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Rossi R, Bærentzen SL, Thomsen MB, Real CC, Wegener G, Grassi-Oliveira R, Gjedde A, Landau AM. A single dose of cocaine raises SV2A density in hippocampus of adolescent rats. Acta Neuropsychiatr 2024; 36:109-117. [PMID: 36847240 DOI: 10.1017/neu.2023.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Cocaine is a highly addictive psychostimulant that affects synaptic activity with structural and functional adaptations of neurons. The transmembrane synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) of pre-synaptic vesicles is commonly used to measure synaptic density, as a novel approach to the detection of synaptic changes. We do not know if a single dose of cocaine suffices to affect pre-synaptic SV2A density, especially during adolescence when synapses undergo intense maturation. Here, we explored potential changes of pre-synaptic SV2A density in target brain areas associated with the cocaine-induced boost of dopaminergic neurotransmission, specifically testing if the effects would last after the return of dopamine levels to baseline. METHODS We administered cocaine (20 mg/kg i.p.) or saline to rats in early adolescence, tested their activity levels and removed the brains 1 hour and 7 days after injection. To evaluate immediate and lasting effects, we did autoradiography with [3H]UCB-J, a specific tracer for SV2A, in medial prefrontal cortex, striatum, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and dorsal and ventral areas of hippocampus. We also measured the striatal binding of [3H]GBR-12935 to test cocaine's occupancy of the dopamine transporter at both times of study. RESULTS We found a significant increase of [3H]UCB-J binding in the dorsal and ventral sections of hippocampus 7 days after the cocaine administration compared to saline-injected rats, but no differences 1 hour after the injection. The [3H]GBR-12935 binding remained unchanged at both times. CONCLUSION Cocaine provoked lasting changes of hippocampal synaptic SV2A density after a single exposure during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachele Rossi
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Simone Larsen Bærentzen
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Majken B Thomsen
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Caroline C Real
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Gregers Wegener
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
| | - Rodrigo Grassi-Oliveira
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
| | - Albert Gjedde
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Anne M Landau
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
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Gugula A, Trenk A, Celary A, Cizio K, Tylko G, Blasiak A, Hess G. Early-life stress modifies the reactivity of neurons in the ventral tegmental area and lateral hypothalamus to acute stress in female rats. Neuroscience 2022; 490:49-65. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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3
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Wildenberg G, Sorokina A, Koranda J, Monical A, Heer C, Sheffield M, Zhuang X, McGehee D, Kasthuri B. Partial connectomes of labeled dopaminergic circuits reveal non-synaptic communication and axonal remodeling after exposure to cocaine. eLife 2021; 10:71981. [PMID: 34965204 PMCID: PMC8716107 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Dopaminergic (DA) neurons exert profound influences on behavior including addiction. However, how DA axons communicate with target neurons and how those communications change with drug exposure remains poorly understood. We leverage cell type-specific labeling with large volume serial electron microscopy to detail DA connections in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of the mouse (Mus musculus) before and after exposure to cocaine. We find that individual DA axons contain different varicosity types based on their vesicle contents. Spatially ordering along individual axons further suggests that varicosity types are non-randomly organized. DA axon varicosities rarely make specific synapses (<2%, 6/410), but instead are more likely to form spinule-like structures (15%, 61/410) with neighboring neurons. Days after a brief exposure to cocaine, DA axons were extensively branched relative to controls, formed blind-ended 'bulbs' filled with mitochondria, and were surrounded by elaborated glia. Finally, mitochondrial lengths increased by ~2.2 times relative to control only in DA axons and NAc spiny dendrites after cocaine exposure. We conclude that DA axonal transmission is unlikely to be mediated via classical synapses in the NAc and that the major locus of anatomical plasticity of DA circuits after exposure to cocaine are large-scale axonal re-arrangements with correlated changes in mitochondria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregg Wildenberg
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States.,Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, United States
| | - Anastasia Sorokina
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States.,Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, United States
| | - Jessica Koranda
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Alexis Monical
- Department of Anesthesia & Critical Care, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Chad Heer
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Mark Sheffield
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Xiaoxi Zhuang
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Daniel McGehee
- Department of Anesthesia & Critical Care, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Bobby Kasthuri
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States.,Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, United States
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4
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Echeverria I, Benito A, Fuertes-Saiz A, Graña ML, Aleixandre I, Haro G. Cocaine Increases Sensorimotor Gating and is Related to Psychopathy. J Dual Diagn 2021; 17:277-283. [PMID: 34392807 DOI: 10.1080/15504263.2021.1962205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Prepulse inhibition regulates sensorimotor gating and is a marker of vulnerability to certain disorders. We compared prepulse inhibition, psychopathy, and sensitivity to punishment and reward in patients with cocaine-related disorder without psychiatric comorbidities and a control group. METHODS This was an observational study of a sample of 22 male cases with cocaine-related disorder and 22 healthy male controls. We used the Psychiatric Research Interview for Substance and Mental Disorders and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview; the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire; and the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale and Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. Prepulse inhibition was evaluated at 30, 60, and 120 ms. RESULTS Cocaine-related disorder group had a higher overall score (t = 12.556, p = .001) and primary psychopathy score (t = 3.750, p = .001) on Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, a higher score on both Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised factors, sensitivity to rewards (t = 3.076, p = .005) and prepulse inhibition at 30 ms (t = 2.859, p = .008). CONCLUSIONS Cocaine use in patients without psychiatric comorbidities seems to increase sensorimotor gating. Therefore, these patients likely have an increased sensitivity to rewards, causing them to focus more on cocaine-boosting stimuli, thus explaining the psychopathic traits of these individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iván Echeverria
- TXP Research Group, Medicine Department, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Castelló, Spain.,Psychiatry Department, Hospital Provincial de Castelló, Castelló, Spain
| | - Ana Benito
- TXP Research Group, Medicine Department, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Castelló, Spain.,Torrente Mental Health Center, Hospital General Universitario, Valencia, Spain
| | - Alejandro Fuertes-Saiz
- TXP Research Group, Medicine Department, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Castelló, Spain.,Psychiatry Department, Hospital Provincial de Castelló, Castelló, Spain
| | - María Luisa Graña
- Addictive Behavior Unit, Hospital Provincial de Castelló, Castelló, Spain
| | - Isabel Aleixandre
- TXP Research Group, Medicine Department, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Castelló, Spain
| | - Gonzalo Haro
- TXP Research Group, Medicine Department, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Castelló, Spain.,Psychiatry Department, Hospital Provincial de Castelló, Castelló, Spain
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5
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López‐Gambero AJ, Rodríguez de Fonseca F, Suárez J. Energy sensors in drug addiction: A potential therapeutic target. Addict Biol 2021; 26:e12936. [PMID: 32638485 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Addiction is defined as the repeated exposure and compulsive seek of psychotropic drugs that, despite the harmful effects, generate relapse after the abstinence period. The psychophysiological processes associated with drug addiction (acquisition/expression, withdrawal, and relapse) imply important alterations in neurotransmission and changes in presynaptic and postsynaptic plasticity and cellular structure (neuroadaptations) in neurons of the reward circuits (dopaminergic neuronal activity) and other corticolimbic regions. These neuroadaptation mechanisms imply important changes in neuronal energy balance and protein synthesis machinery. Scientific literature links drug-induced stimulation of dopaminergic and glutamatergic pathways along with presence of neurotrophic factors with alterations in synaptic plasticity and membrane excitability driven by metabolic sensors. Here, we provide current knowledge of the role of molecular targets that constitute true metabolic/energy sensors such as AMPK, mTOR, ERK, or KATP in the development of the different phases of addiction standing out the main brain regions (ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, hippocampus, and amygdala) constituting the hubs in the development of addiction. Because the available treatments show very limited effectiveness, evaluating the drug efficacy of AMPK and mTOR specific modulators opens up the possibility of testing novel pharmacotherapies for an individualized approach in drug abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Jesús López‐Gambero
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga Universidad de Málaga Málaga Spain
| | - Fernando Rodríguez de Fonseca
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), UGC Salud Mental Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga Málaga Spain
| | - Juan Suárez
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), UGC Salud Mental Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga Málaga Spain
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6
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Doyle MA, Mazei-Robison MS. Opioid-Induced Molecular and Cellular Plasticity of Ventral Tegmental Area Dopamine Neurons. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2021; 11:cshperspect.a039362. [PMID: 31964652 PMCID: PMC7371531 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a039362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Opioid drugs are highly valued as potent analgesics; however, there are significant risks associated with long-term use because of their abuse liability. Opioids cause changes in ventral tegmental area (VTA) gene expression and cell activity that have been linked to addiction-related behaviors in rodent models. Here, we focus on VTA dopamine (DA) neurons and review the cellular, structural, and synaptic plasticity changes induced by acute and chronic opioid exposure. We also discuss many avenues for future research including determination of whether opioid neuroadaptations are specific for subpopulations of VTA DA neurons. A better understanding of the molecular adaptations within the cells and circuits that drive opioid abuse is crucial for the development of better treatments for substance use disorders and to create novel, safer pain-relieving therapeutics.
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7
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McGregor R, Thannickal TC, Siegel JM. Pleasure, addiction, and hypocretin (orexin). HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2021; 180:359-374. [PMID: 34225941 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-820107-7.00022-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The hypocretins/orexins were discovered in 1998. Within 2 years, this led to the discovery of the cause of human narcolepsy, a 90% loss of hypothalamic neurons containing these peptides. Further work demonstrated that these neurons were not simply linked to waking. Rather these neurons were active during pleasurable behaviors in waking and were silenced by aversive stimulation. This was seen in wild-type mice, rats, cats, and dogs. It was also evident in humans, with increased Hcrt release during pleasurable activities and decreased release, to the levels seen in sleep, during pain. We found that human heroin addicts have, on average, an increase of 54% in the number of detectable Hcrt neurons compared to "control" human brains and that these Hcrt neurons are substantially smaller than those in control brains. We found that in mice, chronic morphine administration induced the same changes in Hcrt neuron number and size. Our studies in the mouse allowed us to determine the specificity, dose response relations, time course of the change in the number of Hcrt neurons, and that the increased number of Hcrt neurons after opiates was not due to neurogenesis. Furthermore, we found that it took a month or longer for these anatomical changes in the mouse brain to return to baseline. Human narcoleptics, despite their prescribed use of several commonly addictive drugs, do not show significant evidence of dose escalation or substance use disorder. Similarly, mice in which the peptide has been eliminated are resistant to addiction. These findings are consistent with the concept that an increased number of Hcrt neurons may underlie and maintain opioid or cocaine use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald McGregor
- Neuropsychiatric Institute and Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Neurobiology Research, Veterans Administration Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Thomas C Thannickal
- Neuropsychiatric Institute and Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Neurobiology Research, Veterans Administration Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jerome M Siegel
- Neuropsychiatric Institute and Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Neurobiology Research, Veterans Administration Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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8
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Spyrka J, Gugula A, Rak A, Tylko G, Hess G, Blasiak A. Early life stress-induced alterations in the activity and morphology of ventral tegmental area neurons in female rats. Neurobiol Stress 2020; 13:100250. [PMID: 33344705 PMCID: PMC7739067 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2020.100250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Childhood maltreatment, which can take the form of physical or psychological abuse, is experienced by more than a quarter of all children. Early life stress has substantial and long-term consequences, including an increased risk of drug abuse and psychiatric disorders in adolescence and adulthood, and this risk is higher in women than in men. The neuronal mechanisms underlying the influence of early life adversities on brain functioning remain poorly understood; therefore, in the current study, we used maternal separation (MS), a rodent model of early-life neglect, to verify its influence on the properties of neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a brain area critically involved in reward and motivation processing. Using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in brain slices from adolescent female Sprague-Dawley rats, we found an MS-induced increase in the excitability of putative dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons selectively in the medial part of the VTA. We also showed an enhancement of excitatory synaptic transmission in VTA putative DAergic neurons. MS-induced alterations in electrophysiology were accompanied by an increase in the diameter of dendritic spine heads on lateral VTA DAergic neurons, although the overall dendritic spine density remained unchanged. Finally, we reported MS-related increases in basal plasma ACTH and corticosterone levels. These results show the long-term consequences of early life stress and indicate the possible neuronal mechanisms of behavioral disturbances in individuals who experience early life neglect. Adversity in early life is a predisposing factor for psychiatric disorders. Maternal separation (MS) increases excitability of dopaminergic VTA neurons. Early life stress enhances excitatory synaptic transmission in the VTA. MS changes morphology of dendritic spine heads on VTA dopaminergic neurons. Early life stress increases basal ACTH and corticosterone levels in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jadwiga Spyrka
- Department of Neurophysiology and Chronobiology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
| | - Anna Gugula
- Department of Neurophysiology and Chronobiology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Rak
- Department of Physiology and Toxicology of Reproduction, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Tylko
- Department of Cell Biology and Imaging, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Hess
- Department of Neurophysiology and Chronobiology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
| | - Anna Blasiak
- Department of Neurophysiology and Chronobiology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
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9
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Velasquez-Martinez MC, Santos-Vera B, Velez-Hernandez ME, Vazquez-Torres R, Jimenez-Rivera CA. Alpha-1 Adrenergic Receptors Modulate Glutamate and GABA Neurotransmission onto Ventral Tegmental Dopamine Neurons during Cocaine Sensitization. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E790. [PMID: 31991781 PMCID: PMC7036981 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21030790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The ventral tegmental area (VTA) plays an important role in the reward and motivational processes that facilitate the development of drug addiction. Presynaptic α1-AR activation modulates glutamate and Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) release. This work elucidates the role of VTA presynaptic α1-ARs and their modulation on glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmission during cocaine sensitization. Excitatory and inhibitory currents (EPSCs and IPSCs) measured by a whole cell voltage clamp show that α1-ARs activation increases EPSCs amplitude after 1 day of cocaine treatment but not after 5 days of cocaine injections. The absence of a pharmacological response to an α1-ARs agonist highlights the desensitization of the receptor after repeated cocaine administration. The desensitization of α1-ARs persists after a 7-day withdrawal period. In contrast, the modulation of α1-ARs on GABA neurotransmission, shown by decreases in IPSCs' amplitude, is not affected by acute or chronic cocaine injections. Taken together, these data suggest that α1-ARs may enhance DA neuronal excitability after repeated cocaine administration through the reduction of GABA inhibition onto VTA dopamine (DA) neurons even in the absence of α1-ARs' function on glutamate release and protein kinase C (PKC) activation. α1-AR modulatory changes in cocaine sensitization increase our knowledge of the role of the noradrenergic system in cocaine addiction and may provide possible avenues for therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Carolina Velasquez-Martinez
- Grupo de Neurociencias y Comportamiento, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Facultad de Salud, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga 680006, Colombia;
| | - Bermary Santos-Vera
- Department of Biology, Cayey Campus, University of Puerto Rico, Cayey, PR 00737, USA;
| | - Maria E. Velez-Hernandez
- Department of Biological and Health Sciences, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, TX 78363, USA;
| | - Rafael Vazquez-Torres
- Department of Physiology, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR 00925, USA;
| | - Carlos A. Jimenez-Rivera
- Department of Physiology, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR 00925, USA;
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10
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Upreti C, Konstantinov E, Kassabov SR, Bailey CH, Kandel ER. Serotonin Induces Structural Plasticity of Both Extrinsic Modulating and Intrinsic Mediating Circuits In Vitro in Aplysia Californica. Cell Rep 2019; 28:2955-2965.e3. [PMID: 31509754 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Revised: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Long-term sensitization of the gill withdrawal reflex in Aplysia requires heterosynaptic, modulatory input that is mediated in part by the growth of new synaptic connections between sensory neurons and their follower cells (intrinsic mediating circuit). Whether modulatory interneurons (the extrinsic modulatory circuit) also display learning-related structural synaptic plasticity remains unknown. To test this idea, we added a bona fide serotonergic modulatory neuron, the metacerebral cell (MCC), to sensory-motor neuron co-cultures and examined the modulating presynaptic varicosities of MCCs before and after repeated pulses of serotonin (5-HT) that induced long-term facilitation (LTF). We observed robust growth of new serotonergic varicosities that were positive for serotonin and capable of synaptic recycling. Our findings demonstrate that, in addition to structural changes in the intrinsic mediating circuit, there are also significant learning-related structural changes in the extrinsic modulating circuit, and these changes might provide a cellular mechanism for savings and for spread of memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chirag Upreti
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | | | - Stefan R Kassabov
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Craig H Bailey
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Eric R Kandel
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, New York, NY 10027, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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11
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Shi X, Barr JL, von Weltin E, Wolsh C, Unterwald EM. Differential Roles of Accumbal GSK3 β in Cocaine versus Morphine-Induced Place Preference, U50,488H-Induced Place Aversion, and Object Memory. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2019; 371:339-347. [PMID: 31420527 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.119.259283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research has demonstrated that activity of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) is necessary for the rewarding effects of cocaine. In the present study, a conditional GSK3β gene knockdown model was used to determine if GSK3β activity specifically in the nucleus accumbens is important for cocaine conditioned reward. The roles of accumbal GSK3β in morphine conditioned reward, trans-(±)-3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-[2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)cyclohexyl]benzeneacetamide methanesulfonate salt (U50,488H)-induced conditioned place aversion, and cognitive function were also studied. Adult male and female GSK3β-floxed or wild-type mice were injected with adeno-associated virus/Cre into the nucleus accumbens to reduce expression of GSK3β and underwent behavioral testing 4 weeks later. The development of cocaine-induced conditioned place preference was significantly attenuated in mice with reduced levels of GSK3β in the nucleus accumbens, whereas the development of morphine-induced place preference remained intact. Conditional knockdown of GSK3β in the accumbens prevented the development of conditioned aversion produced by U50,488H, a κ-opioid receptor agonist. Cognitive memory tests revealed deficits in object location memory, but not novel object recognition in mice with accumbal GSK3β knockdown. These data demonstrate that GSK3β in the nucleus accumbens is required for cocaine conditioned place preference and U50,488H conditioned place aversion, as well as spatial memory in object location task, indicating differential roles of GSK3β in the psychostimulant and opiate reward process, as well as in memory for spatial locations and object identity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Knockdown of GSK3β in the nucleus accumbens attenuated the development of cocaine-induced place preference, as well as conditioned place aversion to U50,488H, a κ-opioid receptor agonist. In contrast, the development of morphine place preference was not altered by GSK3β knockdown. GSK3β knockdown in nucleus accumbens impaired performance in the object location task, but not the novel object recognition task. These results elucidate different physiological roles of accumbal GSKβ in conditioned reward, aversion, and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangdang Shi
- Center for Substance Abuse Research and Department of Pharmacology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Jeffrey L Barr
- Center for Substance Abuse Research and Department of Pharmacology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Eva von Weltin
- Center for Substance Abuse Research and Department of Pharmacology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Cassandra Wolsh
- Center for Substance Abuse Research and Department of Pharmacology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Ellen M Unterwald
- Center for Substance Abuse Research and Department of Pharmacology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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12
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Mervosh NL, Wilson R, Rauniyar N, Hofford RS, Kutlu MG, Calipari ES, Lam TT, Kiraly DD. Granulocyte-Colony-Stimulating Factor Alters the Proteomic Landscape of the Ventral Tegmental Area. Proteomes 2018; 6:proteomes6040035. [PMID: 30249060 PMCID: PMC6313867 DOI: 10.3390/proteomes6040035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cocaine addiction is characterized by aberrant plasticity of the mesolimbic dopamine circuit, leading to dysregulation of motivation to seek and take drug. Despite the significant toll that cocaine use disorder exacts on society, there are currently no available pharmacotherapies. We have recently identified granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) as a soluble cytokine that alters the behavioral response to cocaine and which increases dopamine release from the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Despite these known effects on behavior and neurophysiology, the molecular mechanisms by which G-CSF affects brain function are unclear. In this study mice were treated with repeated injections of G-CSF, cocaine or a combination and changes in protein expression in the VTA were examined using an unbiased proteomics approach. Repeated G-CSF treatment resulted in alterations in multiple signaling pathways related to synaptic plasticity and neuronal morphology. While the treatment groups had marked overlap in their effect, injections of cocaine and the combination of cocaine and G-CSF lead to distinct patterns of significantly regulated proteins. These experiments provide valuable information as to the molecular pathways that G-CSF activates in an important limbic brain region and will help to guide further characterization of G-CSF function and evaluation as a possible translational target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas L Mervosh
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
| | - Rashaun Wilson
- Yale/NIDA Neuroproteomics Center, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
| | - Navin Rauniyar
- Yale/NIDA Neuroproteomics Center, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
| | - Rebecca S Hofford
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
| | - Munir Gunes Kutlu
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
| | - Erin S Calipari
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
| | - TuKiet T Lam
- Yale/NIDA Neuroproteomics Center, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
- Department of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
- Yale MS & Proteomics Resource, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
| | - Drew D Kiraly
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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13
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Abstract
Drug addiction or substance-use disorder is a chronically relapsing disorder that progresses through binge/intoxication, withdrawal/negative affect and preoccupation/anticipation stages. These stages represent diverse neurobiological mechanisms that are differentially involved in the transition from recreational to compulsive drug use and from positive to negative reinforcement. The progression from recreational to compulsive substance use is associated with downregulation of the brain reward systems and upregulation of the brain stress systems. Individual differences in the neurobiological systems that underlie the processing of reward, incentive salience, habits, stress, pain, and executive function may explain (i) the vulnerability to substance-use disorder; (ii) the diversity of emotional, motivational, and cognitive profiles of individuals with substance-use disorders; and (iii) heterogeneous responses to cognitive and pharmacological treatments. Characterization of the neuropsychological mechanisms that underlie individual differences in addiction-like behaviors is the key to understanding the mechanisms of addiction and development of personalized pharmacotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier George
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - George F Koob
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Rockville, Maryland, USA
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14
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Caffino L, Messa G, Fumagalli F. A single cocaine administration alters dendritic spine morphology and impairs glutamate receptor synaptic retention in the medial prefrontal cortex of adolescent rats. Neuropharmacology 2018; 140:209-216. [PMID: 30092246 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Revised: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/05/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The brain is still maturing during adolescence and interfering with such a vulnerable period may lead to structural and functional consequences. We investigated the effect of a single cocaine exposure on dendritic spine structure and glutamate dynamics in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of adolescent rats 7 days after a single cocaine administration. We found a reduced number of dendritic spines, suggesting that cocaine lowers the density of dendritic spines in the mPFC of adolescent rats. Since dendritic spines are postsynaptic glutamatergic protrusions, we investigated the main determinants of glutamate postsynaptic responsiveness. In the postsynaptic density, cocaine reduced the expression of the NMDA receptor subunits GluN1, GluN2A and GluN2B as well as of the AMPA GluA1 and GluA2 subunits. Cocaine also impaired their synaptic stability since the expression of the scaffolding proteins SAP102 and SAP97, critical for the anchoring of such receptors at the postsynaptic membrane, was reduced as well. The expression of PSD-95 and Arc/Arg3.1, which play structural and functional roles in glutamate neurons, was also similarly reduced. Such changes were not found in the whole homogenate, ruling out a translational effect of cocaine and implying, rather, an impaired synaptic retention at the active zones of the synapse. Notably, neither these critical glutamate determinants nor the density and morphology of the dendritic spines were altered in the mPFC of adult animals, suggesting that a single cocaine exposure selectively impairs the developmental trajectory of the glutamate synapse. These results indicate a dynamic impairment of mPFC glutamate homeostasis during a critical developmental window that persists for at least one week after a single cocaine administration. Our results identify dysfunctional glutamate synapse as a major contributor to the mechanisms that distinguish adolescent vs. adult outcomes of a single cocaine exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Caffino
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Giulia Messa
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Fabio Fumagalli
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milano, Italy.
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15
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Matikainen-Ankney BA, Kravitz AV. Persistent effects of obesity: a neuroplasticity hypothesis. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2018; 1428:221-239. [PMID: 29741270 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The obesity epidemic is a leading cause of health problems in the United States, increasing the risk of cardiovascular, endocrine, and psychiatric diseases. Although many people lose weight through changes in diet and lifestyle, keeping the weight off remains a challenge. Here, we discuss a hypothesis that seeks to explain why obesity is so persistent. There is a great degree of overlap in the circuits implicated in substance use disorder and obesity, and neural plasticity of these circuits in response to drugs of abuse is well documented. We hypothesize that obesity is also associated with neural plasticity in these circuits, and this may underlie persistent changes in behavior, energy balance, and body weight. Here, we discuss how obesity-associated reductions in motivation and physical activity may be rooted in neurophysiological alterations in these circuits. Such plasticity may alter how humans and animals use, expend, and store energy, even after weight loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget A Matikainen-Ankney
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Alexxai V Kravitz
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.,National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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16
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Murakami G, Edamura M, Furukawa T, Kawasaki H, Kosugi I, Fukuda A, Iwashita T, Nakahara D. MHC class I in dopaminergic neurons suppresses relapse to reward seeking. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:eaap7388. [PMID: 29546241 PMCID: PMC5851664 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aap7388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Major histocompatibility complex class I (MHCI) is an important immune protein that is expressed in various brain regions, with its deficiency leading to extensive synaptic transmission that results in learning and memory deficits. Although MHCI is highly expressed in dopaminergic neurons, its role in these neurons has not been examined. We show that MHCI expressed in dopaminergic neurons plays a key role in suppressing reward-seeking behavior. In wild-type mice, cocaine self-administration caused persistent reduction of MHCI specifically in dopaminergic neurons, which was accompanied by enhanced glutamatergic synaptic transmission and relapse to cocaine seeking. Functional MHCI knockout promoted this addictive phenotype for cocaine and a natural reward, namely, sucrose. In contrast, wild-type mice overexpressing a major MHCI gene (H2D) in dopaminergic neurons showed suppressed cocaine seeking. These results show that persistent cocaine-induced reduction of MHCI in dopaminergic neurons is necessary for relapse to cocaine seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gen Murakami
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan
- Department of Regenerative and Infectious Pathology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan
- Department of Liberal Arts, Faculty of Medicine, Saitama Medical University, 38 Morohongo, Moroyama-machi, Iruma-gun, Saitama 350-0495, Japan
| | - Mitsuhiro Edamura
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan
| | - Tomonori Furukawa
- Department of Neurophysiology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan
| | - Hideya Kawasaki
- Department of Regenerative and Infectious Pathology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan
| | - Isao Kosugi
- Department of Regenerative and Infectious Pathology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan
| | - Atsuo Fukuda
- Department of Neurophysiology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan
| | - Toshihide Iwashita
- Department of Regenerative and Infectious Pathology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan
| | - Daiichiro Nakahara
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan
- Department of Psychiatry, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan
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17
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Gantz SC, Ford CP, Morikawa H, Williams JT. The Evolving Understanding of Dopamine Neurons in the Substantia Nigra and Ventral Tegmental Area. Annu Rev Physiol 2018; 80:219-241. [PMID: 28938084 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-physiol-021317-121615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, the population of neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra (SN) has been examined at multiple levels. The results indicate that the projections, neurochemistry, and receptor and ion channel expression in this cell population vary widely. This review centers on the intrinsic properties and synaptic regulation that control the activity of dopamine neurons. Although all dopamine neurons fire action potentials in a pacemaker pattern in the absence of synaptic input, the intrinsic properties that underlie this activity differ considerably. Likewise, the transition into a burst/pause pattern results from combinations of intrinsic ion conductances, inhibitory and excitatory synaptic inputs that differ among this cell population. Finally, synaptic plasticity is a key regulator of the rate and pattern of activity in different groups of dopamine neurons. Through these fundamental properties, the activity of dopamine neurons is regulated and underlies the wide-ranging functions that have been attributed to dopamine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie C Gantz
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA
| | - Christopher P Ford
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
| | - Hitoshi Morikawa
- Department of Neuroscience and Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - John T Williams
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA;
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18
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Namba MD, Tomek SE, Olive MF, Beckmann JS, Gipson CD. The Winding Road to Relapse: Forging a New Understanding of Cue-Induced Reinstatement Models and Their Associated Neural Mechanisms. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:17. [PMID: 29479311 PMCID: PMC5811475 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In drug addiction, cues previously associated with drug use can produce craving and frequently trigger the resumption of drug taking in individuals vulnerable to relapse. Environmental stimuli associated with drugs or natural reinforcers can become reliably conditioned to increase behavior that was previously reinforced. In preclinical models of addiction, these cues enhance both drug self-administration and reinstatement of drug seeking. In this review, we will dissociate the roles of conditioned stimuli as reinforcers from their modulatory or discriminative functions in producing drug-seeking behavior. As well, we will examine possible differences in neurobiological encoding underlying these functional differences. Specifically, we will discuss how models of drug addiction and relapse should more systematically evaluate these different types of stimuli to better understand the neurobiology underlying craving and relapse. In this way, behavioral and pharmacotherapeutic interventions may be better tailored to promote drug use cessation outcomes and long-term abstinence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D. Namba
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Seven E. Tomek
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - M. Foster Olive
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Joshua S. Beckmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Cassandra D. Gipson
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
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19
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Dos Santos M, Salery M, Forget B, Garcia Perez MA, Betuing S, Boudier T, Vanhoutte P, Caboche J, Heck N. Rapid Synaptogenesis in the Nucleus Accumbens Is Induced by a Single Cocaine Administration and Stabilized by Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Interacting Kinase-1 Activity. Biol Psychiatry 2017; 82:806-818. [PMID: 28545678 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Revised: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Repeated cocaine exposure produces new spine formation in striatal projection neurons (SPNs) of the nucleus accumbens. However, an acute exposure to cocaine can trigger long-lasting synaptic plasticity in SPNs leading to behavioral alterations. This raises the intriguing question as to whether a single administration of cocaine could enduringly modify striatal connectivity. METHODS A three-dimensional morphometric analysis of presynaptic glutamatergic boutons and dendritic spines was performed on SPNs 1 hour and 1 week after a single cocaine administration. Time-lapse two-photon microscopy in adult slices was used to determine the precise molecular-events sequence responsible for the rapid spine formation. RESULTS A single injection triggered a rapid synaptogenesis and persistent increase in glutamatergic connectivity in SPNs from the shell part of the nucleus accumbens, specifically. Synapse formation occurred through clustered growth of active spines contacting pre-existing axonal boutons. Spine growth required extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation, while spine stabilization involved transcription-independent protein synthesis driven by mitogen-activated protein kinase interacting kinase-1, downstream from extracellular signal-regulated kinase. The maintenance of new spines driven by mitogen-activated protein kinase interacting kinase-1 was essential for long-term connectivity changes induced by cocaine in vivo. CONCLUSIONS Our study originally demonstrates that a single administration of cocaine is able to induce stable synaptic rewiring in the nucleus accumbens, which will likely influence responses to subsequent drug exposure. It also unravels a new functional role for cocaine-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway independently of nuclear targets. Finally, it reveals that mitogen-activated protein kinase interacting kinase-1 has a pivotal role in cocaine-induced connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Dos Santos
- Neurosciences Paris Seine, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, University Pierre and Marie Curie University of Paris 06, Sorbonne Universités, Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France
| | - Marine Salery
- Neurosciences Paris Seine, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, University Pierre and Marie Curie University of Paris 06, Sorbonne Universités, Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France
| | - Benoit Forget
- Neurosciences Paris Seine, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, University Pierre and Marie Curie University of Paris 06, Sorbonne Universités, Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France
| | - Maria Alexandra Garcia Perez
- Neurosciences Paris Seine, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, University Pierre and Marie Curie University of Paris 06, Sorbonne Universités, Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France
| | - Sandrine Betuing
- Neurosciences Paris Seine, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, University Pierre and Marie Curie University of Paris 06, Sorbonne Universités, Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France
| | - Thomas Boudier
- Neurosciences Paris Seine, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, University Pierre and Marie Curie University of Paris 06, Sorbonne Universités, Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France; Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, Singapore
| | - Peter Vanhoutte
- Neurosciences Paris Seine, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, University Pierre and Marie Curie University of Paris 06, Sorbonne Universités, Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France
| | - Jocelyne Caboche
- Neurosciences Paris Seine, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, University Pierre and Marie Curie University of Paris 06, Sorbonne Universités, Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France.
| | - Nicolas Heck
- Neurosciences Paris Seine, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, University Pierre and Marie Curie University of Paris 06, Sorbonne Universités, Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France
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20
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Mancino S, Mendonça-Netto S, Martín-García E, Maldonado R. Role of DOR in neuronal plasticity changes promoted by food-seeking behaviour. Addict Biol 2017; 22:1179-1190. [PMID: 27101941 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2015] [Revised: 02/20/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Several lines of evidence support that food overconsumption may be related to the role of the endogenous opioid system in the control of food palatability. The opioid system, and particularly the delta opioid receptor (DOR), plays a crucial role in the regulation of food rewarding properties. In our study, we used operant conditioning maintained by chocolate-flavoured pellets to investigate the role of DOR in the motivation for palatable food and the structural plasticity changes promoted by this behaviour. For this purpose, we evaluated the specific role of this receptor in the behavioural and neuroplastic changes induced by palatable food in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus (HCP) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) in constitutive knockout (KO) mice deficient in DOR. Mutant mice and their wild-type littermates were trained to obtain chocolate-flavoured pellets on fixed ratio 1 (FR1), FR5 and progressive ratio (PR) schedule of reinforcement. No significant differences between genotypes were revealed on operant behaviour acquisition in FR1. DOR knockout mice displayed lower number of active lever-presses than wild-type mice on FR5, and a similar decrease was revealed in DOR KO mice in the breaking point during the PR. This operant training to obtain palatable food increased dendritic spine density in the PFC, HCP and NAc shell of wild-type, but these plasticity changes were abolished in DOR KO mice. Our results support the hypothesis that DOR regulates the reinforcing effects and motivation for palatable food through neuroplastic changes in specific brain reward areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Mancino
- Laboratori de Neurofarmacologia, Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, PRBB; Universitat Pompeu Fabra; Spain
| | - Sueli Mendonça-Netto
- Laboratori de Neurofarmacologia, Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, PRBB; Universitat Pompeu Fabra; Spain
| | - Elena Martín-García
- Laboratori de Neurofarmacologia, Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, PRBB; Universitat Pompeu Fabra; Spain
| | - Rafael Maldonado
- Laboratori de Neurofarmacologia, Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, PRBB; Universitat Pompeu Fabra; Spain
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21
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Arencibia-Albite F, Vázquez-Torres R, Jiménez-Rivera CA. Cocaine sensitization increases subthreshold activity in dopamine neurons from the ventral tegmental area. J Neurophysiol 2016; 117:612-623. [PMID: 27832596 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00465.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2016] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The progressive escalation of psychomotor responses that results from repeated cocaine administration is termed sensitization. This phenomenon alters the intrinsic properties of dopamine (DA) neurons from the ventral tegmental area (VTA), leading to enhanced dopaminergic transmission in the mesocorticolimbic network. The mechanisms underlying this augmented excitation are nonetheless poorly understood. DA neurons display the hyperpolarization-activated, nonselective cation current, dubbed Ih We recently demonstrated that Ih and membrane capacitance are substantially reduced in VTA DA cells from cocaine-sensitized rats. The present study shows that 7 days of cocaine withdrawal did not normalize Ih and capacitance. In cells from cocaine-sensitized animals, the amplitude of excitatory synaptic potentials, at -70 mV, was ∼39% larger in contrast to controls. Raise and decay phases of the synaptic signal were faster under cocaine, a result associated with a reduced membrane time constant. Synaptic summation was paradoxically elevated by cocaine exposure, as it consisted of a significantly reduced summation indexed but a considerably increased depolarization. These effects are at least a consequence of the reduced capacitance. Ih attenuation is unlikely to explain such observations, since at -70 mV, no statistical differences exist in Ih or input resistance. The neuronal shrinkage associated with a diminished capacitance may help to understand two fundamental elements of drug addiction: incentive sensitization and negative emotional states. A reduced cell size may lead to substantial enhancement of cue-triggered bursting, which underlies drug craving and reward anticipation, whereas it could also result in DA depletion, as smaller neurons might express low levels of tyrosine hydroxylase. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This work uses a new approach that directly extracts important biophysical parameters from alpha function-evoked synaptic potentials. Two of these parameters are the cell membrane capacitance (Cm) and rate at any time point of the synaptic waveform. The use of such methodology shows that cocaine sensitization reduces Cm and increases the speed of synaptic signaling. Paradoxically, although synaptic potentials show a faster decay under cocaine their temporal summation is substantially elevated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Arencibia-Albite
- Department of Physiology, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico; and.,Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Rafael Vázquez-Torres
- Department of Physiology, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico; and
| | - Carlos A Jiménez-Rivera
- Department of Physiology, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico; and
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22
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Krashia P, Martini A, Nobili A, Aversa D, D'Amelio M, Berretta N, Guatteo E, Mercuri NB. On the properties of identified dopaminergic neurons in the mouse substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area. Eur J Neurosci 2016; 45:92-105. [PMID: 27519559 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2016] [Revised: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
We studied the properties of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) in mice expressing the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) under the control of the tyrosine hydroxylase promoter (TH-GFP). By using a practical map of cell positioning in distinct SNpc and VTA subregions in horizontal midbrain slices we saw that the spontaneous firing, membrane properties, cell body size and magnitude of the hyperpolarization-activated current (Ih ) in TH-GFP-positive neurons (TH-GFP+ ) vary significantly among subregions, following a mediolateral gradient. Block of Ih with Zd7288 inhibited firing in the most lateral subregions, but had little effect in the intermediate/medial VTA. In addition, TH-GFP+ cells were excited by Met5 -Enkephalin. Extracellular recordings from a large neuron number showed that all TH-GFP+ cells were inhibited by dopamine, suggesting that this is a reliable approach for identifying dopaminergic neurons in vitro. Simultaneous recordings from dopamine-sensitive and dopamine-insensitive neurons showed that dopamine-insensitive cells (putative non-dopaminergic neurons) are unaffected by Zd7288 but inhibited by Met5 -Enkephalin. Under patch-clamp, dopamine generated a quantitatively similar outward current in most TH-GFP+ neurons, although medial VTA cells showed reduced dopamine sensitivity. Pargyline prolonged the dopamine current, whereas cocaine enhanced dopamine-mediated responses in both the SNpc and the VTA. Our work provides new insights into the variability in mouse midbrain dopaminergic neurons along the medial-lateral axis and points to the necessity of a combination of different electrophysiological and pharmacological approaches for reliably identifying these cells to distinguish them from non-dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paraskevi Krashia
- Department of Experimental Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via del Fosso di Fiorano 64, 00143, Rome, Italy.,Department of Systems Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Martini
- Department of Experimental Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via del Fosso di Fiorano 64, 00143, Rome, Italy.,Department of Systems Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Annalisa Nobili
- Department of Experimental Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via del Fosso di Fiorano 64, 00143, Rome, Italy.,Department of Medicine, University Campus-Biomedico, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniela Aversa
- Department of Experimental Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via del Fosso di Fiorano 64, 00143, Rome, Italy.,Department of Systems Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Marcello D'Amelio
- Department of Experimental Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via del Fosso di Fiorano 64, 00143, Rome, Italy.,Department of Medicine, University Campus-Biomedico, Rome, Italy
| | - Nicola Berretta
- Department of Experimental Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via del Fosso di Fiorano 64, 00143, Rome, Italy
| | - Ezia Guatteo
- Department of Experimental Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via del Fosso di Fiorano 64, 00143, Rome, Italy.,Department of Motor Science and Wellness, University of Naples Parthenope, Naples, Italy
| | - Nicola Biagio Mercuri
- Department of Experimental Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via del Fosso di Fiorano 64, 00143, Rome, Italy.,Department of Systems Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
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23
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Hage TA, Sun Y, Khaliq ZM. Electrical and Ca(2+) signaling in dendritic spines of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27163179 PMCID: PMC4900803 DOI: 10.7554/elife.13905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2015] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Little is known about the density and function of dendritic spines on midbrain dopamine neurons, or the relative contribution of spine and shaft synapses to excitability. Using Ca(2+) imaging, glutamate uncaging, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and transgenic mice expressing labeled PSD-95, we comparatively analyzed electrical and Ca(2+) signaling in spines and shaft synapses of dopamine neurons. Dendritic spines were present on dopaminergic neurons at low densities in live and fixed tissue. Uncaging-evoked potential amplitudes correlated inversely with spine length but positively with the presence of PSD-95. Spine Ca(2+) signals were less sensitive to hyperpolarization than shaft synapses, suggesting amplification of spine head voltages. Lastly, activating spines during pacemaking, we observed an unexpected enhancement of spine Ca(2+) midway throughout the spike cycle, likely involving recruitment of NMDA receptors and voltage-gated conductances. These results demonstrate functionality of spines in dopamine neurons and reveal a novel modulation of spine Ca(2+) signaling during pacemaking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis A Hage
- Cellular Neurophysiology Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - Yujie Sun
- Cellular Neurophysiology Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
| | - Zayd M Khaliq
- Cellular Neurophysiology Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, United States
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Sagar V, Pilakka-Kanthikeel S, Atluri VSR, Ding H, Arias AY, Jayant RD, Kaushik A, Nair M. Therapeutical Neurotargeting via Magnetic Nanocarrier: Implications to Opiate-Induced Neuropathogenesis and NeuroAIDS. J Biomed Nanotechnol 2015; 11:1722-33. [PMID: 26502636 DOI: 10.1166/jbn.2015.2108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Magnetite (Fe3O4) is the most commonly and extensively explored magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for drug-targeting and imaging in the field of biomedicine. Nevertheless, its potential application as safe and effective drug-carrier for CNS (Central Nervous System) anomalies is very limited. Previous studies have shown an entangled epidemic of opioid use and HIV infection and increased neuropathogenesis. Opiate such as morphine, heroine, etc. are used frequently as recreational drugs. Existing treatments to alleviate the action of opioid are less effective at CNS level due to impermeability of therapeutic molecules across brain barriers. Thus, development of an advanced nanomedicine based approach may pave the way for better treatment strategies. We herein report magnetic nanoformulation of a highly selective and potent morphine antagonist, CTOP (D-Pen-Cys-Tyr-DTrp-Orn-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2), which is impenetrable to the brain. MNPs, synthesized in size range from 25 to 40 nm, were characterized by Transmission electron microscopy and assembly of MNPs-CTOP nanoformulations were confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy and fluorescent detection. Flow-cytometry analysis showed that biological efficacy of this nanoformulation in prevention of morphine induced apoptosis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells remains equivalent to that of free CTOP. Similarly, confocal microscopy reveals comparable efficacy of free and MNPs bound CTOP in protecting modulation of neuronal dendrite and spine morphology during morphine exposure and morphine-treated HIV infection. Further, typical transmigration assay showed increased translocation of MNPs across in vitro blood-brain barrier upon exposure of external magnetic force where barrier integrity remains unaltered. Thus, the developed nanoformulation could be effective in targeting brain by application of external magnetic force to treat morphine addiction in HIV patients.
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Coexistence of glutamatergic spine synapses and shaft synapses in substantia nigra dopamine neurons. Sci Rep 2015; 5:14773. [PMID: 26435058 PMCID: PMC4593176 DOI: 10.1038/srep14773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2015] [Accepted: 09/09/2015] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra have long been believed to have multiple aspiny dendrites which receive many glutamatergic synaptic inputs from several regions of the brain. But, here, using high-resolution two-photon confocal microscopy in the mouse brain slices, we found a substantial number of common dendritic spines in the nigral dopamine neurons including thin, mushroom, and stubby types of spines. However, the number of dendritic spines of the dopamine neurons was approximately five times lower than that of CA1 pyramidal neurons. Immunostaining and morphological analysis revealed that glutamatergic shaft synapses were present two times more than spine synapses. Using local two-photon glutamate uncaging techniques, we confirmed that shaft synapses and spine synapses had both AMPA and NMDA receptors, but the AMPA/NMDA current ratios differed. The evoked postsynaptic potentials of spine synapses showed lower amplitudes but longer half-widths than those of shaft synapses. Therefore, we provide the first evidence that the midbrain dopamine neurons have two morphologically and functionally distinct types of glutamatergic synapses, spine synapses and shaft synapses, on the same dendrite. This peculiar organization could be a new basis for unraveling many physiological and pathological functions of the midbrain dopamine neurons.
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Korpi ER, den Hollander B, Farooq U, Vashchinkina E, Rajkumar R, Nutt DJ, Hyytiä P, Dawe GS. Mechanisms of Action and Persistent Neuroplasticity by Drugs of Abuse. Pharmacol Rev 2015; 67:872-1004. [DOI: 10.1124/pr.115.010967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
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Collo G, Cavalleri L, Spano P. Structural plasticity in mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons produced by drugs of abuse: critical role of BDNF and dopamine. Front Pharmacol 2014; 5:259. [PMID: 25505416 PMCID: PMC4243500 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2014.00259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2014] [Accepted: 11/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons were suggested to be a critical physiopathology substrate for addiction disorders. Among neuroadaptive processes to addictive drugs, structural plasticity has attracted attention. While structural plasticity occurs at both pre- and post-synaptic levels in the mesolimbic dopaminergic system, the present review focuses only on dopaminergic neurons. Exposures to addictive drugs determine two opposite structural responses, hypothrophic plasticity produced by opioids and cannabinoids (in particular during the early withdrawal phase) and hypertrophic plasticity, mostly driven by psychostimulants and nicotine. In vitro and in vivo studies identified BDNF and extracellular dopamine as two critical factors in determining structural plasticity, the two molecules sharing similar intracellular pathways involved in cell soma and dendrite growth, the MEK-ERK1/2 and the PI3K-Akt-mTOR, via preferential activation of TrkB and dopamine D3 receptors, respectively. At present information regarding specific structural changes associated to the various stages of the addiction cycle is incomplete. Encouraging neuroimaging data in humans indirectly support the preclinical evidence of hypotrophic and hypertrophic effects, suggesting a possible differential engagement of dopamine neurons in parallel and partially converging circuits controlling motivation, stress, and emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ginetta Collo
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia Brescia, Italy
| | - Laura Cavalleri
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia Brescia, Italy
| | - PierFranco Spano
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia Brescia, Italy
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Vashchinkina E, Panhelainen A, Aitta-Aho T, Korpi ER. GABAA receptor drugs and neuronal plasticity in reward and aversion: focus on the ventral tegmental area. Front Pharmacol 2014; 5:256. [PMID: 25505414 PMCID: PMC4243505 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2014.00256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2014] [Accepted: 11/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
GABAA receptors are the main fast inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors in the mammalian brain, and targets for many clinically important drugs widely used in the treatment of anxiety disorders, insomnia and in anesthesia. Nonetheless, there are significant risks associated with the long-term use of these drugs particularly related to development of tolerance and addiction. Addictive mechanisms of GABAA receptor drugs are poorly known, but recent findings suggest that those drugs may induce aberrant neuroadaptations in the brain reward circuitry. Recently, benzodiazepines, acting on synaptic GABAA receptors, and modulators of extrasynaptic GABAA receptors (THIP and neurosteroids) have been found to induce plasticity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons and their main target projections. Furthermore, depending whether synaptic or extrasynaptic GABAA receptor populations are activated, the behavioral outcome of repeated administration seems to correlate with rewarding or aversive behavioral responses, respectively. The VTA dopamine neurons project to forebrain centers such as the nucleus accumbens and medial prefrontal cortex, and receive afferent projections from these brain regions and especially from the extended amygdala and lateral habenula, forming the major part of the reward and aversion circuitry. Both synaptic and extrasynaptic GABAA drugs inhibit the VTA GABAergic interneurons, thus activating the VTA DA neurons by disinhibition and this way inducing glutamatergic synaptic plasticity. However, the GABAA drugs failed to alter synaptic spine numbers as studied from Golgi-Cox-stained VTA dendrites. Since the GABAergic drugs are known to depress the brain metabolism and gene expression, their likely way of inducing neuroplasticity in mature neurons is by disinhibiting the principal neurons, which remains to be rigorously tested for a number of clinically important anxiolytics, sedatives and anesthetics in different parts of the circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Vashchinkina
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Helsinki Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anne Panhelainen
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki Helsinki, Finland
| | - Teemu Aitta-Aho
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Helsinki Helsinki, Finland ; Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge Cambridge, UK
| | - Esa R Korpi
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Helsinki Helsinki, Finland ; Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System, Neurobiology and Ageing Programme, Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, and SINAPSE, Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology Singapore, Singapore
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Synapse Density and Dendritic Complexity Are Reduced in the Prefrontal Cortex following Seven Days of Forced Abstinence from Cocaine Self-Administration. PLoS One 2014; 9:e102524. [PMID: 25072653 PMCID: PMC4114454 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2014] [Accepted: 06/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic cocaine exposure in both human addicts and in rodent models of addiction reduces prefrontal cortical activity, which subsequently dysregulates reward processing and higher order executive function. The net effect of this impaired gating of behavior is enhanced vulnerability to relapse. Previously we have shown that cocaine-induced increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a neuroadaptive mechanism that blunts the reinforcing efficacy of cocaine. As BDNF is known to affect neuronal survival and synaptic plasticity, we tested the hypothesis that abstinence from cocaine self-administration would lead to alterations in neuronal morphology and synaptic density in the PFC. Using a novel technique, array tomography and Golgi staining, morphological changes in the rat PFC were analyzed following 14 days of cocaine self-administration and 7 days of forced abstinence. Our results indicate that overall dendritic branching and total synaptic density are significantly reduced in the rat PFC. In contrast, the density of thin dendritic spines are significantly increased on layer V pyramidal neurons of the PFC. These findings indicate that dynamic structural changes occur during cocaine abstinence that may contribute to the observed hypo-activity of the PFC in cocaine-addicted individuals.
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The action of orexin B on passive avoidance learning. Involvement of neurotransmitters. Behav Brain Res 2014; 272:1-7. [PMID: 24931796 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2014] [Revised: 06/05/2014] [Accepted: 06/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The extensive projection of orexigenic neurons and the diffuse expression of orexin receptors suggest that endogenous orexins are involved in several physiological functions of the central nervous system, including learning and memory. Our previous study demonstrated that orexin A improves learning, consolidation and retrieval processes, which involves α- and β-adrenergic, cholinergic, dopaminergic, GABA-A-ergic, opiate and nitrergic neurotransmissions. However, we have little evidence about the action of orexin B on memory processes and the underlying neuromodulation. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the action of orexin B on passive avoidance learning and the involvement of neurotransmitters in this action in rats. Accordingly, rats were pretreated with the selective orexin 2 receptor (OX2R) antagonist, EMPA; the γ-aminobutyric acid subunit A (GABA-A) receptor antagonist, the bicuculline; a D2, D3, D4 dopamine receptor antagonist, haloperidol; the nonselective opioid receptor antagonist, naloxone; the non-specific nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, nitro-l-arginine; the nonselective α-adrenergic receptor antagonist, phenoxybenzamine and the β-adrenergic receptor antagonist, propranolol. Our results demonstrate that orexin B can improve learning, consolidation of memory and retrieval. EMPA reversed completely the action of orexin B on memory consolidation. Bicuculline blocked fully; naloxone, nitro-l-arginine, phenoxybenzamine and propranolol attenuated the orexin B-induced memory consolidation, whereas haloperidol was ineffective. These data suggest that orexin B improves memory functions through OX2R and GABA-ergic, opiate, nitrergic, α- and β-adrenergic neurotransmissions are also involved in this action.
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Mazei-Robison MS, Appasani R, Edwards S, Wee S, Taylor SR, Picciotto MR, Koob GF, Nestler EJ. Self-administration of ethanol, cocaine, or nicotine does not decrease the soma size of ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons. PLoS One 2014; 9:e95962. [PMID: 24755634 PMCID: PMC3995955 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2014] [Accepted: 04/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Our previous observations show that chronic opiate administration, including self-administration, decrease the soma size of dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of rodents and humans, a morphological change correlated with increased firing rate and reward tolerance. Given that a general hallmark of drugs of abuse is to increase activity of the mesolimbic DA circuit, we sought to determine whether additional drug classes produced a similar morphological change. Sections containing VTA were obtained from rats that self-administered cocaine or ethanol and from mice that consumed nicotine. In contrast to opiates, we found no change in VTA DA soma size induced by any of these other drugs. These data suggest that VTA morphological changes are induced in a drug-specific manner and reinforce recent findings that some changes in mesolimbic signaling and neuroplasticity are drug-class dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle S. Mazei-Robison
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Raghu Appasani
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Scott Edwards
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Sunmee Wee
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Therapeutics, Florida Campus, Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
| | - Seth R. Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Marina R. Picciotto
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - George F. Koob
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Eric J. Nestler
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Acute and chronic effects of ethanol on learning-related synaptic plasticity. Alcohol 2014; 48:1-17. [PMID: 24447472 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2013.09.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2013] [Revised: 09/16/2013] [Accepted: 09/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Alcoholism is associated with acute and long-term cognitive dysfunction including memory impairment, resulting in substantial disability and cost to society. Thus, understanding how ethanol impairs cognition is essential for developing treatment strategies to dampen its adverse impact. Memory processing is thought to involve persistent, use-dependent changes in synaptic transmission, and ethanol alters the activity of multiple signaling molecules involved in synaptic processing, including modulation of the glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transmitter systems that mediate most fast excitatory and inhibitory transmission in the brain. Effects on glutamate and GABA receptors contribute to ethanol-induced changes in long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD), forms of synaptic plasticity thought to underlie memory acquisition. In this paper, we review the effects of ethanol on learning-related forms of synaptic plasticity with emphasis on changes observed in the hippocampus, a brain region that is critical for encoding contextual and episodic memories. We also include studies in other brain regions as they pertain to altered cognitive and mental function. Comparison of effects in the hippocampus to other brain regions is instructive for understanding the complexities of ethanol's acute and long-term pharmacological consequences.
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Gonçalves J, Baptista S, Silva AP. Psychostimulants and brain dysfunction: a review of the relevant neurotoxic effects. Neuropharmacology 2014; 87:135-49. [PMID: 24440369 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2013] [Revised: 12/18/2013] [Accepted: 01/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Psychostimulants abuse is a major public concern because is associated with serious health complications, including devastating consequences on the central nervous system (CNS). The neurotoxic effects of these drugs have been extensively studied. Nevertheless, numerous questions and uncertainties remain in our understanding of these toxic events. Thus, the purpose of the present manuscript is to review cellular and molecular mechanisms that might be responsible for brain dysfunction induced by psychostimulants. Topics reviewed include some classical aspects of neurotoxicity, such as monoaminergic system and mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity and hyperthermia. Moreover, recent literature has suggested new phenomena regarding the toxic effects of psychostimulants. Thus, we also reviewed the impact of these drugs on neuroinflammatory response, blood-brain barrier (BBB) function and neurogenesis. Assessing the relative importance of these mechanisms on psychostimulants-induced brain dysfunction presents an exciting challenge for future research efforts. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'CNS Stimulants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Gonçalves
- Laboratory of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga Santa Comba, Celas, 3000-548 Coimbra Portugal
| | - Sofia Baptista
- Laboratory of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga Santa Comba, Celas, 3000-548 Coimbra Portugal
| | - Ana Paula Silva
- Laboratory of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Azinhaga Santa Comba, Celas, 3000-548 Coimbra Portugal.
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Le Foll B, Collo G, Rabiner EA, Boileau I, Merlo Pich E, Sokoloff P. Dopamine D3 receptor ligands for drug addiction treatment: update on recent findings. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2014; 211:255-75. [PMID: 24968784 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63425-2.00011-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The dopamine D3 receptor is located in the limbic area and apparently mediates selective effects on motivation to take drugs and drug-seeking behaviors, so that there has been considerable interest on the possible use of D3 receptor ligands to treat drug addiction. However, only recently selective tools allowing studying this receptor have been developed. This chapter presents an overview of findings that were presented at a symposium on the conference Dopamine 2013 in Sardinia in May 2013. Novel neurobiological findings indicate that drugs of abuse can lead to significant structural plasticity in rodent brain and that this is dependent on the availability of functional dopamine D3 autoreceptor, whose activation increased phosphorylation in the ERK pathway and in the Akt/mTORC1 pathway indicating the parallel engagement of a series of intracellular signaling pathways all involved in cell growth and survival. Preclinical findings using animal models of drug-seeking behaviors confirm that D3 antagonists have a promising profile to treat drug addiction across drugs of abuse type. Imaging the D3 is now feasible in human subjects. Notably, the development of (+)-4-propyl-9-hydroxynaphthoxazine ligand used in positron emission tomography (PET) studies in humans allows to measure D3 and D2 receptors based on the area of the brain under study. This PET ligand has been used to confirm up-regulation of D3 sites in psychostimulant users and to reveal that tobacco smoking produces elevation of dopamine at the level of D3 sites. There are now novel antagonists being developed, but also old drugs such as buspirone, that are available to test the D3 hypothesis in humans. The first results of clinical investigations are now being provided. Overall, those recent findings support further exploration of D3 ligands to treat drug addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Le Foll
- Translational Addiction Research Laboratory, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Alcohol Research and Treatment Clinic, Addiction Medicine Services, Ambulatory Care and Structured Treatments, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Family and Community Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Psychiatry, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Ginetta Collo
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Eugenii A Rabiner
- Imanova, Centre for Imaging Sciences, London, UK; Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, UK
| | - Isabelle Boileau
- Addiction Imaging Research Group, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Olière S, Joliette-Riopel A, Potvin S, Jutras-Aswad D. Modulation of the endocannabinoid system: vulnerability factor and new treatment target for stimulant addiction. Front Psychiatry 2013; 4:109. [PMID: 24069004 PMCID: PMC3780360 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2013] [Accepted: 09/02/2013] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cannabis is one of the most widely used illicit substance among users of stimulants such as cocaine and amphetamines. Interestingly, increasing recent evidence points toward the involvement of the endocannabinoid system (ECBS) in the neurobiological processes related to stimulant addiction. This article presents an up-to-date review with deep insights into the pivotal role of the ECBS in the neurobiology of stimulant addiction and the effects of its modulation on addictive behaviors. This article aims to: (1) review the role of cannabis use and ECBS modulation in the neurobiological substrates of psychostimulant addiction and (2) evaluate the potential of cannabinoid-based pharmacological strategies to treat stimulant addiction. A growing number of studies support a critical role of the ECBS and its modulation by synthetic or natural cannabinoids in various neurobiological and behavioral aspects of stimulants addiction. Thus, cannabinoids modulate brain reward systems closely involved in stimulants addiction, and provide further evidence that the cannabinoid system could be explored as a potential drug discovery target for treating addiction across different classes of stimulants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Olière
- Addiction Psychiatry Research Unit, Research Center, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM) , Montreal, QC , Canada
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Hawkins RD. Possible contributions of a novel form of synaptic plasticity in Aplysia to reward, memory, and their dysfunctions in mammalian brain. Learn Mem 2013; 20:580-91. [PMID: 24049187 PMCID: PMC3768196 DOI: 10.1101/lm.031237.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies in Aplysia have identified a new variation of synaptic plasticity in which modulatory transmitters enhance spontaneous release of glutamate, which then acts on postsynaptic receptors to recruit mechanisms of intermediate- and long-term plasticity. In this review I suggest the hypothesis that similar plasticity occurs in mammals, where it may contribute to reward, memory, and their dysfunctions in several psychiatric disorders. In Aplysia, spontaneous release is enhanced by activation of presynaptic serotonin receptors, but presynaptic D1 dopamine receptors or nicotinic acetylcholine receptors could play a similar role in mammals. Those receptors enhance spontaneous release of glutamate in hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, prefrontal cortex, ventral tegmental area, and nucleus accumbens. In all of those brain areas, glutamate can activate postsynaptic receptors to elevate Ca2+ and engage mechanisms of early-phase long-term potentiation (LTP), including AMPA receptor insertion, and of late-phase LTP, including protein synthesis and growth. Thus, presynaptic receptors and spontaneous release may contribute to postsynaptic mechanisms of plasticity in brain regions involved in reward and memory, and could play roles in disorders that affect plasticity in those regions, including addiction, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert D Hawkins
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA
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37
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Gantz SC, Bunzow JR, Williams JT. Spontaneous inhibitory synaptic currents mediated by a G protein-coupled receptor. Neuron 2013; 78:807-12. [PMID: 23764286 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2013.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) affect many physiological processes by modulating both intrinsic membrane conductances and synaptic transmission. This study describes spontaneous miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents mediated by vesicular dopamine release acting locally on metabotropic D2 receptors leading to the activation of a G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium conductance. Thus, individual exocytotic events result in spontaneous GPCR-mediated transmission, similar to synaptic activation of classical ligand-gated ion channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie C Gantz
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR 97239, USA
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Opiate-induced molecular and cellular plasticity of ventral tegmental area and locus coeruleus catecholamine neurons. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2013; 2:a012070. [PMID: 22762025 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a012070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The study of neuronal adaptations induced by opiate drugs is particularly relevant today given their widespread prescription and nonprescription use. Although much is known about the acute actions of such drugs on the nervous system, a great deal of work remains to fully understand their chronic effects. Here, we focus on longer-lasting adaptations that occur in two catecholaminergic brain regions that mediate distinct behavioral actions of opiates: ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopaminergic neurons, important for drug reward, and locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic neurons, important for physical dependence and withdrawal. We focus on changes in cellular, synaptic, and structural plasticity in these brain regions that contribute to opiate dependence and addiction. Understanding the molecular determinants of this opiate-induced plasticity will be critical for the development of better treatments for opiate addiction and perhaps safer opiate drugs for medicinal use.
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Vélez-Hernández ME, Vázquez-Torres R, Velasquez-Martinez MC, Jiménez L, Báez F, Sacktor TC, Jiménez-Rivera CA. Inhibition of Protein kinase Mzeta (PKMζ) in the mesolimbic system alters cocaine sensitization in rats. JOURNAL OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL RESEARCH 2013; 2:235669. [PMID: 24729912 PMCID: PMC3980506 DOI: 10.4303/jdar/235669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Chronic cocaine use produces long-lasting changes in reward circuits that may underlie the transition from casual to compulsive patterns of drug use. Although strong neuroadaptations within the mesocorticolimbic system are known to occur, the specific role of these drug-induced plasticities on sensitization remains to be elucidated. Here we investigate whether PKMζ, a protein involved in maintaining long-term potentiation (LTP), plays a role in these cocaine-induced changes in synaptic strengthening. We performed whole-cell voltage clamp recordings of putative ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) cells 24 hours after five days of 15 mg/kg i.p. cocaine or isovolumetric saline injections. We observed that superfusion of 5µM ZIP (PKMζ inhibitory peptide) decreased AMPA currents and AMPA/NMDA ratios only in cocaine sensitized rats. In vivo ZIP microinfusions (10 nmol) into the VTA after cocaine sensitization decreased locomotor activity on a subsequent cocaine challenge only if given ZIP is given before the withdrawal period. On the other hand, ZIP microinfusions into the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core after a seven days withdrawal period disrupt the expression of locomotor sensitization. The present data provide a potentially relevant region, and time-specific PKMζ-dependent brain mechanism that enables sensitization. Our results support the vision that addiction involves a pathological learning process. They imply that if this synaptic strengthening is reversed, changes in the behavioral response may also be overturned.
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Affiliation(s)
- María E. Vélez-Hernández
- Department of Physiology, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Rafael Vázquez-Torres
- Department of Physiology, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | | | - Lincoln Jiménez
- Section of Neurological Surgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Frankie Báez
- Section of Neurological Surgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Todd C. Sacktor
- Departments of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neurology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, New York
| | - Carlos A. Jiménez-Rivera
- Department of Physiology, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
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Pilakka-Kanthikeel S, Atluri VSR, Sagar V, Saxena SK, Nair M. Targeted brain derived neurotropic factors (BDNF) delivery across the blood-brain barrier for neuro-protection using magnetic nano carriers: an in-vitro study. PLoS One 2013; 8:e62241. [PMID: 23653680 PMCID: PMC3639992 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2013] [Accepted: 03/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Parenteral use of drugs; such as opiates exert immunomodulatory effects and serve as a cofactor in the progression of HIV-1 infection, thereby potentiating HIV related neurotoxicity ultimately leading to progression of NeuroAIDS. Morphine exposure is known to induce apoptosis, down regulate cAMP response element-binding (CREB) expression and decrease in dendritic branching and spine density in cultured cells. Use of neuroprotective agent; brain derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), which protects neurons against these effects, could be of therapeutic benefit in the treatment of opiate addiction. Previous studies have shown that BDNF was not transported through the blood brain barrier (BBB) in-vivo.; and hence it is not effective in-vivo. Therefore development of a drug delivery system that can cross BBB may have significant therapeutic advantage. In the present study, we hypothesized that magnetically guided nanocarrier may provide a viable approach for targeting BDNF across the BBB. We developed a magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) based carrier bound to BDNF and evaluated its efficacy and ability to transmigrate across the BBB using an in-vitro BBB model. The end point determinations of BDNF that crossed BBB were apoptosis, CREB expression and dendritic spine density measurement. We found that transmigrated BDNF was effective in suppressing the morphine induced apoptosis, inducing CREB expression and restoring the spine density. Our results suggest that the developed nanocarrier will provide a potential therapeutic approach to treat opiate addiction, protect neurotoxicity and synaptic density degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudheesh Pilakka-Kanthikeel
- Department of Immunology, Institute of NeuroImmune Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - Venkata Subba Rao Atluri
- Department of Immunology, Institute of NeuroImmune Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - Vidya Sagar
- Department of Immunology, Institute of NeuroImmune Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | | | - Madhavan Nair
- Department of Immunology, Institute of NeuroImmune Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Narvaez JCM, Magalhães PV, Fries GR, Colpo GD, Czepielewski LS, Vianna P, Chies JAB, Rosa AR, Von Diemen L, Vieta E, Pechansky F, Kapczinski F. Peripheral toxicity in crack cocaine use disorders. Neurosci Lett 2013; 544:80-4. [PMID: 23597759 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2013.03.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2013] [Revised: 03/11/2013] [Accepted: 03/27/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
A growing body of evidence suggests that crack cocaine misuse has widespread systemic and cognitive consequences, but little attention has been given to its systemic pathophysiology. We report here changes in inflammation markers, oxidative damage and brain derived neurotrophic factor in a sample of outpatients with crack cocaine use disorders. Fifty-three outpatients were recruited for this cross-sectional study and matched with fifty control subjects. The focus of this report is in between group differences in cytokines, oxidative damage and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Crack cocaine use was associated with higher BDNF levels when compared to controls, present only in those who used crack cocaine in the last month. Patients also had higher circulating levels of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-10 when compared to controls. There were no significant differences in oxidative damage between patients and controls. These results represent a first demonstration that crack cocaine use disorders entail an activation of the reward, immune and inflammatory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana C M Narvaez
- Bipolar Disorders Program & INCT Translational Medicine, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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42
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Collo G, Bono F, Cavalleri L, Plebani L, Mitola S, Merlo Pich E, Millan MJ, Zoli M, Maskos U, Spano P, Missale C. Nicotine-Induced Structural Plasticity in Mesencephalic Dopaminergic Neurons Is Mediated by Dopamine D3 Receptors and Akt-mTORC1 Signaling. Mol Pharmacol 2013; 83:1176-89. [DOI: 10.1124/mol.113.084863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
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Jiménez-Rivera CA, Figueroa J, Vázquez-Torres R, Vélez-Hernandez ME, Schwarz D, Velásquez-Martinez MC, Arencibia-Albite F. Presynaptic inhibition of glutamate transmission by α2 receptors in the VTA. Eur J Neurosci 2012; 35:1406-15. [PMID: 22564071 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2012.08029.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The ventral tegmental area (VTA) forms part of the mesocorticolimbic system and plays a pivotal role in reward and reinforcing actions of drugs of abuse. Glutamate transmission within the VTA controls important aspects of goal-directed behavior and motivation. Noradrenergic receptors also present in the VTA have important functions in the modulation of neuronal activity. Here we studied the effects of α2 noradrenergic receptor activation in the alteration of glutamate neurotransmission in VTA dopaminergic neurons from male Sprague-Dawley rats. We used whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from putative VTA dopaminergic neurons and measured excitatory postsynaptic currents. Clonidine (40 μm) and UK 14,304 (40 μm), both α2 receptor agonists, reduced (approximately 40%) the amplitude of glutamate-induced excitatory postsynaptic currents. After clonidine administration, there was a dose-dependent reduction over the concentration range of 15-40 μm. Using yohimbine (20 μm) and two other α2 adrenergic receptor antagonists, idaxozan (40 μm) and atipemazole (20 μm), we demonstrated that the inhibitory action is specifically mediated by α2 receptors. Moreover, by inhibiting protein kinases with H-7 (75 μm), Rp-adenosine 3',5'-cyclic (11 μm) and chelerythrine (1 μm) it was shown that the clonidine-induced inhibition seems to involve a selective activation of the protein kinase C intracellular pathway. Increased paired-pulse ratios and changes in spontaneous and miniature excitatory postsynaptic current frequencies but not amplitudes indicated that the effect of the α2 agonist was presynaptically mediated. It is suggested that the suppression of glutamate excitatory inputs onto VTA dopaminergic neurons might be relevant in the regulation of reward and drug-seeking behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos A Jiménez-Rivera
- Department of Physiology, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR 00936-5067, USA.
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Ma XM, Huang JP, Xin X, Yan Y, Mains RE, Eipper BA. A role for kalirin in the response of rat medium spiny neurons to cocaine. Mol Pharmacol 2012; 82:738-45. [PMID: 22828798 DOI: 10.1124/mol.112.080044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Kalirin-7 (Kal7), the major kalirin isoform in adult brain, plays a key role in the formation of dendritic spines in hippocampal/cortical neurons. Its role in the GABAergic medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and striatum, the areas known to play a key role in the common reward pathway, is not as well understood. Although Kal7 expression in mouse NAc increased in response to cocaine, MSN dendritic spine density did not differ from that for the wild type in Kal7-null mice. Unlike wild-type mice, Kal7-null mice did not respond to cocaine with an increase in MSN dendritic spine density. To explore further the role of Kal7 in cocaine-induced alterations in MSN morphology, we turned to the rat. Based on immunostaining, both Kal7 and Kal12 are expressed at moderate levels in the MSNs of the NAc and striatum. Expression of Kal7 and Kal12 in MSNs of both areas increases after repeated cocaine treatments. Overexpression of Kal7 in cultured MSN neurons increases dendritic spine density, as observed in rats after long-term cocaine administration. Reducing endogenous expression of all major kalirin isoforms in cultured MSN neurons causes a decrease in total dendritic length and dendritic spine density. These data suggest that kalirin is essential for maintaining spine density in NAc MSNs under normal conditions and that Kal7 is an obligatory intermediate in the response of MSNs to repeated exposure to cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Ming Ma
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Ave., MC-3401, Farmington, CT, USA.
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GABA site agonist gaboxadol induces addiction-predicting persistent changes in ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons but is not rewarding in mice or baboons. J Neurosci 2012; 32:5310-20. [PMID: 22496576 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4697-11.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are involved at early phases of drug addiction. Even the first in vivo dose of various abused drugs induces glutamate receptor plasticity at the excitatory synapses of these neurons. Benzodiazepines that suppress the inhibitory GABAergic interneurons in the VTA via facilitation of synaptic GABA(A) receptors have induced neuroplasticity in dopamine neurons due to this disinhibitory mechanism. Here, we have tested a non-benzodiazepine direct GABA site agonist 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolol[4,5-c]pyridine-3-ol (THIP) (also known as gaboxadol) that acts preferentially via high-affinity extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptors. A single sedative dose of THIP (6 mg/kg) to mice induced glutamate receptor plasticity for at least 6 d after administration. Increased AMPA/NMDA receptor current ratio and increased frequency, amplitude, and rectification of AMPA receptor responses suggested persistent targeting of GluA2-lacking AMPA receptors in excitatory synapses of VTA dopamine neurons ex vivo after THIP administration. This effect was abolished in GABA(A) receptor δ(-/-) mice, which have a loss of extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptors. In behavioral experiments, we found neither acute reinforcement in intravenous self-administration sessions with THIP at relevant doses using a yoked control paradigm in mice nor in baboons using a standard paradigm for assessing drug abuse liability; nor was any place preference found after conditioning sessions with various doses of THIP but rather a persistent aversion in 6 mg/kg THIP-conditioned mice. In summary, we found that activation of extrasynaptic δ-subunit-containing GABA(A) receptors leads to glutamate receptor plasticity of VTA dopamine neurons, but is not rewarding, and, instead, induces aversion.
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Narvaez JCM, Magalhães PVS, Trindade EK, Vieira DC, Kauer-Sant'anna M, Gama CS, von Diemen L, Kapczinski NS, Kapczinski F. Childhood trauma, impulsivity, and executive functioning in crack cocaine users. Compr Psychiatry 2012; 53:238-44. [PMID: 21640340 DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2011.04.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2010] [Revised: 04/10/2011] [Accepted: 04/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of crack cocaine is a major public health concern in Brazil and internationally. Recent data suggest that childhood trauma is associated with worse outcomes among cocaine users. This study had the objective of evaluating the relationship of childhood trauma with executive functioning and impulsivity in outpatients with crack cocaine use disorders. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study of 84 consecutive outpatients with a primary crack cocaine use disorder who sought treatment in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Childhood trauma was evaluated with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire; executive functioning, with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test; and impulsivity, with the Barratt Impulsivity Scale. RESULTS Childhood trauma was strongly associated with executive dysfunction and impulsivity, even when controlled for possible confounders. CONCLUSIONS Childhood trauma may be associated with executive dysfunction and impulsivity in crack cocaine users. The full impact of trauma needs to be further investigated in longitudinal studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana C M Narvaez
- Bipolar Disorders Program and INCT Translational Medicine, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre CEP 90035-003, Brazil
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Pharmacotherapeutics directed at deficiencies associated with cocaine dependence: focus on dopamine, norepinephrine and glutamate. Pharmacol Ther 2012; 134:260-77. [PMID: 22327234 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2012.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2012] [Accepted: 01/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Much effort has been devoted to research focused on pharmacotherapies for cocaine dependence yet there are no FDA-approved medications for this brain disease. Preclinical models have been essential to defining the central and peripheral effects produced by cocaine. Recent evidence suggests that cocaine exerts its reinforcing effects by acting on multiple neurotransmitter systems within mesocorticolimibic circuitry. Imaging studies in cocaine-dependent individuals have identified deficiencies in dopaminergic signaling primarily localized to corticolimbic areas. In addition to dysregulated striatal dopamine, norepinephrine and glutamate are also altered in cocaine dependence. In this review, we present these brain abnormalities as therapeutic targets for the treatment of cocaine dependence. We then survey promising medications that exert their therapeutic effects by presumably ameliorating these brain deficiencies. Correcting neurochemical deficits in cocaine-dependent individuals improves memory and impulse control, and reduces drug craving that may decrease cocaine use. We hypothesize that using medications aimed at reversing known neurochemical imbalances is likely to be more productive than current approaches. This view is also consistent with treatment paradigms used in neuropsychiatry and general medicine.
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Collo G, Bono F, Cavalleri L, Plebani L, Merlo Pich E, Millan MJ, Spano PF, Missale C. Pre-synaptic dopamine D3 receptor mediates cocaine-induced structural plasticity in mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons via ERK and Akt pathways. J Neurochem 2012; 120:765-78. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2011.07618.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Arencibia-Albite F, Vázquez R, Velásquez-Martinez MC, Jiménez-Rivera CA. Cocaine sensitization inhibits the hyperpolarization-activated cation current Ih and reduces cell size in dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area. J Neurophysiol 2012; 107:2271-82. [PMID: 22262829 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00818.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The progressive augmentation of motor activity that results from repeated cocaine administration is termed behavioral sensitization. This phenomenon is thought to be a critical component in compulsive drug taking and relapse. Still, the cellular mechanisms that underlie sensitization remain elusive. Cocaine abuse, nonetheless, is known to evoke neuroplastic adaptations in dopamine (DA) neurotransmission originating from the midbrain's ventral tegmental area (VTA). Here, we report that concomitant with the development of locomotor sensitization to cocaine the hyperpolarization-activated cation current (I(h)) amplitude is depressed by ∼40% in VTA DA cells. Such effect did not result from a negative shift in I(h) voltage dependence. Nonstationary fluctuation analysis indicates that this inhibition was caused by an ∼45% reduction in the number of h-channels with no change in their unitary properties. The cocaine-induced I(h) depression was accompanied by a reduction in cell capacitance of similar magnitude (∼33%), leaving h-current density unaltered. Two implications follow from these data. First, I(h) inhibition may contribute to cocaine addiction by increasing bursting probability in DA cells and this effect could be intensified by the decrease in cell capacitance. Second, the cocaine-induced diminution of DA cell capacitance may also lead to reward tolerance promoting drug-seeking behaviors.
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Marie N, Canestrelli C, Noble F. Transfer of neuroplasticity from nucleus accumbens core to shell is required for cocaine reward. PLoS One 2012; 7:e30241. [PMID: 22272316 PMCID: PMC3260254 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2011] [Accepted: 12/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well established that cocaine induces an increase of dendritic spines density in some brain regions. However, few studies have addressed the role of this neuroplastic changes in cocaine rewarding effects and have often led to contradictory results. So, we hypothesized that using a rigorous time- and subject-matched protocol would demonstrate the role of this spine increase in cocaine reward. We designed our experiments such as the same animals (rats) were used for spine analysis and behavioral studies. Cocaine rewarding effects were assessed with the conditioned place preference paradigm. Spines densities were measured in the two subdivisions of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), core and shell. We showed a correlation between the increase of spine density in NAcc core and shell and cocaine rewarding effects. Interestingly, when cocaine was administered in home cages, spine density was increase in NAcc core only. With anisomycin, a protein synthesis inhibitor, injected in the core we blocked spine increase in core and shell and also cocaine rewarding effects. Strikingly, whereas injection of this inhibitor in the shell immediately after conditioning had no effect on neuroplasticity or behavior, its injection 4 hours after conditioning was able to block neuroplasticity in shell only and cocaine-induced place preference. Thus, it clearly appears that the neuronal plasticity in the NAcc core is essential to induce plasticity in the shell, necessary for cocaine reward. Altogether, our data revealed a new mechanism in the NAcc functioning where a neuroplasticity transfer occurred from core to shell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Marie
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8206, Paris, France
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U 705, Paris, France
- Université Paris Descartes, Laboratoire de Neuropsychopharmacologie des Addictions, Paris, France
| | - Corinne Canestrelli
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8206, Paris, France
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U 705, Paris, France
- Université Paris Descartes, Laboratoire de Neuropsychopharmacologie des Addictions, Paris, France
| | - Florence Noble
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8206, Paris, France
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U 705, Paris, France
- Université Paris Descartes, Laboratoire de Neuropsychopharmacologie des Addictions, Paris, France
- * E-mail:
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