tested them on a variant of a time-discounting task, in which the rats responded to one of two locations to obtain reward while we independently manipulated the delay to reward and reward magnitude. Performance did not differ between cocaine-treated and saline-treated (control) rats when delay lengths and reward magnitudes were equal at the two locations. However, cocaine-treated rats were significantly more likely to shift their responding when we increased the delay or reward size asymmetrically. Furthermore, they were slower to respond and made more errors when forced to the side associated with the lower value. We conclude that previous exposure to cocaine makes choice behavior hypersensitive to differences in the time to and size of available rewards, consistent with a general effect of cocaine exposure on reward valuation mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Roesch
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
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