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Morningstar MD, Timme NM, Ma B, Cornwell E, Galbari T, Lapish CC. Proactive Versus Reactive Control Strategies Differentially Mediate Alcohol Drinking in Male Wistars and P Rats. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0385-23.2024. [PMID: 38423790 PMCID: PMC10972740 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0385-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Problematic alcohol consumption is associated with deficits in decision-making and alterations in prefrontal cortex neural activity likely contribute. We hypothesized that the differences in cognitive control would be evident between male Wistars and a model of genetic risk: alcohol-preferring P rats. Cognitive control is split into proactive and reactive components. Proactive control maintains goal-directed behavior independent of a stimulus, whereas reactive control elicits goal-directed behavior at the time of a stimulus. We hypothesized that Wistars would show proactive control over alcohol seeking whereas P rats would show reactive control over alcohol seeking. Neural activity was recorded from the prefrontal cortex during an alcohol seeking task with two session types. On congruent sessions, the conditioned stimulus (CS+) was on the same side as alcohol access. Incongruent sessions presented alcohol opposite the CS+. Wistars, but not P rats, made more incorrect approaches during incongruent sessions, suggesting that Wistars utilized the previously learned rule. This motivated the hypothesis that neural activity reflecting proactive control would be observable in Wistars but not P rats. While P rats showed differences in neural activity at times of alcohol access, Wistars showed differences prior to approaching the sipper. These results support our hypothesis that Wistars are more likely to engage in proactive cognitive control strategies whereas P rats are more likely to engage in reactive cognitive control strategies. Although P rats were bred to prefer alcohol, the differences in cognitive control may reflect a sequela of behaviors that mirror those in humans at risk for an AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- M D Morningstar
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
| | - N M Timme
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
| | - B Ma
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
| | - E Cornwell
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
| | - T Galbari
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
| | - C C Lapish
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Physiology, Stark Neurosciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
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2
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De Oliveira Sergio T, Wean S, Katner SN, Hopf FW. The role of beta- and alpha-adrenergic receptors on alcohol drinking. Neuropharmacology 2023; 234:109545. [PMID: 37100382 PMCID: PMC11071639 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109545] [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: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) is characterized by compulsion-like alcohol drinking (CLAD), where intake despite negative consequences can be a major clinical obstacle. With few treatment options available for AUD, there is a significant need for novel therapies. The noradrenergic system is an important hub for regulating stress responses and maladaptive drives for alcohol. Studies have shown that drugs targeting α1 adrenenergic receptors (ARs) may represent a pharmacological treatment for pathological drinking. However, the involvement of β ARs for treating human drinking has received scant investigation, and thus we sought to provide pre-clinical validation for possible AR utility for CLAD by analyzing whether β AR antagonists propranolol (β1/2), betaxolol (β1), and ICI, 118,551 (β2) impacted CLAD and alcohol-only drinking (AOD) in male Wistar rats. We found that the highest dose of propranolol tested systemically (10 mg/kg) reduced alcohol drinking, while 5 mg/kg propranolol reduced drinking with a trend to impact CLAD more than AOD, and with no effects of 2.5 mg/kg. Betaxolol (2.5 mg/kg) also decreased drinking, while ICI 118.551 had no effects. Also, while AR compounds might have utility for AUD, they can also lead to undesirable side effects. Here, a combination of ineffective doses of propranolol and prazosin reduced both CLAD and AOD. Finally, we investigated the effect of propranolol and betaxolol in two brain areas related to pathological drinking, the anterior insula (aINS) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Surprisingly, propranolol (1-10 μg) in aINS or mPFC did not affect CLAD or AOD. Together, our findings provide new pharmacological insights into noradrenergic regulation of alcohol consumption, which may inform AUD therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah Wean
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Simon N Katner
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Frederic W Hopf
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
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3
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Brown AR, Branthwaite HE, Farahbakhsh ZZ, Mukerjee S, Melugin PR, Song K, Noamany H, Siciliano CA. Structured tracking of alcohol reinforcement (STAR) for basic and translational alcohol research. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:1585-1598. [PMID: 36849824 PMCID: PMC10208967 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-01994-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
There is inherent tension between methodologies developed to address basic research questions in model species and those intended for preclinical to clinical translation: basic investigations require flexibility of experimental design as hypotheses are rapidly tested and revised, whereas preclinical models emphasize standardized protocols and specific outcome measures. This dichotomy is particularly relevant in alcohol research, which spans a diverse range of basic sciences in addition to intensive efforts towards understanding the pathophysiology of alcohol use disorder (AUD). To advance these goals there is a great need for approaches that facilitate synergy across basic and translational areas of nonhuman alcohol research. In male and female mice, we establish a modular alcohol reinforcement paradigm: Structured Tracking of Alcohol Reinforcement (STAR). STAR provides a robust platform for quantitative assessment of AUD-relevant behavioral domains within a flexible framework that allows direct crosstalk between translational and mechanistically oriented studies. To achieve cross-study integration, despite disparate task parameters, a straightforward multivariate phenotyping analysis is used to classify subjects based on propensity for heightened alcohol consumption and insensitivity to punishment. Combining STAR with extant preclinical alcohol models, we delineate longitudinal phenotype dynamics and reveal putative neuro-biomarkers of heightened alcohol use vulnerability via neurochemical profiling of cortical and brainstem tissues. Together, STAR allows quantification of time-resolved biobehavioral processes essential for basic research questions simultaneous with longitudinal phenotyping of clinically relevant outcomes, thereby providing a framework to facilitate cohesion and translation in alcohol research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex R Brown
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Hannah E Branthwaite
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Zahra Z Farahbakhsh
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Snigdha Mukerjee
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Patrick R Melugin
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Keaton Song
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Habiba Noamany
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cody A Siciliano
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
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4
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Barnett WH, Kuznetsov A, Lapish CC. Distinct cortico-striatal compartments drive competition between adaptive and automatized behavior. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0279841. [PMID: 36943842 PMCID: PMC10030038 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279841] [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: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Cortical and basal ganglia circuits play a crucial role in the formation of goal-directed and habitual behaviors. In this study, we investigate the cortico-striatal circuitry involved in learning and the role of this circuitry in the emergence of inflexible behaviors such as those observed in addiction. Specifically, we develop a computational model of cortico-striatal interactions that performs concurrent goal-directed and habit learning. The model accomplishes this by distinguishing learning processes in the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) that rely on reward prediction error signals as distinct from the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) where learning is supported by salience signals. These striatal subregions each operate on unique cortical input: the DMS receives input from the prefrontal cortex (PFC) which represents outcomes, and the DLS receives input from the premotor cortex which determines action selection. Following an initial learning of a two-alternative forced choice task, we subjected the model to reversal learning, reward devaluation, and learning a punished outcome. Behavior driven by stimulus-response associations in the DLS resisted goal-directed learning of new reward feedback rules despite devaluation or punishment, indicating the expression of habit. We repeated these simulations after the impairment of executive control, which was implemented as poor outcome representation in the PFC. The degraded executive control reduced the efficacy of goal-directed learning, and stimulus-response associations in the DLS were even more resistant to the learning of new reward feedback rules. In summary, this model describes how circuits of the dorsal striatum are dynamically engaged to control behavior and how the impairment of executive control by the PFC enhances inflexible behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- William H. Barnett
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University—Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Alexey Kuznetsov
- Department of Mathematics, Indiana University—Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Christopher C. Lapish
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University—Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University—Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
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5
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Li H, Namburi P, Olson JM, Borio M, Lemieux ME, Beyeler A, Calhoon GG, Hitora-Imamura N, Coley AA, Libster A, Bal A, Jin X, Wang H, Jia C, Choudhury SR, Shi X, Felix-Ortiz AC, de la Fuente V, Barth VP, King HO, Izadmehr EM, Revanna JS, Batra K, Fischer KB, Keyes LR, Padilla-Coreano N, Siciliano CA, McCullough KM, Wichmann R, Ressler KJ, Fiete IR, Zhang F, Li Y, Tye KM. Neurotensin orchestrates valence assignment in the amygdala. Nature 2022; 608:586-592. [PMID: 35859170 PMCID: PMC9583860 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04964-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The ability to associate temporally segregated information and assign positive or negative valence to environmental cues is paramount for survival. Studies have shown that different projections from the basolateral amygdala (BLA) are potentiated following reward or punishment learning1-7. However, we do not yet understand how valence-specific information is routed to the BLA neurons with the appropriate downstream projections, nor do we understand how to reconcile the sub-second timescales of synaptic plasticity8-11 with the longer timescales separating the predictive cues from their outcomes. Here we demonstrate that neurotensin (NT)-expressing neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) projecting to the BLA (PVT-BLA:NT) mediate valence assignment by exerting NT concentration-dependent modulation in BLA during associative learning. We found that optogenetic activation of the PVT-BLA:NT projection promotes reward learning, whereas PVT-BLA projection-specific knockout of the NT gene (Nts) augments punishment learning. Using genetically encoded calcium and NT sensors, we further revealed that both calcium dynamics within the PVT-BLA:NT projection and NT concentrations in the BLA are enhanced after reward learning and reduced after punishment learning. Finally, we showed that CRISPR-mediated knockout of the Nts gene in the PVT-BLA pathway blunts BLA neural dynamics and attenuates the preference for active behavioural strategies to reward and punishment predictive cues. In sum, we have identified NT as a neuropeptide that signals valence in the BLA, and showed that NT is a critical neuromodulator that orchestrates positive and negative valence assignment in amygdala neurons by extending valence-specific plasticity to behaviourally relevant timescales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Li
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Praneeth Namburi
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jacob M Olson
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Volen National Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
| | - Matilde Borio
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mackenzie E Lemieux
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Anna Beyeler
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- University of Bordeaux, Neurocentre Magendie, INSERM 1215, Bordeaux, France
| | - Gwendolyn G Calhoon
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Neuroscience Program, Bates College, Lewiston, ME, USA
| | - Natsuko Hitora-Imamura
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Austin A Coley
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Avraham Libster
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Aneesh Bal
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Xin Jin
- Society of Fellows, Harvard University, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Huan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Science, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at PKU, Beijing, China
| | - Caroline Jia
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Xi Shi
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ada C Felix-Ortiz
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Verónica de la Fuente
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIBYNE-UBA-CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Vanessa P Barth
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Hunter O King
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Whitehead Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ehsan M Izadmehr
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jasmin S Revanna
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Biological Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kanha Batra
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kyle B Fischer
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Laurel R Keyes
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Cody A Siciliano
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Kenneth M McCullough
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Romy Wichmann
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ila R Fiete
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Feng Zhang
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Science, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at PKU, Beijing, China
| | - Kay M Tye
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Systems Neuroscience Laboratory and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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6
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Timme NM, Ma B, Linsenbardt D, Cornwell E, Galbari T, Lapish CC. Compulsive alcohol drinking in rodents is associated with altered representations of behavioral control and seeking in dorsal medial prefrontal cortex. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3990. [PMID: 35810193 PMCID: PMC9271071 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31731-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A key feature of compulsive alcohol drinking is continuing to drink despite negative consequences. To examine the changes in neural activity that underlie this behavior, compulsive alcohol drinking was assessed in a validated rodent model of heritable risk for excessive drinking (alcohol preferring (P) rats). Neural activity was measured in dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC-a brain region involved in maladaptive decision-making) and assessed via change point analyses and novel principal component analyses. Neural population representations of specific decision-making variables were measured to determine how they were altered in animals that drink alcohol compulsively. Compulsive animals showed weakened representations of behavioral control signals, but strengthened representations of alcohol seeking-related signals. Finally, chemogenetic-based excitation of dmPFC prevented escalation of compulsive alcohol drinking. Collectively, these data indicate that compulsive alcohol drinking in rats is associated with alterations in dmPFC neural activity that underlie diminished behavioral control and enhanced seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas M Timme
- Psychology Department, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46237, USA.
| | - Baofeng Ma
- Psychology Department, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46237, USA
| | - David Linsenbardt
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
| | - Ethan Cornwell
- Psychology Department, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46237, USA
| | - Taylor Galbari
- Psychology Department, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46237, USA
| | - Christopher C Lapish
- Psychology Department, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46237, USA
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46237, USA
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7
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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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8
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Kaminska B, Caballero JP, Moorman DE. Integration of value and action in medial prefrontal neural systems. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2020; 158:57-82. [PMID: 33785156 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2020.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The rodent medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a key role in regulating cognition, emotion, and behavior. mPFC neurons are activated in diverse experimental paradigms, raising the questions of whether there are specific task elements or dimensions encoded by mPFC neurons, and whether these encoded parameters are selective to neurons in particular mPFC subregions or networks. Here, we consider the role of mPFC neurons in processing appetitive and aversive cues, outcomes, and related behaviors. mPFC neurons are strongly activated in tasks probing value and outcome-associated actions, but these responses vary across experimental paradigms. Can we identify specific categories of responses (e.g., positive or negative value), or do mPFC neurons exhibit response properties that are too heterogeneous/complex to cluster into distinct conceptual groups? Based on a review of relevant studies, we consider what has been done and what needs to be further explored in order to address these questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beata Kaminska
- Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States
| | - Jessica P Caballero
- Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States
| | - David E Moorman
- Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States.
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9
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Salling MC, Harrison NL. Constitutive Genetic Deletion of Hcn1 Increases Alcohol Preference during Adolescence. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10110763. [PMID: 33105624 PMCID: PMC7690419 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10110763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channel (HCN), which underlies the hyperpolarization-activated cation current (Ih), has diverse roles in regulating neuronal excitability across cell types and brain regions. Recently, HCN channels have been implicated in preclinical models of substance abuse including alcohol. In the prefrontal cortex of rodents, HCN expression and Ih magnitude are developmentally regulated during adolescence and may be vulnerable to alcohol’s effects. In mice, binge alcohol consumption during the adolescent period results in a sustained reduction in Ih that coincides with increased alcohol consumption in adulthood, yet the direct role HCN channels have on alcohol consumption are unknown. Here, we show that the genetic deletion of Hcn1 causes an increase in alcohol preference on intermittent 2-bottle choice task in homozygous null (HCN1−/−) male mice compared to wild-type littermates without affecting saccharine or quinine preference. The targeted viral deletion of HCN1 in pyramidal neurons of the medial prefrontal cortex resulted in a gradual loss of Hcn1 expression and a reduction in Ih magnitude during adolescence, however, this did not significantly affect alcohol consumption or preference. We conclude that while HCN1 regulates alcohol preference, the genetic deletion of Hcn1 in the medial prefrontal cortex does not appear to be the locus for this effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C. Salling
- Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Neil L. Harrison
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA;
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10
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A Method to Present and Analyze Ensembles of Information Sources. ENTROPY 2020; 22:e22050580. [PMID: 33286352 PMCID: PMC7517101 DOI: 10.3390/e22050580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Information theory is a powerful tool for analyzing complex systems. In many areas of neuroscience, it is now possible to gather data from large ensembles of neural variables (e.g., data from many neurons, genes, or voxels). The individual variables can be analyzed with information theory to provide estimates of information shared between variables (forming a network between variables), or between neural variables and other variables (e.g., behavior or sensory stimuli). However, it can be difficult to (1) evaluate if the ensemble is significantly different from what would be expected in a purely noisy system and (2) determine if two ensembles are different. Herein, we introduce relatively simple methods to address these problems by analyzing ensembles of information sources. We demonstrate how an ensemble built of mutual information connections can be compared to null surrogate data to determine if the ensemble is significantly different from noise. Next, we show how two ensembles can be compared using a randomization process to determine if the sources in one contain more information than the other. All code necessary to carry out these analyses and demonstrations are provided.
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11
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Timme NM, Linsenbardt D, Timm M, Galbari T, Cornwell E, Lapish C. Alcohol-preferring P rats exhibit aversion-resistant drinking of alcohol adulterated with quinine. Alcohol 2020; 83:47-56. [PMID: 31542609 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2019.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Revised: 08/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Understanding why some people continue to drink alcohol despite negative consequences and others do not is a central problem in the study of alcohol use disorder (AUD). In this study, we used alcohol-preferring P rats (a strain bred to prefer to drink alcohol, a model for genetic risk for AUD) and Wistar rats (control) to examine drinking despite negative consequences in the form of an aversive bitter taste stimulus produced by quinine. Animals were trained to consume 10% ethanol in a simple Pavlovian conditioning task that paired alcohol access with an auditory stimulus. When the alcohol was adulterated with quinine (0.1 g/L), P rats continued to consume alcohol + quinine at the same rate as unadulterated alcohol, despite a demonstrated aversion to quinine-adulterated alcohol when given a choice between adulterated and unadulterated alcohol in the home cage. Conversely, Wistar rats decreased consumption of quinine-adulterated alcohol in the task, but continued to try the alcohol + quinine solution at similar rates to unadulterated alcohol. These results indicate that following about 8 weeks of alcohol consumption, P rats exhibit aversion-resistant drinking. This model could be used in future work to explore how the biological basis of alcohol consumption and genetic risk for excessive drinking lead to drinking that is resistant to devaluation.
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