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Khatri SN, Ulangkaya H, Maher EE, Sadek S, Hong M, Woodcox AM, Stoops WW, Gipson CD. Oxycodone withdrawal is associated with increased cocaine self-administration and aberrant accumbens glutamate plasticity in rats. Neuropharmacology 2024; 242:109773. [PMID: 37865136 PMCID: PMC10842432 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109773] [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: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) frequently use other substances, including cocaine. Opioid withdrawal is associated with increased likelihood of cocaine use, which may represent an attempt to ameliorate opioid withdrawal effects. Clinically, 30% of co-using individuals take opioids and cocaine exclusively in a sequential manner. Preclinical studies evaluating mechanisms of drug use typically study drugs in isolation. However, polysubstance use is a highly prevalent clinical issue and thus, we established a novel preclinical model of sequential oxycodone and cocaine self-administration (SA) whereby rats acquired oxycodone and cocaine SA in an A-B-A-B design. Somatic signs of withdrawal were evaluated at 0, 22, and 24h following oxycodone SA, with the 24h timepoint representing somatic signs immediately following cocaine SA. Preclinically, aberrant glutamate signaling within the nucleus accumbens core (NAcore) occurs following use of cocaine or opioids, whereby medium spiny neurons (MSNs) rest in a potentiated or depotentiated state, respectively. Further, NAcore glial glutamate transport via GLT-1 is downregulated following SA of either drug alone. However, it is not clear if cocaine can exacerbate opioid-induced changes in glutamate signaling. In this study, NAcore GLT-1 protein and glutamate plasticity were measured (via AMPA/NMDA ratio) following SA. Rats acquired SA of both oxycodone and cocaine regardless of sex, and the acute oxycodone-induced increase in somatic signs at 22h was positively correlated with cocaine consumption during the cocaine testing phase. Cocaine use following oxycodone SA downregulated GLT-1 and reduced AMPA/NMDA ratios compared to cocaine use following food SA. Further, oxycodone SA alone was associated with reduced AMPA/NMDA ratio. Together, behavioral signs of oxycodone withdrawal may drive cocaine use and further dysregulate NAcore glutamate signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shailesh N Khatri
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Hanaa Ulangkaya
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Erin E Maher
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Safiyah Sadek
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Mei Hong
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Andrea M Woodcox
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - William W Stoops
- Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Cassandra D Gipson
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
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Welsch L, Colantonio E, Falconnier C, Champagnol-DiLiberti C, Allain F, Ben Hamida S, Darcq E, Lutz PE, Kieffer BL. Mu Opioid Receptor-Positive Neurons in the Dorsal Raphe Nucleus Are Impaired by Morphine Abstinence. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 94:852-862. [PMID: 37393045 PMCID: PMC10851617 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic opioid exposure leads to hedonic deficits and enhanced vulnerability to addiction, which are observed and even strengthen after a period of abstinence, but the underlying circuit mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, using both molecular and behavioral approaches, we tested the hypothesis that neurons expressing mu opioid receptors (MORs) in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) are involved in addiction vulnerability associated with morphine abstinence. METHODS MOR-Cre mice were exposed to chronic morphine and then went through spontaneous withdrawal for 4 weeks, a well-established mouse model of morphine abstinence. We studied DRN-MOR neurons of abstinent mice using 1) viral translating ribosome affinity for transcriptome profiling, 2) fiber photometry to measure neuronal activity, and 3) an opto-intracranial self-stimulation paradigm applied to DRN-MOR neurons to assess responses related to addiction vulnerability including persistence to respond, motivation to obtain the stimulation, self-stimulation despite punishment, and cue-induced reinstatement. RESULTS DRN-MOR neurons of abstinent animals showed a downregulation of genes involved in ion conductance and MOR-mediated signaling, as well as altered responding to acute morphine. Opto-intracranial self-stimulation data showed that abstinent animals executed more impulsive-like and persistent responses during acquisition and scored higher on addiction-like criteria. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that protracted abstinence to chronic morphine leads to reduced MOR function in DRN-MOR neurons and abnormal self-stimulation of these neurons. We propose that DRN-MOR neurons have partially lost their reward-facilitating properties, which in turn may lead to increased propensity to perform addiction-related behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lola Welsch
- Douglas Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; INSERM U1114, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Camille Falconnier
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives UPR3212, Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Florence Allain
- Douglas Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; INSERM U1114, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Sami Ben Hamida
- Douglas Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; INSERM UMR 1247, Research Group on Alcohol & Pharmacodependences, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - Emmanuel Darcq
- Douglas Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; INSERM U1114, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Pierre-Eric Lutz
- Douglas Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives UPR3212, Strasbourg, France
| | - Brigitte L Kieffer
- Douglas Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; INSERM U1114, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
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Hinds NM, Wojtas ID, Gallagher CA, Corbett CM, Manvich DF. Effects of sex and estrous cycle on intravenous oxycodone self-administration and the reinstatement of oxycodone-seeking behavior in rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1143373. [PMID: 37465001 PMCID: PMC10350507 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1143373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The increasing misuse of both prescription and illicit opioids has culminated in a national healthcare crisis in the United States. Oxycodone is among the most widely prescribed and misused opioid pain relievers and has been associated with a high risk for transition to compulsive opioid use. Here, we sought to examine potential sex differences and estrous cycle-dependent effects on the reinforcing efficacy of oxycodone, as well as on stress-induced or cue-induced oxycodone-seeking behavior, using intravenous (IV) oxycodone self-administration and reinstatement procedures. Methods In experiment 1, adult male and female Long-Evans rats were trained to self-administer 0.03 mg/kg/inf oxycodone according to a fixed-ratio 1 schedule of reinforcement in daily 2-h sessions, and a dose-response function was subsequently determined (0.003-0.03 mg/kg/inf). In experiment 2, a separate group of adult male and female Long-Evans rats were trained to self-administer 0.03 mg/kg/inf oxycodone for 8 sessions, followed by 0.01 mg/kg/inf oxycodone for 10 sessions. Responding was then extinguished, followed by sequential footshock-induced and cue-induced reinstatement tests. Results In the dose-response experiment, oxycodone produced a typical inverted U-shape function with 0.01 mg/kg/inf representing the maximally effective dose in both sexes. No sex differences were detected in the reinforcing efficacy of oxycodone. In the second experiment, the reinforcing effects of 0.01-0.03 mg//kg/inf oxycodone were significantly attenuated in females during proestrus/estrus as compared to metestrus/diestrus phases of the estrous cycle. Neither males nor females displayed significant footshock-induced reinstatement of oxycodone seeking, but both sexes exhibited significant cue-induced reinstatement of oxycodone seeking at magnitudes that did not differ either by sex or by estrous cycle phase. Discussion These results confirm and extend previous work suggesting that sex does not robustly influence the primary reinforcing effects of oxycodone nor the reinstatement of oxycodone-seeking behavior. However, our findings reveal for the first time that the reinforcing efficacy of IV oxycodone varies across the estrous cycle in female rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M. Hinds
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, United States
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, United States
| | - Ireneusz D. Wojtas
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, United States
| | - Corinne A. Gallagher
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, United States
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, United States
| | - Claire M. Corbett
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, United States
| | - Daniel F. Manvich
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, United States
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, United States
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Barattini AE, Montanari C, Edwards KN, Edwards S, Gilpin NW, Pahng AR. Chronic inflammatory pain promotes place preference for fentanyl in male rats but does not change fentanyl self-administration in male and female rats. Neuropharmacology 2023; 231:109512. [PMID: 36948356 PMCID: PMC10786182 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109512] [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: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
The current opioid epidemic is a national health crisis marked by skyrocketing reports of opioid misuse and overdose deaths. Despite the risks involved, prescription opioid analgesics are the most powerful and effective medications for treating pain. There is a clear need to investigate the risk of opioid misuse liability in male and female adults experiencing chronic pain. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that chronic inflammatory pain would increase fentanyl intake, motivation to acquire fentanyl, and drug seeking in the absence of fentanyl in rats. Fentanyl intake, motivation for fentanyl, and drug seeking were tested under limited and extended access conditions using intravenous fentanyl self-administration. Fos activity in ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons following intravenous fentanyl challenge (35 μg/kg) was examined using immunohistochemistry. Finally, we tested whether low-dose fentanyl supports development of conditioned place preference under an inflammatory pain state in rats. Contrary to our hypothesis, fentanyl self-administration and VTA Fos activity were unaffected by inflammatory pain status. During acquisition, males exhibited increased fentanyl intake compared to females. Animals given extended access to fentanyl escalated fentanyl intake over time, while animals given limited access did not. Males given extended access to fentanyl demonstrated a greater increase in fentanyl intake over time compared to females. During the dose-response test, females given limited access to fentanyl demonstrated increased motivation to acquire fentanyl compared to males. Both sexes displayed significant increases in responding for fentanyl as unit fentanyl doses were lowered. Following fentanyl challenge, females exhibited higher numbers of Fos-positive non-dopaminergic VTA neurons compared to males. Using conditioned place preference, we found that chronic inflammatory pain promotes fentanyl preference in males, but not females. These findings suggest that established fentanyl self-administration is resistant to change by inflammatory pain manipulation in both sexes, but chronic inflammatory pain increases the rewarding properties of low-dose fentanyl in males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela E Barattini
- Department of Physiology, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States; Alcohol & Drug Abuse Center of Excellence, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States; Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Christian Montanari
- Department of Physiology, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States; Alcohol & Drug Abuse Center of Excellence, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States; Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Kimberly N Edwards
- Department of Physiology, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States; Alcohol & Drug Abuse Center of Excellence, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Scott Edwards
- Department of Physiology, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States; Alcohol & Drug Abuse Center of Excellence, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States; Neuroscience Center of Excellence, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States; Comprehensive Alcohol-HIV/AIDS Research Center, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Nicholas W Gilpin
- Department of Physiology, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States; Alcohol & Drug Abuse Center of Excellence, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States; Neuroscience Center of Excellence, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States; Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Amanda R Pahng
- Department of Physiology, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States; Alcohol & Drug Abuse Center of Excellence, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, United States; Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, New Orleans, LA, United States.
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5
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Hinds NM, Wojtas ID, Gallagher CA, Corbett CM, Manvich DF. Effects of sex and estrous cycle on intravenous oxycodone self-administration and the reinstatement of oxycodone-seeking behavior in rats. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.02.543393. [PMID: 37333293 PMCID: PMC10274722 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.02.543393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
The increasing misuse of both prescription and illicit opioids has culminated in a national healthcare crisis in the United States. Oxycodone is among the most widely prescribed and misused opioid pain relievers and has been associated with a high risk for transition to compulsive opioid use. Here, we sought to examine potential sex differences and estrous cycle-dependent effects on the reinforcing efficacy of oxycodone, as well as on stress-induced or cue-induced oxycodone-seeking behavior, using intravenous (IV) oxycodone self-administration and reinstatement procedures. In experiment 1, adult male and female Long-Evans rats were trained to self-administer 0.03 mg/kg/inf oxycodone according to a fixed-ratio 1 schedule of reinforcement in daily 2-hr sessions, and a dose-response function was subsequently determined (0.003-0.03 mg/kg/inf). In experiment 2, a separate group of adult male and female Long-Evans rats were trained to self-administer 0.03 mg/kg/inf oxycodone for 8 sessions, followed by 0.01 mg/kg/inf oxycodone for 10 sessions. Responding was then extinguished, followed by sequential footshock-induced and cue-induced reinstatement tests. In the dose-response experiment, oxycodone produced a typical inverted U-shape function with 0.01 mg/kg/inf representing the maximally effective dose in both sexes. No sex differences were detected in the reinforcing efficacy of oxycodone. In the second experiment, the reinforcing effects of 0.01-0.03 mg//kg/inf oxycodone were significantly attenuated in females during proestrus/estrus as compared to metestrus/diestrus phases of the estrous cycle. Neither males nor females displayed significant footshock-induced reinstatement of oxycodone seeking, but both sexes exhibited significant cue-induced reinstatement of oxycodone seeking at magnitudes that did not differ either by sex or by estrous cycle phase. These results confirm and extend previous work suggesting that sex does not robustly influence the primary reinforcing effects of oxycodone nor the reinstatement of oxycodone-seeking behavior. However, our findings reveal for the first time that the reinforcing efficacy of IV oxycodone varies across the estrous cycle in female rats.
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Kalamarides DJ, Singh A, Wolfman SL, Dani JA. Sex differences in VTA GABA transmission and plasticity during opioid withdrawal. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8460. [PMID: 37231124 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35673-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The effectiveness of current treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) varies by sex. Our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms mediating negative states during withdrawal is lacking, particularly with regard to sex differences. Based on preclinical research in male subjects, opioid withdrawal is accompanied by increased gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) release probability at synapses onto dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). It is unclear, however, if the physiological consequences of morphine that were originally elucidated in male rodents extend to females. The effects of morphine on the induction of future synaptic plasticity are also unknown. Here, we show that inhibitory synaptic long-term potentiation (LTPGABA) is occluded in the VTA in male mice after repeated morphine injections and 1 day of withdrawal, while morphine-treated female mice maintain the ability to evoke LTPGABA and have basal GABA activity similar to controls. Our observation of this physiological difference between male and female mice connects previous reports of sex differences in areas upstream and downstream of the GABA-dopamine synapse in the VTA during opioid withdrawal. The sex differences highlight the mechanistic distinctions between males and females that can be targeted when designing and implementing treatments for OUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Kalamarides
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, University of Pennsylvania, 415 Curie Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Aditi Singh
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, University of Pennsylvania, 415 Curie Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Shannon L Wolfman
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, University of Pennsylvania, 415 Curie Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - John A Dani
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, University of Pennsylvania, 415 Curie Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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Guha SK, Alonso-Caraballo Y, Driscoll GS, Babb JA, Neal M, Constantino NJ, Lintz T, Kinard E, Chartoff EH. Ranking the contribution of behavioral measures comprising oxycodone self-administration to reinstatement of drug-seeking in male and female rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:1035350. [PMID: 36505730 PMCID: PMC9731098 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1035350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Rates of relapse to drug use during abstinence are among the highest for opioid use disorder (OUD). In preclinical studies, reinstatement to drug-seeking has been extensively studied as a model of relapse-but the work has been primarily in males. We asked whether biological sex contributes to behaviors comprising self-administration of the prescription opioid oxycodone in rats, and we calculated the relative contribution of these behavioral measures to reinstatement in male and female rats. Materials and methods Rats were trained to self-administer oxycodone (8 days, training phase), after which we examined oxycodone self-administration behaviors for an additional 14 days under three conditions in male and female rats: short access (ShA, 1 h/d), long access (LgA, 6 h/d), and saline self-administration. All rats were then tested for cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking after a 14-d forced abstinence period. We quantified the # of infusions, front-loading of drug intake, non-reinforced lever pressing, inter-infusion intervals, escalation of intake, and reinstatement responding on the active lever. Results Both male and female rats in LgA and ShA conditions escalated oxycodone intake to a similar extent. However, males had higher levels of non-reinforced responding than females under LgA conditions, and females had greater levels of reinstatement responding than males. We then correlated each addiction-related measure listed above with reinstatement responding in males and females and ranked their respective relative contributions. Although the majority of behavioral measures associated with oxycodone self-administration did not show sex differences on their own, when analyzed together using partial least squares regression, their relative contributions to reinstatement were sex-dependent. Front-loading behavior was calculated to have the highest relative contribution to reinstatement in both sexes, with long and short inter-infusion intervals having the second greatest contribution in females and males, respectively. Discussion Our results demonstrate sex differences in some oxycodone self-administration measures. More importantly, we demonstrate that a sex- dependent constellation of self-administration behaviors can predict the magnitude of reinstatement, which holds great promise for relapse prevention in people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suman K. Guha
- Basic Neuroscience Division, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States
| | - Yanaira Alonso-Caraballo
- Basic Neuroscience Division, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States
| | - Gillian S. Driscoll
- Basic Neuroscience Division, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States
| | - Jessica A. Babb
- Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Megan Neal
- Basic Neuroscience Division, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States
| | - Nicholas J. Constantino
- Basic Neuroscience Division, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States
| | - Tania Lintz
- Basic Neuroscience Division, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States
| | - Elizabeth Kinard
- Basic Neuroscience Division, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States
| | - Elena H. Chartoff
- Basic Neuroscience Division, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States,*Correspondence: Elena H. Chartoff,
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Banks ML. Environmental influence on the preclinical evaluation of substance use disorder therapeutics. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2021; 93:219-242. [PMID: 35341567 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2021.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Substance use disorders (SUD) develop as a result of complex interactions between the environment, the subject, and the drug of abuse. Preclinical basic research investigating each of these tripartite components of SUD individually has resulted in advancements in our fundamental knowledge regarding the progression from drug abuse to SUD and severe drug addiction and the underlying behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms. How these complex interactions between the environment, the subject, and the drug of abuse impact the effectiveness of candidate or clinically used medications for SUD has not been as extensively investigated. The focus of this chapter will address the current state of our knowledge how these environmental, subject, and pharmacological variables have been shown to impact candidate or clinical SUD medication evaluation in preclinical research using drug self-administration procedures as the primary dependent measure. The results discussed in this chapter highlight the importance of considering environmental variables such as the schedule of reinforcement, concurrent availability of alternative nondrug reinforcers, and experimental housing conditions in the context of SUD therapeutic evaluation. The thesis of this chapter is that improved understanding of environmental variables in the context of SUD research will facilitate the utility of preclinical drug self-administration studies in the evaluation and development of candidate SUD therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew L Banks
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States.
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Nguyen JD, Grant Y, Taffe MA. Paradoxical changes in brain reward status during oxycodone self-administration in a novel test of the negative reinforcement hypothesis. Br J Pharmacol 2021; 178:3797-3812. [PMID: 33948939 PMCID: PMC8387405 DOI: 10.1111/bph.15520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The extra medical use of, and addiction to, prescription opioid analgesics is a growing health problem. To characterize how prescription opioid abuse develops, this study investigated the affective consequences of escalating prescription opioid use using intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) reward and oxycodone intravenous self-administration (IVSA) models. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Male Wistar rats were given access to oxycodone IVSA (0.15 mg·kg-1 per infusion, i.v.) in short-access (ShA; 1 h) or long-access (LgA; 12 h) sessions for five sessions per week followed by intermittent 60-h discontinuations from drug access, a novel explicit test of the negative reinforcement hypothesis. Separate groups were first trained in the ICSS procedure and then in oxycodone IVSA in 11-h LgA sessions. KEY RESULTS Rats given LgA to oxycodone escalated their responding more than ShA rats, with further significant increases observed following each 60-h discontinuation. Presession brain reward thresholds increased with sequential daily LgA IVSA sessions, consistent with a growing negative affective state consequent to successive daily intoxication/abstinence cycles. A 1-h oxycodone IVSA interval was sufficient to normalize these elevated reward thresholds, as was, paradoxically, a 60-h weekend abstinence. The increase in ICSS thresholds was attenuated in a group treated with the long-acting κ-opioid antagonist norbinaltorphimine prior to IVSA training. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Changes in brain reward function during escalation of oxycodone self-administration are driven by an interplay between κ-opioid receptor-mediated negative affective state associated with escalated oxycodone intake and dynamic restoration of brain reward status during longer periods of abstinence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacques D. Nguyen
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA USA
| | - Yanabel Grant
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA USA
| | - Michael A. Taffe
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA USA
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Townsend EA, Kim RK, Robinson HL, Marsh SA, Banks ML, Hamilton PJ. Opioid withdrawal produces sex-specific effects on fentanyl-vs.-food choice and mesolimbic transcription. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 1:112-122. [PMID: 34458885 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2021.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Opioid withdrawal is a key driver of opioid addiction and an obstacle to recovery. However, withdrawal effects on opioid reinforcement and mesolimbic neuroadaptation are understudied and the role of sex is largely unknown. Methods Male (n=13) and female (n=12) rats responded under a fentanyl-vs.-food "choice" procedure during daily 2h sessions. In addition to the daily choice sessions, rats were provided extended access to fentanyl during 12h self-administration sessions. After two weeks of this self-administration regimen, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) of a subset of rats were subjected to RNA sequencing. In the remaining rats, a third week of this self-administration regimen was conducted, during which methadone effects on fentanyl-vs.-food choice were determined. Results Prior to opioid dependence, male and female rats similarly allocated responding between fentanyl and food. Abstinence from extended fentanyl access elicited similar increases in somatic withdrawal signs in both sexes. Despite similar withdrawal signs and extended access fentanyl intake, opioid withdrawal was accompanied by a maladaptive increase in fentanyl choice in males, but not females. Behavioral sex differences corresponded with a greater number of differentially expressed genes in the NAc and VTA of opioid-withdrawn females relative to males. Methadone blocked withdrawal-associated increases in fentanyl choice in males, but failed to further decrease fentanyl choice in females. Conclusions These results provide foundational evidence of sex-specific neuroadaptations to opioid withdrawal, which may be relevant to the female-specific resilience to withdrawal-associated increases in opioid choice and aid in the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Andrew Townsend
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
| | - R Kijoon Kim
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
| | - Hannah L Robinson
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
| | - Samuel A Marsh
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
| | - Matthew L Banks
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
| | - Peter J Hamilton
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23298 USA
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Mavrikaki M, Lintz T, Constantino N, Page S, Chartoff E. Chronic opioid exposure differentially modulates oxycodone self-administration in male and female rats. Addict Biol 2021; 26:e12973. [PMID: 33078503 PMCID: PMC8129895 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Withdrawal from opioid painkillers can produce short‐lived physical symptoms and protracted psychological symptoms including anxiety and depressive‐like states that often lead to opioid misuse and opioid use disorder (OUD). Studies testing the hypothesis that opioid withdrawal potentiates the reinforcing effects of opioid self‐administration (SA) are largely inconclusive and have focused on males. Although some clinical evidence indicates that women are more likely than men to misuse opioids to self‐medicate, preclinical studies in both sexes are lacking. Based on clinical reports, we hypothesized that withdrawal from escalating‐dose morphine injections that approximates a prescription painkiller regimen would lead to increased oxycodone SA to a greater extent in female compared to male rats. After escalating‐dose morphine (5–30 mg/kg or vehicle, twice/day for 12 days), rats underwent a 2‐week abstinence period during which withdrawal signs were measured. The impact of this treatment was assessed on oxycodone SA acquisition, maintenance, dose response, and progressive ratio responding, with additional analyses to compare sexes. We found that both sexes expressed somatic withdrawal, whereas only males demonstrated hyperalgesia in the warm water tail flick assay. During SA acquisition, males with prior morphine exposure took significantly more oxycodone than females. Finally, females with prior morphine exposure demonstrated the lowest motivation to SA oxycodone in the progressive ratio test. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, our findings suggest that prior opioid exposure increases vulnerability to initiate misuse more in males and decreases the reinforcing efficacy of oxycodone in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Mavrikaki
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School McLean Hospital Belmont Massachusetts USA
| | - Tania Lintz
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School McLean Hospital Belmont Massachusetts USA
| | - Nick Constantino
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School McLean Hospital Belmont Massachusetts USA
| | - Sarah Page
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School McLean Hospital Belmont Massachusetts USA
| | - Elena Chartoff
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School McLean Hospital Belmont Massachusetts USA
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