1
|
Ibáñez Alcalá RJ, Beck DW, Salcido AA, Davila LD, Giri A, Heaton CN, Villarreal Rodriguez K, Rakocevic LI, Hossain SB, Reyes NF, Batson SA, Macias AY, Drammis SM, Negishi K, Zhang Q, Umashankar Beck S, Vara P, Joshi A, Franco AJ, Hernandez Carbajal BJ, Ordonez MM, Ramirez FY, Lopez JD, Lozano N, Ramirez A, Legaspy L, Cruz PL, Armenta AA, Viel SN, Aguirre JI, Quintanar O, Medina F, Ordonez PM, Munoz AE, Martínez Gaudier GE, Naime GM, Powers RE, O'Dell LE, Moschak TM, Goosens KA, Friedman A. RECORD, a high-throughput, customizable system that unveils behavioral strategies leveraged by rodents during foraging-like decision-making. Commun Biol 2024; 7:822. [PMID: 38971889 PMCID: PMC11227549 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06489-8] [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: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Translational studies benefit from experimental designs where laboratory organisms use human-relevant behaviors. One such behavior is decision-making, however studying complex decision-making in rodents is labor-intensive and typically restricted to two levels of cost/reward. We design a fully automated, inexpensive, high-throughput framework to study decision-making across multiple levels of rewards and costs: the REward-COst in Rodent Decision-making (RECORD) system. RECORD integrates three components: 1) 3D-printed arenas, 2) custom electronic hardware, and 3) software. We validated four behavioral protocols without employing any food or water restriction, highlighting the versatility of our system. RECORD data exposes heterogeneity in decision-making both within and across individuals that is quantifiably constrained. Using oxycodone self-administration and alcohol-consumption as test cases, we reveal how analytic approaches that incorporate behavioral heterogeneity are sensitive to detecting perturbations in decision-making. RECORD is a powerful approach to studying decision-making in rodents, with features that facilitate translational studies of decision-making in psychiatric disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Dirk W Beck
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Alexis A Salcido
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Luis D Davila
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Atanu Giri
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Cory N Heaton
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | | | - Lara I Rakocevic
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Safa B Hossain
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Neftali F Reyes
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Serina A Batson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Andrea Y Macias
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Sabrina M Drammis
- Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Qingyang Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Paulina Vara
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Arnav Joshi
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Austin J Franco
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | | | - Miguel M Ordonez
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Felix Y Ramirez
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Jonathan D Lopez
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Nayeli Lozano
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Abigail Ramirez
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Linnete Legaspy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Paulina L Cruz
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Abril A Armenta
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Stephanie N Viel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Jessica I Aguirre
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Odalys Quintanar
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Fernanda Medina
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Pablo M Ordonez
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Alfonzo E Munoz
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | | | - Gabriela M Naime
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Rosalie E Powers
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Laura E O'Dell
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Travis M Moschak
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Ki A Goosens
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Alexander Friedman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA.
- Computational Science Program, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gandy HM, Hollis F, Hernandez CM, McQuail JA. Aging or chronic stress impairs working memory and modulates GABA and glutamate gene expression in prelimbic cortex. Front Aging Neurosci 2024; 15:1306496. [PMID: 38259638 PMCID: PMC10800675 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1306496] [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: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The glucocorticoid (GC) hypothesis posits that effects of stress and dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity accumulate over the lifespan and contribute to impairment of neural function and cognition in advanced aging. The validity of the GC hypothesis is bolstered by a wealth of studies that investigate aging of the hippocampus and decline of associated mnemonic functions. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) mediates working memory which also decreases with age. While the PFC is susceptible to stress and GCs, few studies have formally assessed the application of the GC hypothesis to PFC aging and working memory. Using parallel behavioral and molecular approaches, we compared the effects of normal aging versus chronic variable stress (CVS) on working memory and expression of genes that encode for effectors of glutamate and GABA signaling in male F344 rats. Using an operant delayed match-to-sample test of PFC-dependent working memory, we determined that normal aging and CVS each significantly impaired mnemonic accuracy and reduced the total number of completed trials. We then determined that normal aging increased expression of Slc6a11, which encodes for GAT-3 GABA transporter expressed by astrocytes, in the prelimbic (PrL) subregion of the PFC. CVS increased PrL expression of genes associated with glutamatergic synapses: Grin2b that encodes the GluN2B subunit of NMDA receptor, Grm4 that encodes for metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 (mGluR4), and Plcb1 that encodes for phospholipase C beta 1, an intracellular signaling enzyme that transduces signaling of Group I mGluRs. Beyond the identification of specific genes that were differentially expressed between the PrL in normal aging or CVS, examination of Log2 fold-changes for all expressed glutamate and GABA genes revealed a positive association between molecular phenotypes of aging and CVS in the PrL but no association in the infralimbic subregion. Consistent with predictions of the GC hypothesis, PFC-dependent working memory and PrL glutamate/GABA gene expression demonstrate comparable sensitivity to aging and chronic stress. However, changes in expression of specific genes affiliated with regulation of extracellular GABA in normal aging vs. genes encoding for effectors of glutamatergic signaling during CVS suggest the presence of unique manifestations of imbalanced inhibitory and excitatory signaling in the PFC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah M. Gandy
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Fiona Hollis
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States
- Columbia VA Health Care System, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Caesar M. Hernandez
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Joseph A. McQuail
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wheeler AR, Truckenbrod LM, Cooper EM, Betzhold SM, Setlow B, Orsini CA. Effects of fentanyl self-administration on risk-taking behavior in male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:2529-2544. [PMID: 37612455 PMCID: PMC10878692 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06447-y] [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: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) exhibit impaired decision making and elevated risk-taking behavior. In contrast to the effects of natural and semi-synthetic opioids, however, the impact of synthetic opioids on decision making is still unknown. OBJECTIVES The objective of the current study was to determine how chronic exposure to the synthetic opioid fentanyl alters risk-based decision making in adult male rats. METHODS Male rats underwent 14 days of intravenous fentanyl or oral sucrose self-administration. After 3 weeks of abstinence, rats were tested in a decision-making task in which they chose between a small, safe food reward and a large food reward accompanied by variable risk of footshock punishment. Following testing in the decision-making task, rats were tested in control assays that assessed willingness to work for food and shock reactivity. Lastly, rats were tested on a probabilistic reversal learning task to evaluate enduring effects of fentanyl on behavioral flexibility. RESULTS Relative to rats in the sucrose group, rats in the fentanyl group displayed greater choice of the large, risky reward (risk taking), an effect that was present as long as 7 weeks into abstinence. This increased risk taking was driven by enhanced sensitivity to the large rewards and diminished sensitivity to punishment. The fentanyl-induced elevation in risk taking was not accompanied by alterations in food motivation or shock reactivity or impairments in behavioral flexibility. CONCLUSIONS Results from the current study reveal that the synthetic opioid fentanyl leads to long-lasting increases in risk taking in male rats. Future experiments will extend this work to females and identify neural mechanisms that underlie these drug-induced changes in risk taking.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexa-Rae Wheeler
- Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Leah M Truckenbrod
- Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Emily M Cooper
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Sara M Betzhold
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Barry Setlow
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Caitlin A Orsini
- Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
- Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
- Department of Psychology & Neurology, Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, The University of Texas at Austin, 1601B Trinity Street, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
| |
Collapse
|