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Teague CD, Markovic T, Zhou X, Martinez-Rivera FJ, Minier-Toribio A, Zinsmaier A, Pulido NV, Schmidt KH, Lucerne KE, Godino A, van der Zee YY, Ramakrishnan A, Futamura R, Browne CJ, Holt LM, Yim YY, Azizian CH, Walker DM, Shen L, Dong Y, Zhang B, Nestler EJ. Circuit-Wide Gene Network Analysis Reveals Sex-Specific Roles for Phosphodiesterase 1b in Cocaine Addiction. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1327232024. [PMID: 38637154 PMCID: PMC11154853 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1327-23.2024] [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: 07/16/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Cocaine use disorder is a significant public health issue without an effective pharmacological treatment. Successful treatments are hindered in part by an incomplete understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie long-lasting maladaptive plasticity and addiction-like behaviors. Here, we leverage a large RNA sequencing dataset to generate gene coexpression networks across six interconnected regions of the brain's reward circuitry from mice that underwent saline or cocaine self-administration. We identify phosphodiesterase 1b (Pde1b), a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent enzyme that increases cAMP and cGMP hydrolysis, as a central hub gene within a nucleus accumbens (NAc) gene module that was bioinformatically associated with addiction-like behavior. Chronic cocaine exposure increases Pde1b expression in NAc D2 medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in male but not female mice. Viral-mediated Pde1b overexpression in NAc reduces cocaine self-administration in female rats but increases seeking in both sexes. In female mice, overexpressing Pde1b in D1 MSNs attenuates the locomotor response to cocaine, with the opposite effect in D2 MSNs. Overexpressing Pde1b in D1/D2 MSNs had no effect on the locomotor response to cocaine in male mice. At the electrophysiological level, Pde1b overexpression reduces sEPSC frequency in D1 MSNs and regulates the excitability of NAc MSNs. Lastly, Pde1b overexpression significantly reduced the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in NAc following chronic cocaine, with discordant effects on gene transcription between sexes. Together, we identify novel gene modules across the brain's reward circuitry associated with addiction-like behavior and explore the role of Pde1b in regulating the molecular, cellular, and behavioral responses to cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collin D Teague
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Tamara Markovic
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Xianxiao Zhou
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Freddyson J Martinez-Rivera
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Angelica Minier-Toribio
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Alexander Zinsmaier
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
| | - Nathalia V Pulido
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Kyra H Schmidt
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Kelsey E Lucerne
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Arthur Godino
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Yentl Y van der Zee
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Aarthi Ramakrishnan
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Rita Futamura
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Caleb J Browne
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Leanne M Holt
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Yun Young Yim
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Corrine H Azizian
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Deena M Walker
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239
| | - Li Shen
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Yan Dong
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
| | - Eric J Nestler
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029
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Xi ZX, Bocarsly ME, Galaj E, Hempel B, Teresi C, Shaw M, Bi GH, Jordan C, Linz E, Alton H, Tanda G, Freyberg Z, Alvarez VA, Newman AH. Presynaptic and postsynaptic mesolimbic dopamine D 3 receptors play distinct roles in cocaine versus opioid reward in mice. Biol Psychiatry 2024:S0006-3223(24)01358-1. [PMID: 38838841 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Past research illuminated pivotal roles of dopamine D3 receptors (D3Rs) in the rewarding effects of cocaine and opioids. However, the cellular and neural circuit mechanisms underlying these actions remain unclear. METHODS We employed Cre-LoxP techniques to selectively delete D3R from presynaptic dopamine neurons or postsynaptic dopamine D1R-expressing neurons in male and female mice. We utilized RNAscope in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR, voltammetry, optogenetics, microdialysis, and behavioral assays (n≥8) to functionally characterize the roles of presynaptic versus postsynaptic D3Rs in cocaine and opioid actions. RESULTS Our results revealed D3R expression in ∼20% of midbrain dopamine neurons and ∼70% of D1R-expressing neurons in the nucleus accumbens. While D2R was expressed in ∼80% dopamine neurons, we found no D2R and D3R colocalization among these cells. Selective deletion of D3Rs from dopamine neurons increased exploratory behavior in novel environments and enhanced pulse-evoked NAc dopamine release. Conversely, D3R deletion from D1R-expressing neurons attenuated locomotor responses to D1-like and D2-like agonists. Strikingly, D3R deletion from either cell type reduced oxycodone self-administration and oxycodone-enhanced brain-stimulation reward. In contrast, neither of these D3R deletions impacted cocaine self-administration, cocaine-enhanced brain-stimulation reward, or cocaine-induced hyperlocomotion. Furthermore, D3R knockout in dopamine neurons reduced oxycodone-induced hyperactivity and analgesia, while deletion from D1R-expressing neurons potentiated opioid-induced hyperactivity without affecting analgesia. CONCLUSIONS We dissected presynaptic versus postsynaptic D3R function in the mesolimbic dopamine system. D2R and D3R are expressed in different populations of midbrain dopamine neurons, regulating dopamine release. The mesolimbic D3Rs are critically involved in the actions of opioids but not cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng-Xiong Xi
- Medicinal Chemistry Section, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Miriam E Bocarsly
- Laboratory on Neurobiology of Compulsive Behaviors, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ewa Galaj
- Medicinal Chemistry Section, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Briana Hempel
- Medicinal Chemistry Section, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Catherine Teresi
- Laboratory on Neurobiology of Compulsive Behaviors, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Marlisa Shaw
- Laboratory on Neurobiology of Compulsive Behaviors, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Guo-Hua Bi
- Medicinal Chemistry Section, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA; Medication Development Program, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Chloe Jordan
- Medicinal Chemistry Section, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Emily Linz
- Medicinal Chemistry Section, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA; Medication Development Program, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Hannah Alton
- Medicinal Chemistry Section, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA; Medication Development Program, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Gianluigi Tanda
- Medication Development Program, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Zachary Freyberg
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA; Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Veronica A Alvarez
- Laboratory on Neurobiology of Compulsive Behaviors, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, MD, USA; National Institute of Mental Health, Center on Compulsive Behaviors, Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, MD, 20892 USA
| | - Amy Hauck Newman
- Medicinal Chemistry Section, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
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Amaya KA, Teboul E, Weiss GL, Antonoudiou P, Maguire JL. Basolateral amygdala parvalbumin interneurons coordinate oscillations to drive reward behaviors. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1561-1568.e4. [PMID: 38479389 PMCID: PMC11003843 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.041] [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: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) mediates both fear and reward learning.1,2 Previous work has shown that parvalbumin (PV) interneurons in the BLA contribute to BLA oscillatory states integral to fear expression.3,4,5,6,7 However, despite it being critical to our understanding of reward behaviors, it is unknown whether BLA oscillatory states and PV interneurons similarly contribute to reward processing. Local field potentials in the BLA were collected as male and female mice consumed sucrose reward, where prominent changes in the beta band (15-30 Hz) emerged with reward experience. During consumption of one water bottle during a two-water-bottle choice test, rhythmic optogenetic stimulation of BLA PVs produced a robust bottle preference, showing that PVs can sufficiently drive reward seeking. Finally, to demonstrate that PV activity is necessary for reward value use, PVs were chemogenetically inhibited following outcome devaluation, rendering mice incapable of using updated reward representations to guide their behavior. Taken together, these experiments provide novel information about the physiological signatures of reward while highlighting BLA PV interneuron contributions to behaviors that are BLA dependent. This work builds upon established knowledge of PV involvement in fear expression and provides evidence that PV orchestration of unique BLA network states is involved in both learning types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth A Amaya
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
| | - Eric Teboul
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Grant L Weiss
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Pantelis Antonoudiou
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Jamie L Maguire
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
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Zachry JE, Kutlu MG, Yoon HJ, Leonard MZ, Chevée M, Patel DD, Gaidici A, Kondev V, Thibeault KC, Bethi R, Tat J, Melugin PR, Isiktas AU, Joffe ME, Cai DJ, Conn PJ, Grueter BA, Calipari ES. D1 and D2 medium spiny neurons in the nucleus accumbens core have distinct and valence-independent roles in learning. Neuron 2024; 112:835-849.e7. [PMID: 38134921 PMCID: PMC10939818 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.11.023] [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: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
At the core of value-based learning is the nucleus accumbens (NAc). D1- and D2-receptor-containing medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the NAc core are hypothesized to have opposing valence-based roles in behavior. Using optical imaging and manipulation approaches in mice, we show that neither D1 nor D2 MSNs signal valence. D1 MSN responses were evoked by stimuli regardless of valence or contingency. D2 MSNs were evoked by both cues and outcomes, were dynamically changed with learning, and tracked valence-free prediction error at the population and individual neuron level. Finally, D2 MSN responses to cues were necessary for associative learning. Thus, D1 and D2 MSNs work in tandem, rather than in opposition, by signaling specific properties of stimuli to control learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E Zachry
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Munir Gunes Kutlu
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Hye Jean Yoon
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Michael Z Leonard
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Maxime Chevée
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Dev D Patel
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Anthony Gaidici
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Veronika Kondev
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Kimberly C Thibeault
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Rishik Bethi
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Jennifer Tat
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Patrick R Melugin
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Atagun U Isiktas
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Max E Joffe
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA
| | - Denise J Cai
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - P Jeffrey Conn
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Brad A Grueter
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Erin S Calipari
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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5
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Deseyve C, Domingues AV, Carvalho TTA, Armada G, Correia R, Vieitas-Gaspar N, Wezik M, Pinto L, Sousa N, Coimbra B, Rodrigues AJ, Soares-Cunha C. Nucleus accumbens neurons dynamically respond to appetitive and aversive associative learning. J Neurochem 2024; 168:312-327. [PMID: 38317429 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.16063] [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: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
To survive, individuals must learn to associate cues in the environment with emotionally relevant outcomes. This association is partially mediated by the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key brain region of the reward circuit that is mainly composed by GABAergic medium spiny neurons (MSNs), that express either dopamine receptor D1 or D2. Recent studies showed that both populations can drive reward and aversion, however, the activity of these neurons during appetitive and aversive Pavlovian conditioning remains to be determined. Here, we investigated the relevance of D1- and D2-neurons in associative learning, by measuring calcium transients with fiber photometry during appetitive and aversive Pavlovian tasks in mice. Sucrose was used as a positive valence unconditioned stimulus (US) and foot shock was used as a negative valence US. We show that during appetitive Pavlovian conditioning, D1- and D2-neurons exhibit a general increase in activity in response to the conditioned stimuli (CS). Interestingly, D1- and D2-neurons present distinct changes in activity after sucrose consumption that dynamically evolve throughout learning. During the aversive Pavlovian conditioning, D1- and D2-neurons present an increase in the activity in response to the CS and to the US (shock). Our data support a model in which D1- and D2-neurons are concurrently activated during appetitive and aversive conditioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Deseyve
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana Verónica Domingues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Tawan T A Carvalho
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Gisela Armada
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Raquel Correia
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Natacha Vieitas-Gaspar
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Marcelina Wezik
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Luísa Pinto
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
- Clinical Academic Center-Braga (2CA), Braga, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
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6
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Le Merrer J, Detraux B, Gandía J, De Groote A, Fonteneau M, de Kerchove d'Exaerde A, Becker JAJ. Balance Between Projecting Neuronal Populations of the Nucleus Accumbens Controls Social Behavior in Mice. Biol Psychiatry 2024; 95:123-135. [PMID: 37207936 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Deficient social interactions are a hallmark of major neuropsychiatric disorders, and accumulating evidence points to altered social reward and motivation as key underlying mechanisms of these pathologies. In the present study, we further explored the role of the balance of activity between D1 and D2 receptor-expressing striatal projection neurons (D1R- and D2R-SPNs) in the control of social behavior, challenging the hypothesis that excessive D2R-SPN activity, rather than deficient D1R-SPN activity, compromises social behavior. METHODS We selectively ablated D1R- and D2R-SPNs using an inducible diphtheria toxin receptor-mediated cell targeting strategy and assessed social behavior as well as repetitive/perseverative behavior, motor function, and anxiety levels. We tested the effects of optogenetic stimulation of D2R-SPNs in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and pharmacological compounds repressing D2R-SPN. RESULTS Targeted deletion of D1R-SPNs in the NAc blunted social behavior in mice, facilitated motor skill learning, and increased anxiety levels. These behaviors were normalized by pharmacological inhibition of D2R-SPN, which also repressed transcription in the efferent nucleus, the ventral pallidum. Ablation of D1R-SPNs in the dorsal striatum had no impact on social behavior but impaired motor skill learning and decreased anxiety levels. Deletion of D2R-SPNs in the NAc produced motor stereotypies but facilitated social behavior and impaired motor skill learning. We mimicked excessive D2R-SPN activity by optically stimulating D2R-SPNs in the NAc and observed a severe deficit in social interaction that was prevented by D2R-SPN pharmacological inhibition. CONCLUSIONS Repressing D2R-SPN activity may represent a promising therapeutic strategy to relieve social deficits in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Le Merrer
- Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Unité Mixte de Recherche Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 7247, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement 0085, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université de Tours, Nouzilly, France; iBrain, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1253 Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université de Tours, Tours, France.
| | - Bérangère Detraux
- Neurophy Lab, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jorge Gandía
- Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Unité Mixte de Recherche Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 7247, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement 0085, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université de Tours, Nouzilly, France
| | - Aurélie De Groote
- Neurophy Lab, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Mathieu Fonteneau
- iBrain, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1253 Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Alban de Kerchove d'Exaerde
- Neurophy Lab, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; WELBIO, Wavre, Belgium.
| | - Jérôme A J Becker
- Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Unité Mixte de Recherche Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 7247, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement 0085, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Université de Tours, Nouzilly, France; iBrain, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1253 Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université de Tours, Tours, France
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7
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Fang LZ, Creed MC. Updating the striatal-pallidal wiring diagram. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:15-27. [PMID: 38057614 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01518-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
The striatal and pallidal complexes are basal ganglia structures that orchestrate learning and execution of flexible behavior. Models of how the basal ganglia subserve these functions have evolved considerably, and the advent of optogenetic and molecular tools has shed light on the heterogeneity of subcircuits within these pathways. However, a synthesis of how molecularly diverse neurons integrate into existing models of basal ganglia function is lacking. Here, we provide an overview of the neurochemical and molecular diversity of striatal and pallidal neurons and synthesize recent circuit connectivity studies in rodents that takes this diversity into account. We also highlight anatomical organizational principles that distinguish the dorsal and ventral basal ganglia pathways in rodents. Future work integrating the molecular and anatomical properties of striatal and pallidal subpopulations may resolve controversies regarding basal ganglia network function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Z Fang
- Washington University Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Meaghan C Creed
- Washington University Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, St. Louis, MO, USA.
- Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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8
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Zhang Y, Ben Nathan J, Moreno A, Merkel R, Kahng MW, Hayes MR, Reiner BC, Crist RC, Schmidt HD. Calcitonin receptor signaling in nucleus accumbens D1R- and D2R-expressing medium spiny neurons bidirectionally alters opioid taking in male rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:1878-1888. [PMID: 37355732 PMCID: PMC10584857 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01634-z] [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: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
The high rates of relapse associated with current medications used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) necessitate research that expands our understanding of the neural mechanisms regulating opioid taking to identify molecular substrates that could be targeted by novel pharmacotherapies to treat OUD. Recent studies show that activation of calcitonin receptors (CTRs) is sufficient to reduce the rewarding effects of addictive drugs in rodents. However, the role of central CTR signaling in opioid-mediated behaviors has not been studied. Here, we used single nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq), fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), and immunohistochemistry (IHC) to characterize cell type-specific patterns of CTR expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a brain region that plays a critical role in voluntary drug taking. Using these approaches, we identified CTRs expressed on D1R- and D2R-expressing medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the medial shell subregion of the NAc. Interestingly, Calcr transcripts were expressed at higher levels in D2R- versus D1R-expressing MSNs. Cre-dependent viral-mediated miRNA knockdown of CTRs in transgenic male rats was then used to determine the functional significance of endogenous CTR signaling in opioid taking. We discovered that reduced CTR expression specifically in D1R-expressing MSNs potentiated/augmented opioid self-administration. In contrast, reduced CTR expression specifically in D2R-expressing MSNs attenuated opioid self-administration. These findings highlight a novel cell type-specific mechanism by which CTR signaling in the ventral striatum bidirectionally modulates voluntary opioid taking and support future studies aimed at targeting central CTR-expressing circuits to treat OUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yafang Zhang
- Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Jennifer Ben Nathan
- Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Amanda Moreno
- Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Riley Merkel
- Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Michelle W Kahng
- Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Matthew R Hayes
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Benjamin C Reiner
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Richard C Crist
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Heath D Schmidt
- Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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9
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Guillaumin MCC, Viskaitis P, Bracey E, Burdakov D, Peleg-Raibstein D. Disentangling the role of NAc D1 and D2 cells in hedonic eating. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:3531-3547. [PMID: 37402855 PMCID: PMC10618099 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02131-x] [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: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
Overeating is driven by both the hedonic component ('liking') of food, and the motivation ('wanting') to eat it. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key brain center implicated in these processes, but how distinct NAc cell populations encode 'liking' and 'wanting' to shape overconsumption remains unclear. Here, we probed the roles of NAc D1 and D2 cells in these processes using cell-specific recording and optogenetic manipulation in diverse behavioral paradigms that disentangle reward traits of 'liking' and 'wanting' related to food choice and overeating in healthy mice. Medial NAc shell D2 cells encoded experience-dependent development of 'liking', while D1 cells encoded innate 'liking' during the first food taste. Optogenetic control confirmed causal links of D1 and D2 cells to these aspects of 'liking'. In relation to 'wanting', D1 and D2 cells encoded and promoted distinct aspects of food approach: D1 cells interpreted food cues while D2 cells also sustained food-visit-length that facilitates consumption. Finally, at the level of food choice, D1, but not D2, cell activity was sufficient to switch food preference, programming subsequent long-lasting overconsumption. By revealing complementary roles of D1 and D2 cells in consumption, these findings assign neural bases to 'liking' and 'wanting' in a unifying framework of D1 and D2 cell activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde C C Guillaumin
- Institute for Neuroscience, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, 8603, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Paulius Viskaitis
- Institute for Neuroscience, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, 8603, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Eva Bracey
- Institute for Neuroscience, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, 8603, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Denis Burdakov
- Institute for Neuroscience, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, 8603, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland
| | - Daria Peleg-Raibstein
- Institute for Neuroscience, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, 8603, Schwerzenbach, Switzerland.
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10
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Monroe SC, Radke AK. Opioid withdrawal: role in addiction and neural mechanisms. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:1417-1433. [PMID: 37162529 PMCID: PMC11166123 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06370-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Withdrawal from opioids involves a negative affective state that promotes maintenance of drug-seeking behavior and relapse. As such, understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying withdrawal from opioid drugs is critical as scientists and clinicians seek to develop new treatments and therapies. In this review, we focus on the neural systems known to mediate the affective and somatic signs and symptoms of opioid withdrawal, including the mesolimbic dopaminergic system, basolateral amygdala, extended amygdala, and brain and hormonal stress systems. Evidence from preclinical studies suggests that these systems are altered following opioid exposure and that these changes mediate behavioral signs of negative affect such as aversion and anxiety during withdrawal. Adaptations in these systems also parallel the behavioral and psychological features of opioid use disorder (OUD), highlighting the important role of withdrawal in the development of addictive behavior. Implications for relapse and treatment are discussed as well as promising avenues for future research, with the hope of promoting continued progress toward characterizing neural contributors to opioid withdrawal and compulsive opioid use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean C Monroe
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, 90 N Patterson Ave, Oxford, OH, USA
| | - Anna K Radke
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, 90 N Patterson Ave, Oxford, OH, USA.
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11
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Nishioka T, Attachaipanich S, Hamaguchi K, Lazarus M, de Kerchove d'Exaerde A, Macpherson T, Hikida T. Error-related signaling in nucleus accumbens D2 receptor-expressing neurons guides inhibition-based choice behavior in mice. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2284. [PMID: 37085502 PMCID: PMC10121661 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38025-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Learned associations between environmental cues and the outcomes they predict (cue-outcome associations) play a major role in behavioral control, guiding not only which responses we should perform, but also which we should inhibit, in order to achieve a specific goal. The encoding of such cue-outcome associations, as well as the performance of cue-guided choice behavior, is thought to involve dopamine D1 and D2 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons (D1-/D2-MSNs) of the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Here, using a visual discrimination task in male mice, we assessed the role of NAc D1-/D2-MSNs in cue-guided inhibition of inappropriate responding. Cell-type specific neuronal silencing and in-vivo imaging revealed NAc D2-MSNs to contribute to inhibiting behavioral responses, with activation of NAc D2-MSNs following response errors playing an important role in optimizing future choice behavior. Our findings indicate that error-signaling by NAc D2-MSNs contributes to the ability to use environmental cues to inhibit inappropriate behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tadaaki Nishioka
- Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.
- Laboratory for Developing Minds, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Suthinee Attachaipanich
- Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Kosuke Hamaguchi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Michael Lazarus
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS) and Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | | | - Tom Macpherson
- Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.
| | - Takatoshi Hikida
- Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.
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12
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Teague CD, Picone JA, Wright WJ, Browne CJ, Silva GM, Futamura R, Minier-Toribio A, Estill ME, Ramakrishnan A, Martinez-Rivera FJ, Godino A, Parise EM, Schmidt KH, Pulido NV, Lorsch ZS, Kim JH, Shen L, Neve RL, Dong Y, Nestler EJ, Hamilton PJ. CREB Binding at the Zfp189 Promoter Within Medium Spiny Neuron Subtypes Differentially Regulates Behavioral and Physiological Adaptations Over the Course of Cocaine Use. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 93:502-511. [PMID: 36253194 PMCID: PMC9899288 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the course of chronic drug use, brain transcriptional neuroadaptation is thought to contribute to a change in drug use behavior over time. The function of the transcription factor CREB (cAMP response element binding protein) within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) has been well documented in opposing the rewarding properties of many classes of drugs, yet the gene targets through which CREB causally manifests these lasting neuroadaptations remain unknown. Here, we identify zinc finger protein 189 (Zfp189) as a CREB target gene that is transcriptionally responsive to acute and chronic cocaine use within the NAc of mice. METHODS To investigate the role of the CREB-Zfp189 interaction in cocaine use, we virally delivered modified clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/dCas9 constructs capable of selectively localizing CREB to the Zfp189 gene promoter in the NAc of mice. RESULTS We observed that CREB binding to the Zfp189 promoter increased Zfp189 expression and diminished the reinforcing responses to cocaine. Furthermore, we showed that NAc Zfp189 expression increased within D1 medium spiny neurons in response to acute cocaine but increased in both D1- and D2-expressing medium spiny neurons in response to chronic cocaine. CREB-mediated induction of Zfp189 potentiated electrophysiological activity of D1- and D2-expressing medium spiny neurons, recapitulating the known effect of CREB on these neurons. Finally, targeting CREB to the Zfp189 promoter within NAc Drd2-expressing neurons, but not Drd1-expressing neurons, was sufficient to diminish cocaine-conditioned behaviors. CONCLUSIONS Together, these findings point to the CREB-Zfp189 interaction within the NAc Drd2+ neurons as a molecular signature of chronic cocaine use that is causal in counteracting the reinforcing effects of cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collin D Teague
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Joseph A Picone
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia
| | - William J Wright
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Caleb J Browne
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Gabriella M Silva
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia
| | - Rita Futamura
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Angélica Minier-Toribio
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Molly E Estill
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Aarthi Ramakrishnan
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Freddyson J Martinez-Rivera
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Arthur Godino
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Eric M Parise
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Kyra H Schmidt
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Nathalia V Pulido
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Zachary S Lorsch
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Jee Hyun Kim
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
| | - Li Shen
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Rachael L Neve
- Gene Delivery Technology Core, Massachusetts General Hospital, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Yan Dong
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Eric J Nestler
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Peter J Hamilton
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia.
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13
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Sandoval-Rodríguez R, Parra-Reyes JA, Han W, Rueda-Orozco PE, Perez IO, de Araujo IE, Tellez LA. D1 and D2 neurons in the nucleus accumbens enable positive and negative control over sugar intake in mice. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112190. [PMID: 36857179 PMCID: PMC10154129 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112190] [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: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the consumption of carbohydrates is needed for survival, their potent reinforcing properties drive obesity worldwide. In turn, sugar overconsumption reveals a major role for brain reward systems in regulating sugar intake. However, it remains elusive how different cell types within the reward circuitries control the initiation and termination of sugary meals. Here, we identified the distinct nucleus accumbens cell types that mediate the chemosensory versus postprandial properties of sweet sugars. Specifically, D1 neurons enhance sugar intake via specialized connections to taste ganglia, whereas D2 neurons mediate the termination of sugary meals via anatomical connections to circuits involved in appetite suppression. Consistently, D2, but not D1, neurons partially mediate the satiating effects of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists. Thus, these nucleus accumbens cell types function as a behavioral switch, enabling positive versus negative control over sugar intake. Our study contributes to unveiling the cellular and circuit substrates of sugar overconsumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Sandoval-Rodríguez
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurobiology, Institute of Neurobiology, UNAM, Campus Juriquilla, Queretaro 76230, Mexico
| | - Jenifer Alejandra Parra-Reyes
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurobiology, Institute of Neurobiology, UNAM, Campus Juriquilla, Queretaro 76230, Mexico
| | - Wenfei Han
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Pavel E Rueda-Orozco
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, UNAM, Campus Juriquilla, Queretaro 76230, Mexico
| | - Isaac O Perez
- Section of Neurobiology of Oral Sensations, CUSI Almaraz, FES-Iztacala, UNAM, Mexico 54714, Mexico
| | - Ivan E de Araujo
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Luis A Tellez
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurobiology, Institute of Neurobiology, UNAM, Campus Juriquilla, Queretaro 76230, Mexico.
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14
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Boxer EE, Kim J, Dunn B, Aoto J. Ventral Subiculum Inputs to Nucleus Accumbens Medial Shell Preferentially Innervate D2R Medium Spiny Neurons and Contain Calcium Permeable AMPARs. J Neurosci 2023; 43:1166-1177. [PMID: 36609456 PMCID: PMC9962776 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1907-22.2022] [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: 10/08/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Ventral subiculum (vSUB) is the major output region of ventral hippocampus (vHIPP) and sends major projections to nucleus accumbens medial shell (NAcMS). Hyperactivity of the vSUB-NAcMS circuit is associated with substance use disorders and the modulation of vSUB activity alters drug seeking and drug reinstatement behavior in rodents. However, to the best of our knowledge, the cell type-specific connectivity and synaptic transmission properties of the vSUB-NAcMS circuit have never been directly examined. Instead, previous functional studies have focused on total ventral hippocampal (vHIPP) output to NAcMS without distinguishing vSUB from other subregions of vHIPP, including ventral CA1 (vCA1). Using ex vivo electrophysiology, we systematically characterized the vSUB-NAcMS circuit with cell type- and synapse-specific resolution in male and female mice and found that vSUB output to dopamine receptor type-1 (D1R) and type-2 (D2R) expressing medium spiny neurons (MSNs) displays a functional connectivity bias for D2R MSNs. Furthermore, we found that vSUB-D1R and vSUB-D2R MSN synapses contain calcium-permeable AMPA receptors in drug-naive mice. Finally, we find that, distinct from other glutamatergic inputs, cocaine exposure selectively induces plasticity at vSUB-D2R synapses. Importantly, we directly compared vSUB and vCA1 output to NAcMS and found that vSUB synapses are functionally distinct and that vCA1 output recapitulated the synaptic properties previously ascribed to vHIPP. Our work highlights the need to consider the contributions of individual subregions of vHIPP to substance use disorders and represents an important first step toward understanding how the vSUB-NAcMS circuit contributes to the etiologies that underlie substance use disorders.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Inputs to nucleus accumbens (NAc) dopamine receptor type 1 (D1R) and D2R medium spiny neurons (MSNs) are critically involved in reward seeking behavior. Ventral subiculum (vSUB) provides robust synaptic input to nucleus accumbens medial shell (NAcMS) and activity of this circuit is linked to substance use disorders. Despite the importance of the vSUB to nucleus accumbens circuit, the functional connectivity and synaptic transmission properties have not been tested. Here, we systematically interrogated these properties and found that basal connectivity and drug-induced plasticity are biased for D2R medium spiny neurons. Overall, we demonstrate that this circuit is distinct from synaptic inputs from other brain regions, which helps to explain how vSUB dysfunction contributes to the etiologies that underlie substance use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma E Boxer
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045
| | - JungMin Kim
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045
| | - Brett Dunn
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045
| | - Jason Aoto
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045
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15
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Epigenetic function during heroin self-administration controls future relapse-associated behavior in a cell type-specific manner. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2210953120. [PMID: 36745812 PMCID: PMC9963300 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2210953120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Opioid use produces enduring associations between drug reinforcement/euphoria and discreet or diffuse cues in the drug-taking environment. These powerful associations can trigger relapse in individuals recovering from opioid use disorder (OUD). Here, we sought to determine whether the epigenetic enzyme, histone deacetylase 5 (HDAC5), regulates relapse-associated behavior in an animal model of OUD. We examined the effects of nucleus accumbens (NAc) HDAC5 on both heroin- and sucrose-seeking behaviors using operant self-administration paradigms. We utilized cre-dependent viral-mediated approaches to investigate the cell-type-specific effects of HDAC5 on heroin-seeking behavior, gene expression, and medium spiny neuron (MSN) cell and synaptic physiology. We found that NAc HDAC5 functions during the acquisition phase of heroin self-administration to limit future relapse-associated behavior. Moreover, overexpressing HDAC5 in the NAc suppressed context-associated and reinstated heroin-seeking behaviors, but it did not alter sucrose seeking. We also found that HDAC5 functions within dopamine D1 receptor-expressing MSNs to suppress cue-induced heroin seeking, and within dopamine D2 receptor-expressing MSNs to suppress drug-primed heroin seeking. Assessing cell-type-specific transcriptomics, we found that HDAC5 reduced expression of multiple ion transport genes in both D1- and D2-MSNs. Consistent with this observation, HDAC5 also produced firing rate depression in both MSN classes. These findings revealed roles for HDAC5 during active heroin use in both D1- and D2-MSNs to limit distinct triggers of drug-seeking behavior. Together, our results suggest that HDAC5 might limit relapse vulnerability through regulation of ion channel gene expression and suppression of MSN firing rates during active heroin use.
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16
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Soares-Cunha C, Heinsbroek JA. Ventral pallidal regulation of motivated behaviors and reinforcement. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1086053. [PMID: 36817646 PMCID: PMC9932340 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1086053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The interconnected nuclei of the ventral basal ganglia have long been identified as key regulators of motivated behavior, and dysfunction of this circuit is strongly implicated in mood and substance use disorders. The ventral pallidum (VP) is a central node of the ventral basal ganglia, and recent studies have revealed complex VP cellular heterogeneity and cell- and circuit-specific regulation of reward, aversion, motivation, and drug-seeking behaviors. Although the VP is canonically considered a relay and output structure for this circuit, emerging data indicate that the VP is a central hub in an extensive network for reward processing and the regulation of motivation that extends beyond classically defined basal ganglia borders. VP neurons respond temporally faster and show more advanced reward coding and prediction error processing than neurons in the upstream nucleus accumbens, and regulate the activity of the ventral mesencephalon dopamine system. This review will summarize recent findings in the literature and provide an update on the complex cellular heterogeneity and cell- and circuit-specific regulation of motivated behaviors and reinforcement by the VP with a specific focus on mood and substance use disorders. In addition, we will discuss mechanisms by which stress and drug exposure alter the functioning of the VP and produce susceptibility to neuropsychiatric disorders. Lastly, we will outline unanswered questions and identify future directions for studies necessary to further clarify the central role of VP neurons in the regulation of motivated behaviors. Significance: Research in the last decade has revealed a complex cell- and circuit-specific role for the VP in reward processing and the regulation of motivated behaviors. Novel insights obtained using cell- and circuit-specific interrogation strategies have led to a major shift in our understanding of this region. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the VP in which we integrate novel findings with the existing literature and highlight the emerging role of the VP as a linchpin of the neural systems that regulate motivation, reward, and aversion. In addition, we discuss the dysfunction of the VP in animal models of neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Jasper A. Heinsbroek
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
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17
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Differential Patterns of Synaptic Plasticity in the Nucleus Accumbens Caused by Continuous and Interrupted Morphine Exposure. J Neurosci 2023; 43:308-318. [PMID: 36396404 PMCID: PMC9838694 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0595-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Opioid exposure and withdrawal both cause adaptations in brain circuits that may contribute to abuse liability. These adaptations vary in magnitude and direction following different patterns of opioid exposure, but few studies have systematically manipulated the pattern of opioid administration while measuring neurobiological impact. In this study, we compared cellular and synaptic adaptations in the nucleus accumbens shell caused by morphine exposure that was either continuous or interrupted by daily bouts of naloxone-precipitated withdrawal. At the behavioral level, continuous morphine administration caused psychomotor tolerance, which was reversed when the continuity of morphine action was interrupted by naloxone-precipitated withdrawal. Using ex vivo slice electrophysiology in female and male mice, we investigated how these patterns of morphine administration altered intrinsic excitability and synaptic plasticity of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) expressing the D1 or D2 dopamine receptor. We found that morphine-evoked adaptations at excitatory synapses were predominately conserved between patterns of administration, but there were divergent effects on inhibitory synapses and the subsequent balance between excitatory and inhibitory synaptic input. Overall, our data suggest that continuous morphine administration produces adaptations that dampen the output of D1-MSNs, which are canonically thought to promote reward-related behaviors. Interruption of otherwise continuous morphine exposure does not dampen D1-MSN functional output to the same extent, which may enhance behavioral responses to subsequent opioid exposure. Our findings support the hypothesis that maintaining continuity of opioid administration could be an effective therapeutic strategy to minimize the vulnerability to opioid use disorders.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Withdrawal plays a key role in the cycle of addiction to opioids like morphine. We studied how repeated cycles of naloxone-precipitated withdrawal from otherwise continuous opioid exposure can change brain function of the nucleus accumbens, which is an important brain region for reward and addiction. Different patterns of opioid exposure caused unique changes in communication between neurons in the nucleus accumbens, and the nature of these changes depended on the type of neuron being studied. The specific changes in communication between neurons caused by repeated cycles of withdrawal may increase vulnerability to opioid use disorders. This highlights the importance of reducing or preventing the experience of withdrawal during opioid treatment.
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18
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Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a canonical reward center that regulates feeding and drinking but it is not known whether these behaviors are mediated by same or different neurons. We employed two-photon calcium imaging in awake, behaving mice and found that during the appetitive phase, both hunger and thirst are sensed by a nearly identical population of individual D1 and D2 neurons in the NAc that respond monophasically to food cues in fasted animals and water cues in dehydrated animals. During the consummatory phase, we identified three distinct neuronal clusters that are temporally correlated with action initiation, consumption, and cessation shared by feeding and drinking. These dynamic clusters also show a nearly complete overlap of individual D1 neurons and extensive overlap among D2 neurons. Modulating D1 and D2 neural activities revealed analogous effects on feeding versus drinking behaviors. In aggregate, these data show that a highly overlapping set of D1 and D2 neurons in NAc detect food and water reward and elicit concordant responses to hunger and thirst. These studies establish a general role of this mesolimbic pathway in mediating instinctive behaviors by controlling motivation-associated variables rather than conferring behavioral specificity.
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19
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Kim MJ, Kaang BK. Distinct cell populations of ventral tegmental area process motivated behavior. THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY & PHARMACOLOGY 2022; 26:307-312. [PMID: 36039731 PMCID: PMC9437368 DOI: 10.4196/kjpp.2022.26.5.307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Min Jung Kim
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Bong-Kiun Kaang
- School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
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20
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Morales I. Brain regulation of hunger and motivation: The case for integrating homeostatic and hedonic concepts and its implications for obesity and addiction. Appetite 2022; 177:106146. [PMID: 35753443 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2022.106146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Obesity and other eating disorders are marked by dysregulations to brain metabolic, hedonic, motivational, and sensory systems that control food intake. Classic approaches in hunger research have distinguished between hedonic and homeostatic processes, and have mostly treated these systems as independent. Hindbrain structures and a complex network of interconnected hypothalamic nuclei control metabolic processes, energy expenditure, and food intake while mesocorticolimbic structures are though to control hedonic and motivational processes associated with food reward. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that hedonic and homeostatic brain systems do not function in isolation, but rather interact as part of a larger network that regulates food intake. Incentive theories of motivation provide a useful route to explore these interactions. Adapting incentive theories of motivation can enable researchers to better how motivational systems dysfunction during disease. Obesity and addiction are associated with profound alterations to both hedonic and homeostatic brain systems that result in maladaptive patterns of consumption. A subset of individuals with obesity may experience pathological cravings for food due to incentive sensitization of brain systems that generate excessive 'wanting' to eat. Further progress in understanding how the brain regulates hunger and appetite may depend on merging traditional hedonic and homeostatic concepts of food reward and motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ileana Morales
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1043, USA.
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21
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Fleming W, Lee J, Briones BA, Bolkan SS, Witten IB. Cholinergic interneurons mediate cocaine extinction in male mice through plasticity across medium spiny neuron subtypes. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110874. [PMID: 35649378 PMCID: PMC9196889 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Cholinergic interneurons (ChINs) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) have been implicated in the extinction of drug associations, as well as related plasticity in medium spiny neurons (MSNs). However, since most previous work relied on artificial manipulations, whether endogenous acetylcholine signaling relates to drug associations is unclear. Moreover, despite great interest in the opposing effects of dopamine on MSN subtypes, whether ChIN-mediated effects vary by MSN subtype is also unclear. Here, we find that high endogenous acetylcholine event frequency correlates with greater extinction of cocaine-context associations across male mice. Additionally, extinction is associated with a weakening of glutamatergic synapses across MSN subtypes. Manipulating ChIN activity bidirectionally controls both the rate of extinction and the associated plasticity at MSNs. Our findings indicate that NAc ChINs mediate drug-context extinction by reducing glutamatergic synaptic strength across MSN subtypes, and that natural variation in acetylcholine signaling may contribute to individual differences in extinction. Fleming et al. show that individual differences in nucleus accumbens (NAc) acetylcholine signaling correlate with extinction of a cocaine-context association. Manipulations of NAc cholinergic interneuron activity support a model where acetylcholine release weakens glutamatergic presynaptic strength at NAc D1R and D2R medium spiny neurons, promoting cocaine-context extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weston Fleming
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Junuk Lee
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Brandy A Briones
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Scott S Bolkan
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Ilana B Witten
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
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22
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Lee GJ, Kim YJ, Shim SW, Lee K, Oh SB. Anterior insular-nucleus accumbens pathway controls refeeding-induced analgesia under chronic inflammatory pain condition. Neuroscience 2022; 495:58-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.05.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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23
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A Conditioned Place Preference for Heroin Is Signaled by Increased Dopamine and Direct Pathway Activity and Decreased Indirect Pathway Activity in the Nucleus Accumbens. J Neurosci 2022; 42:2011-2024. [PMID: 35031576 PMCID: PMC8916759 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1451-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Repeated pairing of a drug with a neutral stimulus, such as a cue or context, leads to the attribution of the drug's reinforcing properties to that stimulus, and exposure to that stimulus in the absence of the drug can elicit drug-seeking. A principal role for the NAc in the response to drug-associated stimuli has been well documented. Direct and indirect pathway medium spiny neurons (dMSNs and iMSNs) have been shown to bidirectionally regulate cue-induced heroin-seeking in rats expressing addiction-like phenotypes, and a shift in NAc activity toward the direct pathway has been shown in mice following cocaine conditioned place preference (CPP). However, how NAc signaling guides heroin CPP, and whether heroin alters the balance of signaling between dMSNs and iMSNs, remains unknown. Moreover, the role of NAc dopamine signaling in heroin reinforcement is unclear. Here, we integrate fiber photometry for in vivo monitoring of dopamine and dMSN/iMSN calcium activity with a heroin CPP procedure in rats to begin to address these questions. We identify a sensitization-like response to heroin in the NAc, with prominent iMSN activity during initial heroin exposure and prominent dMSN activity following repeated heroin exposure. We demonstrate a ramp in dopamine activity, dMSN activation, and iMSN inactivation preceding entry into a heroin-paired context, and a decrease in dopamine activity, dMSN inactivation, and iMSN activation preceding exit from a heroin-paired context. Finally, we show that buprenorphine is sufficient to prevent the development of heroin CPP and reduce Fos activation in the NAc after conditioning. Together, these data support the hypothesis that an imbalance in NAc activity contributes to the development of drug-cue associations that can drive addiction processes.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The attribution of the reinforcing effects of drugs to neutral stimuli (e.g., cues and contexts) contributes to the long-standing nature of addiction, as re-exposure to drug-associated stimuli can reinstate drug-seeking and -taking even after long periods of abstinence. The NAc has an established role in encoding the value of drug-associated stimuli, and dopamine release into the NAc is known to modulate the reinforcing effects of drugs, including heroin. Using fiber photometry, we show that entering a heroin-paired context is driven by dopamine signaling and NAc direct pathway activation, whereas exiting a heroin-paired context is driven by NAc indirect pathway activation. This study provides further insight into the role of NAc microcircuitry in encoding the reinforcing properties of heroin.
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24
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Bolkan SS, Stone IR, Pinto L, Ashwood ZC, Iravedra Garcia JM, Herman AL, Singh P, Bandi A, Cox J, Zimmerman CA, Cho JR, Engelhard B, Pillow JW, Witten IB. Opponent control of behavior by dorsomedial striatal pathways depends on task demands and internal state. Nat Neurosci 2022; 25:345-357. [PMID: 35260863 PMCID: PMC8915388 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01021-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
A classic view of the striatum holds that activity in direct and indirect pathways oppositely modulates motor output. Whether this involves direct control of movement, or reflects a cognitive process underlying movement, remains unresolved. Here we find that strong, opponent control of behavior by the two pathways of the dorsomedial striatum depends on the cognitive requirements of a task. Furthermore, a latent state model (a hidden Markov model with generalized linear model observations) reveals that-even within a single task-the contribution of the two pathways to behavior is state dependent. Specifically, the two pathways have large contributions in one of two states associated with a strategy of evidence accumulation, compared to a state associated with a strategy of repeating previous choices. Thus, both the demands imposed by a task, as well as the internal state of mice when performing a task, determine whether dorsomedial striatum pathways provide strong and opponent control of behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott S Bolkan
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Iris R Stone
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Lucas Pinto
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Zoe C Ashwood
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | | | - Alison L Herman
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Priyanka Singh
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Akhil Bandi
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Julia Cox
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | | | - Jounhong Ryan Cho
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Ben Engelhard
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Jonathan W Pillow
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
| | - Ilana B Witten
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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25
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Soares-Cunha C, Domingues AV, Correia R, Coimbra B, Vieitas-Gaspar N, de Vasconcelos NAP, Pinto L, Sousa N, Rodrigues AJ. Distinct role of nucleus accumbens D2-MSN projections to ventral pallidum in different phases of motivated behavior. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110380. [PMID: 35172164 PMCID: PMC8864463 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Revised: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key region in motivated behaviors. NAc medium spiny neurons (MSNs) are divided into those expressing dopamine receptor D1 or D2. Classically, D1- and D2-MSNs have been described as having opposing roles in reinforcement, but recent evidence suggests a more complex role for D2-MSNs. Here, we show that optogenetic modulation of D2-MSN to ventral pallidum (VP) projections during different stages of motivated behavior has contrasting effects in motivation. Activation of D2-MSN-VP projections during a reward-predicting cue results in increased motivational drive, whereas activation at reward delivery decreases motivation; optical inhibition triggers the opposite behavioral effect. In addition, in a free-choice instrumental task, animals prefer the lever that originates one pellet in opposition to pellet plus D2-MSN-VP optogenetic activation and vice versa for optogenetic inhibition. In summary, D2-MSN-VP projections play different, and even opposing, roles in distinct phases of motivated behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal.
| | - Ana Verónica Domingues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - Raquel Correia
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - Natacha Vieitas-Gaspar
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - Nivaldo A P de Vasconcelos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal; Physics Department, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, Pernambuco 50670-901, Brazil; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, Pernambuco 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Luísa Pinto
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal; Clinical Academic Center-Braga (2CA), Braga, Portugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal.
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26
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Teague CD, Nestler EJ. Key transcription factors mediating cocaine-induced plasticity in the nucleus accumbens. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:687-709. [PMID: 34079067 PMCID: PMC8636523 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01163-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Repeated cocaine use induces coordinated changes in gene expression that drive plasticity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), an important component of the brain's reward circuitry, and promote the development of maladaptive, addiction-like behaviors. Studies on the molecular basis of cocaine action identify transcription factors, a class of proteins that bind to specific DNA sequences and regulate transcription, as critical mediators of this cocaine-induced plasticity. Early methods to identify and study transcription factors involved in addiction pathophysiology primarily relied on quantifying the expression of candidate genes in bulk brain tissue after chronic cocaine treatment, as well as conventional overexpression and knockdown techniques. More recently, advances in next generation sequencing, bioinformatics, cell-type-specific targeting, and locus-specific neuroepigenomic editing offer a more powerful, unbiased toolbox to identify the most important transcription factors that drive drug-induced plasticity and to causally define their downstream molecular mechanisms. Here, we synthesize the literature on transcription factors mediating cocaine action in the NAc, discuss the advancements and remaining limitations of current experimental approaches, and emphasize recent work leveraging bioinformatic tools and neuroepigenomic editing to study transcription factors involved in cocaine addiction.
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27
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Birnie MT, Levis SC, Mahler SV, Baram TZ. Developmental Trajectories of Anhedonia in Preclinical Models. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2022; 58:23-41. [PMID: 35156184 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2021_299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This chapter discusses how the complex concept of anhedonia can be operationalized and studied in preclinical models. It provides information about the development of anhedonia in the context of early-life adversity, and the power of preclinical models to tease out the diverse molecular, epigenetic, and network mechanisms that are responsible for anhedonia-like behaviors.Specifically, we first discuss the term anhedonia, reviewing the conceptual components underlying reward-related behaviors and distinguish anhedonia pertaining to deficits in motivational versus consummatory behaviors. We then describe the repertoire of experimental approaches employed to study anhedonia-like behaviors in preclinical models, and the progressive refinement over the past decade of both experimental instruments (e.g., chemogenetics, optogenetics) and conceptual constructs (salience, valence, conflict). We follow with an overview of the state of current knowledge of brain circuits, nodes, and projections that execute distinct aspects of hedonic-like behaviors, as well as neurotransmitters, modulators, and receptors involved in the generation of anhedonia-like behaviors. Finally, we discuss the special case of anhedonia that arises following early-life adversity as an eloquent example enabling the study of causality, mechanisms, and sex dependence of anhedonia.Together, this chapter highlights the power, potential, and limitations of using preclinical models to advance our understanding of the origin and mechanisms of anhedonia and to discover potential targets for its prevention and mitigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T Birnie
- Departments of Anatomy/Neurobiology and Pediatrics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Sophia C Levis
- Departments of Anatomy/Neurobiology and Neurobiology/Behavior, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Stephen V Mahler
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Tallie Z Baram
- Departments of Anatomy/Neurobiology and Pediatrics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
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28
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Allichon MC, Ortiz V, Pousinha P, Andrianarivelo A, Petitbon A, Heck N, Trifilieff P, Barik J, Vanhoutte P. Cell-Type-Specific Adaptions in Striatal Medium-Sized Spiny Neurons and Their Roles in Behavioral Responses to Drugs of Abuse. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2022; 13:799274. [PMID: 34970134 PMCID: PMC8712310 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2021.799274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug addiction is defined as a compulsive pattern of drug-seeking- and taking- behavior, with recurrent episodes of abstinence and relapse, and a loss of control despite negative consequences. Addictive drugs promote reinforcement by increasing dopamine in the mesocorticolimbic system, which alters excitatory glutamate transmission within the reward circuitry, thereby hijacking reward processing. Within the reward circuitry, the striatum is a key target structure of drugs of abuse since it is at the crossroad of converging glutamate inputs from limbic, thalamic and cortical regions, encoding components of drug-associated stimuli and environment, and dopamine that mediates reward prediction error and incentive values. These signals are integrated by medium-sized spiny neurons (MSN), which receive glutamate and dopamine axons converging onto their dendritic spines. MSN primarily form two mostly distinct populations based on the expression of either DA-D1 (D1R) or DA-D2 (D2R) receptors. While a classical view is that the two MSN populations act in parallel, playing antagonistic functional roles, the picture seems much more complex. Herein, we review recent studies, based on the use of cell-type-specific manipulations, demonstrating that dopamine differentially modulates dendritic spine density and synapse formation, as well as glutamate transmission, at specific inputs projecting onto D1R-MSN and D2R-MSN to shape persistent pathological behavioral in response to drugs of abuse. We also discuss the identification of distinct molecular events underlying the detrimental interplay between dopamine and glutamate signaling in D1R-MSN and D2R-MSN and highlight the relevance of such cell-type-specific molecular studies for the development of innovative strategies with potential therapeutic value for addiction. Because drug addiction is highly prevalent in patients with other psychiatric disorders when compared to the general population, we last discuss the hypothesis that shared cellular and molecular adaptations within common circuits could explain the co-occurrence of addiction and depression. We will therefore conclude this review by examining how the nucleus accumbens (NAc) could constitute a key interface between addiction and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Charlotte Allichon
- CNRS, UMR 8246, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Paris, France.,INSERM, UMR-S 1130, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Institute of Biology Paris Seine, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, UPMC Université Paris 06, UM CR18, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Paris, France
| | - Vanesa Ortiz
- Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France.,Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS UMR 7275, Valbonne, France
| | - Paula Pousinha
- Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France.,Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS UMR 7275, Valbonne, France
| | - Andry Andrianarivelo
- CNRS, UMR 8246, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Paris, France.,INSERM, UMR-S 1130, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Institute of Biology Paris Seine, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, UPMC Université Paris 06, UM CR18, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Paris, France
| | - Anna Petitbon
- Université Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, NutriNeuro, Bordeaux, France
| | - Nicolas Heck
- CNRS, UMR 8246, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Paris, France.,INSERM, UMR-S 1130, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Institute of Biology Paris Seine, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, UPMC Université Paris 06, UM CR18, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Trifilieff
- Université Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, NutriNeuro, Bordeaux, France
| | - Jacques Barik
- Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France.,Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS UMR 7275, Valbonne, France
| | - Peter Vanhoutte
- CNRS, UMR 8246, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Paris, France.,INSERM, UMR-S 1130, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Institute of Biology Paris Seine, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, UPMC Université Paris 06, UM CR18, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Paris, France
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29
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Lee BR, Sung SJ, Hur KH, Kim SE, Ma SX, Kim SK, Ko YH, Kim YJ, Lee Y, Lee SY, Jang CG. Korean Red Ginseng inhibits methamphetamine addictive behaviors by regulating dopaminergic and NMDAergic system in rodents. J Ginseng Res 2022; 46:147-155. [PMID: 35058731 PMCID: PMC8753524 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgr.2021.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
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30
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Lardner CK, van der Zee Y, Estill MS, Kronman HG, Salery M, Cunningham AM, Godino A, Parise EM, Kim JH, Neve RL, Shen L, Hamilton PJ, Nestler EJ. Gene-Targeted, CREB-Mediated Induction of ΔFosB Controls Distinct Downstream Transcriptional Patterns Within D1 and D2 Medium Spiny Neurons. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 90:540-549. [PMID: 34425966 PMCID: PMC8501456 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The onset and persistence of addiction phenotypes are, in part, mediated by transcriptional mechanisms in the brain that affect gene expression and, subsequently, neural circuitry. ΔFosB is a transcription factor that accumulates in the nucleus accumbens (NAc)-a brain region responsible for coordinating reward and motivation-after exposure to virtually every known rewarding substance, including cocaine and opioids. ΔFosB has also been shown to directly control gene transcription and behavior downstream of both cocaine and opioid exposure, but with potentially different roles in D1 and D2 medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in NAc. METHODS To clarify MSN subtype-specific roles for ΔFosB and investigate how these coordinate the actions of distinct classes of addictive drugs in NAc, we developed a CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas9-based epigenome editing tool to induce endogenous ΔFosB expression in vivo in the absence of drug exposure. After inducing ΔFosB in D1- or D2-MSNs or both, we performed RNA sequencing on bulk male and female NAc tissue (n = 6-8/group). RESULTS We found that ΔFosB induction elicits distinct transcriptional profiles in NAc by MSN subtype and by sex, establishing for the first time that ΔFosB mediates different transcriptional effects in males versus females. We also demonstrated that changes in D1-MSNs, but not those in D2-MSNs or both, significantly recapitulate changes in gene expression induced by cocaine self-administration. CONCLUSIONS Together, these findings demonstrate the efficacy of a novel molecular tool for studying cell type-specific transcriptional mechanisms and shed new light on the activity of ΔFosB, a critical transcriptional regulator of drug addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey K Lardner
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Yentl van der Zee
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Molly S Estill
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Hope G Kronman
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Marine Salery
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Ashley M Cunningham
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Arthur Godino
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Eric M Parise
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Jee Hyun Kim
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Rachael L Neve
- Gene Delivery Technology Core, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Li Shen
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Peter J Hamilton
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
| | - Eric J Nestler
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
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31
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Beacher NJ, Washington KA, Werner CT, Zhang Y, Barbera G, Li Y, Lin DT. Circuit Investigation of Social Interaction and Substance Use Disorder Using Miniscopes. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:762441. [PMID: 34675782 PMCID: PMC8523886 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.762441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Substance use disorder (SUD) is comorbid with devastating health issues, social withdrawal, and isolation. Successful clinical treatments for SUD have used social interventions. Neurons can encode drug cues, and drug cues can trigger relapse. It is important to study how the activity in circuits and embedded cell types that encode drug cues develop in SUD. Exploring shared neurobiology between social interaction (SI) and SUD may explain why humans with access to social treatments still experience relapse. However, circuitry remains poorly characterized due to technical challenges in studying the complicated nature of SI and SUD. To understand the neural correlates of SI and SUD, it is important to: (1) identify cell types and circuits associated with SI and SUD, (2) record and manipulate neural activity encoding drug and social rewards over time, (3) monitor unrestrained animal behavior that allows reliable drug self-administration (SA) and SI. Miniaturized fluorescence microscopes (miniscopes) are ideally suited to meet these requirements. They can be used with gradient index (GRIN) lenses to image from deep brain structures implicated in SUD. Miniscopes can be combined with genetically encoded reporters to extract cell-type specific information. In this mini-review, we explore how miniscopes can be leveraged to uncover neural components of SI and SUD and advance potential therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J. Beacher
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Kayden A. Washington
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Craig T. Werner
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK, United States
| | - Yan Zhang
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Giovanni Barbera
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Yun Li
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, United States
| | - Da-Ting Lin
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Covey DP, Yocky AG. Endocannabinoid Modulation of Nucleus Accumbens Microcircuitry and Terminal Dopamine Release. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2021; 13:734975. [PMID: 34497503 PMCID: PMC8419321 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2021.734975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is located in the ventromedial portion of the striatum and is vital to valence-based predictions and motivated action. The neural architecture of the NAc allows for complex interactions between various cell types that filter incoming and outgoing information. Dopamine (DA) input serves a crucial role in modulating NAc function, but the mechanisms that control terminal DA release and its effect on NAc neurons continues to be elucidated. The endocannabinoid (eCB) system has emerged as an important filter of neural circuitry within the NAc that locally shapes terminal DA release through various cell type- and site-specific actions. Here, we will discuss how eCB signaling modulates terminal DA release by shaping the activity patterns of NAc neurons and their afferent inputs. We then discuss recent technological advancements that are capable of dissecting how distinct cell types, their afferent projections, and local neuromodulators influence valence-based actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan P Covey
- Department of Neuroscience, Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Alyssa G Yocky
- Department of Neuroscience, Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, United States
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33
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Gordon-Fennell A, Stuber GD. Illuminating subcortical GABAergic and glutamatergic circuits for reward and aversion. Neuropharmacology 2021; 198:108725. [PMID: 34375625 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Reinforcement, reward, and aversion are fundamental processes for guiding appropriate behaviors. Longstanding theories have pointed to dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the limbic systems' descending pathways as crucial systems for modulating these behaviors. The application of optogenetic techniques in neurotransmitter- and projection-specific circuits has supported and enhanced many preexisting theories but has also revealed many unexpected results. Here, we review the past decade of optogenetic experiments to study the neural circuitry of reinforcement and reward/aversion with a focus on the mesolimbic dopamine system and brain areas along the medial forebrain bundle (MFB). The cumulation of these studies to date has revealed generalizable findings across molecularly defined cell types in areas of the basal forebrain and anterior hypothalamus. Optogenetic stimulation of GABAergic neurons in these brain regions drives reward and can support positive reinforcement and optogenetic stimulation of glutamatergic neurons in these regions drives aversion. We also review studies of the activity dynamics of neurotransmitter defined populations in these areas which have revealed varied response patterns associated with motivated behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Gordon-Fennell
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, 98195, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Garret D Stuber
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, 98195, Seattle, WA, USA.
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34
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Lokshina Y, Nickelsen T, Liberzon I. Reward Processing and Circuit Dysregulation in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:559401. [PMID: 34122157 PMCID: PMC8193060 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.559401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Past decades have witnessed substantial progress in understanding of neurobiological mechanisms that contribute to generation of various PTSD symptoms, including intrusive memories, physiological arousal and avoidance of trauma reminders. However, the neurobiology of anhedonia and emotional numbing in PTSD, that have been conceptualized as reward processing deficits - reward wanting (anticipation of reward) and reward liking (satisfaction with reward outcome), respectively, remains largely unexplored. Empirical evidence on reward processing in PTSD is rather limited, and no studies have examined association of reward processing abnormalities and neurocircuitry-based models of PTSD pathophysiology. The manuscript briefly summarizes "state of the science" of both human reward processing, and of PTSD implicated neurocircuitry, as well as empirical evidence of reward processing deficits in PTSD. We then summarize current gaps in the literature and outline key future directions, further illustrating it by the example of two alternative explanations of PTSD pathophysiology potentially affecting reward processing via different neurobiological pathways. Studying reward processing in PTSD will not only advance the understanding of their link, but also could enhance current treatment approaches by specifically targeting anhedonia and emotional symptoms in PTSD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yana Lokshina
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College Station, TX, United States
- Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Tetiana Nickelsen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Israel Liberzon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College Station, TX, United States
- Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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35
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Nguyen D, Naffziger EE, Berridge KC. Positive Affect: Nature and brain bases of liking and wanting. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2021; 39:72-78. [PMID: 33748351 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The positive affect of rewards is an important contributor to well-being. Reward involves components of pleasure 'liking', motivation 'wanting', and learning. 'Liking' refers to the hedonic impact of positive events, with underlying mechanisms that include hedonic hotspots in limbic brain structures that amplify 'liking' reactions. 'Wanting' refers to incentive salience, a motivational process that makes reward cues attractive and able to trigger craving for their reward, mediated by larger dopamine-related mesocorticolimbic networks. Under normal conditions, 'liking' and 'wanting' cohere. However, 'liking' and 'wanting' can be dissociated by alterations in neural signaling, either induced in animal neuroscience laboratories or arising spontaneously in addictions and other affective disorders, which can be detrimental to positive well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Nguyen
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Erin E Naffziger
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Kent C Berridge
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
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36
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Fakhoury M. Optogenetics: A revolutionary approach for the study of depression. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 106:110094. [PMID: 32890694 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Depression is a severe and chronic mental disorder that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Symptoms include depressed mood, loss of interest, reduced motivation and suicidal thoughts. Even though findings from genetic, molecular and imaging studies have helped provide some clues regarding the mechanisms underlying depression-like behaviors, there are still many unanswered questions that need to be addressed. Optogenetics, a technique developed in the early 2000s, has proved effective in the study and treatment of depression and depression-like behaviors and has revolutionized already known experimental techniques. This technique employs light and genetic tools to either inhibit or excite specific neurons or pathways within the brain. In this review paper, an up-to-date understanding of the use of optogenetics in the study of depression-like behaviors is provided, along with suggestions for future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Fakhoury
- Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut Campus, Lebanon.
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37
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Yao Y, Gao G, Liu K, Shi X, Cheng M, Xiong Y, Song S. Projections from D2 Neurons in Different Subregions of Nucleus Accumbens Shell to Ventral Pallidum Play Distinct Roles in Reward and Aversion. Neurosci Bull 2021; 37:623-640. [PMID: 33548029 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-021-00632-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) plays an important role in reward and aversion. Traditionally, NAc dopamine receptor 2-expressing (D2) neurons are assumed to function in aversion. However, this has been challenged by recent reports which attribute positive motivational roles to D2 neurons. Using optogenetics and multiple behavioral tasks, we found that activation of D2 neurons in the dorsomedial NAcSh drives preference and increases the motivation for rewards, whereas activation of ventral NAcSh D2 neurons induces aversion. Stimulation of D2 neurons in the ventromedial NAcSh increases movement speed and stimulation of D2 neurons in the ventrolateral NAcSh decreases movement speed. Combining retrograde tracing and in situ hybridization, we demonstrated that glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in the ventral pallidum receive inputs differentially from the dorsomedial and ventral NAcSh. All together, these findings shed light on the controversy regarding the function of NAcSh D2 neurons, and provide new insights into understanding the heterogeneity of the NAcSh.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Yao
- Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.,Center for Brain-Inspired Computing Research, Beijing Innovation Center for Future Chips, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.,Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Ge Gao
- Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.,School of Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Kai Liu
- Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.,School of Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Xin Shi
- Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Mingxiu Cheng
- School of Life Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.,National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Yan Xiong
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
| | - Sen Song
- Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China. .,Center for Brain-Inspired Computing Research, Beijing Innovation Center for Future Chips, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
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38
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Azizi SA. Monoamines: Dopamine, Norepinephrine, and Serotonin, Beyond Modulation, "Switches" That Alter the State of Target Networks. Neuroscientist 2020; 28:121-143. [PMID: 33292070 DOI: 10.1177/1073858420974336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
How do monoamines influence the perceptual and behavioral aspects of brain function? A library of information regarding the genetic, molecular, cellular, and function of monoamines in the nervous system and other organs has accumulated. We briefly review monoamines' anatomy and physiology and discuss their effects on the target neurons and circuits. Monoaminergic cells in the brain stem receive inputs from sensory, limbic, and prefrontal areas and project extensively to the forebrain and hindbrain. We review selected studies on molecular, cellular, and electrophysiological effects of monoamines on the brain's target areas. The idea is that monoamines, by reversibly modulating the "primary" information processing circuits, regulate and switch the functions of brain networks and can reversibly alter the "brain states," such as consciousness, emotions, and movements. Monoamines, as the drivers of normal motor and sensory brain operations, including housekeeping, play essential roles in pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayed Ausim Azizi
- Department of Neurology, Global Neuroscience Institute, Chester, PA, USA
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39
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Morales I, Berridge KC. 'Liking' and 'wanting' in eating and food reward: Brain mechanisms and clinical implications. Physiol Behav 2020; 227:113152. [PMID: 32846152 PMCID: PMC7655589 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
It is becoming clearer how neurobiological mechanisms generate 'liking' and 'wanting' components of food reward. Mesocorticolimbic mechanisms that enhance 'liking' include brain hedonic hotspots, which are specialized subregions that are uniquely able to causally amplify the hedonic impact of palatable tastes. Hedonic hotspots are found in nucleus accumbens medial shell, ventral pallidum, orbitofrontal cortex, insula cortex, and brainstem. In turn, a much larger mesocorticolimbic circuitry generates 'wanting' or incentive motivation to obtain and consume food rewards. Hedonic and motivational circuitry interact together and with hypothalamic homeostatic circuitry, allowing relevant physiological hunger and satiety states to modulate 'liking' and 'wanting' for food rewards. In some conditions such as drug addiction, 'wanting' is known to dramatically detach from 'liking' for the same reward, and this may also occur in over-eating disorders. Via incentive sensitization, 'wanting' selectively becomes higher, especially when triggered by reward cues when encountered in vulnerable states of stress, etc. Emerging evidence suggests that some cases of obesity and binge eating disorders may reflect an incentive-sensitization brain signature of cue hyper-reactivity, causing excessive 'wanting' to eat. Future findings on the neurobiological bases of 'liking' and 'wanting' can continue to improve understanding of both normal food reward and causes of clinical eating disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ileana Morales
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1043, United States.
| | - Kent C Berridge
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1043, United States
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40
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Harda Z, Spyrka J, Jastrzębska K, Szumiec Ł, Bryksa A, Klimczak M, Polaszek M, Gołda S, Zajdel J, Misiołek K, Błasiak A, Rodriguez Parkitna J. Loss of mu and delta opioid receptors on neurons expressing dopamine receptor D1 has no effect on reward sensitivity. Neuropharmacology 2020; 180:108307. [PMID: 32941853 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108307] [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: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/13/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Opioid signaling controls the activity of the brain's reward system. It is involved in signaling the hedonic effects of rewards and has essential roles in reinforcement and motivational processes. Here, we focused on opioid signaling through mu and delta receptors on dopaminoceptive neurons and evaluated the role these receptors play in reward-driven behaviors. We generated a genetically modified mouse with selective double knockdown of mu and delta opioid receptors in neurons expressing dopamine receptor D1. Selective expression of the transgene was confirmed using immunostaining. Knockdown was validated by measuring the effects of selective opioid receptor agonists on neuronal membrane currents using whole-cell patch clamp recordings. We found that in the nucleus accumbens of control mice, the majority of dopamine receptor D1-expressing neurons were sensitive to a mu or delta opioid agonist. In mutant mice, the response to the delta receptor agonist was blocked, while the effects of the mu agonist were strongly attenuated. Behaviorally, the mice had no obvious impairments. The mutation did not affect the sensitivity to the rewarding effects of morphine injections or social contact and had no effect on preference for sweet taste. Knockdown had a moderate effect on motor activity in some of the tests performed, but this effect did not reach statistical significance. Thus, we found that knocking down mu and delta receptors on dopamine receptor D1-expressing cells does not appreciably affect some of the reward-driven behaviors previously attributed to opioid signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zofia Harda
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Smętna 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Jadwiga Spyrka
- Department of Neurophysiology and Chronobiology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Kraków, Poland
| | - Kamila Jastrzębska
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Smętna 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Łukasz Szumiec
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Smętna 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Anna Bryksa
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Smętna 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Marta Klimczak
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Smętna 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Maria Polaszek
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Smętna 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Sławomir Gołda
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Smętna 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Joanna Zajdel
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Smętna 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Klaudia Misiołek
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Smętna 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Anna Błasiak
- Department of Neurophysiology and Chronobiology, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Kraków, Poland
| | - Jan Rodriguez Parkitna
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Smętna 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland.
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41
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Murata K. Hypothetical Roles of the Olfactory Tubercle in Odor-Guided Eating Behavior. Front Neural Circuits 2020; 14:577880. [PMID: 33262693 PMCID: PMC7686465 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2020.577880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Olfaction plays an important role in the evaluation, motivation, and palatability of food. The chemical identity of odorants is coded by a spatial combination of activated glomeruli in the olfactory bulb, which is referred to as the odor map. However, the functional roles of the olfactory cortex, a collective region that receives axonal projections from the olfactory bulb, and higher olfactory centers in odor-guided eating behaviors are yet to be elucidated. The olfactory tubercle (OT) is a component of the ventral striatum and forms a node within the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway. Recent studies have revealed the anatomical domain structures of the OT and their functions in distinct odor-guided motivated behaviors. Another component of the ventral striatum, the nucleus accumbens, is well known for its involvement in motivation and hedonic responses for foods, which raises the possibility of functional similarities between the OT and nucleus accumbens in eating. This review first summarizes recent findings on the domain- and neuronal subtype-specific roles of the OT in odor-guided motivated behaviors and then proposes a model for the regulation of eating behaviors by the OT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koshi Murata
- Division of Brain Structure and Function, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan.,Life Science Innovation Center, Faculty of Medical Science, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
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42
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Gordon-Fennell A, Gordon-Fennell L, Desaivre S, Marinelli M. The Lateral Preoptic Area and Its Projection to the VTA Regulate VTA Activity and Drive Complex Reward Behaviors. Front Syst Neurosci 2020; 14:581830. [PMID: 33224029 PMCID: PMC7669548 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2020.581830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The ventral tegmental area (VTA) underlies motivation and reinforcement of natural rewards. The lateral preoptic area (LPO) is an anterior hypothalamic brain region that sends direct projections to the VTA and to other brain structures known to regulate VTA activity. Here, we investigated the functional connection between the LPO and subpopulations of VTA neurons and explored the reinforcing and valence qualities of the LPO in rats. We found that the LPO and the LPO→VTA pathway inhibit the activity of VTA GABA neurons and have mixed effects on VTA dopamine neurons. Furthermore, we found that the LPO supports operant responding but drives avoidance, and we explored the apparent discrepancy between these two results. Finally, using fiber photometry, we show that the LPO signals aversive events but not rewarding events. Together, our findings demonstrate that the LPO modulates the activity of the VTA and drives motivated behavior and represents an overlooked modulator of reinforcement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Gordon-Fennell
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Natural Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Lydia Gordon-Fennell
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Natural Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Stève Desaivre
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Natural Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Michela Marinelli
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Natural Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States.,Department of Neurology, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States.,Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
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43
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Popova NK, Kulikov AV, Naumenko VS. Spaceflight and brain plasticity: Spaceflight effects on regional expression of neurotransmitter systems and neurotrophic factors encoding genes. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 119:396-405. [PMID: 33086127 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The critical problem of space exploration is the effect of long-term space travel on brain functioning. Current information concerning the effects of actual spaceflight on the brain was obtained on rats and mice flown on five missions of Soviet/Russian biosatellites, NASA Neurolab Mission STS90, and International Space Station (ISS). The review provides converging lines of evidence that: 1) long-term spaceflight affects both principle regulators of brain neuroplasticity - neurotransmitters (5-HT and DA) and neurotrophic factors (CDNF, GDNF but not BDNF); 2) 5-HT- (5-HT2A receptor and MAO A) and especially DA-related genes (TH, MAO A, COMT, D1 receptor, CDNF and GDNF) belong to the risk neurogenes; 3) brain response to spaceflight is region-specific. Substantia nigra, striatum and hypothalamus are highly sensitive to the long-term spaceflight: in these brain areas spaceflight decreased the expression of both DA-related and neurotrophic factors genes. Since DA system is involved in the regulation of movement and cognition the data discussed in the review could explain dysfunction of locomotion and behavior of astronauts and direct further investigations to the DA system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina K Popova
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Division of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia.
| | - Alexander V Kulikov
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Division of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
| | - Vladimir S Naumenko
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Division of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia.
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44
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μ-Opioid Receptors on Distinct Neuronal Populations Mediate Different Aspects of Opioid Reward-Related Behaviors. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0146-20.2020. [PMID: 32859725 PMCID: PMC7508564 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0146-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
μ-Opioid receptors (MORs) are densely expressed in different brain regions known to mediate reward. One such region is the striatum where MORs are densely expressed, yet the role of these MOR populations in modulating reward is relatively unknown. We have begun to address this question by using a series of genetically engineered mice based on the Cre recombinase/loxP system to selectively delete MORs from specific neurons enriched in the striatum: dopamine 1 (D1) receptors, D2 receptors, adenosine 2a (A2a) receptors, and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). We first determined the effects of each deletion on opioid-induced locomotion, a striatal and dopamine-dependent behavior. We show that MOR deletion from D1 neurons reduced opioid (morphine and oxycodone)-induced hyperlocomotion, whereas deleting MORs from A2a neurons resulted in enhanced opioid-induced locomotion, and deleting MORs from D2 or ChAT neurons had no effect. We also present the effect of each deletion on opioid intravenous self-administration. We first assessed the acquisition of this behavior using remifentanil as the reinforcing opioid and found no effect of genotype. Mice were then transitioned to oxycodone as the reinforcer and maintained here for 9 d. Again, no genotype effect was found. However, when mice underwent 3 d of extinction training, during which the drug was not delivered, but all cues remained as during the maintenance phase, drug-seeking behavior was enhanced when MORs were deleted from A2a or ChAT neurons. These findings show that these selective MOR populations play specific roles in reward-associated behaviors.
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Zell V, Steinkellner T, Hollon NG, Warlow SM, Souter E, Faget L, Hunker AC, Jin X, Zweifel LS, Hnasko TS. VTA Glutamate Neuron Activity Drives Positive Reinforcement Absent Dopamine Co-release. Neuron 2020; 107:864-873.e4. [PMID: 32610039 PMCID: PMC7780844 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Like ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons, VTA glutamate neuron activity can support positive reinforcement. However, a subset of VTA neurons co-release DA and glutamate, and DA release might be responsible for behavioral reinforcement induced by VTA glutamate neuron activity. To test this, we used optogenetics to stimulate VTA glutamate neurons in which tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and thus DA biosynthesis, was conditionally ablated using either floxed Th mice or viral-based CRISPR/Cas9. Both approaches led to loss of TH expression in VTA glutamate neurons and loss of DA release from their distal terminals in nucleus accumbens (NAc). Despite loss of the DA signal, optogenetic activation of VTA glutamate cell bodies or axon terminals in NAc was sufficient to support reinforcement. These results suggest that glutamate release from VTA is sufficient to promote reinforcement independent of concomitant DA co-release, establishing a non-DA mechanism by which VTA activity can support reward-seeking behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivien Zell
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Thomas Steinkellner
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Nick G Hollon
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Shelley M Warlow
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Elizabeth Souter
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Lauren Faget
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Avery C Hunker
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Xin Jin
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Larry S Zweifel
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Thomas S Hnasko
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Research Service VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA 92161, USA.
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Optogenetic Stimulation of the Central Amygdala Using Channelrhodopsin. Methods Mol Biol 2020. [PMID: 32865754 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0830-2_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
Optogenetics allows for the targeted temporary inhibition or stimulation of specific brain regions in vivo with precise temporal resolution. Here, we describe the steps to perform intracranial optogenetic surgery in rodents as well as instructions to build an optogenetic headcap and set up an optogenetic testing environment to conduct experiments. Behavioral studies have implemented these methods to stimulate the central amygdala (CeA) to create an addictive-like preference for reward.
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Carr KD. Modulatory Effects of Food Restriction on Brain and Behavioral Effects of Abused Drugs. Curr Pharm Des 2020; 26:2363-2371. [DOI: 10.2174/1381612826666200204141057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Energy homeostasis is achieved, in part, by metabolic signals that regulate the incentive motivating
effects of food and its cues, thereby driving or curtailing procurement and consumption. The neural underpinnings
of these regulated incentive effects have been identified as elements within the mesolimbic dopamine pathway.
A separate line of research has shown that most drugs with abuse liability increase dopamine transmission in
this same pathway and thereby reinforce self-administration. Consequently, one might expect shifts in energy
balance and metabolic signaling to impact drug abuse risk. Basic science studies have yielded numerous examples
of drug responses altered by diet manipulation. Considering the prevalence of weight loss dieting in Western
societies, and the anorexigenic effects of many abused drugs themselves, we have focused on the CNS and behavioral
effects of food restriction in rats. Food restriction has been shown to increase the reward magnitude of diverse
drugs of abuse, and these effects have been attributed to neuroadaptations in the dopamine-innervated nucleus
accumbens. The changes induced by food restriction include synaptic incorporation of calcium-permeable
AMPA receptors and increased signaling downstream of D1 dopamine receptor stimulation. Recent studies suggest
a mechanistic model in which concurrent stimulation of D1 and GluA2-lacking AMPA receptors enables
increased stimulus-induced trafficking of GluA1/GluA2 AMPARs into the postsynaptic density, thereby increasing
the incentive effects of food, drugs, and associated cues. In addition, the established role of AMPA receptor
trafficking in enduring synaptic plasticity prompts speculation that drug use during food restriction may more
strongly ingrain behavior relative to similar use under free-feeding conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth D. Carr
- Departments of Psychiatry, Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, 435 East 30th Street, New York, NY 10016, United States
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Wang Y, Liu Z, Cai L, Guo R, Dong Y, Huang YH. A Critical Role of Basolateral Amygdala-to-Nucleus Accumbens Projection in Sleep Regulation of Reward Seeking. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 87:954-966. [PMID: 31924324 PMCID: PMC7210061 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.10.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sleep impacts reward-motivated behaviors partly by retuning the brain reward circuits. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a reward processing hub sensitive to acute sleep deprivation. Glutamatergic transmission carrying reward-associated signals converges in the NAc and regulates various aspects of reward-motivated behaviors. The basolateral amygdala projection (BLAp) innervates broad regions of the NAc and critically regulates reward seeking. METHODS Using slice electrophysiology, we measured how acute sleep deprivation alters transmission at BLAp-NAc synapses in male C57BL/6 mice. Moreover, using SSFO (stabilized step function opsin) and DREADDs (designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs) (Gi) to amplify and reduce transmission, respectively, we tested behavioral consequences following bidirectional manipulations of BLAp-NAc transmission. RESULTS Acute sleep deprivation increased sucrose self-administration in mice and altered the BLAp-NAc transmission in a topographically specific manner. It selectively reduced glutamate release at the rostral BLAp (rBLAp) onto ventral and lateral NAc (vlNAc) synapses, but spared caudal BLAp onto medial NAc synapses. Furthermore, experimentally facilitating glutamate release at rBLAp-vlNAc synapses suppressed sucrose reward seeking. Conversely, mimicking sleep deprivation-induced reduction of rBLAp-vlNAc transmission increased sucrose reward seeking. Finally, facilitating rBLAp-vlNAc transmission per se did not promote either approach motivation or aversion. CONCLUSIONS Sleep acts on rBLAp-vINAc transmission gain control to regulate established reward seeking but does not convey approach motivation or aversion on its own.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA,Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA,These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Zheng Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA,These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Li Cai
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Rong Guo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Yan Dong
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA,Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Yanhua H. Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
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Salery M, Trifilieff P, Caboche J, Vanhoutte P. From Signaling Molecules to Circuits and Behaviors: Cell-Type-Specific Adaptations to Psychostimulant Exposure in the Striatum. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 87:944-953. [PMID: 31928716 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Addiction is characterized by a compulsive pattern of drug seeking and consumption and a high risk of relapse after withdrawal that are thought to result from persistent adaptations within brain reward circuits. Drugs of abuse increase dopamine (DA) concentration in these brain areas, including the striatum, which shapes an abnormal memory trace of drug consumption that virtually highjacks reward processing. Long-term neuronal adaptations of gamma-aminobutyric acidergic striatal projection neurons (SPNs) evoked by drugs of abuse are critical for the development of addiction. These neurons form two mostly segregated populations, depending on the DA receptor they express and their output projections, constituting the so-called direct (D1 receptor) and indirect (D2 receptor) SPN pathways. Both SPN subtypes receive converging glutamate inputs from limbic and cortical regions, encoding contextual and emotional information, together with DA, which mediates reward prediction and incentive values. DA differentially modulates the efficacy of glutamate synapses onto direct and indirect SPN pathways by recruiting distinct striatal signaling pathways, epigenetic and genetic responses likely involved in the transition from casual drug use to addiction. Herein we focus on recent studies that have assessed psychostimulant-induced alterations in a cell-type-specific manner, from remodeling of input projections to the characterization of specific molecular events in each SPN subtype and their impact on long-lasting behavioral adaptations. We discuss recent evidence revealing the complex and concerted action of both SPN populations on drug-induced behavioral responses, as these studies can contribute to the design of future strategies to alleviate specific behavioral components of addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Salery
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Pierre Trifilieff
- NutriNeuro, Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) 1286, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Bordeaux Institut Polytechnique, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Jocelyne Caboche
- Neuroscience Paris Seine, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Sorbonne Université, Faculty of Sciences, Paris, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR8246, Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1130, Paris France.
| | - Peter Vanhoutte
- Neuroscience Paris Seine, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Sorbonne Université, Faculty of Sciences, Paris, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR8246, Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1130, Paris France
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The Nucleus Accumbens Core is Necessary to Scale Fear to Degree of Threat. J Neurosci 2020; 40:4750-4760. [PMID: 32381486 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0299-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Fear is adaptive when the level of the response rapidly scales to degree of threat. Using a discrimination procedure consisting of danger, uncertainty, and safety cues, we have found rapid fear scaling (within 2 s of cue presentation) in male rats. Here, we examined a possible role for the nucleus accumbens core (NAcc) in the acquisition and expression of fear scaling. In experiment 1, male Long-Evans rats received bilateral sham or neurotoxic NAcc lesions, recovered, and underwent fear discrimination. NAcc-lesioned rats were generally impaired in scaling fear to degree of threat, and specifically impaired in rapid uncertainty-safety discrimination. In experiment 2, male Long-Evans rats received NAcc transduction with halorhodopsin (Halo) or a control fluorophore. After fear scaling was established, the NAcc was illuminated during cue or control periods. NAcc-Halo rats receiving cue illumination were specifically impaired in rapid uncertainty-safety discrimination. The results reveal a general role for the NAcc in scaling fear to degree of threat, and a specific role in rapid discrimination of uncertain threat and safety.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Rapidly discriminating cues for threat and safety is essential for survival and impaired threat-safety discrimination is a hallmark of stress and anxiety disorders. In two experiments, we induced nucleus accumbens core (NAcc) dysfunction in rats receiving fear discrimination consisting of cues for danger, uncertainty, and safety. Permanent NAcc dysfunction, via neurotoxic lesion, generally disrupted the ability to scale fear to degree of threat, and specifically impaired one component of scaling: rapid discrimination of uncertain threat and safety. Reversible NAcc dysfunction, via optogenetic inhibition, specifically impaired rapid discrimination of uncertain threat and safety. The results reveal that the NAcc is essential to scale fear to degree of threat, and is a plausible source of dysfunction in stress and anxiety disorders.
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