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Lai CW, Chang CH. Pharmacological activation of the amygdala, but not single prolonged footshock-induced acute stress, interferes with cue-induced motivation toward food rewards in rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1252868. [PMID: 37781505 PMCID: PMC10538645 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1252868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In the face of threats, animals adapt their behaviors to cope with the situation. Under such circumstances, irrelevant behaviors are usually suppressed. In this study, we examined whether food-seeking motivation would decrease under activation of the amygdala, an important nucleus in the regulation of stress response in the central nervous system, or after a physical acute stress session. In Experiment 1, we pharmacologically activated the basolateral nucleus (BLA) or the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) before a cue-induced reinstatement test in rats. Our results showed that activation of the BLA or the CeA abolished cue-induced motivation toward food rewards, while locomotor activity and free food intake were not affected. In Experiments 2 and 3, we further assessed anxiety and despair levels, as well as cue-induced reinstatement, after a single prolonged footshock-induced acute stress in rats. Behaviorally, acute stress did not affect anxiety level, despair level, or cue-induced motivation toward food rewards. Physiologically, there was no difference in cellular activities of the amygdala immediately after acute stress. To conclude, our results suggested that pharmacological activation of the amygdala decreased cue-induced motivation toward food reward. However, physiological acute stress did not immediately interfere with the negative emotions, motivation, or amygdala activities of the animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chien-Wen Lai
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Chun-hui Chang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
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2
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Finnell JE, Ferrario CR. Intra-NAc insulin reduces the motivation for food and food intake without altering cue-triggered food-seeking. Physiol Behav 2022; 254:113892. [PMID: 35753434 PMCID: PMC10583176 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Insulin receptors are expressed throughout the adult brain, and insulin from the periphery reaches the central nervous system. In humans and rodents, actions of insulin in the brain decrease food intake. Furthermore, insulin receptor activation alters dopamine and glutamate transmission within mesolimbic regions that influence food-seeking and feeding including the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Here we determined how intra-NAc insulin affects conditioned approach (a measure of cue-triggered food-seeking), free food intake, and the motivation to obtain food in hungry rats using Pavlovian and instrumental approaches. Intra-NAc insulin did not affect conditioned approach but did reduce home cage chow intake immediately following conditioned approach testing. Consistent with reduced chow intake, intra-NAc insulin also reduced the motivation to work for flavored food pellets (assessed by a progressive ratio procedure). This effect was partially reversed by insulin receptor blockade and was not driven by insulin-induced sickness or malaise. Taken together, these data show that insulin within the NAc does not alter behavioral responses to a food cue, but instead reduces the motivation to work for and consume food in hungry animals. These data are discussed in light of insulin's role in the regulation of feeding, and its dysregulation by obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie E Finnell
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan, United States
| | - Carrie R Ferrario
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan, United States; Psychology Department (Biopsychology), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI 48109, United States.
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3
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The role of the nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum in feeding and obesity. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 111:110394. [PMID: 34242717 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Obesity is a growing global epidemic that stems from the increasing availability of highly-palatable foods and the consequent enhanced calorie consumption. Extensive research has shown that brain regions that are central to reward seeking modulate feeding and evidence linking obesity to pathology in such regions have recently started to accumulate. In this review we focus on the contribution of two major interconnected structures central to reward processing, the nucleus accumbens and the ventral pallidum, to obesity. We first review the known literature linking these structures to feeding behavior, then discuss recent advances connecting pathology in the nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum to obesity, and finally examine the similarities and differences between drug addiction and obesity in the context of these two structures. The understanding of how pathology in brain regions involved in reward seeking and consumption may drive obesity and how mechanistically similar obesity and addiction are, is only now starting to be revealed. We hope that future research will advance knowledge in the field and open new avenues to studying and treating obesity.
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4
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Husseini Y, Mohammadi A, Jahromi GP, Meftahi G, Sahraei H, Hatef B. The controlling role of nitric oxide within the shell of nucleus accumbens in the stress-induced metabolic disturbance. Arch Physiol Biochem 2021; 127:73-81. [PMID: 31094227 DOI: 10.1080/13813455.2019.1611865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVES The involvement of the nitricergic system within the shell part of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) was evaluated in the metabolic disturbances due to stress. MATERIALS AND METHODS Male Wistar rats were cannulated in the shell of the left NAc. They received either saline or different doses of L-arginine and/or L-NAME five minutes before each stress session, for four days. Plasma cortisol concentration, food and water intake, time elapsing for eating, animal weight changes and adrenal gland weight were recorded. RESULTS The L-arginine 1 μg/rat decreased the level of cortisol, water and food intake and time of feeding and increased the adrenal weight. But L-NAME at 1 μg/rat had opposite effects on these factors. However, the drugs showed similar effects at 10 μg/rat. CONCLUSION Injection of nitric oxide modifiers into the left side of NAc shell part may have an interactive role with sub-chronic stress in metabolic behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasaman Husseini
- Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Mohammadi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Gila Pirzad Jahromi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Gholamhossein Meftahi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hedayat Sahraei
- Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Boshra Hatef
- Neuroscience Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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5
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O'Neal TJ, Nooney MN, Thien K, Ferguson SM. Chemogenetic modulation of accumbens direct or indirect pathways bidirectionally alters reinstatement of heroin-seeking in high- but not low-risk rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:1251-1262. [PMID: 31747681 PMCID: PMC7297977 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0571-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Opioid addiction has been declared a public health emergency, with fatal overdoses following relapse reaching epidemic proportions and disease-associated costs continuing to escalate. Relapse is often triggered by re-exposure to drug-associated cues, and though the neural substrates responsible for relapse in vulnerable individuals remains ambiguous, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) has been shown to play a central role. NAc direct and indirect pathway medium spiny neurons (dMSNs and iMSNs) can have oppositional control over reward-seeking and associative learning and are critically involved in reinstatement of psychostimulant-seeking. However, whether these pathways similarly regulate reinstatement of opioid-seeking remains unknown, as is their role in modulating motivation to take opioids. Here, we describe a method for classifying addiction severity in outbred rats following intermittent-access heroin self-administration that identifies subgroups as addiction-vulnerable (high-risk) or addiction-resistant (low-risk). Using dual viral-mediated gene transfer of DREADDs, we show that transient inactivation of dMSNs or activation of iMSNs is capable of suppressing cue-induced reinstatement of heroin-seeking in high- but not low-risk rats. Surprisingly, however, the motivation to self-administer heroin was unchanged, indicating a divergence in the encoding of heroin-taking and heroin-seeking in rats. We further show that transient activation of dMSNs or inactivation of iMSNs exacerbates cue-induced reinstatement of heroin-seeking in high- but not low-risk rats, again with no effect on motivation. These findings demonstrate a critical role for dMSNs and iMSNs in encoding vulnerability to reinstatement of heroin-seeking and provide insight into the specific neurobiological changes that occur in vulnerable groups following heroin self-administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J O'Neal
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| | - Marlaena N Nooney
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| | - Katie Thien
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| | - Susan M Ferguson
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA.
- Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
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6
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Abstract
Using microdialysis in C57Bl6 mice, we monitored cholinergic activity in the hypothalamus. Food intake after an overnight fast caused a 3-fold increase of extracellular acetylcholine (ACh) concentrations in the hypothalamus. The effect lasted for about 30 min. Food containing no calories (kaolin pellets), or food that was presented but not accessible, also increased ACh release. In contrast, injections of glucose or β-hydroxybutyrate did not change extracellular ACh. Mice deficient in muscarinic M3 receptors had the same cholinergic response as wild-type mice. We conclude that the increase of ACh in the hypothalamus was not caused by local detection of nutrients but by anticipation of food intake. This suggests the involvement of motivational circuits in the basal forebrain which is reinforced by the fact that we found slight increases of ACh in the nucleus accumbens during feeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Thinnes
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jochen Klein
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
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7
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Ball KT, Miller L, Sullivan C, Wells A, Best O, Cavanaugh B, Copus T, Corrigan N, Hawkins S, Kobbe K, Schoener A, Steiger J, Vieweg L. Effects of repeated yohimbine administration on reinstatement of palatable food seeking: involvement of dopamine D 1 -like receptors and food-associated cues. Addict Biol 2016. [PMID: 26223161 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Acute exposure to the pharmacological stressor yohimbine induces relapse to both food and drug seeking in a rat model. However, no systematic studies on the effects of chronic stress on relapse have been conducted. Because chronic stress causes changes in dopamine D1 -like receptor-mediated transmission in prefrontal cortex (a relapse node), we tested the hypothesis that chronic exposure to stress increases vulnerability to relapse via dopamine-mediated mechanisms. Additionally, to determine the role of food-conditioned cues in reinstatement of food seeking, we made discrete food-paired cues either available (CS Present) or not available (CS Absent) during extinction and reinstatement testing. Rats responded for palatable food reinforcers in daily 3-hour sessions, and the behavior was extinguished. To model chronic stress, rats were injected daily with yohimbine (0.0, 2.5, or 5.0 mg/kg; i.p.) during the first 7 days of extinction. Injections were combined with SCH-23390 (0.0, 5.0, or 10.0 µg/kg; i.p.), a D1 -like receptor antagonist. Rats were then tested for reinstatement of food seeking triggered by acute yohimbine (0.0, 1.0, or 2.0 mg/kg; i.p.) and pellet priming. Rats treated previously with chronic yohimbine displayed increased responding following acute yohimbine priming relative to non-chronically stressed rats, but in the CS Absent condition only. Conversely, the lower dose of chronic yohimbine caused an increase in pellet-primed reinstatement, but this effect was more pronounced in the CS Present condition. Importantly, SCH-23390 combined with repeated yohimbine injections attenuated these effects. Thus, chronic stress may increase vulnerability to relapse under specific circumstances via a dopamine D1 -like receptor-mediated mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin T. Ball
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Leah Miller
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Christopher Sullivan
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Ashleigh Wells
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Olivia Best
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Brittany Cavanaugh
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Taylor Copus
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Nathan Corrigan
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Shaina Hawkins
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Krista Kobbe
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Ashley Schoener
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Johnathan Steiger
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
| | - Lauren Vieweg
- Department of Psychology; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Bloomsburg PA USA
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8
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Muller JM, Shair HN. Isolation-induced vocalization in the infant rat depends on the nucleus accumbens. Dev Psychobiol 2016; 58:1116-1123. [PMID: 27452836 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2015] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Mammalian infants vocalize when socially isolated. Vocalization guides the return of the caregiver and thereby maintains an environment critical to the infant's survival. Although the role of the periaqueductal gray area (PAG) in these vocalizations is established, other aspects of the relevant neural circuitry remain under-studied. Here we report that output from the nucleus accumbens (Acb) is necessary for isolation-induced vocalizations of infant rats aged postnatal days (PND) 11-13. Local inhibition via infusion of the GABAA agonist muscimol (.8 μg/side) of the Acb, but not the dorsolateral striatum, blocked isolation-induced vocalizations, independent of whether the isolation was at room temperature, followed a brief reunion with the dam, or occurred in a cool (10 °C) environment. These findings highlight a possible anatomical area mediating the mammalian infant response to social separation and, more generally, to the development of social attachment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeff M Muller
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, The New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.,Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York
| | - Harry N Shair
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, The New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.,Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York
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9
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Hurley MM, Resch JM, Maunze B, Frenkel MM, Baker DA, Choi S. N-acetylcysteine decreases binge eating in a rodent model. Int J Obes (Lond) 2016; 40:1183-6. [PMID: 26975440 PMCID: PMC4935583 DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2016.31] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Revised: 01/06/2016] [Accepted: 01/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Binge-eating behavior involves rapid consumption of highly palatable foods leading to increased weight gain. Feeding in binge disorders resembles other compulsive behaviors, many of which are responsive to N-acetylcysteine (NAC), which is a cysteine prodrug often used to promote non-vesicular glutamate release by a cystine-glutamate antiporter. To examine the potential for NAC to alter a form of compulsive eating, we examined the impact of NAC on binge eating in a rodent model. Specifically, we monitored consumption of standard chow and a high-fat, high carbohydrate western diet (WD) in a rodent limited-access binge paradigm. Before each session, rats received either a systemic or intraventricular injection of NAC. Both systemic and central administration of NAC resulted in significant reductions of binge eating the WD without decreasing standard chow consumption. The reduction in WD was not attributable to general malaise as NAC did not produce condition taste aversion. These results are consistent with the clinical evidence of NAC to reduce or reverse compulsive behaviors, such as, drug addiction, skin picking and hair pulling.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Hurley
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - J M Resch
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - B Maunze
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - M M Frenkel
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - D A Baker
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - S Choi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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10
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Higgins GA, Silenieks LB, Altherr EB, MacMillan C, Fletcher PJ, Pratt WE. Lorcaserin and CP-809101 reduce motor impulsivity and reinstatement of food seeking behavior in male rats: Implications for understanding the anti-obesity property of 5-HT2C receptor agonists. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2016; 233:2841-56. [PMID: 27241709 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-016-4329-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The 5-HT2C receptor agonist lorcaserin (Belviq®) has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of obesity. Impulsivity is a contributory feature of some eating disorders. OBJECTIVE Experiments investigated the effect of lorcaserin and the highly selective 5-HT2C agonist CP-809101 on measures of impulsivity and on reinstatement of food-seeking behaviour, a model of dietary relapse. The effect of both drugs on 22-h deprivation-induced feeding was also examined, as was the effect of prefeeding in each impulsivity test. RESULTS Lorcaserin (0.3-0.6 mg/kg SC) and CP-809101 (0.6-1 mg/kg SC) reduced premature responding in rats trained on the 5-CSRTT and improved accuracy in a Go-NoGo task by reducing false alarms. At equivalent doses, both drugs also reduced reinstatement for food-seeking behaviour. Neither drug altered impulsive choice measured in a delay-discounting task. Lorcaserin (1-3 mg/kg SC) and CP-809101 (3-6 mg/kg SC) reduced deprivation-induced feeding but only at higher doses. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that in addition to previously reported effects on satiety and reward, altered impulse control may represent a contributory factor to the anti-obesity property of 5-HT2C receptor agonists. Lorcaserin may promote weight loss by improving adherence to dietary regimens in individuals otherwise prone to relapse and may be beneficial in cases where obesity is associated with eating disorders tied to impulsive traits, such as binge eating disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy A Higgins
- InterVivo Solutions Inc., 120 Carlton Street, Toronto, ON, M5A 4K2, Canada. .,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 4K2, Canada.
| | - Leo B Silenieks
- InterVivo Solutions Inc., 120 Carlton Street, Toronto, ON, M5A 4K2, Canada
| | - Everett B Altherr
- Department of Psychology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA
| | - Cam MacMillan
- Vivocore, 120 Carlton Street, Toronto, ON, M5A 4K2, Canada
| | - Paul J Fletcher
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G3, Canada.,Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Wayne E Pratt
- Department of Psychology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA
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11
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Pitman KA, Borgland SL. Changes in mu-opioid receptor expression and function in the mesolimbic system after long-term access to a palatable diet. Pharmacol Ther 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2015.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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12
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Yohimbine reinstates extinguished 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) seeking in rats with prior exposure to chronic yohimbine. Behav Brain Res 2015; 294:1-6. [PMID: 26241170 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.07.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Revised: 07/21/2015] [Accepted: 07/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Although exposure to acute stress has been shown to reinstate extinguished responding for a wide variety of drugs, no studies have investigated stress-induced reinstatement in animals with a history of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) self-administration. Thus, rats were trained to press a lever for MDMA (0.50 mg/kg/infusion) in daily sessions, and lever pressing was subsequently extinguished in the absence of MDMA and conditioned cues (light and tone). We then tested the ability of acute yohimbine (2.0 mg/kg), a pharmacological stressor, to reinstate lever-pressing under extinction conditions. Additionally, to model chronic stress, some rats were injected daily with yohimbine (5.0 mg/kg × 10 days) prior to reinstatement tests. To assess dopaminergic involvement, chronic yohimbine injections were combined with injections of SCH-23390 (0.0 or 10.0 μg/kg), a dopamine D1-like receptor antagonist. In a separate experiment, rats with a history of food self-administration were treated and tested in the same way. Results showed that acute yohimbine injections reinstated extinguished MDMA and food seeking, but only in rats with a history of chronic yohimbine exposure. Co-administration of SCH-23390 with chronic yohimbine injections prevented the potentiation of subsequent food seeking, but not MDMA seeking. These results suggest that abstinent MDMA users who also are exposed to chronic stress may be at increased risk for future relapse, and also that the effects of chronic stress on relapse may be mediated by different mechanisms depending on one's drug use history.
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13
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Guercio LA, Schmidt HD, Pierce RC. Deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens shell attenuates cue-induced reinstatement of both cocaine and sucrose seeking in rats. Behav Brain Res 2014; 281:125-30. [PMID: 25529183 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2014] [Revised: 12/04/2014] [Accepted: 12/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Stimuli previously associated with drug taking can become triggers that can elicit craving and lead to relapse of drug-seeking behavior. Here, we examined the influence of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the nucleus accumbens shell on cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking, an animal model of relapse. Rats were allowed to self-administer cocaine (0.254 mg, i.v.) for 2 h daily for 21 days, with each infusion of cocaine being paired with a cue light. After 21 days of self-administration, cocaine-taking behavior was extinguished by replacing cocaine with saline in the absence of the cue light. Next, during the reinstatement phase, DBS was administered bilaterally into the nucleus accumbens shell through bipolar stainless steel electrodes immediately prior to re-exposure to cues previously associated with cocaine reinforcement. DBS continued throughout the 2 h reinstatement session. Parallel studies examined the influence of accumbens shell DBS on reinstatement induced by cues previously associated with sucrose reinforcement. Results indicated that DBS of the nucleus accumbens shell significantly attenuated cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine and sucrose seeking. Together, these results indicate that DBS of the accumbens shell disrupts cue-induced reinstatement associated with both a drug and a natural reinforcer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo A Guercio
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 125 S. 31st Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Heath D Schmidt
- Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 125 S. 31st Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - R Christopher Pierce
- Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 125 S. 31st Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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