1
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Sequeira MK, Stachowicz KM, Seo EH, Yount ST, Gourley SL. Cocaine disrupts action flexibility via glucocorticoid receptors. iScience 2024; 27:110148. [PMID: 38989467 PMCID: PMC11233908 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Many addictive drugs increase stress hormone levels. They also alter the propensity of organisms to prospectively select actions based on long-term consequences. We hypothesized that cocaine causes inflexible action by increasing circulating stress hormone levels, activating the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). We trained mice to generate two nose pokes for food and then required them to update action-consequence associations when one response was no longer reinforced. Cocaine delivered in adolescence or adulthood impaired the capacity of mice to update action strategies, and inhibiting CORT synthesis rescued action flexibility. Next, we reduced Nr3c1, encoding GR, in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), a region of the brain responsible for interlacing new information into established routines. Nr3c1 silencing preserved action flexibility and dendritic spine abundance on excitatory neurons, despite cocaine. Spines are often considered substrates for learning and memory, leading to the discovery that cocaine degrades the representation of new action memories, obstructing action flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle K Sequeira
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kathryn M Stachowicz
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Esther H Seo
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sophie T Yount
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Shannon L Gourley
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
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2
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Nagy EK, Overby PF, Leyrer-Jackson JM, Carfagno VF, Acuña AM, Olive MF. Methamphetamine and the Synthetic Cathinone 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) Produce Persistent Effects on Prefrontal and Striatal Microglial Morphology and Neuroimmune Signaling Following Repeated Binge-like Intake in Male and Female Rats. Brain Sci 2024; 14:435. [PMID: 38790414 PMCID: PMC11118022 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14050435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Psychostimulants alter cellular morphology and activate neuroimmune signaling in a number of brain regions, yet few prior studies have investigated their persistence beyond acute abstinence or following high levels of voluntary drug intake. In this study, we examined the effects of the repeated binge-like self-administration (96 h/week for 3 weeks) of methamphetamine (METH) and 21 days of abstinence in female and male rats on changes in cell density, morphology, and cytokine levels in two addiction-related brain regions-the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and dorsal striatum (DStr). We also examined the effects of similar patterns of intake of the cocaine-like synthetic cathinone derivative 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) or saline as a control. Robust levels of METH and MDPV intake (~500-1000 infusions per 96 h period) were observed in both sexes. We observed no changes in astrocyte or neuron density in either region, but decreases in dendritic spine densities were observed in PFC pyramidal and DStr medium spiny neurons. The microglial cell density was decreased in the PFC of METH self-administering animals, accompanied by evidence of microglial apoptosis. Changes in microglial morphology (e.g., decreased territorial volume and ramification and increased cell soma volume) were also observed, indicative of an inflammatory-like state. Multiplex analyses of PFC and DStr cytokine content revealed elevated levels of various interleukins and chemokines only in METH self-administering animals, with region- and sex-dependent effects. Our findings suggest that voluntary binge-like METH or MDPV intake induces similar cellular perturbations in the brain, but they are divergent neuroimmune responses that persist beyond the initial abstinence phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin K. Nagy
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology Area, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Paula F. Overby
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology Area, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Jonna M. Leyrer-Jackson
- Department of Medical Education, School of Medicine, Creighton University, Phoenix, AZ 85012, USA
| | - Vincent F. Carfagno
- Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ 85308, USA
| | - Amanda M. Acuña
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology Area, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - M. Foster Olive
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology Area, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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3
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Pandey S, Miller CA. Targeting the cytoskeleton as a therapeutic approach to substance use disorders. Pharmacol Res 2024; 202:107143. [PMID: 38499081 PMCID: PMC11034636 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2024.107143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2024] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Substance use disorders (SUD) are chronic relapsing disorders governed by continually shifting cycles of positive drug reward experiences and drug withdrawal-induced negative experiences. A large body of research points to plasticity within systems regulating emotional, motivational, and cognitive processes as drivers of continued compulsive pursuit and consumption of substances despite negative consequences. This plasticity is observed at all levels of analysis from molecules to networks, providing multiple avenues for intervention in SUD. The cytoskeleton and its regulatory proteins within neurons and glia are fundamental to the structural and functional integrity of brain processes and are potentially the major drivers of the morphological and behavioral plasticity associated with substance use. In this review, we discuss preclinical studies that provide support for targeting the brain cytoskeleton as a therapeutic approach to SUD. We focus on the interplay between actin cytoskeleton dynamics and exposure to cocaine, methamphetamine, alcohol, opioids, and nicotine and highlight preclinical studies pointing to a wide range of potential therapeutic targets, such as nonmuscle myosin II, Rac1, cofilin, prosapip 1, and drebrin. These studies broaden our understanding of substance-induced plasticity driving behaviors associated with SUD and provide new research directions for the development of SUD therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surya Pandey
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL 33458, United States; Department of Neuroscience, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL 33458, United States
| | - Courtney A Miller
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL 33458, United States; Department of Neuroscience, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL 33458, United States.
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4
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Borzou A, Miller SN, Hommel JD, Schwarz JM. Cocaine diminishes functional network robustness and destabilizes the energy landscape of neuronal activity in the medial prefrontal cortex. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae092. [PMID: 38476665 PMCID: PMC10929585 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
We present analysis of neuronal activity recordings from a subset of neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex of rats before and after the administration of cocaine. Using an underlying modern Hopfield model as a description for the neuronal network, combined with a machine learning approach, we compute the underlying functional connectivity of the neuronal network. We find that the functional connectivity changes after the administration of cocaine with both functional-excitatory and functional-inhibitory neurons being affected. Using conventional network analysis, we find that the diameter of the graph, or the shortest length between the two most distant nodes, increases with cocaine, suggesting that the neuronal network is less robust. We also find that the betweenness centrality scores for several of the functional-excitatory and functional-inhibitory neurons decrease significantly, while other scores remain essentially unchanged, to also suggest that the neuronal network is less robust. Finally, we study the distribution of neuronal activity and relate it to energy to find that cocaine drives the neuronal network towards destabilization in the energy landscape of neuronal activation. While this destabilization is presumably temporary given one administration of cocaine, perhaps this initial destabilization indicates a transition towards a new stable state with repeated cocaine administration. However, such analyses are useful more generally to understand how neuronal networks respond to perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Borzou
- Department of Physics and BioInspired Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
- CompuFlair, Houston, TX 77064, USA
| | - Sierra N Miller
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Jonathan D Hommel
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - J M Schwarz
- Department of Physics and BioInspired Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
- Indian Creek Farm, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
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5
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Ebstein F, Küry S, Most V, Rosenfelt C, Scott-Boyer MP, van Woerden GM, Besnard T, Papendorf JJ, Studencka-Turski M, Wang T, Hsieh TC, Golnik R, Baldridge D, Forster C, de Konink C, Teurlings SM, Vignard V, van Jaarsveld RH, Ades L, Cogné B, Mignot C, Deb W, Jongmans MC, Sessions Cole F, van den Boogaard MJH, Wambach JA, Wegner DJ, Yang S, Hannig V, Brault JA, Zadeh N, Bennetts B, Keren B, Gélineau AC, Powis Z, Towne M, Bachman K, Seeley A, Beck AE, Morrison J, Westman R, Averill K, Brunet T, Haasters J, Carter MT, Osmond M, Wheeler PG, Forzano F, Mohammed S, Trakadis Y, Accogli A, Harrison R, Guo Y, Hakonarson H, Rondeau S, Baujat G, Barcia G, Feichtinger RG, Mayr JA, Preisel M, Laumonnier F, Kallinich T, Knaus A, Isidor B, Krawitz P, Völker U, Hammer E, Droit A, Eichler EE, Elgersma Y, Hildebrand PW, Bolduc F, Krüger E, Bézieau S. PSMC3 proteasome subunit variants are associated with neurodevelopmental delay and type I interferon production. Sci Transl Med 2023; 15:eabo3189. [PMID: 37256937 PMCID: PMC10506367 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abo3189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
A critical step in preserving protein homeostasis is the recognition, binding, unfolding, and translocation of protein substrates by six AAA-ATPase proteasome subunits (ATPase-associated with various cellular activities) termed PSMC1-6, which are required for degradation of proteins by 26S proteasomes. Here, we identified 15 de novo missense variants in the PSMC3 gene encoding the AAA-ATPase proteasome subunit PSMC3/Rpt5 in 23 unrelated heterozygous patients with an autosomal dominant form of neurodevelopmental delay and intellectual disability. Expression of PSMC3 variants in mouse neuronal cultures led to altered dendrite development, and deletion of the PSMC3 fly ortholog Rpt5 impaired reversal learning capabilities in fruit flies. Structural modeling as well as proteomic and transcriptomic analyses of T cells derived from patients with PSMC3 variants implicated the PSMC3 variants in proteasome dysfunction through disruption of substrate translocation, induction of proteotoxic stress, and alterations in proteins controlling developmental and innate immune programs. The proteostatic perturbations in T cells from patients with PSMC3 variants correlated with a dysregulation in type I interferon (IFN) signaling in these T cells, which could be blocked by inhibition of the intracellular stress sensor protein kinase R (PKR). These results suggest that proteotoxic stress activated PKR in patient-derived T cells, resulting in a type I IFN response. The potential relationship among proteosome dysfunction, type I IFN production, and neurodevelopment suggests new directions in our understanding of pathogenesis in some neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Ebstein
- Institut für Medizinische Biochemie und Molekularbiologie (IMBM), Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Ferdinand-Sauerbruch-Straße, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Sébastien Küry
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Service de Génétique Médicale, 44000 Nantes, France
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, CNRS, INSERM, l’institut du thorax, 44000 Nantes, France
| | - Victoria Most
- Institut für Medizinische Physik und Biophysik, Universität Leipzig, Medizinische Fakultät, Härtelstr. 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Cory Rosenfelt
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB CT6G 1C9, Canada
| | | | - Geeske M. van Woerden
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- ENCORE Expertise Center for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Besnard
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Service de Génétique Médicale, 44000 Nantes, France
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, CNRS, INSERM, l’institut du thorax, 44000 Nantes, France
| | - Jonas Johannes Papendorf
- Institut für Medizinische Biochemie und Molekularbiologie (IMBM), Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Ferdinand-Sauerbruch-Straße, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Maja Studencka-Turski
- Institut für Medizinische Biochemie und Molekularbiologie (IMBM), Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Ferdinand-Sauerbruch-Straße, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Tianyun Wang
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Medical Genetics, Center for Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University; Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education of China & National Health Commission of China, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Tzung-Chien Hsieh
- Institute for Genomic Statistics and Bioinformatics, University Hospital Bonn, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Richard Golnik
- Klinik für Pädiatrie I, Universitätsklinikum Halle (Saale), 06120 Halle (Saale)
| | - Dustin Baldridge
- The Edward Mallinckrodt Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899, USA
| | - Cara Forster
- GeneDx, 207 Perry Parkway, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, USA
| | - Charlotte de Konink
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- ENCORE Expertise Center for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Selina M.W. Teurlings
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- ENCORE Expertise Center for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Virginie Vignard
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Service de Génétique Médicale, 44000 Nantes, France
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, CNRS, INSERM, l’institut du thorax, 44000 Nantes, France
| | | | - Lesley Ades
- Department of Clinical Genetics, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Locked Bag 4001, Westmead, NSW, 2145, Australia
- Disciplines of Genomic Medicine & Child and Adolescent Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2145, Australia
| | - Benjamin Cogné
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Service de Génétique Médicale, 44000 Nantes, France
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, CNRS, INSERM, l’institut du thorax, 44000 Nantes, France
| | - Cyril Mignot
- APHP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Département de Génétique, Centre de Reference Déficience Intellectuelle de Causes Rares, GRC UPMC «Déficience Intellectuelle et Autisme», 75013 Paris, France
- Sorbonne Universités, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Wallid Deb
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Service de Génétique Médicale, 44000 Nantes, France
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, CNRS, INSERM, l’institut du thorax, 44000 Nantes, France
| | - Marjolijn C.J. Jongmans
- Department of Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3508 AB, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - F. Sessions Cole
- The Edward Mallinckrodt Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899, USA
| | | | - Jennifer A. Wambach
- The Edward Mallinckrodt Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899, USA
| | - Daniel J. Wegner
- The Edward Mallinckrodt Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899, USA
| | - Sandra Yang
- GeneDx, 207 Perry Parkway, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, USA
| | - Vickie Hannig
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Jennifer Ann Brault
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Neda Zadeh
- Genetics Center, Orange, CA 92868, USA; Division of Medical Genetics, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Orange, CA 92868, USA
| | - Bruce Bennetts
- Disciplines of Genomic Medicine & Child and Adolescent Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2145, Australia
- Sydney Genome Diagnostics, Western Sydney Genetics Program, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, 2145, Australia
| | - Boris Keren
- Département de Génétique, Centre de Référence des Déficiences Intellectuelles de Causes Rares, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, 75013 Paris
| | - Anne-Claire Gélineau
- Département de Génétique, Centre de Référence des Déficiences Intellectuelles de Causes Rares, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, 75013 Paris
| | - Zöe Powis
- Department of Clinical Research, Ambry Genetics, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656, USA
| | - Meghan Towne
- Department of Clinical Research, Ambry Genetics, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656, USA
| | | | - Andrea Seeley
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Geisinger, Danville, PA 17822, USA
| | - Anita E. Beck
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Genetic Medicine, University of Washington & Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA 98195-6320, USA
| | - Jennifer Morrison
- Division of Genetics, Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Orlando Health, Orlando, FL 32806, USA
| | - Rachel Westman
- Division of Genetics, St. Luke’s Clinic, Boise, ID 83712, USA
| | - Kelly Averill
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Theresa Brunet
- Institute of Human Genetics, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, 81675 Munich, Germany
- Institute of Neurogenomics (ING), Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Judith Haasters
- Klinikum der Universität München, Integriertes Sozial- pädiatrisches Zentrum, 80337 Munich, Germany
| | - Melissa T. Carter
- Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, University of Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
- Department of Genetics, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Matthew Osmond
- Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, University of Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Patricia G. Wheeler
- Division of Genetics, Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Orlando Health, Orlando, FL 32806, USA
| | - Francesca Forzano
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
- Clinical Genetics Department, Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Shehla Mohammed
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
- Clinical Genetics Department, Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Yannis Trakadis
- Division of Medical Genetics, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
| | - Andrea Accogli
- Division of Medical Genetics, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
| | - Rachel Harrison
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, City Hospital Campus, The Gables, Gate 3, Hucknall Road, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
| | - Yiran Guo
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Center for Data Driven Discovery in Biomedicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
| | - Hakon Hakonarson
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Sophie Rondeau
- Service de Médecine Génomique des Maladies Rares, Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants Malades, 75743 Paris, France
| | - Geneviève Baujat
- Service de Médecine Génomique des Maladies Rares, Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants Malades, 75743 Paris, France
| | - Giulia Barcia
- Service de Médecine Génomique des Maladies Rares, Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants Malades, 75743 Paris, France
| | - René Günther Feichtinger
- University Children’s Hospital, Salzburger Landeskliniken (SALK) and Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Johannes Adalbert Mayr
- University Children’s Hospital, Salzburger Landeskliniken (SALK) and Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Martin Preisel
- University Children’s Hospital, Salzburger Landeskliniken (SALK) and Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Frédéric Laumonnier
- UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, 37032 Tours, France
- Service de Génétique, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire, 37032 Tours, France
| | - Tilmann Kallinich
- Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin; 13353 Berlin, Germany
- Deutsches Rheumaforschungszentrum, An Institute of the Leibniz Association, Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexej Knaus
- Institute for Genomic Statistics and Bioinformatics, University Hospital Bonn, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Bertrand Isidor
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Service de Génétique Médicale, 44000 Nantes, France
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, CNRS, INSERM, l’institut du thorax, 44000 Nantes, France
| | - Peter Krawitz
- Institute for Genomic Statistics and Bioinformatics, University Hospital Bonn, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Uwe Völker
- Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Interfakultäres Institut für Genetik und Funktionelle Genomforschung, Abteilung für Funktionelle Genomforschung, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Elke Hammer
- Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Interfakultäres Institut für Genetik und Funktionelle Genomforschung, Abteilung für Funktionelle Genomforschung, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Arnaud Droit
- Research Center of Quebec CHU-Université Laval, Québec, QC PQ G1E6W2, Canada
| | - Evan E. Eichler
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Ype Elgersma
- ENCORE Expertise Center for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 CN, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Peter W. Hildebrand
- Institut für Medizinische Physik und Biophysik, Universität Leipzig, Medizinische Fakultät, Härtelstr. 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, 10178 Berlin, Germany
| | - François Bolduc
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB CT6G 1C9, Canada
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Elke Krüger
- Institut für Medizinische Biochemie und Molekularbiologie (IMBM), Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Ferdinand-Sauerbruch-Straße, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Stéphane Bézieau
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Service de Génétique Médicale, 44000 Nantes, France
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, CNRS, INSERM, l’institut du thorax, 44000 Nantes, France
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6
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Sequeira MK, Swanson AM, Kietzman HW, Gourley SL. Cocaine and habit training cause dendritic spine rearrangement in the prelimbic cortex. iScience 2023; 26:106240. [PMID: 37153443 PMCID: PMC10156587 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Successfully navigating dynamic environments requires organisms to learn the consequences of their actions. The prelimbic prefrontal cortex (PL) formulates action-consequence memories and is modulated by addictive drugs like cocaine. We trained mice to obtain food rewards and then unexpectedly withheld reinforcement, triggering new action-consequence memory. New memory was disrupted by cocaine when delivered immediately following non-reinforcement, but not when delayed, suggesting that cocaine disrupted memory consolidation. Cocaine also rapidly inactivated cofilin, a primary regulator of the neuronal actin cytoskeleton. This observation led to the discovery that cocaine also within the time of memory consolidation elevated dendritic spine elimination and blunted spine formation rates on excitatory PL neurons, culminating in thin-type spine attrition. Training drug-naive mice to utilize inflexible response strategies also eliminated thin-type dendritic spines. Thus, cocaine may disrupt action-consequence memory, at least in part, by recapitulating neurobiological sequalae occurring in the formation of inflexible habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle K. Sequeira
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Andrew M. Swanson
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Henry W. Kietzman
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Shannon L. Gourley
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
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7
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Colyer-Patel K, Kuhns L, Weidema A, Lesscher H, Cousijn J. Age-dependent effects of tobacco smoke and nicotine on cognition and the brain: A systematic review of the human and animal literature comparing adolescents and adults. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 146:105038. [PMID: 36627063 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Cigarette smoking is often initiated during adolescence and an earlier age of onset is associated with worse health outcomes later in life. Paradoxically, the transition towards adulthood also marks the potential for recovery, as the majority of adolescents are able to quit smoking when adulthood emerges. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the evidence from both human and animal studies for the differential impact of adolescent versus adult repeated and long-term tobacco and nicotine exposure on cognitive and brain outcomes. The limited human studies and more extensive yet heterogeneous animal studies, provide preliminary evidence of heightened fear learning, anxiety-related behaviour, reward processing, nicotinic acetylcholinergic receptors expression, dopamine expression and serotonin functioning after adolescent compared to adult exposure. Effects of nicotine or tobacco use on impulsivity were comparable across age groups. These findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying adolescents' vulnerability to tobacco and nicotine. Future research is needed to translate animal to human findings, with a focus on directly linking a broader spectrum of brain and behavioural outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karis Colyer-Patel
- Neuroscience of Addiction (NofA) Lab, Department of Psychology, Education & Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Lauren Kuhns
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Alix Weidema
- Neuroscience of Addiction (NofA) Lab, Department of Psychology, Education & Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Heidi Lesscher
- Department Population Health Sciences, Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Janna Cousijn
- Neuroscience of Addiction (NofA) Lab, Department of Psychology, Education & Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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8
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Niedringhaus M, West EA. Prelimbic cortex neural encoding dynamically tracks expected outcome value. Physiol Behav 2022; 256:113938. [PMID: 35944659 PMCID: PMC11247951 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Animals must modify their behavior based on updated expected outcomes in a changing environment. Prelimbic cortex (PrL) neural encoding during learning predicts, and is necessary for, appropriately altering behavior based on a new expected outcome value following devaluation. We aimed to determine how PrL neural activity encodes reward predictive cues after the expected outcome value of those cues is decreased following conditioned taste aversion. In one post-devaluation session, rats were tested under extinction to determine their ability to alter their behavior to the expected outcome values (i.e., extinction test). In a second post-devaluation session, rats were tested with the newly devalued outcome delivered so that the rats experienced the updated outcome value within the session (i.e., re-exposure test). We found that PrL neural encoding of the cue associated with the devalued reward predicted the ability of rats to suppress behavior in the extinction test session, but not in the re-exposure test session. While all rats were able to successfully devalue the outcome during conditioned taste aversion, a subset of rats continued to consume the devalued outcome in the re-exposure test session. We found differential patterns of PrL neural encoding in the population of rats that did not avoid the devalued outcome during the re-exposure test compared to the rats that successfully avoided the devalued outcome. Our findings suggest that PrL neural encoding dynamically tracks expected outcome values, and differential neural encoding in the PrL to reward predictive cues following expected outcome value changes may contribute to distinct behavioral phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Niedringhaus
- Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, 08084
| | - Elizabeth A West
- Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, 08084; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, 08084.
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9
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Engeln M, Fox ME, Chandra R, Choi EY, Nam H, Qadir H, Thomas SS, Rhodes VM, Turner MD, Herman RJ, Calarco CA, Lobo MK. Transcriptome profiling of the ventral pallidum reveals a role for pallido-thalamic neurons in cocaine reward. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:3980-3991. [PMID: 35764708 PMCID: PMC9722585 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01668-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Psychostimulant exposure alters the activity of ventral pallidum (VP) projection neurons. However, the molecular underpinnings of these circuit dysfunctions are unclear. We used RNA-sequencing to reveal alterations in the transcriptional landscape of the VP that are induced by cocaine self-administration in mice. We then probed gene expression in select VP neuronal subpopulations to isolate a circuit associated with cocaine intake. Finally, we used both overexpression and CRISPR-mediated knockdown to test the role of a gene target on cocaine-mediated behaviors as well as dendritic spine density. Our results showed that a large proportion (55%) of genes associated with structural plasticity were changed 24 h following cocaine intake. Among them, the transcription factor Nr4a1 (Nuclear receptor subfamily 4, group A, member 1, or Nur77) showed high expression levels. We found that the VP to mediodorsal thalamus (VP → MDT) projection neurons specifically were recapitulating this increase in Nr4a1 expression. Overexpressing Nr4a1 in VP → MDT neurons enhanced drug-seeking and drug-induced reinstatement, while Nr4a1 knockdown prevented self-administration acquisition and subsequent cocaine-mediated behaviors. Moreover, we showed that Nr4a1 negatively regulated spine dynamics in this specific cell subpopulation. Together, our study identifies for the first time the transcriptional mechanisms occurring in VP in drug exposure. Our study provides further understanding on the role of Nr4a1 in cocaine-related behaviors and identifies the crucial role of the VP → MDT circuit in drug intake and relapse-like behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Engeln
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.
| | - Megan E Fox
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Ramesh Chandra
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Eric Y Choi
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hyungwoo Nam
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Houman Qadir
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shavin S Thomas
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Victoria M Rhodes
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Makeda D Turner
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rae J Herman
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Cali A Calarco
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mary Kay Lobo
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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10
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Li DC, Dighe NM, Barbee BR, Pitts EG, Kochoian B, Blumenthal SA, Figueroa J, Leong T, Gourley SL. A molecularly integrated amygdalo-fronto-striatal network coordinates flexible learning and memory. Nat Neurosci 2022; 25:1213-1224. [PMID: 36042313 PMCID: PMC10614133 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01148-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral flexibility-that is, the ability to deviate from established behavioral sequences-is critical for navigating dynamic environments and requires the durable encoding and retrieval of new memories to guide future choice. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) supports outcome-guided behaviors. However, the coordinated neural circuitry and cellular mechanisms by which OFC connections sustain flexible learning and memory remain elusive. Here we demonstrate in mice that basolateral amygdala (BLA)→OFC projections bidirectionally control memory formation when familiar behaviors are unexpectedly not rewarded, whereas OFC→dorsomedial striatum (DMS) projections facilitate memory retrieval. OFC neuronal ensembles store a memory trace for newly learned information, which appears to be facilitated by circuit-specific dendritic spine plasticity and neurotrophin signaling within defined BLA-OFC-DMS connections and obstructed by cocaine. Thus, we describe the directional transmission of information within an integrated amygdalo-fronto-striatal circuit across time, whereby novel memories are encoded by BLA→OFC inputs, represented within OFC ensembles and retrieved via OFC→DMS outputs during future choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan C Li
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Niharika M Dighe
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Britton R Barbee
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Elizabeth G Pitts
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Brik Kochoian
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sarah A Blumenthal
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Janet Figueroa
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Traci Leong
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Shannon L Gourley
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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11
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Angarita GA, Worhunsky PD, Naganawa M, Toyonaga T, Nabulsi NB, Li CSR, Esterlis I, Skosnik PD, Radhakrishnan R, Pittman B, Gueorguieva R, Potenza MN, Finnema SJ, Huang Y, Carson RE, Malison RT. Lower prefrontal cortical synaptic vesicle binding in cocaine use disorder: An exploratory 11 C-UCB-J positron emission tomography study in humans. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13123. [PMID: 34852401 PMCID: PMC8891080 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Preclinical studies have revealed robust and long-lasting alterations in dendritic spines in the brain following cocaine exposure. Such alterations are hypothesized to underlie enduring maladaptive behaviours observed in cocaine use disorder (CUD). The current study explored whether synaptic density is altered in CUD. Fifteen individuals with DSM-5 CUD and 15 demographically matched healthy control (HC) subjects participated in a single 11 C-UCB-J positron emission tomography scan to assess density of synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A). The volume of distribution (VT ) and the plasma-free fraction-corrected form of the total volume of distribution (VT /fP ) were analysed in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), dorsomedial and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (PFC), lateral and medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and ventral striatum. A significant diagnostic-group-by-region interaction was observed for VT and VT /fP . Post hoc analyses revealed no differences on VT , while for VT /fP showed lower values in CUD as compared with HC subjects in the ACC (-10.9%, p = 0.02), ventromedial PFC (-9.9%, p = 0.02) and medial OFC (-9.9%, p = 0.04). Regional VT /fP values in CUD, though unrelated to measures of lifetime cocaine use, were positively correlated with the frequency of recent cocaine use (p = 0.02-0.03) and negatively correlated with cocaine abstinence (p = 0.008-0.03). These findings provide initial preliminary in vivo evidence of altered (lower) synaptic density in the PFC of humans with CUD. Cross-sectional variation in SV2A availability as a function of recent cocaine use and abstinence suggests that synaptic density may be dynamically and plastically regulated by acute cocaine, an observation that merits direct testing by studies using more definitive longitudinal designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo A. Angarita
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, Suite # 901, New Haven, CT 06511
- Connecticut Mental Health Center, 34 Park Street, New Haven, CT 06519
| | - Patrick D. Worhunsky
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, Suite # 901, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Mika Naganawa
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, 801 Howard Ave, New Haven, CT 06519
| | - Takuya Toyonaga
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, 801 Howard Ave, New Haven, CT 06519
| | - Nabeel B. Nabulsi
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, 801 Howard Ave, New Haven, CT 06519
| | - Chiang-Shan R. Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, Suite # 901, New Haven, CT 06511
- Connecticut Mental Health Center, 34 Park Street, New Haven, CT 06519
| | - Irina Esterlis
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, Suite # 901, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Patrick D. Skosnik
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, Suite # 901, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Rajiv Radhakrishnan
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, Suite # 901, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Brian Pittman
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, Suite # 901, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Ralitza Gueorguieva
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, New Haven CT 06520
| | - Marc N. Potenza
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, Suite # 901, New Haven, CT 06511
- Connecticut Mental Health Center, 34 Park Street, New Haven, CT 06519
- Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, 100 Great Meadow Road, Wethersfield, CT 06109
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, 234 South Frontage Road, New Haven, CT 06510
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06510
| | - Sjoerd J. Finnema
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, 801 Howard Ave, New Haven, CT 06519
| | - Yiyun Huang
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, 801 Howard Ave, New Haven, CT 06519
| | - Richard E. Carson
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, 801 Howard Ave, New Haven, CT 06519
| | - Robert T. Malison
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, Suite # 901, New Haven, CT 06511
- Connecticut Mental Health Center, 34 Park Street, New Haven, CT 06519
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12
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Trinoskey-Rice GE, Woon EP, Pitts EG, Gourley SL. Cocaine Elevates Calcium-Dependent Activator Protein for Secretion 2 in the Mouse Orbitofrontal Cortex. Dev Neurosci 2021; 43:376-382. [PMID: 34695821 DOI: 10.1159/000519681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Calcium-dependent activator protein for secretion 2 (CAPS2; also referred to as CADPS2) is a dense core vesicle-associated protein that promotes the activity-dependent release of neuropeptides including neurotrophins. Addictive drugs appear to prime neurotrophin release in multiple brain regions, but mechanistic factors are still being elucidated. Here, experimenters administered cocaine to adolescent mice at doses that potentiated later cocaine self-administration. Experimenter-administered cocaine elevated the CAPS2 protein content in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC; but not striatum) multiple weeks after drug exposure. Meanwhile, proteins that are sensitive to brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) release and binding (phosphorylated protein kinase B and phosphoinositide 3-kinase, and GABAAα1 levels) did not differ between cocaine-exposed and naive mice in the OFC. This pattern is consistent with evidence that CAPS2 primes stimulated release of neurotrophins like BDNF, rather than basal levels. Thus, cocaine administered at behaviorally relevant doses elevates CAPS2 protein content in the OFC, and the effects are detected long after cocaine exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gracy E Trinoskey-Rice
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Ellen P Woon
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Graduate Training Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Elizabeth G Pitts
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Graduate Training Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Shannon L Gourley
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Graduate Training Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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13
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Neuroplasticity and Multilevel System of Connections Determine the Integrative Role of Nucleus Accumbens in the Brain Reward System. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22189806. [PMID: 34575969 PMCID: PMC8471564 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22189806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing body of evidence suggests that nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays a significant role not only in the physiological processes associated with reward and satisfaction but also in many diseases of the central nervous system. Summary of the current state of knowledge on the morphological and functional basis of such a diverse function of this structure may be a good starting point for further basic and clinical research. The NAc is a part of the brain reward system (BRS) characterized by multilevel organization, extensive connections, and several neurotransmitter systems. The unique role of NAc in the BRS is a result of: (1) hierarchical connections with the other brain areas, (2) a well-developed morphological and functional plasticity regulating short- and long-term synaptic potentiation and signalling pathways, (3) cooperation among several neurotransmitter systems, and (4) a supportive role of neuroglia involved in both physiological and pathological processes. Understanding the complex function of NAc is possible by combining the results of morphological studies with molecular, genetic, and behavioral data. In this review, we present the current views on the NAc function in physiological conditions, emphasizing the role of its connections, neuroplasticity processes, and neurotransmitter systems.
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14
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Whyte AJ, Trinoskey-Rice G, Davies RA, Woon EP, Foster SL, Shapiro LP, Li DC, Srikanth KD, Gil-Henn H, Gourley SL. Cell Adhesion Factors in the Orbitofrontal Cortex Control Cue-Induced Reinstatement of Cocaine Seeking and Amygdala-Dependent Goal Seeking. J Neurosci 2021; 41:5923-5936. [PMID: 34074735 PMCID: PMC8265806 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0781-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Repeated cocaine exposure causes dendritic spine loss in the orbitofrontal cortex, which might contribute to poor orbitofrontal cortical function following drug exposure. One challenge, however, has been verifying links between neuronal structural plasticity and behavior, if any. Here we report that cocaine self-administration triggers the loss of dendritic spines on excitatory neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex of male and female mice (as has been reported in rats). To understand functional consequences, we locally ablated neuronal β1-integrins, cell adhesion receptors that adhere cells to the extracellular matrix and thus support dendritic spine stability. Degradation of β1-integrin tone: (1) caused dendritic spine loss, (2) exaggerated cocaine-seeking responses in a cue-induced reinstatement test, and (3) impaired the ability of mice to integrate new learning into familiar routines, a key function of the orbitofrontal cortex. Stimulating Abl-related gene kinase, overexpressing Proline-rich tyrosine kinase, and inhibiting Rho-associated coiled-coil containing kinase corrected response strategies, uncovering a β1-integrin-mediated signaling axis that controls orbitofrontal cortical function. Finally, use of a combinatorial gene silencing/chemogenetic strategy revealed that β1-integrins support the ability of mice to integrate new information into established behaviors by sustaining orbitofrontal cortical connections with the basolateral amygdala.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Cocaine degenerates dendritic spines in the orbitofrontal cortex, a region of the brain involved in interlacing new information into established behaviors. One challenge has been verifying links between cellular structural stability and behavior, if any. In this second of two related investigations, we study integrin family receptors, which adhere cells to the extracellular matrix and thereby stabilize dendritic spines (see also DePoy et al., 2019). We reveal that β1-integrins in the orbitofrontal cortex control food- and cocaine-seeking behaviors. For instance, β1-integrin loss amplifies cocaine-seeking behavior and impairs the ability of mice to integrate new learning into familiar routines. We identify likely intracellular signaling partners by which β1-integrins support orbitofrontal cortical function and connectivity with the basolateral amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alonzo J Whyte
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
| | - Gracy Trinoskey-Rice
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
| | - Rachel A Davies
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
| | - Ellen P Woon
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
| | - Stephanie L Foster
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
| | - Lauren P Shapiro
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
| | - Dan C Li
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
| | | | - Hava Gil-Henn
- Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Shannon L Gourley
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
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15
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Yalcinbas EA, Cazares C, Gremel CM. Call for a more balanced approach to understanding orbital frontal cortex function. Behav Neurosci 2021; 135:255-266. [PMID: 34060878 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Orbital frontal cortex (OFC) research has historically emphasized the function of this associative cortical area within top-down theoretical frameworks. This approach has largely focused on mapping OFC activity onto human-defined psychological or cognitive constructs and has often led to OFC circuitry bearing the weight of entire theoretical frameworks. New techniques and tools developed in the last decade have made it possible to revisit long-standing basic science questions in neuroscience and answer them with increasing sophistication. We can now study and specify the genetic, molecular, cellular, and circuit architecture of a brain region in much greater detail, which allows us to piece together how they contribute to emergent circuit functions. For instance, adopting such systematic and unbiased bottom-up approaches to elucidating the function of the visual system has paved the way to building a greater understanding of the spectrum of its computational capabilities. In the same vein, we argue that OFC research would benefit from a more balanced approach that also places focus on novel bottom-up investigations into OFC's computational capabilities. Furthermore, we believe that the knowledge gained by employing a more bottom-up approach to investigating OFC function will ultimately allow us to look at OFC's dysfunction in disease through a more nuanced biological lens. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ege A Yalcinbas
- The Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego
| | - Christian Cazares
- The Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego
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Translational study of the whole transcriptome in rats and genetic polymorphisms in humans identifies LRP1B and VPS13A as key genes involved in tolerance to cocaine-induced motor disturbances. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:381. [PMID: 33159041 PMCID: PMC7648099 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-01050-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor disturbances strongly increase the burden of cocaine use disorder (CUDs). The objective of our translational study was to identify the genes and biological pathways underlying the tolerance to cocaine-induced motor effects. In a 5-day protocol measuring motor tolerance to cocaine in rats (N = 40), modeling the motor response to cocaine in patients, whole-genome RNA sequencing was conducted on the ventral and dorsal striatum to prioritize a genetic association study in 225 patients with severe CUD who underwent thorough phenotypic (cocaine-induced hyperlocomotion, CIH; and cocaine-induced stereotypies, CIS) and genotypic [571,000 polymorphisms (SNPs)] characterization. We provide a comprehensive description of the rat striatal transcriptomic response to cocaine in our paradigm. Repeated vs. acute cocaine binge administration elicited 27 differentially expressed genes in the ventral striatum and two in the dorsal striatum. One gene, Lrp1b, was differentially expressed in both regions. In patients, LRP1B was significantly associated with both CIS and CIH. CIH was also associated with VPS13A, a gene involved in a severe neurological disorder characterized by hyperkinetic movements. The LRP1B minor allele rs7568970 had a significant protective effect against CIS (558 SNPs, Bonferroni-corrected p = 0.02) that resisted adjustment for confounding factors, including the amount of cocaine use (adjusted beta = -0.965 and -2.35 for heterozygotes and homozygotes, respectively, p < 0.01). Using hypothesis-free prioritization of candidate genes along with thorough methodology in both the preclinical and human analysis pipelines, we provide reliable evidence that LRP1B and VPS13A are involved in the motor tolerance to cocaine in CUD patients, in line with their known pathophysiology.
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Woon EP, Sequeira MK, Barbee BR, Gourley SL. Involvement of the rodent prelimbic and medial orbitofrontal cortices in goal-directed action: A brief review. J Neurosci Res 2020; 98:1020-1030. [PMID: 31820488 PMCID: PMC7392403 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 10/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Goal-directed action refers to selecting behaviors based on the expectation that they will be reinforced with desirable outcomes. It is typically conceptualized as opposing habit-based behaviors, which are instead supported by stimulus-response associations and insensitive to consequences. The prelimbic prefrontal cortex (PL) is positioned along the medial wall of the rodent prefrontal cortex. It is indispensable for action-outcome-driven (goal-directed) behavior, consolidating action-outcome relationships and linking contextual information with instrumental behavior. In this brief review, we will discuss the growing list of molecular factors involved in PL function. Ventral to the PL is the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC). We will also summarize emerging evidence from rodents (complementing existing literature describing humans) that it too is involved in action-outcome conditioning. We describe experiments using procedures that quantify responding based on reward value, the likelihood of reinforcement, or effort requirements, touching also on experiments assessing food consumption more generally. We synthesize these findings with the argument that the mOFC is essential to goal-directed action when outcome value information is not immediately observable and must be recalled and inferred.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen P. Woon
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Translational and Social Neuroscience
| | - Michelle K. Sequeira
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Translational and Social Neuroscience
| | - Britton R. Barbee
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Translational and Social Neuroscience
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Shannon L. Gourley
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Translational and Social Neuroscience
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology Emory University, Atlanta, GA
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18
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Salehzadeh SA, Mohammadian A, Salimi F. Effect of chronic methamphetamine injection on levels of BDNF mRNA and its CpG island methylation in prefrontal cortex of rats. Asian J Psychiatr 2020; 48:101884. [PMID: 31830601 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2019.101884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Methamphetamine (METH) is a highly addictive psychostimulant. Its abuse causes problems in cognition, attention, or psychiatric conditions such as psychosis. Prefrontal cortex is involved in many aspects of drug addiction and in mental disorders similar to those triggered by METH. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), plays important roles in modulating different aspects of addiction, and is implicated in psychiatric conditions reminiscent of those suffered by METH-abusers. Male Wistar rats were intra-peritoneally injected with METH (8 mg/kg/day) for 14 days while control group received normal saline. After extraction of prefrontal cortices, expression of BDNF IV splice variant and methylation level of its CpG island were evaluated. The relative expression of BDNF IV in METH-treated group was 2.15 fold higher than the control group. Seven out of 29 CpG sites were significantly hypomethylated in the METH group, although none survived Bonferroni adjustment. However, the overall methylation level of the 29 CpGs was significantly lower in METH cases than in controls. We discuss the importance of our results and its implications in detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Ahmad Salehzadeh
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Mohammadian
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Fatemeh Salimi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
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Pitts EG, Barfield ET, Woon EP, Gourley SL. Action-Outcome Expectancies Require Orbitofrontal Neurotrophin Systems in Naïve and Cocaine-Exposed Mice. Neurotherapeutics 2020; 17:165-177. [PMID: 31218603 PMCID: PMC7007486 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-019-00752-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Cocaine use during adolescence decreases the likelihood that individuals will seek treatment for recurrent drug use. In rodents, developmental cocaine exposure weakens action-consequence decision-making, causing a deferral to familiar, habit-like behavioral response strategies. Here, we aimed to improve action-outcome decision-making. We found that acute pharmacological stimulation of the tyrosine/tropomyosin receptor kinase B (trkB) via 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF) or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) blocked cocaine-induced habit biases by strengthening memory for action-outcome associations. We believe that MDMA acts by stimulating neurotrophin/trkB systems in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), a region involved in prospectively evaluating the consequences of one's action, because 1) MDMA also increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the OFC, 2) MDMA corrected habit biases due to Bdnf loss in the OFC, and 3) overexpression of a truncated isoform of trkB occluded the memory-enhancing effects of MDMA. Thus, selecting actions based on their consequences requires BDNF-trkB in the OFC, the stimulation of which may improve goal attainment in both drug-naïve and cocaine-exposed individuals. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Cocaine use during adolescence decreases the likelihood that individuals will seek treatment for recurrent drug use, even as adults. Understanding how early-life cocaine exposure impacts goal-oriented action and prospective decision-making in adulthood is thus important. One key aspect of goal-directed decision-making is anticipating the consequences of one's actions, a process that likely involves the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). In rodents, developmental cocaine exposure weakens action-consequence decision-making, causing a deferral to familiar, habit-like behavioral response strategies. Here, we report that we can improve memory for action-consequence relationships by stimulating neurotrophic factors, which support cell survival, development, and plasticity in the brain. With strengthened action-consequence associations, cocaine-exposed mice regain the ability to optimally select actions based on their likely outcomes. Brain region-selective manipulations reveal that neurotrophin systems in the OFC are necessary for stable memory of action-consequence relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth G Pitts
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Elizabeth T Barfield
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Ellen P Woon
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Shannon L Gourley
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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20
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Buchta WC, Moutal A, Hines B, Garcia-Keller C, Smith ACW, Kalivas P, Khanna R, Riegel AC. Dynamic CRMP2 Regulation of CaV2.2 in the Prefrontal Cortex Contributes to the Reinstatement of Cocaine Seeking. Mol Neurobiol 2020; 57:346-357. [PMID: 31359322 PMCID: PMC6980501 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-019-01711-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cocaine addiction remains a major health concern with limited effective treatment options. A better understanding of mechanisms underlying relapse may help inform the development of new pharmacotherapies. Emerging evidence suggests that collapsin response mediator protein 2 (CRMP2) regulates presynaptic excitatory neurotransmission and contributes to pathological changes during diseases, such as neuropathic pain and substance use disorders. We examined the role of CRMP2 and its interactions with a known binding partner, CaV2.2, in cocaine-seeking behavior. We employed the rodent self-administration model of relapse to drug seeking and focused on the prefrontal cortex (PFC) for its well-established role in reinstatement behaviors. Our results indicated that repeated cocaine self-administration resulted in a dynamic and persistent alteration in the PFC expression of CRMP2 and its binding partner, the CaV2.2 (N-type) voltage-gated calcium channel. Following cocaine self-administration and extinction training, the expression of both CRMP2 and CaV2.2 was reduced relative to yoked saline controls. By contrast, cued reinstatement potentiated CRMP2 expression and increased CaV2.2 expression above extinction levels. Lastly, we utilized the recently developed peptide myr-TAT-CBD3 to disrupt the interaction between CRMP2 and CaV2.2 in vivo. We assessed the reinstatement behavior after infusing this peptide directly into the medial PFC and found that it decreased cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking. Taken together, these data suggest that neuroadaptations in the CRMP2/CaV2.2 signaling cascade in the PFC can facilitate drug-seeking behavior. Targeting such interactions has implications for the treatment of cocaine relapse behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- William C Buchta
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), 410C Basic Sciences Building, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Neurobiology of Addiction Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Aubin Moutal
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
| | - Bethany Hines
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), 410C Basic Sciences Building, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Neurobiology of Addiction Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Constanza Garcia-Keller
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), 410C Basic Sciences Building, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Neurobiology of Addiction Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Alexander C W Smith
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), 410C Basic Sciences Building, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Neurobiology of Addiction Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Peter Kalivas
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), 410C Basic Sciences Building, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Neurobiology of Addiction Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Rajesh Khanna
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
- The Center for Innovation in Brain Sciences, The University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Arthur C Riegel
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), 410C Basic Sciences Building, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
- Neurobiology of Addiction Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA.
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21
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Niedzielska-Andres E, Mizera J, Sadakierska-Chudy A, Pomierny-Chamioło L, Filip M. Changes in the glutamate biomarker expression in rats vulnerable or resistant to the rewarding effects of cocaine and their reversal by ceftriaxone. Behav Brain Res 2019; 370:111945. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.111945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Revised: 05/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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DePoy LM, Shapiro LP, Kietzman HW, Roman KM, Gourley SL. β1-Integrins in the Developing Orbitofrontal Cortex Are Necessary for Expectancy Updating in Mice. J Neurosci 2019; 39:6644-6655. [PMID: 31253753 PMCID: PMC6703883 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3072-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Revised: 05/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Navigating a changing environment requires associating stimuli and actions with their likely outcomes and modifying these associations when they change. These processes involve the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Although some molecular mediators have been identified, developmental factors are virtually unknown. We hypothesized that the cell adhesion factor β1-integrin is essential to OFC function, anticipating developmental windows during which β1-integrins might be more influential than others. We discovered that OFC-selective β1-integrin silencing before adolescence, but not later, impaired the ability of mice to extinguish conditioned fear and select actions based on their likely outcomes. Early-life knock-down also reduced the densities of dendritic spines, the primary sites of excitatory plasticity in the brain, and weakened sensitivity to cortical inputs. Notwithstanding these defects in male mice, females were resilient to OFC (but not hippocampal) β1-integrin loss. Existing literature suggests that resilience may be explained by estradiol-mediated transactivation of β1-integrins and tropomyosin receptor kinase B (trkB). Accordingly, we discovered that a trkB agonist administered during adolescence corrected reward-related decision making in β1-integrin-deficient males. In sum, developmental β1-integrins are indispensable for OFC function later in life.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is a subregion of the frontal cortex that allows organisms to link behaviors and stimuli with anticipated outcomes, and to make predictions about the consequences of one's behavior. Aspects of OFC development are particularly prolonged, extending well into adolescence, likely optimizing organisms' abilities to prospectively calculate the consequences of their actions and select behaviors appropriately; these decision making strategies improve as young individuals mature into adulthood. Molecular factors are not, however, well understood. Our experiments reveal that a cell adhesion protein termed "β1-integrin" is necessary for OFC neuronal maturation and function. Importantly, β1-integrins operate during a critical period equivalent to early adolescence in humans to optimize the ability of organisms to update expectancies later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M DePoy
- Department of Pediatrics
- Department of Psychiatry
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, and
| | - Lauren P Shapiro
- Department of Pediatrics
- Department of Psychiatry
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
| | - Henry W Kietzman
- Department of Pediatrics
- Department of Psychiatry
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, and
| | - Kaitlyn M Roman
- Department of Pediatrics
- Department of Psychiatry
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, and
| | - Shannon L Gourley
- Department of Pediatrics,
- Department of Psychiatry
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, and
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
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Maltbie EA, Gopinath KS, Howell LL. Effects of ketamine treatment on cocaine-induced reinstatement and disruption of functional connectivity in unanesthetized rhesus monkeys. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:2105-2118. [PMID: 30879118 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-019-05204-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Substance use disorders are characterized by a loss of executive control over reward-based decision-making, and disruption of fronto-striatal connectivity has been implicated in this process. Sub-anesthetic ketamine has recently been shown to bolster fronto-striatal connectivity in drug-naïve subjects. OBJECTIVES The influence of ketamine treatment was examined on the disruptive effects of cocaine on functional connectivity (FC) and on cocaine-seeking behavior in female rhesus monkeys. METHODS Three female rhesus were trained for unanesthetized MRI scanning. Each received three drug-naïve/abstinent pharmacological MRI scans with acute injections of saline, cocaine (0.3 mg/kg i.v.), and cocaine (0.3 mg/kg i.v.) 48-h after a ketamine treatment (low dose = 0.345 mg/kg bolus + 0.256 mg/kg/h for 1 h; i.v.), and a fourth scan with saline injection following 2 months of daily cocaine self-administration. A separate cohort of five rhesus (4 female), all with extensive histories of cocaine exposure, underwent reinstatement testing 48 h after ketamine (or vehicle) treatment. Two sub-anesthetic doses were tested: low dose and high dose = 0.69 mg/kg + 0.512 mg/kg/h for 1 h. RESULTS Ketamine treatment attenuated the effects of cocaine on both global and fronto-striatal FC in drug-naïve/abstinent subjects. Two months of daily cocaine self-administration led to prolonged disruption of both global and fronto-striatal FC. Cocaine-seeking behavior during reinstatement was reduced following ketamine treatment at the low dose, but not high dose. CONCLUSION These findings illustrate the disruptive effects of cocaine on functional connectivity and provide evidence for the potential efficacy of ketamine as a treatment for stimulant use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric A Maltbie
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Rd NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Kaundinya S Gopinath
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Rd NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.,Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Leonard L Howell
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Rd NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA. .,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.
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Defining the place of habit in substance use disorders. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2018; 87:22-32. [PMID: 28663112 PMCID: PMC5748018 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.06.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2017] [Revised: 06/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
It has long been suggested that alcohol or substance use disorders could emerge from the progressive development and dominance of drug habits. Like habits, drug-related behaviors are often triggered by drug-associated cues. Like habits, addictive behaviors are strong, rigid and "hard to break". Like habits, these behaviors are insensitive to their outcome and persist despite negative consequences. "Pathological habit" thus appears as a good candidate to explain the transition to compulsive drug use. However, drug use could also be considered as a goal-directed choice, driven by the expectation of drug outcomes. For example, drug addicts may engage in drug-seeking behaviors because they view the drug as more valuable than available alternatives. Substance use disorders therefore may not be all about habit, nor fully intentional, and could be considered as resulting from an imbalance between goal-directed and habitual control. The main objective of this review is to disentangle the relative contribution of habit formation and impairment of goal-directed behavior in this unbalanced control of addictive behaviors. Although deficits in goal-directed behavior have been demonstrated in alcohol and substance use disorders, reliable demonstration of abnormal habit formation has been curtailed by the paucity of paradigms designed to assess habit as a positive result. Refining our animal and human model of habit is therefore required to precisely define the place of habit in substance use disorders and develop appropriate and adapted neurobehavioral treatments.
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25
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Adolescent cocaine exposure induces prolonged synaptic modifications in medial prefrontal cortex of adult rats. Brain Struct Funct 2017; 223:1829-1838. [PMID: 29247260 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-017-1590-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Substance used during adolescent period increases the risk of psychiatric disorders in later life, but the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. We hypothesize that synaptic remodeling and changes of homeostasis in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) following adolescent cocaine exposure may last for a long time, and these modifications may contribute to behavioral deficiencies in adulthood. To address this hypothesis, rats were exposed to cocaine hydrochloride from postnatal day 28 (P28) to P42. When reared to adulthood, rats were subjected to behavioral tests. On P75 and P76, cocaine-experienced rats exhibited increased locomotive and anxiety-like behaviors, as well as impaired non-selective attention. In the cocaine-experienced rats, both levels of synapse-related proteins (synapsin I and PSD-95) and density of synapse and dendrite spine in mPFC were significantly decreased when compared to controls. Unexpected, the expression of molecules related to oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis showed no significant changes in mPFC following adolescent cocaine exposure. These findings suggested that adolescent exposure to cocaine induce long-term modification on synapses in mPFC, which might contribute to long-term behavioral outcomes in adulthood.
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26
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Swanson AM, DePoy LM, Gourley SL. Inhibiting Rho kinase promotes goal-directed decision making and blocks habitual responding for cocaine. Nat Commun 2017; 8:1861. [PMID: 29187752 PMCID: PMC5707361 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01915-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The prelimbic prefrontal cortex is necessary for associating actions with their consequences, enabling goal-directed decision making. We find that the strength of action–outcome conditioning correlates with dendritic spine density in prelimbic cortex, suggesting that new action–outcome learning involves dendritic spine plasticity. To test this, we inhibited the cytoskeletal regulatory factor Rho kinase. We find that the inhibitor fasudil enhances action–outcome memory, resulting in goal-directed behavior in mice that would otherwise express stimulus-response habits. Fasudil transiently reduces prelimbic cortical dendritic spine densities during a period of presumed memory consolidation, but only when paired with new learning. Fasudil also blocks habitual responding for cocaine, an effect that persists over time, across multiple contexts, and depends on actin polymerization. We suggest that Rho kinase inhibition promotes goal-oriented action selection by augmenting the plasticity of prelimbic cortical dendritic spines during the formation of new action–outcome memories. Action-outcome learning requires the prelimbic prefrontal cortex. Here the authors report that fasudil, a Rho kinase inhibitor, reduces dendritic spine densities on prelimbic neurons in an activity-dependent manner, stimulating goal-directed actions, and reducing habitual responding for cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M Swanson
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, 954 Gatewood Road NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Lauren M DePoy
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, 954 Gatewood Road NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Shannon L Gourley
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, 954 Gatewood Road NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA. .,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.
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27
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DePoy LM, Zimmermann KS, Marvar PJ, Gourley SL. Induction and Blockade of Adolescent Cocaine-Induced Habits. Biol Psychiatry 2017; 81:595-605. [PMID: 27871669 PMCID: PMC5359769 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2016] [Revised: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cocaine use during adolescence increases vulnerability to drug dependence and decreases the likelihood that individuals will seek treatment as adults. Understanding how early-life cocaine exposure influences decision-making processes in adulthood is thus critically important. METHODS Adolescent or adult mice were exposed to subchronic cocaine, then behavioral sensitivity to changes in the predictive relationship between actions and their consequences was tested. Dendritic spines on the principal pyramidal neurons of the orbitofrontal prefrontal cortex (oPFC) were also imaged and enumerated. To determine whether cytoskeletal regulatory systems in the oPFC influenced decision-making strategies, we then inhibited the activity of Abl family and Rho kinases as well as NR2B-containing N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors. We also attempted to block the reinstatement of cocaine seeking in cocaine self-administering mice. RESULTS Adult mice with a history of subchronic cocaine exposure in adolescence engaged habit-based response strategies at the expense of goal-directed decision-making strategies and had fewer dendritic spines in the oPFC. Inhibition of the cytoskeletal regulatory Abl family kinases in the oPFC recapitulated these neurobehavioral deficiencies, whereas Rho kinase inhibition corrected response strategies. Additionally, the NR2B-selective N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists ifenprodil and CP-101,606 blocked cocaine-induced habits; this was dependent on Abl family signaling in the oPFC. Ifenprodil also mitigated cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking in mice self-administering cocaine. CONCLUSIONS We suggest that adolescent cocaine exposure confers a bias toward habit-based behavior in adulthood via long-term cellular structural modifications in the oPFC. Treatments aimed at mitigating the durable consequences of early-life cocaine use may benefit from targeting cytoskeletal regulatory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M. DePoy
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University
| | - Kelsey S. Zimmermann
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University
| | - Paul J. Marvar
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, GW Institute for Neuroscience, The George Washington University
| | - Shannon L. Gourley
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University,Contact: Shannon L. Gourley, PhD, Department of Pediatrics
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Rd. NE, Atlanta GA 30329, 404-727-2482,
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Ghiani CA, Faundez V. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurodevelopmental disorders. J Neurosci Res 2017; 95:1093-1096. [PMID: 28225560 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina A Ghiani
- Departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 90095, USA
| | - Victor Faundez
- Department of Cell Biology and the Center for Social Translational Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
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Developmental Exposure to Cocaine Dynamically Dysregulates Cortical Arc/Arg3.1 Modulation in Response to a Challenge. Neurotox Res 2016; 31:289-297. [PMID: 27832448 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-016-9683-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Revised: 10/24/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
During adolescence, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is still developing. We have previously shown that developmental cocaine exposure alters mPFC's ability to cope with challenging events. In this manuscript, we exposed rats developmentally treated with cocaine to a novelty task and analyzed the molecular changes of mPFC. Rats were exposed to cocaine from post-natal day (PND) 28 to PND 42 and sacrificed at PND 43, immediately after the novel object recognition (NOR) test. Cocaine-treated rats spent more time exploring the novel object than saline-treated counterparts, suggesting an increased response to novelty. The messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of the immediate early gene Arc/Arg3.1 were reduced in both infralimbic (IL) and prelimbic (PL) cortices highlighting a baseline reduction of mPFC neuronal activity as a consequence of developmental exposure to cocaine. Intriguingly, significant molecular changes were observed in the IL, but not PL, cortex in response to the combination of cocaine exposure and test such as a marked upregulation of both Arc/Arg3.1 mRNA and protein levels only in cocaine-treated rats. As for proteins, such increase was observed only in the post-synaptic density and not in the whole homogenate, suggesting psychostimulant-induced changes in trafficking of Arc/Arg3.1 or an increased local translation. Notably, the same profile of Arc/Arg3.1 was observed for post-synaptic density (PSD)-95 leading to the possibility that Arc/Arg3.1 and PSD-95 bridge together to promote aberrant synaptic connectivity in IL cortex following repeated exposure to cocaine during brain development.
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30
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Li Y, Qiao X, Yin F, Guo H, Huang X, Lai J, Wei S. A Population-Based Study of Four Genes Associated with Heroin Addiction in Han Chinese. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0163668. [PMID: 27676367 PMCID: PMC5038970 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2016] [Accepted: 09/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that variants in FAT atypical cadherin 3 (FAT3), kinectin 1 (KTN1), discs large homolog2 (DLG2) and deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC) genes influence the structure of the human mesolimbic reward system. We conducted a systematic analysis of the potential functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these genes associated with heroin addiction. We scanned the functional regions of these genes and identified 20 SNPs for genotyping by using the SNaPshot method. A total of 1080 samples, comprising 523 cases and 557 controls, were analyzed. We observed that DCC rs16956878, rs12607853, and rs2292043 were associated with heroin addiction. The T alleles of rs16956878 (p = 0.0004) and rs12607853 (p = 0.002) were significantly enriched in the case group compared with the controls. A lower incidence of the C allele of rs2292043 (p = 0.002) was observed in the case group. In block 2 of DCC (rs2292043-rs12607853-rs16956878), the frequency of the T-T-T haplotype was significantly higher in the case group than in the control group (p = 0.024), and fewer C-C-C haplotypes (p = 0.006) were detected in the case group. DCC may be an important candidate gene in heroin addiction, and rs16956878, rs12607853, and rs2292043 may be risk factors, thereby providing a basis for further genetic and biological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunxiao Li
- College of Forensic Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Public Health for Forensic Science, Xi’an, PR China
| | - Xiaomeng Qiao
- College of Forensic Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Public Health for Forensic Science, Xi’an, PR China
| | - Fangyuan Yin
- College of Forensic Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Public Health for Forensic Science, Xi’an, PR China
| | - Hao Guo
- College of Forensic Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Public Health for Forensic Science, Xi’an, PR China
| | - Xin Huang
- College of Forensic Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Public Health for Forensic Science, Xi’an, PR China
| | - Jianghua Lai
- College of Forensic Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Public Health for Forensic Science, Xi’an, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Ministry of Education, Xi’an, PR China
| | - Shuguang Wei
- College of Forensic Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Public Health for Forensic Science, Xi’an, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Ministry of Education, Xi’an, PR China
- * E-mail:
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DePoy LM, Allen AG, Gourley SL. Adolescent cocaine self-administration induces habit behavior in adulthood: sex differences and structural consequences. Transl Psychiatry 2016; 6:e875. [PMID: 27576164 PMCID: PMC5022090 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2016.150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2015] [Revised: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescent cocaine use increases the likelihood of drug abuse and addiction in adulthood, and etiological factors may include a cocaine-induced bias towards so-called 'reward-seeking' habits. To determine whether adolescent cocaine exposure indeed impacts decision-making strategies in adulthood, we trained adolescent mice to orally self-administer cocaine. In adulthood, males with a history of escalating self-administration developed a bias towards habit-based behaviors. In contrast, escalating females did not develop habit biases; rather, low response rates were associated with later behavioral inflexibility, independent of cocaine dose. We focused the rest of our report on understanding how individual differences in young-adolescent females predicted long-term behavioral outcomes. Low, 'stable' cocaine-reinforced response rates during adolescence were associated with cocaine-conditioned object preference and enlarged dendritic spine head size in the medial (prelimbic) prefrontal cortex in adulthood. Meanwhile, cocaine resilience was associated with enlarged spine heads in deep-layer orbitofrontal cortex. Re-exposure to the cocaine-associated context in adulthood energized responding in 'stable responders', which could then be reduced by the GABAB agonist baclofen and the putative tyrosine receptor kinase B (trkB) agonist, 7,8-dihydroxyflavone. Together, our findings highlight resilience to cocaine-induced habits in females relative to males when intake escalates. However, failures in instrumental conditioning in adolescent females may precipitate reward-seeking behaviors in adulthood, particularly in the context of cocaine exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- L M DePoy
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - A G Allen
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - S L Gourley
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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32
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Pitts EG, Taylor JR, Gourley SL. Prefrontal cortical BDNF: A regulatory key in cocaine- and food-reinforced behaviors. Neurobiol Dis 2016; 91:326-35. [PMID: 26923993 PMCID: PMC4913044 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2016.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Revised: 02/20/2016] [Accepted: 02/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) affects synaptic plasticity and neural structure and plays key roles in learning and memory processes. Recent evidence also points to important, yet complex, roles for BDNF in rodent models of cocaine abuse and addiction. Here we examine the role of prefrontal cortical (PFC) BDNF in reward-related decision making and behavioral sensitivity to, and responding for, cocaine. We focus on BDNF within the medial and orbital PFC, its regulation by cocaine during early postnatal development and in adulthood, and how BDNF in turn influences responding for drug reinforcement, including in reinstatement models. When relevant, we draw comparisons and contrasts with experiments using natural (food) reinforcers. We also summarize findings supporting, or refuting, the possibility that BDNF in the medial and orbital PFC regulate the development and maintenance of stimulus-response habits. Further investigation could assist in the development of novel treatment approaches for cocaine use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth G Pitts
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jane R Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Shannon L Gourley
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.
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33
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Gourley SL, Taylor JR. Going and stopping: Dichotomies in behavioral control by the prefrontal cortex. Nat Neurosci 2016; 19:656-664. [PMID: 29162973 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The rodent dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (PFC), specifically the prelimbic cortex (PL), regulates the expression of conditioned fear and behaviors interpreted as reward-seeking. Meanwhile, the ventral medial PFC, namely the infralimbic cortex (IL), is essential to extinction conditioning in both appetitive and aversive domains. Here we review evidence that supports, or refutes, this "PL-go/IL-stop" dichotomy. We focus on the extinction of conditioned fear and the extinction and reinstatement of cocaine- or heroin-reinforced responding. We then synthesize evidence that the PL is essential for developing goal-directed response strategies, while the IL supports habit behavior. Finally, we propose that some functions of the orbital PFC parallel those of the medial PFC in the regulation of response selection. Integration of these discoveries may provide points of intervention for inhibiting untethered drug seeking in drug use disorders, failures in extinction in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or co-morbidities between the two.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon L Gourley
- Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Jane R Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT
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34
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The Contingency of Cocaine Administration Accounts for Structural and Functional Medial Prefrontal Deficits and Increased Adrenocortical Activation. J Neurosci 2015; 35:11897-910. [PMID: 26311772 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4961-14.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The prelimbic region (PL) of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is implicated in the relapse of drug-seeking behavior. Optimal mPFC functioning relies on synaptic connections involving dendritic spines in pyramidal neurons, whereas prefrontal dysfunction resulting from elevated glucocorticoids, stress, aging, and mental illness are each linked to decreased apical dendritic branching and spine density in pyramidal neurons in these cortical fields. The fact that cocaine use induces activation of the stress-responsive hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis raises the possibility that cocaine-related impairments in mPFC functioning may be manifested by similar changes in neuronal architecture in mPFC. Nevertheless, previous studies have generally identified increases, rather than decreases, in structural plasticity in mPFC after cocaine self-administration. Here, we use 3D imaging and analysis of dendritic spine morphometry to show that chronic cocaine self-administration leads to mild decreases of apical dendritic branching, prominent dendritic spine attrition in PL pyramidal neurons, and working memory deficits. Importantly, these impairments were largely accounted for in groups of rats that self-administered cocaine compared with yoked-cocaine- and saline-matched counterparts. Follow-up experiments failed to demonstrate any effects of either experimenter-administered cocaine or food self-administration on structural alterations in PL neurons. Finally, we verified that the cocaine self-administration group was distinguished by more protracted increases in adrenocortical activity compared with yoked-cocaine- and saline-matched controls. These studies suggest a mechanism whereby increased adrenocortical activity resulting from chronic cocaine self-administration may contribute to regressive prefrontal structural and functional plasticity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Stress, aging, and mental illness are each linked to decreased prefrontal plasticity. Here, we show that chronic cocaine self-administration in rats leads to decrements in medial prefrontal structural and functional plasticity. Notably, these impairments were largely accounted for in rats that self-administered cocaine compared with yoked counterparts. Moreover, we verified previous reports showing that adrenocortical output is augmented by cocaine administration and is more protracted in rats that were permitted to receive the drug contingently instead of passively. These studies suggest that increased adrenocortical activity resulting from cocaine self-administration may contribute to regressive prefrontal structural and functional plasticity.
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