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Taxier LR, Flanigan ME, Haun HL, Kash TL. Retrieval of an ethanol-conditioned taste aversion promotes GABAergic plasticity in the insular cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.20.585950. [PMID: 38562680 PMCID: PMC10983921 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.20.585950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Blunted sensitivity to ethanol's aversive effects can increase motivation to consume ethanol; yet, the neurobiological circuits responsible for encoding these aversive properties are not fully understood. Plasticity in cells projecting from the insular cortex (IC) to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) is critical for taste aversion learning and retrieval, suggesting this circuit's potential involvement in modulating the aversive properties of ethanol. Here, we tested the hypothesis that GABAergic activity onto IC-BLA projections would be facilitated following the retrieval of an ethanol-conditioned taste aversion (CTA). Consistent with this hypothesis, frequency of mIPSCs was increased following retrieval of an ethanol-CTA across cell layers in IC-BLA projection neurons. This increase in GABAergic plasticity occurred in both a circuit-specific and learning-dependent manner. Additionally, local inhibitory inputs onto layer 2/3 IC-BLA projection neurons were greater in number and strength following ethanol-CTA. Finally, DREADD-mediated inhibition of IC parvalbumin-expressing cells blunted the retrieval of ethanol-CTA in male, but not female, mice. Collectively, this work implicates a circuit-specific and learning-dependent increase in GABAergic tone following retrieval of an ethanol-CTA, thereby advancing our understanding of how the aversive effects of ethanol are encoded in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa R Taxier
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA, 27599
| | - Meghan E Flanigan
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA, 27599
| | - Harold L Haun
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA, 27599
| | - Thomas L Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA, 27599
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2
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Rodríguez-Durán LF, López-Ibarra DL, Herrera-Xithe G, Bermúdez-Rattoni F, Osorio-Gómez D, Escobar ML. Synergistic photoactivation of VTA-catecholaminergic and BLA-glutamatergic projections induces long-term potentiation in the insular cortex. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 205:107845. [PMID: 37865264 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
The presentation of novel stimuli induces a reliable dopamine release in the insular cortex (IC) from the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The novel stimuli could be associated with motivational and emotional signals induced by cortical glutamate release from the basolateral amygdala (BLA). Dopamine and glutamate are essential for acquiring and maintaining behavioral tasks, including visual and taste recognition memories. In this study, we hypothesize that the simultaneous activation of dopaminergic and glutamatergic projections to the neocortex can underlie synaptic plasticity. High-frequency stimulation of the BLA-IC circuit has demonstrated a reliable long-term potentiation (LTP), a widely acknowledged synaptic plasticity that underlies memory consolidation. Therefore, the concurrent optogenetic stimulation of the insula's glutamatergic and dopaminergic terminal fibers would induce reliable LTP. Our results confirmed that combined photostimulation of the VTA and BLA projections to the IC induces a slow-onset LTP. We also found that optogenetically-induced LTP in the IC relies on both glutamatergic NMDA receptors and dopaminergic D1/D5 receptors, suggesting that the combined effects of these neurotransmitters can trigger synaptic plasticity in the neocortex. Overall, our findings provide compelling evidence supporting the essential role of both dopaminergic and glutamatergic projections in modulating synaptic plasticity within the IC. Furthermore, our results suggest that the synergistic actions of these projections have a pivotal influence on the formation of motivational memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis F Rodríguez-Durán
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, UNAM, División de Neurociencias, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Diana L López-Ibarra
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, UNAM, División de Neurociencias, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Gabriela Herrera-Xithe
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, UNAM, División de Neurociencias, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Federico Bermúdez-Rattoni
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, UNAM, División de Neurociencias, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Daniel Osorio-Gómez
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, UNAM, División de Neurociencias, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico.
| | - Martha L Escobar
- Facultad de Psicología, UNAM, División de Investigación y Estudios de Posgrado, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico.
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3
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Wang L, Hu X, Ren Y, Lv J, Zhao S, Guo L, Liu T, Han J. Arousal modulates the amygdala-insula reciprocal connectivity during naturalistic emotional movie watching. Neuroimage 2023; 279:120316. [PMID: 37562718 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Emotional arousal is a complex state recruiting distributed cortical and subcortical structures, in which the amygdala and insula play an important role. Although previous neuroimaging studies have showed that the amygdala and insula manifest reciprocal connectivity, the effective connectivities and modulatory patterns on the amygdala-insula interactions underpinning arousal are still largely unknown. One of the reasons may be attributed to static and discrete laboratory brain imaging paradigms used in most existing studies. In this study, by integrating naturalistic-paradigm (i.e., movie watching) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with a computational affective model that predicts dynamic arousal for the movie stimuli, we investigated the effective amygdala-insula interactions and the modulatory effect of the input arousal on the effective connections. Specifically, the predicted dynamic arousal of the movie served as regressors in general linear model (GLM) analysis and brain activations were identified accordingly. The regions of interest (i.e., the bilateral amygdala and insula) were localized according to the GLM activation map. The effective connectivity and modulatory effect were then inferred by using dynamic causal modeling (DCM). Our experimental results demonstrated that amygdala was the site of driving arousal input and arousal had a modulatory effect on the reciprocal connections between amygdala and insula. Our study provides novel evidence to the underlying neural mechanisms of arousal in a dynamical naturalistic setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liting Wang
- School of Automation, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xintao Hu
- School of Automation, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Yudan Ren
- School of Information Science and Technology, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jinglei Lv
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Shijie Zhao
- School of Automation, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Lei Guo
- School of Automation, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Tianming Liu
- School of Computing, University of Georgia, Athens, USA
| | - Junwei Han
- School of Automation, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
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Mukherjee A, Paladino MS, McSain SL, Gilles-Thomas EA, Lichte DD, Camadine RD, Willock S, Sontate KV, Honeycutt SC, Loney GC. Escalation of alcohol intake is associated with regionally decreased insular cortex activity but not changes in taste quality. ALCOHOL, CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 47:868-881. [PMID: 36941800 PMCID: PMC10289132 DOI: 10.1111/acer.15060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Intermittent access to ethanol drives persistent escalation of intake and rapid transition from moderate to compulsive-like drinking. Intermittent ethanol drinking may facilitate escalation of intake in part by altering aversion-sensitive neural substrates, such as the insular cortex (IC), thus driving greater approach toward stimuli previously treated as aversive. METHODS We conducted a series of experiments in rats to examine behavioral and neural responses associated with escalation of ethanol intake. First, taste reactivity analyses quantified the degree to which intermittent brief-access ethanol exposure (BAEE) alters sensitivity to the aversive properties of ethanol. Next, we determined whether pharmacological IC inhibition facilitated ethanol escalation. Finally, given that the IC is primary gustatory cortex, we employed psychophysical paradigms to assess whether escalation of ethanol intake induced changes in ethanol taste. These paradigms measured changes in sensitivity to the intensity of ethanol taste and whether escalation in intake shifts the salient taste quality of ethanol by measuring the degree to which the taste of ethanol generalized to a sucrose-like ("sweet") or quinine-like ("bitter") percept. RESULTS We found a near-complete loss of aversive oromotor responses in ethanol-exposed relative to ethanol-naïve rats. Additionally, we observed significantly lower expression of ethanol-induced c-Fos expression in the posterior IC in exposed rats relative to naïve rats. Inhibition of the IC resulted in a modest, but statistically reliable increase in the acceptance of higher ethanol concentrations in naïve rats. Finally, we found no evidence of changes in the psychophysical assessment of the taste of ethanol in exposed, relative to naïve, rats. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that neural activity within the IC adapts following repeated presentations of ethanol in a manner that correlates with reduced sensitivity to the aversive hedonic properties of ethanol. These data help to establish that alterations in IC activity may be driving exposure-induced escalations in ethanol intake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashmita Mukherjee
- Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Morgan S Paladino
- Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Shannon L McSain
- Program in Biological Sciences, Department of Biology, State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Gilles-Thomas
- Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - David D Lichte
- Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Rece D Camadine
- Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Saidah Willock
- Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Kajol V Sontate
- Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Sarah C Honeycutt
- Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Gregory C Loney
- Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
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5
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Park A, Jacob AD, Hsiang HLL, Frankland PW, Howland JG, Josselyn SA. Formation and fate of an engram in the lateral amygdala supporting a rewarding memory in mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:724-733. [PMID: 36261624 PMCID: PMC10066178 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01472-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Memories allow past experiences to guide future decision making and behavior. Sparse ensembles of neurons, known as engrams, are thought to store memories in the brain. Most previous research has focused on engrams supporting threatening or fearful memories where results show that neurons involved in a particular engram ("engram neurons") are both necessary and sufficient for memory expression. Far less is understood about engrams supporting appetitive or rewarding memories. As circumstances and environments are dynamic, the fate of a previously acquired engram with changing circumstances is unknown. Here we examined how engrams supporting a rewarding cue-cocaine memory are formed and whether this original engram is important in reinstatement of memory-guided behavior following extinction. Using a variety of techniques, we show that neurons in the lateral amygdala are allocated to an engram based on relative neuronal excitability at training. Furthermore, once allocated, these neurons become both necessary and sufficient for behavior consistent with recall of that rewarding memory. Allocated neurons are also critical for cocaine-primed reinstatement of memory-guided behavior following extinction. Moreover, artificial reactivation of initially allocated neurons supports reinstatement-like behavior following extinction even in the absence of cocaine-priming. Together, these findings suggest that cocaine priming after extinction reactivates the original engram, and that memory-guided reinstatement behavior does not occur in the absence of this reactivation. Although we focused on neurons in one brain region only, our findings that manipulations of lateral amygdala engram neurons alone were sufficient to impact memory-guided behavior indicate that the lateral amygdala is a critical hub region in what may be a larger brain-wide engram.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Park
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Alexander D Jacob
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Hwa-Lin Liz Hsiang
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Paul W Frankland
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
- Child & Brain Development Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Toronto, ON, M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - John G Howland
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada.
| | - Sheena A Josselyn
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
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6
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Brandel-Ankrapp KL, Arey RN. Uncovering novel regulators of memory using C. elegans genetic and genomic analysis. Biochem Soc Trans 2023; 51:161-171. [PMID: 36744642 PMCID: PMC10518207 DOI: 10.1042/bst20220455] [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: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
How organisms learn and encode memory is an outstanding question in neuroscience research. Specifically, how memories are acquired and consolidated at the level of molecular and gene pathways remains unclear. In addition, memory is disrupted in a wide variety of neurological disorders; therefore, discovering molecular regulators of memory may reveal therapeutic targets for these disorders. C. elegans are an excellent model to uncover molecular and genetic regulators of memory. Indeed, the nematode's invariant neuronal lineage, fully mapped genome, and conserved associative behaviors have allowed the development of a breadth of genetic and genomic tools to examine learning and memory. In this mini-review, we discuss novel and exciting genetic and genomic techniques used to examine molecular and genetic underpinnings of memory from the level of the whole-worm to tissue-specific and cell-type specific approaches with high spatiotemporal resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie L. Brandel-Ankrapp
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, U.S.A
- Center for Precision Environmental Health, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, U.S.A
| | - Rachel N. Arey
- Center for Precision Environmental Health, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, U.S.A
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, U.S.A
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7
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Lavi A, Sehgal M, de Sousa AF, Ter-Mkrtchyan D, Sisan F, Luchetti A, Okabe A, Bear C, Silva AJ. Local memory allocation recruits memory ensembles across brain regions. Neuron 2023; 111:470-480.e5. [PMID: 36563678 PMCID: PMC10548338 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Memories are thought to be stored in ensembles of neurons across multiple brain regions. However, whether and how these ensembles are coordinated at the time of learning remains largely unknown. Here, we combined CREB-mediated memory allocation with transsynaptic retrograde tracing to demonstrate that the allocation of aversive memories to a group of neurons in one brain region directly affects the allocation of interconnected neurons in upstream brain regions in a behavioral- and brain region-specific manner in mice. Our analysis suggests that this cross-regional recruitment of presynaptic neurons is initiated by downstream memory neurons through a retrograde mechanism. Together with statistical modeling, our results indicate that in addition to the anterograde flow of information between brain regions, the establishment of interconnected, brain-wide memory traces relies on a retrograde mechanism that coordinates memory ensembles at the time of learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayal Lavi
- Departments of Neurobiology, Psychology, Psychiatry, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory and Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Megha Sehgal
- Departments of Neurobiology, Psychology, Psychiatry, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory and Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Andre F de Sousa
- Departments of Neurobiology, Psychology, Psychiatry, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory and Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Donara Ter-Mkrtchyan
- Departments of Neurobiology, Psychology, Psychiatry, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory and Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Fardad Sisan
- Departments of Neurobiology, Psychology, Psychiatry, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory and Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Alessandro Luchetti
- Departments of Neurobiology, Psychology, Psychiatry, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory and Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Anna Okabe
- Departments of Neurobiology, Psychology, Psychiatry, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory and Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Cameron Bear
- Departments of Neurobiology, Psychology, Psychiatry, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory and Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Alcino J Silva
- Departments of Neurobiology, Psychology, Psychiatry, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory and Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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8
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Gore-Langton JK, Varlinskaya EI, Werner DF. Ethanol-induced conditioned taste aversion and associated neural activation in male rats: Impact of age and adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0279507. [PMID: 36548243 PMCID: PMC9778589 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals that initiate alcohol use at younger ages and binge drink during adolescence are more susceptible to developing alcohol use disorder. Adolescents are relatively insensitive to the aversive effects of alcohol and tend to consume significantly more alcohol per occasion than adults, an effect that is conserved in rodent models. Adolescent typical insensitivity to the aversive effects of alcohol may promote greater alcohol intake by attenuating internal cues that curb its consumption. Attenuated sensitivity to the aversive effects of alcohol is also retained into adulthood following protracted abstinence from adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure. Despite these effects, much remains unknown regarding the neural contributors. In the present study, we used a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) paradigm to investigate neuronal activation in late-developing forebrain structures of male adolescents and adult cFos-LacZ transgenic rats as well as in AIE adults following consumption of 0.9% sodium chloride previously paired with an intraperitoneal injection of 0, 1.5 or 2.5 g/kg of ethanol. Adults that were non-manipulated or received water exposure during adolescence showed CTA to both ethanol doses, whereas adolescents displayed CTA only to the 2.5 g/kg ethanol dose. Adults who experienced AIE did not show CTA. Adults displayed increased neuronal activation indexed via number of β-galactosidase positive (β-gal+) cells in the prefrontal and insular cortex that was absent in adolescents, whereas adolescents but not adults had a reduced number of β-gal+ cells in the central amygdala. Adults also displayed greater cortical-insular functional connectivity than adolescents as well as insular-amygdalar and prefrontal cortex-accumbens core functional connectivity. Like adolescents, adults previously exposed to AIE displayed reduced prefrontal-insular cortex and prefrontal-accumbal core functional connectivity. Taken together, these results suggest that attenuated sensitivity to the aversive effects of ethanol is related to a loss of an insular-prefrontal cortex-accumbens core circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan K. Gore-Langton
- Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
| | - Elena I. Varlinskaya
- Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
| | - David F. Werner
- Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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9
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Park S, Jung JH, Karimi SA, Jacob AD, Josselyn SA. Opto-extinction of a threat memory in mice. Brain Res Bull 2022; 191:61-68. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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10
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Infection, Learning, and Memory: Focus on Immune Activation and Aversive Conditioning. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 142:104898. [PMID: 36183862 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Here we review the effects of immune activation primarily via lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a cell wall component of Gram-negative bacteria, on hippocampal and non-hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. Rodent studies have found that LPS alters both the acquisition and consolidation of aversive learning and memory, such as those evoking evolutionarily adaptive responses like fear and disgust. The inhibitory effects of LPS on the acquisition and consolidation of contextual fear memory are discussed. LPS-induced alterations in the acquisition of taste and place-related conditioned disgust memory within bottle preference tasks and taste reactivity tests (taste-related), in addition to conditioned context avoidance tasks and the anticipatory nausea paradigm (place-related), are highlighted. Further, conditioned disgust memory consolidation may also be influenced by LPS-induced effects. Growing evidence suggests a central role of immune activation, especially pro-inflammatory cytokine activity, in eliciting the effects described here. Understanding how infection-induced immune activation alters learning and memory is increasingly important as bacterial and viral infections are found to present a risk of learning and memory impairment.
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11
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Chen YF, Song Q, Colucci P, Maltese F, Siller-Pérez C, Prins K, McGaugh JL, Hermans EJ, Campolongo P, Kasri NN, Roozendaal B. Basolateral amygdala activation enhances object recognition memory by inhibiting anterior insular cortex activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2203680119. [PMID: 35622887 PMCID: PMC9295787 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2203680119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Noradrenergic activation of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) by emotional arousal enhances different forms of recognition memory via functional interactions with the insular cortex (IC). Human neuroimaging studies have revealed that the anterior IC (aIC), as part of the salience network, is dynamically regulated during arousing situations. Emotional stimulation first rapidly increases aIC activity but suppresses it in a delayed fashion. Here, we investigated in male Sprague-Dawley rats whether the BLA influence on recognition memory is associated with an increase or suppression of aIC activity during the postlearning consolidation period. We first employed anterograde and retrograde viral tracing and found that the BLA sends dense monosynaptic projections to the aIC. Memory-enhancing norepinephrine administration into the BLA following an object training experience suppressed aIC activity 1 h later, as determined by a reduced expression of the phosphorylated form of the transcription factor cAMP response element-binding (pCREB) protein and neuronal activity marker c-Fos. In contrast, the number of perisomatic γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic inhibitory synapses per pCREB-positive neuron was significantly increased, suggesting a dynamic up-regulation of GABAergic tone. In support of this possibility, pharmacological inhibition of aIC activity with a GABAergic agonist during consolidation enhanced object recognition memory. Norepinephrine administration into the BLA did not affect neuronal activity within the posterior IC, which receives sparse innervation from the BLA. The evidence that noradrenergic activation of the BLA enhances the consolidation of object recognition memory via a mechanism involving a suppression of aIC activity provides insight into the broader brain network dynamics underlying emotional regulation of memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Fen Chen
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Qi Song
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Paola Colucci
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Maltese
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Karina Prins
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - James L. McGaugh
- Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3800
| | - Erno J. Hermans
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Patrizia Campolongo
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Nael Nadif Kasri
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Benno Roozendaal
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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12
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Bernanke A, Burnette E, Murphy J, Hernandez N, Zimmerman S, Walker QD, Wander R, Sette S, Reavis Z, Francis R, Armstrong C, Risher ML, Kuhn C. Behavior and Fos activation reveal that male and female rats differentially assess affective valence during CTA learning and expression. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260577. [PMID: 34898621 PMCID: PMC8668140 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Females are more affected by psychiatric illnesses including eating disorders, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder than males. However, the neural mechanisms mediating these sex differences are poorly understood. Animal models can be useful in exploring such neural mechanisms. Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) is a behavioral task that assesses how animals process the competition between associated reinforcing and aversive stimuli in subsequent task performance, a process critical to healthy behavior in many domains. The purpose of the present study was to identify sex differences in this behavior and associated neural responses. We hypothesized that females would value the rewarding stimulus (Boost®) relative to the aversive stimulus (LiCl) more than males in performing CTA. We evaluated behavior (Boost® intake, LiCl-induced behaviors, ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), CTA performance) and Fos activation in relevant brain regions after the acute stimuli [acute Boost® (AB), acute LiCl (AL)] and the context-only task control (COT), Boost® only task (BOT) and Boost®-LiCl task (BLT). Acutely, females drank more Boost® than males but showed similar aversive behaviors after LiCl. Females and males performed CTA similarly. Both sexes produced 55 kHz USVs anticipating BOT and inhibited these calls in the BLT. However, more females emitted both 22 kHz and 55 kHz USVs in the BLT than males: the latter correlated with less CTA. Estrous cycle stage also influenced 55 kHz USVs. Fos responses were similar in males and females after AB or AL. Females engaged the gustatory cortex and ventral tegmental area (VTA) more than males during the BOT and males engaged the amygdala more than females in both the BOT and BLT. Network analysis of correlated Fos responses across brain regions identified two unique networks characterizing the BOT and BLT, in both of which the VTA played a central role. In situ hybridization with RNAscope identified a population of D1-receptor expressing cells in the CeA that responded to Boost® and D2 receptor-expressing cells that responded to LiCl. The present study suggests that males and females differentially process the affective valence of a stimulus to produce the same goal-directed behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa Bernanke
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Burnette
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Justine Murphy
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Nathaniel Hernandez
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Sara Zimmerman
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Q. David Walker
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Rylee Wander
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Samantha Sette
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Zackery Reavis
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Reynold Francis
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Christopher Armstrong
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Mary-Louise Risher
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, United States of America
| | - Cynthia Kuhn
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
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13
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Better living through understanding the insula: Why subregions can make all the difference. Neuropharmacology 2021; 198:108765. [PMID: 34461066 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Insula function is considered critical for many motivated behaviors, with proposed functions ranging from attention, behavioral control, emotional regulation, goal-directed and aversion-resistant responding. Further, the insula is implicated in many neuropsychiatric conditions including substance abuse. More recently, multiple insula subregions have been distinguished based on anatomy, connectivity, and functional contributions. Generally, posterior insula is thought to encode more somatosensory inputs, which integrate with limbic/emotional information in middle insula, that in turn integrate with cognitive processes in anterior insula. Together, these regions provide rapid interoceptive information about the current or predicted situation, facilitating autonomic recruitment and quick, flexible action. Here, we seek to create a robust foundation from which to understand potential subregion differences, and provide direction for future studies. We address subregion differences across humans and rodents, so that the latter's mechanistic interventions can best mesh with clinical relevance of human conditions. We first consider the insula's suggested roles in humans, then compare subregional studies, and finally describe rodent work. One primary goal is to encourage precision in describing insula subregions, since imprecision (e.g. including both posterior and anterior studies when describing insula work) does a disservice to a larger understanding of insula contributions. Additionally, we note that specific task details can greatly impact recruitment of various subregions, requiring care and nuance in design and interpretation of studies. Nonetheless, the central ethological importance of the insula makes continued research to uncover mechanistic, mood, and behavioral contributions of paramount importance and interest. This article is part of the special Issue on 'Neurocircuitry Modulating Drug and Alcohol Abuse'.
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McCool BA. Ethanol modulation of cortico-basolateral amygdala circuits: Neurophysiology and behavior. Neuropharmacology 2021; 197:108750. [PMID: 34371080 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
This review highlights literature relating the anatomy, physiology, and behavioral contributions by projections between rodent prefrontal cortical areas and the basolateral amygdala. These projections are robustly modulated by both environmental experience and exposure to drugs of abuse including ethanol. Recent literature relating optogenetic and chemogenetic dissection of these circuits within behavior both compliments and occasionally challenges roles defined by more traditional pharmacological or lesion-based approaches. In particular, cortico-amygdala circuits help control both aversive and reward-seeking. Exposure to pathology-producing environments or abused drugs dysregulates the relative 'balance' of these outcomes. Modern circuit-based approaches have also shown that overlapping populations of neurons within a given brain region frequently govern both aversion and reward-seeking. In addition, these circuits often dramatically influence 'local' cortical or basolateral amygdala excitatory or inhibitory circuits. Our understanding of these neurobiological processes, particularly in relation to ethanol research, has just begun and represents a significant opportunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian A McCool
- Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
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15
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Muscarinic receptor signaling in the amygdala is required for conditioned taste aversion. Neurosci Lett 2020; 740:135466. [PMID: 33152457 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The sense of taste provides information regarding the nutrient content, safety or potential toxicity of an edible. This is accomplished via a combination of innate and learned taste preferences. In conditioned taste aversion (CTA), rats learn to avoid ingesting a taste that has previously been paired with gastric malaise. Recent evidence points to a role of cholinergic muscarinic signaling in the amygdala for the learning and storage of emotional memories. The present study tested the participation of muscarinic receptors in the amygdala during the formation of CTA by infusing the non-specific antagonist scopolamine into the basolateral or central subnuclei before or after conditioning, as well as before retrieval. Our data show that regardless of the site of infusion, pre-conditioning administration of scopolamine impaired CTA acquisition whereas post-conditioning infusion did not affect its storage. Also, infusions into the basolateral but not in the central amygdala before retrieval test partially reduced the expression of CTA. Our results indicate that muscarinic receptors activity is required for acquisition but not consolidation of CTA. In addition, our data add to recent evidence pointing to a role of cholinergic signaling in peri-hippocampal structures in the process of memory retrieval.
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