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Cai Y, Ge J, Pan ZZ. The projection from dorsal medial prefrontal cortex to basolateral amygdala promotes behaviors of negative emotion in rats. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1331864. [PMID: 38327845 PMCID: PMC10847313 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1331864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Brain circuits between medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and amygdala have been implicated in cortical control of emotion, especially anxiety. Studies in recent years focus on differential roles of subregions of mPFC and amygdala, and reciprocal pathways between mPFC and amygdala in regulation of emotional behaviors. It has been shown that, while the projection from ventral mPFC to basomedial amygdala has an anxiolytic effect, the reciprocal projections between dorsal mPFC (dmPFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) are generally involved in an anxiogenic effect in various conditions with increased anxiety. However, the function of the projection from dmPFC to BLA in regulation of general emotional behaviors under normal conditions remains unclear. In this study, we used optogenetic analysis to identify how this dmPFC-BLA pathway regulates various emotional behaviors in normal rats. We found that optogenetic stimulation of the dmPFC-BLA pathway promoted a behavioral state of negative emotion, increasing anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviors and producing aversive behavior of place avoidance. Conversely, optogenetic inhibition of this pathway produced opposite effects, reducing anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviors, and inducing behaviors of place preference of reward. These findings suggest that activity of the dmPFC-BLA pathway is sufficient to drive a negative emotion state and the mPFC-amygdala circuit is tonically active in cortical regulation of emotional behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Zhizhong Z. Pan
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
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2
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Surets M, Caban-Murillo A, Ramirez S. Prelimbic cortex ensembles promote appetitive learning-associated behavior. Learn Mem 2024; 31:a053892. [PMID: 38408863 PMCID: PMC10903945 DOI: 10.1101/lm.053892.123] [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: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Memories of prior rewards bias our actions and future decisions. To determine the neural correlates of an appetitive associative learning task, we trained male mice to discriminate a reward-predicting cue over the course of 7 d. Encoding, recent recall, and remote recall were investigated to determine the areas of the brain recruited at each stage of learning. Using cFos as a proxy for neuronal activity, we found unique brain-wide patterns of activity across days that seem to correlate with distinct stages of learning. In particular, the prelimbic (PL) cortex was significantly recruited during the encoding of a novel association presentation, but its activity decreases as learning continues. To causally dissect the role of the PL in a reward memory across days, we chemogenetically inhibited first the PL entirely and then only tagged memory-bearing cells that were active during encoding in two stages of learning: early and late. Both nonspecific and specific PL inhibition experiments indicate that the PL drives behavior during late stages of learning to facilitate appropriate cue-driven behavior. Overall, our work underscores memory's role in discriminative reward seeking, and points to the PL as a target for modulating disorders in which impaired reward processing is a core component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Surets
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Albit Caban-Murillo
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Steve Ramirez
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
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3
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Cui LL, Wang XX, Liu H, Luo F, Li CH. Projections from infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex glutamatergic outputs to amygdala mediates opioid induced hyperalgesia in male rats. Mol Pain 2024; 20:17448069241226960. [PMID: 38172075 PMCID: PMC10851759 DOI: 10.1177/17448069241226960] [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: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2013] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Repeated use of opioid analgesics may cause a paradoxically exacerbated pain known as opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH), which hinders effective clinical intervention for severe pain. Currently, little is known about the neural circuits underlying OIH modulation. Previous studies suggest that laterocapsular division of the central nucleus of amygdala (CeLC) is critically involved in the regulation of OIH. Our purpose is to clarify the role of the projections from infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex (IL) to CeLC in OIH. We first produced an OIH model by repeated fentanyl subcutaneous injection in male rats. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that c-Fos-positive neurons were significantly increased in the right CeLC in OIH rats than the saline controls. Then, we used calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IIα (CaMKIIα) labeling and the patch-clamp recordings with ex vivo optogenetics to detect the functional projections from glutamate pyramidal neurons in IL to the CeLC. The synaptic transmission from IL to CeLC, shown in the excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs), inhibitory postsynaptic currents (eIPSCs) and paired-pulse ratio (PPR), was observably enhanced after fentanyl administration. Moreover, optogenetic activation of this IL-CeLC pathway decreased c-Fos expression in CeLC and ameliorated mechanical and thermal pain in OIH. On the contrary, silencing this pathway by chemogenetics exacerbated OIH by activating the CeLC. Combined with the electrophysiology results, the enhanced synaptic transmission from IL to CeLC might be a cortical gain of IL to relieve OIH rather than a reason for OIH generation. Scaling up IL outputs to CeLC may be an effective neuromodulation strategy to treat OIH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Ling Cui
- Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xi-Xi Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Han Liu
- The Laboratory of Membrane Ion Channels and Medicine, Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science, State Ethnic Affairs Commission, College of Biomedical Engineering, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China
| | - Fang Luo
- Department of Anesthesiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Chen-Hong Li
- The Laboratory of Membrane Ion Channels and Medicine, Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science, State Ethnic Affairs Commission, College of Biomedical Engineering, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China
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4
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Nieves GM, Liston C. Divergent reward cue representations in the prefrontal cortex drive reward motivation in adolescence and adulthood. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.07.565069. [PMID: 37986789 PMCID: PMC10659319 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.07.565069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Alterations in motivation and reward-seeking are a transdiagnostic feature of numerous psychiatric disorders that commonly emerge in adolescence, including depression, obsessive- compulsive disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. During adolescence, reward motivation is naturally heightened, compared to adulthood, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a late developing brain region that regulates reward learning and motivation and is still maturing in adolescence. The mPFC modulates reward-motivated behaviors in adults, and has been hypothesized to be responsible for adolescents' inability to suppress reward-seeking and impulsive behaviors. Using 2-photon imaging of the mPFC and an active reward task, we demonstrate that both the adult and adolescent mPFC encode reward-predictive cues, with distinct neuronal populations encoding rewarded and unrewarded cues. In adolescence the mPFC is hyper-responsive to reward cues and recruits a larger population of neurons to encode reward predictive cues. Furthermore, in the adolescent mPFC, representations of unrewarded cues are attenuated, compared to the adult mPFC, which may tip the balance of action toward reward-seeking. Differences in neuronal responses to rewarded and unrewarded cues were observed in both GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons, with GABAergic inhibition causing disparate effects in adolescents compared to adults. Together our findings identify differences in the functional properties of mPFC microcircuits in adolescents that may underlie differences in reward-seeking behavior and the ability to adaptively suppress reward seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Manzano Nieves
- Department of Psychiatry and Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021
| | - Conor Liston
- Department of Psychiatry and Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021
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Migliaro M, Ruiz-Contreras AE, Herrera-Solís A, Méndez-Díaz M, Prospéro-García OE. Endocannabinoid system and aggression across animal species. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 153:105375. [PMID: 37643683 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
This narrative review article summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the relationship between the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and aggression across multiple vertebrate species. Experimental evidence indicates that acute administration of phytocannabinoids, synthetic cannabinoids, and the pharmacological enhancement of endocannabinoid signaling decreases aggressive behavior in several animal models. However, research on the chronic effects of cannabinoids on animal aggression has yielded inconsistent findings, indicating a need for further investigation. Cannabinoid receptors, particularly cannabinoid receptor type 1, appear to be an important part of the endogenous mechanism involved in the dampening of aggressive behavior. Overall, this review underscores the importance of the ECS in regulating aggressive behavior and provides a foundation for future research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Migliaro
- Grupo de Neurociencias: Laboratorio de Cannabinoides, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, Mexico.
| | - Alejandra E Ruiz-Contreras
- Grupo de Neurociencias: Laboratorio de Neurogenómica Cognitiva, Unidad de Investigación en Psicobiología y Neurociencias, Coordinación de Psicobiología y Neurociencias, Facultad de Psicología, UNAM, Mexico
| | - Andrea Herrera-Solís
- Grupo de Neurociencias: Laboratorio de Efectos Terapéuticos de los Cannabinoides, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, Secretaría de Salud, Mexico
| | - Mónica Méndez-Díaz
- Grupo de Neurociencias: Laboratorio de Cannabinoides, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, Mexico
| | - Oscar E Prospéro-García
- Grupo de Neurociencias: Laboratorio de Cannabinoides, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, Mexico
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Ryakiotakis E, Fousfouka D, Stamatakis A. Maternal neglect alters reward-anticipatory behavior, social status stability, and reward circuit activation in adult male rats. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1201345. [PMID: 37521688 PMCID: PMC10375725 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1201345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Adverse early life experiences affect neuronal growth and maturation of reward circuits that modify behavior under reward predicting conditions. Previous studies demonstrate that rats undergoing denial of expected reward in the form of maternal contact (DER-animal model of maternal neglect) during early post-natal life developed anhedonia, aggressive play-fight behaviors and aberrant prefrontal cortex structure and neurochemistry. Although many studies revealed social deficiency following early-life stress most reports focus on individual animal tasks. Thus, attention needs to be given on the social effects during group tasks in animals afflicted by early life adversity. Methods To investigate the potential impact of the DER experience on the manifestation of behavioral responses induced by natural rewards, we evaluated: 1) naïve adult male sexual preference and performance, and 2) anticipatory behavior during a group 2-phase food anticipation learning task composed of a context-dependent and a cue-dependent learning period. Results DER rats efficiently spent time in the vicinity of and initiated sexual intercourse with receptive females suggesting an intact sexual reward motivation and consummation. Interestingly, during the context-dependent phase of food anticipation training DER rats displayed a modified exploratory activity and lower overall reward-context association. Moreover, during the cue-dependent phase DER rats displayed a mild deficit in context-reward association while increased cue-dependent locomotion. Additionally, DER rats displayed unstable food access priority following food presentation. These abnormal behaviours were accompanied by overactivation of the ventral prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, as assessed by pCREB levels. Conclusions/discussion Collectively, these data show that the neonatal DER experience resulted in adulthood in altered activation of the reward circuitry, interfered with the normal formation of context-reward associations, and disrupted normal reward access hierarchy formation. These findings provide additional evidence to the deleterious effects of early life adversity on reward system, social hierarchy formation, and brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ermis Ryakiotakis
- Laboratory of Biology-Biochemistry, Faculty of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitra Fousfouka
- Laboratory of Biology-Biochemistry, Faculty of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- MSc Program in Molecular Biomedicine, Medical School of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Antonios Stamatakis
- Laboratory of Biology-Biochemistry, Faculty of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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Hatter JA, Scott MM. Selective ablation of VIP interneurons in the rodent prefrontal cortex results in increased impulsivity. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286209. [PMID: 37267385 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been well-established that novelty-seeking and impulsivity are significant risk factors for the development of psychological disorders, including substance use disorder and behavioral addictions. While dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex is at the crux of these disorders, little is known at the cellular level about how alterations in neuron activity can drive changes in impulsivity and novelty seeking. We harnessed a cre-dependent caspase-3 ablation in both male and female mice to selectively ablate vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-expressing interneurons in the prefrontal cortex to better explore how this microcircuit functions during specific behavioral tasks. Caspase-ablated animals had no changes in anxiety-like behaviors or hedonic food intake but had a specific increase in impulsive responding during longer trials in the three-choice serial reaction time test. Together, these data suggest a circuit-level mechanism in which VIP interneurons function as a gate to selectively respond during periods of high expectation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Hatter
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Michael M Scott
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Toxicology, Charles River Laboratories, Edinburgh, Scotland
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Moorman DE, Aston-Jones G. Prelimbic and infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex neuron activity signals cocaine seeking variables across multiple timescales. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:575-594. [PMID: 36464693 PMCID: PMC10406502 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06287-2] [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: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES The prefrontal cortex is critical for execution and inhibition of reward seeking. Neural manipulation of rodent medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) subregions differentially impacts execution and inhibition of cocaine seeking. Dorsal, or prelimbic (PL), and ventral, or infralimbic (IL) mPFC are implicated in cocaine seeking or extinction of cocaine seeking, respectively. This differentiation is not seen across all studies, indicating that further research is needed to understand specific mPFC contributions to drug seeking. METHODS We recorded neuronal activity in mPFC subregions during cocaine self-administration, extinction, and cue- and cocaine-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking. RESULTS Both PL and IL neurons were phasically responsive around lever presses during cocaine self-administration, and activity in both areas was reduced during extinction. During both cue- and, to a greater extent, cocaine-induced reinstatement, PL neurons exhibited significantly elevated responses, in line with previous studies demonstrating a role for the region in relapse. The enhanced PL signaling in cocaine-induced reinstatement was driven by strong excitation and inhibition in different groups of neurons. Both of these response types were stronger in PL vs. IL neurons. Finally, we observed tonic changes in activity in all tasks phases, reflecting both session-long contextual modulation as well as minute-to-minute activity changes that were highly correlated with brain cocaine levels and motivation associated with cocaine seeking. CONCLUSIONS Although some differences were observed between PL and IL neuron activity across sessions, we found no evidence of a go/stop dichotomy in PL/IL function. Instead, our results demonstrate temporally heterogeneous prefrontal signaling during cocaine seeking and extinction in both PL and IL, revealing novel and complex functions for both regions during these behaviors. This combination of findings argues that mPFC neurons, in both PL and IL, provide multifaceted contributions to the regulation of drug seeking and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- David E Moorman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences & Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA.
| | - Gary Aston-Jones
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
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Nett KE, Zimbelman AR, McGregor MS, Alizo Vera V, Harris MR, LaLumiere RT. Infralimbic Projections to the Nucleus Accumbens Shell and Amygdala Regulate the Encoding of Cocaine Extinction Learning. J Neurosci 2023; 43:1348-1359. [PMID: 36657972 PMCID: PMC9987566 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2023-22.2022] [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: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Prior evidence indicates that the infralimbic cortex (IL) mediates the ongoing inhibition of cocaine seeking following self-administration and extinction training in rats, specifically through projections to the nucleus accumbens shell (NAshell). Our own data indicate that IL activity immediately following an unreinforced lever press is critical for encoding the extinction contingencies in such procedures. Whether extinction encoding requires activity in the IL exclusively or also activity in its outputs, such as those to the NAshell and amygdala, is unknown. To address this issue, we used a closed-loop optogenetic approach in female and male Sprague Dawley rats to silence IL-NAshell or IL-amygdala activity following an unreinforced lever press during extinction training. Optical illumination (20 s) was given either immediately after a lever press or following a 20 s delay. IL-NAshell inhibition immediately following an unreinforced lever press increased lever pressing during extinction training and impaired retention of extinction learning, as assessed during subsequent extinction sessions without optical inhibition. Likewise, IL-amygdala inhibition given in the same manner impaired extinction retention during sessions without inhibition. Control experiments indicate that critical encoding of extinction learning does not require activity in these pathways beyond the initial 20 s post-lever press period, as delayed IL-NAshell and IL-amygdala inhibition had no effect on extinction learning. These results suggest that a larger network extending from the IL to the NAshell and amygdala is involved in encoding extinction contingencies following cocaine self-administration.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Infralimbic cortex (IL) activity following an unreinforced lever press during extinction learning encodes the extinction of cocaine-seeking behavior. However, the larger circuitry controlling such encoding has not been investigated. Using closed-loop optogenetic pathway targeting, we found that inhibition of IL projections to the nucleus accumbens shell and to the amygdala impaired the extinction of cocaine seeking. Importantly, these effects were only observed when activity was disrupted during the first 20 s post-lever press and not when given following a 20 s delay. These findings suggest that successful cocaine extinction encoding requires activity across a larger circuit beyond simply inputs to the IL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelle E Nett
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Alexa R Zimbelman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Matthew S McGregor
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Vanessa Alizo Vera
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Molly R Harris
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Ryan T LaLumiere
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
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10
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Jamali S, Dezfouli MP, Kalbasi A, Daliri MR, Haghparast A. Selective Modulation of Hippocampal Theta Oscillations in Response to Morphine versus Natural Reward. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13020322. [PMID: 36831866 PMCID: PMC9953863 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13020322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the overlapping neural circuits underlying natural and drug rewards, several studies have suggested different behavioral and neurochemical mechanisms in response to drug vs. natural rewards. The strong link between hippocampal theta oscillations (4-12 Hz) and reward-associated learning and memory has raised the hypothesis that this rhythm in hippocampal CA1 might be differently modulated by drug- and natural-conditioned place preference (CPP). Time-frequency analysis of recorded local field potentials (LFPs) from the CA1 of freely moving male rats previously exposed to a natural (in this case, food), drug (in this case, morphine), or saline (control) reward cue in the CPP paradigm showed that the hippocampal CA1 theta activity represents a different pattern for entrance to the rewarded compared to unrewarded compartment during the post-test session of morphine- and natural-CPP. Comparing LFP activity in the CA1 between the saline and morphine/natural groups showed that the maximum theta power occurred before entering the unrewarded compartment and after the entrance to the rewarded compartment in morphine and natural groups, respectively. In conclusion, our findings suggest that drug and natural rewards could differently affect the theta dynamic in the hippocampal CA1 region during reward-associated learning and contextual cueing in the CPP paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shole Jamali
- Neuroscience Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran P.O. Box 19615-1178, Iran
| | - Mohsen Parto Dezfouli
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences, Tehran P.O. Box 19395-5531, Iran
| | - AmirAli Kalbasi
- Department of Mechatronics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran P.O. Box 16315-1355, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Daliri
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences, Tehran P.O. Box 19395-5531, Iran
- Biomedical Engineering Department, School of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran P.O. Box 16846-13114, Iran
- Correspondence: (M.R.D.); or (A.H.); Tel./Fax: +98-21-2243-1624 (A.H.)
| | - Abbas Haghparast
- Neuroscience Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran P.O. Box 19615-1178, Iran
- Correspondence: (M.R.D.); or (A.H.); Tel./Fax: +98-21-2243-1624 (A.H.)
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11
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Abela N, Haywood K, Di Giovanni G. Alcohol and cannabinoid binges and daily exposure to nicotine in adolescent/young adult rats induce sex-dependent long-term appetitive instrumental learning impairment. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1129866. [PMID: 36815183 PMCID: PMC9939753 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1129866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a critical developmental period, concerning anatomical, neurochemical and behavioral changes. Moreover, adolescents are more sensitive to the long-term deleterious effects of drug abuse. Binge-like consumption of alcohol and marijuana, along with tobacco smoking, is a dangerous pattern often observed in adolescents during weekends. Nevertheless, the long-term effect of their adolescent co-exposure has not been yet experimentally investigated. Long-Evans adolescent male (n = 20) and female (n = 20) rats from postnatal day 30 (P30) until P60 were daily treated with nicotine (0.3 mg/kg, i.p.), and, on two consecutive 'binging days' per week (for a total of eight times), received an intragastric ethanol solution (3 g/kg) and an intraperitoneal (i.p.) dose of cannabinoid 1/2 receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 (1.2 mg/kg). These rats were tested after treatment discontinuation at > P90 for associative food-rewarded operant learning in the two-lever conditioning chambers for six consecutive days on a fixed ratio 1 (FR1) schedule followed by another six days of daily FR2 schedule testing, after 42 days rest. We found the main effects of sex x treatment interactions in FR1 but not in FR2 experiments. Treated females show attenuated operant responses for food pellets during all FR1 and the FR2 schedule, whilst the treated males show an impairment in FR2 but not in the FR1 schedule. Moreover, the treated females' percentage of learners was significantly lower than female controls in FR1 while treated males were lower than controls in FR2. Our findings suggest that intermittent adolescent abuse of common drugs, such as alcohol and marijuana, and chronic tobacco exposure can cause significant long-term effects on motivation for natural reinforcers later in adulthood in both sexes. Females appear to be sensitive earlier to the deleterious effects of adolescent polydrug abuse, with both sexes having an increased likelihood of developing lifelong brain alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norbert Abela
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Katie Haywood
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta,Division of Neuroscience, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Giuseppe Di Giovanni
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta,Division of Neuroscience, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom,*Correspondence: Giuseppe Di Giovanni, ;
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12
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Scarpa GB, Starrett JR, Li GL, Brooks C, Morohashi Y, Yazaki-Sugiyama Y, Remage-Healey L. Estrogens rapidly shape synaptic and intrinsic properties to regulate the temporal precision of songbird auditory neurons. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:3401-3420. [PMID: 35849820 PMCID: PMC10068288 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac280] [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: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensory neurons parse millisecond-variant sound streams like birdsong and speech with exquisite precision. The auditory pallial cortex of vocal learners like humans and songbirds contains an unconventional neuromodulatory system: neuronal expression of the estrogen synthesis enzyme aromatase. Local forebrain neuroestrogens fluctuate when songbirds hear a song, and subsequently modulate bursting, gain, and temporal coding properties of auditory neurons. However, the way neuroestrogens shape intrinsic and synaptic properties of sensory neurons remains unknown. Here, using a combination of whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology and calcium imaging, we investigate estrogenic neuromodulation of auditory neurons in a region resembling mammalian auditory association cortex. We found that estradiol rapidly enhances the temporal precision of neuronal firing via a membrane-bound G-protein coupled receptor and that estradiol rapidly suppresses inhibitory synaptic currents while sparing excitation. Notably, the rapid suppression of intrinsic excitability by estradiol was predicted by membrane input resistance and was observed in both males and females. These findings were corroborated by analysis of in vivo electrophysiology recordings, in which local estrogen synthesis blockade caused acute disruption of the temporal correlation of song-evoked firing patterns. Therefore, on a modulatory timescale, neuroestrogens alter intrinsic cellular properties and inhibitory neurotransmitter release to regulate the temporal precision of higher-order sensory neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garrett B Scarpa
- Neuroscience and Behavior, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts, 639 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01003, United States
| | - Joseph R Starrett
- Neuroscience and Behavior, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts, 639 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01003, United States
| | - Geng-Lin Li
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eye and ENT Hospital, Fudan University, 83 Fenyang Rd, Xuhui District, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Colin Brooks
- Neuroscience and Behavior, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts, 639 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01003, United States
| | - Yuichi Morohashi
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna, Kunigami District, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Yoko Yazaki-Sugiyama
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna, Kunigami District, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Luke Remage-Healey
- Neuroscience and Behavior, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts, 639 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01003, United States
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13
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Zhang T, Nishitani N, Niitani K, Nishida R, Futami Y, Deyama S, Kaneda K. A spatiotemporal increase of neuronal activity accompanies the motivational effect of wheel running in mice. Behav Brain Res 2022; 432:113981. [PMID: 35777550 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Spatiotemporal patterns of neuronal activity underlying the motivational effect of rotating running wheels (RWs) in rodents remain largely undetermined. Here, we investigated changes of neuronal activity among brain regions associated with motivation across different intensities of motivation for RWs in mice. Daily exposure to RWs gradually increased rotation number, then became stable after approximately 3 weeks. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the number of c-Fos (a neuronal activity marker)-positive cells increased in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), core and shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAc), dorsal striatum (Str), and lateral septum (LS) at day 1, day 9, and days 20-24, in a time-dependent manner. Additionally, despite exposure to locked RWs for over 7 days after establishing stable rotation with 3-week RW access, increased c-Fos expression was still observed in most of these brain areas. Furthermore, daily overnight RW access developed stable rotation by day 6, with high and low rotation numbers at the start and end of the overnight session, respectively. The number of c-Fos-positive cells at the start of RW rotation was significantly higher than at the end of RW rotation in most brain regions. Furthermore, after establishing stable rotation, the number of c-Fos-positive cells increased in the mPFC and shell of the NAc of mice that only observed RWs. These findings suggest that the subareas of the mPFC and NAc may be critically involved in the motivational effects of RW rotations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Naoya Nishitani
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Kazuhei Niitani
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Ryoma Nishida
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Yusaku Futami
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Satoshi Deyama
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Katsuyuki Kaneda
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan.
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14
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Conditioned Inhibition of Amphetamine Sensitization. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 192:107636. [PMID: 35597434 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107636] [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: 01/29/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Repeated intermittent exposure to psychostimulants, such as amphetamine, leads to a progressive enhancement of the drug's ability to increase both behavioral and brain neurochemical responses. The expression of these enhancements, known as sensitization, can be regulated by Pavlovian conditioned stimuli. Cues that are associated with drug experience can facilitate sensitization so that it only occurs in the presence of these stimuli (context-specific sensitization). In contrast, cues that are explicitly related to the absence of drugs (conditioned inhibitors) can prevent the expression of sensitization. We hypothesized that disrupting conditioned inhibition would enable amphetamine sensitization in new contexts. Using male Sprague Dawley rats and a two-context amphetamine conditioning procedure, we found that extinguishing amphetamine experience in one environment led to the loss of conditioned inhibition in a separate context. Thus, amphetamine-induced sensitized locomotion, as well as both enhanced dopamine and glutamate neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens, were observed in a context where the drug was never experienced before. A similar loss of contextual control of sensitization was seen after using baclofen/muscimol microinjections to transiently inhibit the medial prefrontal cortex, basolateral amygdala, or ventral subiculum of the hippocampus. In other words, compared to control infusions, these intracranial injections of GABA-receptor agonists were able to block conditioned inhibitors from preventing the expression of sensitized locomotion. Together, these findings reveal the importance of conditioned inhibitors for regulating addiction-like behavior. The results suggest that dopaminergic and glutamatergic brain circuitry controls the context-specific expression of amphetamine sensitization.
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15
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Hamel L, Cavdaroglu B, Yeates D, Nguyen D, Riaz S, Patterson D, Khan N, Kirolos N, Roper K, Ha QA, Ito R. Cortico-Striatal Control over Adaptive Goal-Directed Responding Elicited by Cues Signaling Sucrose Reward or Punishment. J Neurosci 2022; 42:3811-3822. [PMID: 35351827 PMCID: PMC9087743 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2175-21.2022] [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] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) have been associated with the expression of adaptive and maladaptive behavior elicited by fear-related and drug-associated cues. However, reported effects of mPFC manipulations on cue-elicited natural reward-seeking and inhibition thereof have been varied, with few studies examining cortico-striatal contributions in tasks that require adaptive responding to cues signaling reward and punishment within the same session. The current study aimed to better elucidate the role of mPFC and NAc subdivisions, and their functional connectivity in cue-elicited adaptive responding using a novel discriminative cue responding task. Male Long-Evans rats learned to lever-press on a VR5 schedule for a discriminative cue signaling reward, and to avoid pressing the same lever in the presence of another cue signaling punishment. Postacquisition, prelimbic (PL) and infralimbic (IL) areas of the mPFC, NAc core, shell, PL-core, or IL-shell circuits were pharmacologically or chemogenetically inhibited while animals performed under (1) nonreinforced (extinction) conditions, where the appetitive and aversive cues were presented in alternating trials alone or as a compound stimulus; and (2) reinforced conditions, whereby cued responding was accompanied by associated outcomes. PL and IL inactivation attenuated nonreinforced and reinforced goal-directed cue responding, whereas NAc core and shell inactivation impaired nonreinforced responding for the appetitive, but not aversive cue. Furthermore, PL-core and IL-shell inhibition disinhibited nonreinforced but not reinforced cue responding. Our findings implicate the mPFC as a site of confluence of motivationally significant cues and outcomes, and in the regulation of nonreinforced cue responding via downstream NAc targets.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The ability to discriminate and respond appropriately to environmental cues that signal availability of reward or punishment is essential for survival. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) have been implicated in adaptive and maladaptive behavior elicited by fear-related and drug-associated cues. However, less is known about the role they play in orchestrating adaptive responses to natural reward and punishment cues within the same behavioral task. Here, using a novel discriminative cue responding task combined with pharmacological or chemogenetic inhibition of mPFC, NAc and mPFC-NAc circuits, we report that mPFC is critically involved in responding to changing cued response-outcomes, both when the responses are reinforced, and nonreinforced. Furthermore, the mPFC coordinates nonreinforced discriminative cue responding by suppressing inappropriate responding via downstream NAc targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurie Hamel
- Department of Psychology (Scarborough), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Bilgehan Cavdaroglu
- Department of Psychology (Scarborough), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Dylan Yeates
- Department of Psychology (Scarborough), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - David Nguyen
- Department of Psychology (Scarborough), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Sadia Riaz
- Department of Psychology (Scarborough), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Dylan Patterson
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G5 Canada
| | - Nisma Khan
- Department of Psychology (Scarborough), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Nardin Kirolos
- Department of Psychology (Scarborough), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Katherine Roper
- Department of Psychology (Scarborough), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Quynh An Ha
- Department of Psychology (Scarborough), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Rutsuko Ito
- Department of Psychology (Scarborough), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G5 Canada
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16
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Howland JG, Ito R, Lapish CC, Villaruel FR. The rodent medial prefrontal cortex and associated circuits in orchestrating adaptive behavior under variable demands. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104569. [PMID: 35131398 PMCID: PMC9248379 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Emerging evidence implicates rodent medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in tasks requiring adaptation of behavior to changing information from external and internal sources. However, the computations within mPFC and subsequent outputs that determine behavior are incompletely understood. We review the involvement of mPFC subregions, and their projections to the striatum and amygdala in two broad types of tasks in rodents: 1) appetitive and aversive Pavlovian and operant conditioning tasks that engage mPFC-striatum and mPFC-amygdala circuits, and 2) foraging-based tasks that require decision making to optimize reward. We find support for region-specific function of the mPFC, with dorsal mPFC and its projections to the dorsomedial striatum supporting action control with higher cognitive demands, and ventral mPFC engagement in translating affective signals into behavior via discrete projections to the ventral striatum and amygdala. However, we also propose that defined mPFC subdivisions operate as a functional continuum rather than segregated functional units, with crosstalk that allows distinct subregion-specific inputs (e.g., internal, affective) to influence adaptive behavior supported by other subregions.
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Affiliation(s)
- John G Howland
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
| | - Rutsuko Ito
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto-Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Christopher C Lapish
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
| | - Franz R Villaruel
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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17
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Siemsen BM, Barry SM, Vollmer KM, Green LM, Brock AG, Westphal AM, King RA, DeVries DM, Otis JM, Cowan CW, Scofield MD. A Subset of Nucleus Accumbens Neurons Receiving Dense and Functional Prelimbic Cortical Input Are Required for Cocaine Seeking. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:844243. [PMID: 35281297 PMCID: PMC8907444 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.844243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Prelimbic cortical projections to the nucleus accumbens core are critical for cue-induced cocaine seeking, but the identity of the accumbens neuron(s) targeted by this projection, and the transient neuroadaptations contributing to relapse within these cells, remain unknown. Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent cocaine or sucrose self-administration, extinction, and cue-induced reinstatement. Pathway-specific chemogenetics, patch-clamp electrophysiology, in vivo electrochemistry, and high-resolution confocal microscopy were used to identify and characterize a small population of nucleus accumbens core neurons that receive dense prelimbic cortical input to determine their role in regulating cue-induced cocaine and natural reward seeking. Results Chemogenetic inhibition of prelimbic cortical projections to the nucleus accumbens core suppressed cue-induced cocaine relapse and normalized real-time cue-evoked increases in accumbens glutamate release to that of sucrose seeking animals. Furthermore, chemogenetic inhibition of the population of nucleus accumbens core neurons receiving the densest prelimbic cortical input suppressed cocaine, but not sucrose seeking. These neurons also underwent morphological plasticity during the peak of cocaine seeking in the form of dendritic spine expansion and increased ensheathment by astroglial processes at large spines. Conclusion We identified and characterized a unique subpopulation of nucleus accumbens neurons that receive dense prelimbic cortical input. The functional specificity of this subpopulation is underscored by their ability to mediate cue-induced cocaine relapse, but not sucrose seeking. This subset of cells represents a novel target for addiction therapeutics revealed by anterograde targeting to interrogate functional circuits imbedded within a known network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M. Siemsen
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Sarah M. Barry
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Kelsey M. Vollmer
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Lisa M. Green
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Ashley G. Brock
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Annaka M. Westphal
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Raven A. King
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Derek M. DeVries
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - James M. Otis
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Christopher W. Cowan
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Michael D. Scofield
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
- *Correspondence: Michael D. Scofield,
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18
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Jessen K, Slaker Bennett ML, Liu S, Olsen CM. Comparison of prefrontal cortex sucrose seeking ensembles engaged in multiple seeking sessions: Context is key. J Neurosci Res 2022; 100:1008-1029. [PMID: 35137974 PMCID: PMC8940716 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Encoding of memories, including those associated with prior drug or reward, is thought to take place within distinct populations of neurons, termed ensembles. Neuronal ensembles for drug- and reward-seeking have been identified in regions of the medial prefrontal cortex, but much of our understanding of these ensembles is based on experiments that take place in a single reward-associated environment and measure ensemble encoding over short durations of time. In contrast, reward seeking behavior is evident across different reward-associated environments and persists over time. Using TetTag mice and Fos immunohistochemistry, we examined the relationship between persistent sucrose-seeking and ensemble encoding in mice that undergo seeking sessions in the same or different sucrose self-administration contexts 2 weeks apart. We found that prelimbic (PrL) and anterior cingulate cortex ensembles tagged in the first seeking session were highly sensitive to the context in which a second seeking session took place: reactivation of these ensembles was reduced in the same context but elevated in a distinct sucrose self-administration context. Correlational analyses revealed that ensemble reactivation in the PrL was proportional to the persistence of sucrose seeking behavior across sessions in differing ways in female mice. In the same context, reactivation was proportional to the persistence of non-reinforced operant responses, whereas in a distinct context, reactivation was proportional to the persistence of non-reinforced head entries into the sucrose receptacle. This study underlines the importance of the medial prefrontal cortex importance in maintaining a reward-seeking ensemble over time and identifies context-dependent changes in behavioral correlates of ensemble reactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen Jessen
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Megan L Slaker Bennett
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Shuai Liu
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Christopher M Olsen
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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19
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Pintori N, Piva A, Guardiani V, Decimo I, Chiamulera C. Brief Environmental Enrichment exposure enhances contextual-induced sucrose-seeking with and without memory reactivation in rats. Behav Brain Res 2022; 416:113556. [PMID: 34474039 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Chronic Environmental Enrichment (EE) has been shown to prevent the relapse to addictive behaviours, such as drug-taking and -seeking. Recently, acute EE was shown to reduce cue-induced sucrose-seeking, but its effects on contextual (Cx)-induced sucrose-seeking is still unknown. Here we report the effects of brief EE exposure on Cx-induced sucrose-seeking with and without prior Cx-memory reactivation. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to sucrose self-administration associated to a specific conditioning Cx (CxA), followed by a 7-day extinction in a different Cx (CxB). Afterwards, rats were exposed for 22 h to EE, and 1 h later to either i) Cx-induced sucrose-seeking (1 h, renewal without Cx-memory reactivation), ii) or two different Cx-memory reactivations: short (2-min) and long (15-min) CxA-retrieval session (Cx-Ret). In Cx-Ret experiments, CxA-induced sucrose-seeking test (1 h) was done after a subsequent 3-day extinction phase. The assessment of molecular markers of memory reactivation/reconsolidation, Zif-268 and rpS6P, was performed 2 h after Cx-Ret. Brief EE exposure enhanced Cx-induced sucrose-seeking without and with short but not long Cx-retrieval. Moreover, EE impaired discriminative responding at test prior to long, whereas improved it with or without short Cx-retrieval. Different changes in Zif-268 and rpS6P expression induced by short vs. long Cx-Ret were correlated to behavioural data, suggesting the occurrence of different memory processes affected by EE. Our data show that brief EE exposure may differently affect subsequent appetitive relapse depending on the modality of re-exposure to conditioned context. This finding suggests caution and further studies to understand the proper conditions for the use of EE against appetitive and addiction disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Pintori
- Section of Pharmacology, Dept. Diagnostic & Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
| | - A Piva
- Section of Pharmacology, Dept. Diagnostic & Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - V Guardiani
- Section of Pharmacology, Dept. Diagnostic & Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - I Decimo
- Section of Pharmacology, Dept. Diagnostic & Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - C Chiamulera
- Section of Pharmacology, Dept. Diagnostic & Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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20
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Kearns AM, Siemsen BM, Hopkins JL, Weber RA, Scofield MD, Peters J, Reichel CM. Chemogenetic inhibition of corticostriatal circuits reduces cued reinstatement of methamphetamine seeking. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13097. [PMID: 34431593 PMCID: PMC8809357 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Methamphetamine (meth) causes enduring changes within the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the nucleus accumbens (NA). Projections from the mPFC to the NA have a distinct dorsal-ventral distribution, with the prelimbic (PL) mPFC projecting to the NAcore, and the infralimbic (IL) mPFC projecting to the NAshell. Inhibition of these circuits has opposing effects on cocaine relapse. Inhibition of PL-NAcore reduces cued reinstatement of cocaine seeking and IL-NAshell inhibition reinstates cocaine seeking. Meth, however, exhibits a different profile, as pharmacological inhibition of either the PL or IL decrease cued reinstatement of meth-seeking. The potentially opposing roles of the PL-NAcore and IL-NAshell projections remain to be explored in the context of cued meth seeking. Here we used an intersectional viral vector approach that employs a retrograde delivery of Cre from the NA and Cre-dependent expression of DREADD in the mPFC, in both male and female rats to inhibit or activate these parallel pathways. Inhibition of the PL-NAcore circuit reduced cued reinstatement of meth seeking under short and long-access meth self-administration and after withdrawal with and without extinction. Inhibition of the IL-NAshell also decreased meth cued reinstatement. Activation of the parallel circuits was without an effect. These studies show that inhibition of the PL-NAcore or the IL-NAshell circuits can inhibit reinstated meth seeking. Thus, the neural circuitry mediating cued reinstatement of meth seeking is similar to cocaine in the dorsal, but not ventral, mPFC-NA circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M. Kearns
- Department of Neuroscience Medical University of South Carolina Charleston South Carolina USA
| | - Benjamin M. Siemsen
- Department of Anesthesiology Medical University of South Carolina Charleston South Carolina USA
| | - Jordan L. Hopkins
- Department of Neuroscience Medical University of South Carolina Charleston South Carolina USA
| | - Rachel A. Weber
- Department of Neuroscience Medical University of South Carolina Charleston South Carolina USA
| | - Michael D. Scofield
- Department of Neuroscience Medical University of South Carolina Charleston South Carolina USA
- Department of Anesthesiology Medical University of South Carolina Charleston South Carolina USA
| | - Jamie Peters
- Department of Anesthesiology University of Colorado Denver Aurora Colorado USA
- Department of Pharmacology University of Colorado Denver Aurora Colorado USA
| | - Carmela M. Reichel
- Department of Neuroscience Medical University of South Carolina Charleston South Carolina USA
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21
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Nett KE, LaLumiere RT. Infralimbic cortex functioning across motivated behaviors: Can the differences be reconciled? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 131:704-721. [PMID: 34624366 PMCID: PMC8642304 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The rodent infralimbic cortex (IL) is implicated in higher order executive functions such as reward seeking and flexible decision making. However, the precise nature of its role in these processes is unclear. Early evidence indicated that the IL promotes the extinction and ongoing inhibition of fear conditioning and cocaine seeking. However, evidence spanning other behavioral domains, such as natural reward seeking and habit-based learning, suggests a more nuanced understanding of IL function. As techniques have advanced and more studies have examined IL function, identifying a unifying explanation for its behavioral function has become increasingly difficult. Here, we discuss evidence of IL function across motivated behaviors, including associative learning, drug seeking, natural reward seeking, and goal-directed versus habit-based behaviors, and emphasize how context-specific encoding and heterogeneous IL neuronal populations may underlie seemingly conflicting findings in the literature. Together, the evidence suggests that a major IL function is to facilitate the encoding and updating of contingencies between cues and behaviors to guide subsequent behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelle E Nett
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States.
| | - Ryan T LaLumiere
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
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22
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Similar role of mPFC orexin-1 receptors in the acquisition and expression of morphine- and food-induced conditioned place preference in male rats. Neuropharmacology 2021; 198:108764. [PMID: 34450116 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Self-control problems are a typical character of drug addiction and excessive food consumption and it has been shown that natural rewards and drugs of abuse share parts of the same neural substrate and reward processing in the brain. Different brain areas are involved in natural and drug reward processing including the mesolimbic pathway, amygdala, nucleus accumbens (NAc), and prefrontal cortex. Considering the important role of orexins in the addictive behavior and the presence of orexin-1 subtype receptors (Orx1R) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), this study investigated the role of mPFC in natural- and drug-reward seeking behaviors to deepen our understanding of possible similarities or differences. To induce food- or morphine-conditioned place preference (CPP), adult male Wistar rats underwent CPP testing and received intra-mPFC doses of SB334867 (3, 10, or 30 nM/0.5 μl DMSO 12%), as an Orx1R antagonist, during the acquisition or expression phases of the CPP test. Results indicated that microinjection of Orx1R antagonist into the mPFC had similar effects on both morphine- and food-induced CPP and attenuated CPP scores in the acquisition and expression phases of the CPP test. The data demonstrated that Orx1Rs in the mPFC regulate the reward-related effects of morphine- and food-induced reward.
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23
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Inactivation of the infralimbic cortex decreases discriminative stimulus-controlled relapse to cocaine seeking in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1969-1980. [PMID: 34162997 PMCID: PMC8429767 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01067-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Persistent susceptibility to cue-induced relapse is a cardinal feature of addiction. Discriminative stimuli (DSs) are one type of drug-associated cue that signal drug availability (DS+) or unavailability (DS-) and control drug seeking prior to relapse. We previously established a trial-based procedure in rats to isolate DSs from context, conditioned stimuli, and other drug-associated cues during cocaine self-administration and demonstrated DS-controlled cocaine seeking up to 300 abstinence days. The behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying trial-based DS-control of drug seeking have rarely been investigated. Here we show that following discrimination training in our trial-based procedure, the DS+ and DS- independently control the expression and suppression of cocaine seeking during abstinence. Using microinjections of GABAA + GABAB receptor agonists (muscimol + baclofen) in medial prefrontal cortex, we report that infralimbic, but not prelimbic, subregion of medial prefrontal cortex is critical to persistent DS-controlled relapse to cocaine seeking after prolonged abstinence, but not DS-guided discriminated cocaine seeking or DS-controlled cocaine self-admininstration. Finally, using ex vivo whole-cell recordings from pyramidal neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex, we demonstrate that the disruption of DS-controlled cocaine seeking following infralimbic cortex microinjections of muscimol+baclofen is likely a result of suppression of synaptic transmission in the region via a presynaptic mechanism of action.
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Shallcross J, Wu L, Wilkinson CS, Knackstedt LA, Schwendt M. Increased mGlu5 mRNA expression in BLA glutamate neurons facilitates resilience to the long-term effects of a single predator scent stress exposure. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:2279-2293. [PMID: 34175993 PMCID: PMC10416208 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02326-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops in a subset of individuals exposed to a trauma with core features being increased anxiety and impaired fear extinction. To model the heterogeneity of PTSD behavioral responses, we exposed male Sprague-Dawley rats to predator scent stress once for 10 min and then assessed anxiety-like behavior 7 days later using the elevated plus maze and acoustic startle response. Rats displaying anxiety-like behavior in both tasks were classified as stress Susceptible, and rats exhibiting behavior no different from un-exposed Controls were classified as stress Resilient. In Resilient rats, we previously found increased mRNA expression of mGlu5 in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex (PFC) and CB1 in the amygdala. Here, we performed fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) to determine the subregion and cell-type-specific expression of these genes in Resilient rats 3 weeks after TMT exposure. Resilient rats displayed increased mGlu5 mRNA expression in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the infralimbic and prelimbic regions of the PFC and increased BLA CB1 mRNA. These increases were limited to glutamatergic cells. To test the necessity of mGlu5 for attenuating TMT-conditioned contextual fear 3 weeks after TMT conditioning, intra-BLA infusions of the mGlu5 negative allosteric modulator MTEP were administered prior to context re-exposure. In TMT-exposed Resilient rats, but not Controls, MTEP increased freezing on the day of administration, which extinguished over two additional un-drugged sessions. These results suggest that increased mGlu5 expression in BLA glutamate neurons contributes to the behavioral flexibility observed in stress-Resilient animals by facilitating a capacity for extinguishing contextual fear associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Shallcross
- Psychology Department, Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Program, University of Florida, 114 Psychology Building, 945 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32611-2250, USA
| | - Lizhen Wu
- Psychology Department, Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Program, University of Florida, 114 Psychology Building, 945 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32611-2250, USA
| | - Courtney S Wilkinson
- Psychology Department, Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Program, University of Florida, 114 Psychology Building, 945 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32611-2250, USA
- Center for Addiction Research and Education (CARE), University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
| | - Lori A Knackstedt
- Psychology Department, Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Program, University of Florida, 114 Psychology Building, 945 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32611-2250, USA
- Center for Addiction Research and Education (CARE), University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
| | - Marek Schwendt
- Psychology Department, Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Program, University of Florida, 114 Psychology Building, 945 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32611-2250, USA.
- Center for Addiction Research and Education (CARE), University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.
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25
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Christoffel DJ, Walsh JJ, Hoerbelt P, Heifets BD, Llorach P, Lopez RC, Ramakrishnan C, Deisseroth K, Malenka RC. Selective filtering of excitatory inputs to nucleus accumbens by dopamine and serotonin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2106648118. [PMID: 34103400 PMCID: PMC8214692 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2106648118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The detailed mechanisms by which dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) act in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) to influence motivated behaviors in distinct ways remain largely unknown. Here, we examined whether DA and 5-HT selectively modulate excitatory synaptic transmission in NAc medium spiny neurons in an input-specific manner. DA reduced excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) generated by paraventricular thalamus (PVT) inputs but not by ventral hippocampus (vHip), basolateral amygdala (BLA), or medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) inputs. In contrast, 5-HT reduced EPSCs generated by inputs from all areas except the mPFC. Release of endogenous DA and 5-HT by methamphetamine (METH) and (±)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), respectively, recapitulated these input-specific synaptic effects. Optogenetic inhibition of PVT inputs enhanced cocaine-conditioned place preference, whereas mPFC input inhibition reduced the enhancement of sociability elicited by MDMA. These findings suggest that the distinct, input-specific filtering of excitatory inputs in the NAc by DA and 5-HT contribute to their discrete behavioral effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Christoffel
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Jessica J Walsh
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Paul Hoerbelt
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Boris D Heifets
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Pierre Llorach
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Ricardo C Lopez
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | | | - Karl Deisseroth
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Robert C Malenka
- Nancy Pritzker Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305;
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Food-Seeking Behavior Is Mediated by Fos-Expressing Neuronal Ensembles Formed at First Learning in Rats. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0373-20.2021. [PMID: 33472867 PMCID: PMC8174054 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0373-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal ensembles in the infralimbic cortex (IL) develop after prolonged food self-administration training. However, rats demonstrate evidence of learning the food self-administration response as early as day 1, with responding quickly increasing to asymptotic levels. Since the contribution of individual brain regions to task performance shifts over the course of training, it remains unclear whether IL ensembles are gradually formed and refined over the course of extensive operant training, or whether functionally-relevant ensembles might be recruited and formed as early as the initial acquisition of food self-administration behavior. Here, we aimed to determine the role of IL ensembles at the earliest possible point after demonstrable learning of a response-outcome association. We first allowed rats to lever press for palatable food pellets and stopped training rats once their behavior evidenced the response-outcome association (learners). We compared their food-seeking behavior and neuronal activation (Fos protein expression) to similarly trained rats that did not form this association (non-learners). Learners had greater food-seeking behavior and neuronal activation within the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), suggesting that mPFC subregions might encode initial food self-administration memories. To test the functional relevance of mPFC Fos-expressing ensembles to subsequent food seeking, we tested region-wide inactivation of the IL using muscimol+baclofen and neuronal ensemble-specific ablation using the Daun02 inactivation procedure. Both region-wide inactivation and ensemble-specific inactivation of the IL significantly decreased food seeking. These data suggest that IL neuronal ensembles form during initial learning of food self-administration behavior, and furthermore, that these ensembles play a functional role in food seeking.
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Jiang S, Li H, Liu L, Yao D, Luo C. Voxel-wise functional connectivity of the default mode network in epilepsies: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Curr Neuropharmacol 2021; 20:254-266. [PMID: 33823767 PMCID: PMC9199542 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x19666210325130624] [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: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Default Mode Network (DMN) is recognized to be involved in the generation and propagation of epileptic activities in various epilepsies. Converging evidence has suggested disturbed Functional Connectivity (FC) in epilepsies, which was inferred to be related to underlying pathological mechanisms. However, abnormal changes of FC in DMN revealed by different studies are controversial, which obscures the role of DMN in distinct epilepsies. Objective: The present work aims to investigate the voxel-wise FC in DMN across epilepsies. Methods: A systematic review was conducted on 22 published articles before October 2020, indexed in PubMed and Web of Science. A meta-analysis with a random-effect model was performed using the effect-size signed differential mapping approach. Subgroup analyses were performed in three groups: Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy (IGE), mixed Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE), and mixed Focal Epilepsy (FE) with different foci. Results: The meta-analysis suggested commonly decreased FC in mesial prefrontal cortices across different epilepsies. Additionally decreased FC in posterior DMN was observed in IGE. The TLE showed decreased FC in temporal lobe regions and increased FC in the dorsal posterior cingulate cortex. Interestingly, an opposite finding in the ventral and dorsal middle frontal gyrus was observed in TLE. The FE demonstrated increased FC in the cuneus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sisi Jiang
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731. China
| | - Hechun Li
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731. China
| | - Linli Liu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731. China
| | - Dezhong Yao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731. China
| | - Cheng Luo
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731. China
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Coordinated Prefrontal State Transition Leads Extinction of Reward-Seeking Behaviors. J Neurosci 2021; 41:2406-2419. [PMID: 33531416 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2588-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Extinction learning suppresses conditioned reward responses and is thus fundamental to adapt to changing environmental demands and to control excessive reward seeking. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) monitors and controls conditioned reward responses. Abrupt transitions in mPFC activity anticipate changes in conditioned responses to altered contingencies. It remains, however, unknown whether such transitions are driven by the extinction of old behavioral strategies or by the acquisition of new competing ones. Using in vivo multiple single-unit recordings of mPFC in male rats, we studied the relationship between single-unit and population dynamics during extinction learning, using alcohol as a positive reinforcer in an operant conditioning paradigm. To examine the fine temporal relation between neural activity and behavior, we developed a novel behavioral model that allowed us to identify the number, onset, and duration of extinction-learning episodes in the behavior of each animal. We found that single-unit responses to conditioned stimuli changed even under stable experimental conditions and behavior. However, when behavioral responses to task contingencies had to be updated, unit-specific modulations became coordinated across the whole population, pushing the network into a new stable attractor state. Thus, extinction learning is not associated with suppressed mPFC responses to conditioned stimuli, but is anticipated by single-unit coordination into population-wide transitions of the internal state of the animal.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The ability to suppress conditioned behaviors when no longer beneficial is fundamental for the survival of any organism. While pharmacological and optogenetic interventions have shown a critical involvement of the mPFC in the suppression of conditioned responses, the neural dynamics underlying such a process are still largely unknown. Combining novel analysis tools to describe behavior, single-neuron response, and population activity, we found that widespread changes in neuronal firing temporally coordinate across the whole mPFC population in anticipation of behavioral extinction. This coordination leads to a global transition in the internal state of the network, driving extinction of conditioned behavior.
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Pastor V, Medina JH. Medial prefrontal cortical control of reward- and aversion-based behavioral output: Bottom-up modulation. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 53:3039-3062. [PMID: 33660363 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
How does the brain guide our actions? This is a complex issue, where the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a crucial role. The mPFC is essential for cognitive flexibility and decision making. These functions are related to reward- and aversion-based learning, which ultimately drive behavior. Though, cortical projections and modulatory systems that may regulate those processes in the mPFC are less understood. How does the mPFC regulate approach-avoidance behavior in the case of conflicting aversive and appetitive stimuli? This is likely dependent on the bottom-up neuromodulation of the mPFC projection neurons. In this review, we integrate behavioral-, pharmacological-, and viral-based circuit manipulation data showing the involvement of mPFC dopaminergic, noradrenergic, cholinergic, and serotoninergic inputs in reward and aversion processing. Given that an incorrect balance of reward and aversion value could be a key problem in mental diseases such as substance use disorders, we discuss outstanding questions for future research on the role of mPFC modulation in reward and aversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verónica Pastor
- CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (IBCN), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Medicina, Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jorge Horacio Medina
- CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (IBCN), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Lay BPP, Khoo SYS. Associative processes in addiction relapse models: A review of their Pavlovian and instrumental mechanisms, history, and terminology. NEUROANATOMY AND BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.35430/nab.2021.e18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Animal models of relapse to drug-seeking have borrowed heavily from associative learning approaches. In studies of relapse-like behaviour, animals learn to self-administer drugs then receive a period of extinction during which they learn to inhibit the operant response. Several triggers can produce a recovery of responding which form the basis of a variety of models. These include the passage of time (spontaneous recovery), drug availability (rapid reacquisition), extinction of an alternative response (resurgence), context change (renewal), drug priming, stress, and cues (reinstatement). In most cases, the behavioural processes driving extinction and recovery in operant drug self-administration studies are similar to those in the Pavlovian and behavioural literature, such as context effects. However, reinstatement in addiction studies have several differences with Pavlovian reinstatement, which have emerged over several decades, in experimental procedures, associative mechanisms, and terminology. Interestingly, in cue-induced reinstatement, drug-paired cues that are present during acquisition are omitted during lever extinction. The unextinguished drug-paired cue may limit the model’s translational relevance to cue exposure therapy and renders its underlying associative mechanisms ambiguous. We review major behavioural theories that explain recovery phenomena, with a particular focus on cue-induced reinstatement because it is a widely used model in addiction. We argue that cue-induced reinstatement may be explained by a combination of behavioural processes, including reacquisition of conditioned reinforcement and Pavlovian to Instrumental Transfer. While there are important differences between addiction studies and the behavioural literature in terminology and procedures, it is clear that understanding associative learning processes is essential for studying relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belinda Po Pyn Lay
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology/Groupe de Recherche en Neurobiologie Comportementale, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Shaun Yon-Seng Khoo
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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31
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Prenatal Alcohol Exposure in Rats Diminishes Postnatal Cxcl16 Chemokine Ligand Brain Expression. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10120987. [PMID: 33333834 PMCID: PMC7765294 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10120987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal ethanol consumption during pregnancy is one of the main causes of Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) produces several adverse manifestations. Even low or moderate intake has been associated with long-lasting behavioral and cognitive impairment in offspring. In this study we examined the gene expression profile in the rat nucleus accumbens using microarrays, comparing animals exposed prenatally to ethanol and controls. Microarray gene expression showed an overall downward regulatory effect of PAE. Gene cluster analysis reveals that the gene groups most affected are related to transcription regulation, transcription factors and homeobox genes. We focus on the expression of the C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 16 (Cxcl16) which was differentially expressed. There is a significant reduction in the expression of this chemokine throughout the brain under PAE conditions, evidenced here by quantitative polymerase chain reaction qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Chemokines are involved in neuroprotection and implicated in alcohol-induced brain damage and neuroinflammation in the developing central nervous system (CNS), therefore, the significance of the overall decrease in Cxcl16 expression in the brain as a consequence of PAE may reflect a reduced ability in neuroprotection against subsequent conditions, such as excitotoxic damage, inflammatory processes or even hypoxic-ischemic insult.
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Thomson DM, Openshaw RL, Mitchell EJ, Kouskou M, Millan MJ, Mannoury la Cour C, Morris BJ, Pratt JA. Impaired working memory, cognitive flexibility and reward processing in mice genetically lacking Gpr88: Evidence for a key role for Gpr88 in multiple cortico-striatal-thalamic circuits. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12710. [PMID: 33078498 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The GPR88 orphan G protein-coupled receptor is expressed throughout the striatum, being preferentially localised in medium spiny neurons. It is also present in lower densities in frontal cortex and thalamus. Rare mutations in humans suggest a role in cognition and motor function, while common variants are associated with psychosis. Here we evaluate the influence of genetic deletion of GPR88 upon performance in translational tasks interrogating motivation, reward evaluation and cognitive function. In an automated radial arm maze 'N-back' working memory task, Gpr88 KO mice showed impaired correct responding, suggesting a role for GPR88 receptors in working memory circuitry. Associative learning performance was similar to wild-type controls in a touchscreen task but performance was impaired at the reversal learning stage, suggesting cognitive inflexibility. Gpr88 KO mice showed higher breakpoints, reduced latencies and lengthened session time in a progressive ratio task consistent with enhanced motivation. Simultaneously, locomotor hyperactivity was apparent in this task, supporting previous findings of actions of GPR88 in a cortico-striatal-thalamic motor loop. Evidence for a role of GPR88 in reward processing was demonstrated in a touchscreen-based equivalent of the Iowa gambling task. Although both Gpr88 KO and wild-type mice showed a preference for an optimum contingency choice, Gpr88 KO mice selected more risky choices at the expense of more advantageous lower risk options. Together these novel data suggest that striatal GPR88 receptors influence activity in a range of procedures integrated by prefrontal, orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortico-striatal-thalamic loops leading to altered cognitive, motivational and reward evaluation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Thomson
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G4 0RE, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca L Openshaw
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G4 0RE, United Kingdom
| | - Emma J Mitchell
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G4 0RE, United Kingdom
| | - Marianna Kouskou
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G4 0RE, United Kingdom
| | - Mark J Millan
- Centre for Therapeutic Innovation-CNS, Institute de Recherche Servier, Croissy-sur-Seine, France
| | | | - Brian J Morris
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Judith A Pratt
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G4 0RE, United Kingdom
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Hernandez JS, Binette AN, Rahman T, Tarantino JD, Moorman DE. Chemogenetic Inactivation of Orbitofrontal Cortex Decreases Cue-induced Reinstatement of Ethanol and Sucrose Seeking in Male and Female Wistar Rats. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2020; 44:1769-1782. [PMID: 32628778 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) encodes internal representations of outcomes and subjective value to facilitate flexible reward seeking. OFC activation is associated with drug seeking in both human subjects and animal models. OFC plays a role in alcohol use, but studies in animal models have produced conflicting results with some showing decreased seeking after OFC inactivation but others showing increased seeking or no changes. In part, this may be due to the different measures of alcohol seeking used (e.g., homecage drinking vs. operant seeking). METHODS We characterized the impact of transient inactivation of OFC (primarily lateral and, to a lesser extent, ventral subregions) using inhibitory hM4Di designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs). OFC neurons were transiently inhibited during 10% and 20% alcohol (ethanol, EtOH) and sucrose homecage consumption, fixed ratio (FR1) operant self-administration, and cue-induced reinstatement of either 10% EtOH or sucrose in male and female rats. RESULTS OFC inactivation did not affect sucrose or EtOH consumption in the homecage, nor did it influence seeking or consumption under FR1 operant conditions. In contrast, OFC inactivation suppressed cued-induced reinstatement for both EtOH and sucrose in both male and female rats. CONCLUSIONS Our results are aligned with previous work indicating a selective suppressive effect of OFC inactivation on reinstatement for alcohol and other drugs of abuse. They extend these findings to demonstrate no effect on homecage consumption or FR1 seeking as well as showing an impact of sucrose reinstatement. These data indicate that OFC plays a uniquely important role when reward seeking is driven by associations between external stimuli and internal representations of reward value, both for natural and drug rewards. They further implicate the OFC as a key structure driving relapse-associated seeking and potentially contributing to alcohol use disorder and other diseases of compulsive reward seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- John S Hernandez
- From the, Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program (JSH, DEM), University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Annalise N Binette
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (ANB, TR, JDT, DEM), University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Taryn Rahman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (ANB, TR, JDT, DEM), University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Tarantino
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (ANB, TR, JDT, DEM), University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David E Moorman
- From the, Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program (JSH, DEM), University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (ANB, TR, JDT, DEM), University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
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34
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Pharmacological Inactivation of Medial Prefrontal Cortex Does Not Support Dichotomous "Go/Stop" Roles for Dorsal and Ventral Subdivisions in Natural Reward Seeking in Rats. eNeuro 2020; 7:7/4/ENEURO.0246-20.2020. [PMID: 32646921 PMCID: PMC8114868 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0246-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Highlighted Research Paper:Differential Effects of Dorsal and Ventral Medial Prefrontal Cortex Inactivation during Natural Reward Seeking, Extinction, and Cue-Induced Reinstatement. Jessica P. Caballero, Garrett B. Scarpa, Luke Remage-Healey, David E. Moorman.
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35
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Prelimbic and Infralimbic Prefrontal Regulation of Active and Inhibitory Avoidance and Reward-Seeking. J Neurosci 2020; 40:4773-4787. [PMID: 32393535 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0414-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Flexible initiation or suppression of actions to avoid aversive events is crucial for survival. The prelimbic (PL) and infralimbic (IL) regions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) have been implicated in different aspects of avoidance and reward-seeking, but their respective contribution in instigating versus suppressing actions in aversive contexts remains to be clarified. We examined mPFC involvement in different forms of avoidance in rats well trained on different cued lever-press avoidance tasks. Active/inhibitory avoidance required flexible discrimination between auditory cues signaling foot-shock could be avoided by making or withholding instrumental responses. On a simpler active avoidance task, a single cue signaled when a lever press would avoid shock. PL inactivation disrupted active but not inhibitory avoidance on the discriminative task while having no effect on single-cued avoidance. In comparison, IL inactivation broadly impaired active and inhibitory avoidance. Conversely, on a cued appetitive go/no-go task, both IL and PL inactivation impaired inhibitory but not active reward-seeking, the latter effect being diametrically opposite to that observed on the avoidance task. These findings highlight the complex manner in which different mPFC regions aid in initiating or inhibiting actions in the service of avoiding aversive outcomes or obtaining rewarding ones. IL facilitates active avoidance but suppress inappropriate actions in appetitive and aversive contexts. In contrast, contextual valence plays a critical role in how the PL is recruited in initiating or suppressing actions, which may relate to the degree of cognitive control required to flexibly negotiate response or motivational conflicts and override prepotent behaviors.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Choosing to make or withhold actions in a context-appropriate manner to avoid aversive events or obtain other goals is a critical survival skill. Different medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) regions have been implicated in certain aspects of avoidance, but their contributions to instigating or suppressing actions remains to be clarified. Here, we show that the dorsal, prelimbic (PL) region of the medial PFC aids active avoidance in situations requiring flexible mitigation of response conflicts, but also aids in withholding responses to obtain rewards. In comparison the ventral infralimbic (IL) cortex plays a broader role in active and inhibitory avoidance as well as suppressing actions to obtain rewards. These findings provide insight into mechanisms underlying normal and maladaptive avoidance behaviors and response inhibition.
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