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Avila C, Sarter M. Cortico-striatal action control inherent of opponent cognitive-motivational styles. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.12.584623. [PMID: 38559086 PMCID: PMC10979997 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.12.584623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Turning on cue or stopping at a red light requires the detection of such cues to select action sequences, or suppress action, in accordance with cue-associated action rules. Cortico-striatal projections are an essential part of the brain's attention-motor interface. Glutamate-sensing microelectrode arrays were used to measure glutamate transients in the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) of male and female rats walking a treadmill and executing cued turns and stops. Prelimbic-DMS projections were chemogenetically inhibited to determine their behavioral necessity and the cortico-striatal origin of cue-evoked glutamate transients. Furthermore, we investigated rats exhibiting preferably goal-directed (goal trackers, GTs) versus cue-driven attention (sign trackers, STs), to determine the impact of such cognitive-motivational biases on cortico-striatal control. GTs executed more cued turns and initiated such turns more slowly than STs. During turns, but not missed turns or cued stops, cue-evoked glutamate concentrations were higher in GTs than in STs. In conjunction with turn cue-evoked glutamate spike levels, the presence of a single spike rendered GTs to be almost twice as likely to turn than STs. In contrast, multiple glutamate spikes predicted GTs to be less likely to turn than STs. In GTs, but not STs, inhibition of prelimbic-DMS projections attenuated turn rates, turn cue-evoked glutamate peaks, and increased the number of spikes. These findings suggest that turn cue-evoked glutamate release in GTs is tightly controlled by cortico-striatal neuronal activity. In contrast, in STs, glutamate release from DMS glutamatergic terminals may be regulated by other striatal circuitry, preferably mediating cued suppression of action and reward tracking. Significance Statement Adaptive behavior involves the selection of behaviorally significant cues and the capacity of selected cues to control behavioral action. Neuronal projections from cortex to striatum are essential for such an integration of attentional with motor functions. Here we demonstrated that glutamate release from cortico-striatal projections primarily influences cued turns but not cued suppression of actions (cued stops). Cortico-striatal control of cued turning was especially powerful in rats which, as a psychological trait, preferably deploy goal-directed attention. Together, our findings demonstrate the role of cortico-striatal input in cued action selection, and they emphasize the experimental and biopsychological significance of investigating the brain's attentional-motor interface in the context of broader cognitive-motivational styles.
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King CP, Chitre AS, Leal-Gutiérrez JD, Tripi JA, Hughson AR, Horvath AP, Lamparelli AC, George A, Martin C, Pierre CLS, Sanches T, Bimschleger HV, Gao J, Cheng R, Nguyen KM, Holl KL, Polesskaya O, Ishiwari K, Chen H, Woods LCS, Palmer AA, Robinson TE, Flagel SB, Meyer PJ. Genomic Loci Influencing Cue-Reactivity in Heterogeneous Stock Rats. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.13.584852. [PMID: 38559127 PMCID: PMC10980002 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.13.584852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Addiction vulnerability is associated with the tendency to attribute incentive salience to reward predictive cues; both addiction and the attribution of incentive salience are influenced by environmental and genetic factors. To characterize the genetic contributions to incentive salience attribution, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in a cohort of 1,645 genetically diverse heterogeneous stock (HS) rats. We tested HS rats in a Pavlovian conditioned approach task, in which we characterized the individual responses to food-associated stimuli ("cues"). Rats exhibited either cue-directed "sign-tracking" behavior or food-cup directed "goal-tracking" behavior. We then used the conditioned reinforcement procedure to determine whether rats would perform a novel operant response for unrewarded presentations of the cue. We found that these measures were moderately heritable (SNP heritability, h2 = .189-.215). GWAS identified 14 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for 11 of the 12 traits we examined. Interval sizes of these QTLs varied widely. 7 traits shared a QTL on chromosome 1 that contained a few genes (e.g. Tenm4, Mir708) that have been associated with substance use disorders and other mental health traits in humans. Other candidate genes (e.g. Wnt11, Pak1) in this region had coding variants and expression-QTLs in mesocorticolimbic regions of the brain. We also conducted a Phenome-Wide Association Study (PheWAS) on other behavioral measures in HS rats and found that regions containing QTLs on chromosome 1 were also associated with nicotine self-administration in a separate cohort of HS rats. These results provide a starting point for the molecular genetic dissection of incentive salience and provide further support for a relationship between attribution of incentive salience and drug abuse-related traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher P. King
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, USA
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, Buffalo, USA
| | - Apurva S. Chitre
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
| | | | - Jordan A. Tripi
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, USA
| | - Alesa R. Hughson
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Aidan P. Horvath
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | | | - Anthony George
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, Buffalo, USA
| | - Connor Martin
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, Buffalo, USA
| | | | - Thiago Sanches
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
| | | | - Jianjun Gao
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
| | - Riyan Cheng
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
| | - Khai-Minh Nguyen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
| | - Katie L. Holl
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA
| | - Oksana Polesskaya
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
| | - Keita Ishiwari
- Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, Buffalo, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo USA
| | - Hao Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, Addiction Science and Toxicology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, USA
| | - Leah C. Solberg Woods
- Department of Internal Medicine, Molecular Medicine, Center on Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, USA
| | - Abraham A. Palmer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
| | | | - Shelly B. Flagel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Paul J. Meyer
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, USA
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Gibney KD, Kypriotakis G, Versace F. Individual differences in late positive potential amplitude and theta power predict cue-induced eating. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 7:100106. [PMID: 37711965 PMCID: PMC10501046 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2023.100106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Cue-induced reward-seeking behaviors are regulated by both the affective and cognitive control systems of the brain. This study aimed at investigating how individual differences in affective and cognitive responses to cues predicting food rewards contribute to the regulation of cue-induced eating. We recorded electroencephalogram (EEG) from 59 adults while they viewed emotional and food-related images that preceded the delivery of food rewards (candies) or non-food objects (beads). We measured the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP) in response to a variety of motivationally relevant images and power in the theta (4-8 Hz) frequency band after candies or beads were dispensed to the participants. We found that individuals with larger LPP responses to food images than to pleasant images (C>P group) ate significantly more during the experiment than those with the opposite response pattern (P>C group, p < 0.001). Furthermore, we found that individuals with higher theta power after dispensation of the candy than of the bead (θCA>θBE) ate significantly more than those with the opposite response pattern (θBE>θCA, p < 0.001). Finally, we found that the crossed P>C and θBE>θCA group ate less (p < 0.001) than did the other three groups formed by crossing the LPP and theta group assignments, who exhibited similar eating behavior on average (p = 0.662). These findings demonstrate that individual differences in both affective and cognitive responses to reward-related cues underlie vulnerability to cue-induced behaviors, underscoring the need for individualized treatments to mitigate maladaptive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyla D. Gibney
- Neuroscience Graduate Program MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - George Kypriotakis
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Francesco Versace
- Neuroscience Graduate Program MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
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Gheidi A, Fitzpatrick CJ, Gregory JD, Morrow JD. Nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonism dose-dependently decreases sign- but not goal-tracking behavior in male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:871-880. [PMID: 36795109 PMCID: PMC10599605 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06328-4] [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: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Acetylcholinergic antagonists have shown some promise in reducing addiction-related behaviors in both preclinical and clinical studies. However, the psychological mechanisms by which these drugs are able to affect addictive behavior remain unclear. A particular key process for the development of addiction is the attribution of incentive salience to reward-related cues, which can be specifically measured in animals using a Pavlovian conditioned approach procedure. When confronted with a lever that predicts food delivery, some rats engage with the lever directly (i.e., they sign track), indicating attribution of incentive-motivational properties to the lever itself. In contrast, others treat the lever as a predictive cue and approach the location of impending food delivery (i.e., they goal track), without treating the lever itself as a reward. OBJECTIVES We tested whether systemic antagonism of the either nicotinic or muscarinic acetylcholine receptors would selectively affect sign- or goal-tracking behavior, indicating a selective effect on incentive salience attribution. METHODS A total of 98 male Sprague Dawley rats were either given the muscarinic antagonist scopolamine (100, 50, or 10 µg/kg i.p.) or the nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine (0.3, 1.0, or 3 mg/kg i.p.) before being trained on a Pavlovian conditioned approach procedure. RESULTS Scopolamine dose-dependently decreased sign tracking behavior and increased goal-tracking behavior. Mecamylamine reduced sign-tracking but did not affect goal-tracking behavior. CONCLUSIONS Antagonism of either muscarinic or nicotinic acetylcholine receptors can reduce incentive sign-tracking behavior in male rats. This effect appears to be specifically due to a reduction in incentive salience attribution since goal-tracking either increased or was not affected by these manipulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Gheidi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Mercer University, Macon, USA
| | | | - Jordan D Gregory
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Jonathan D Morrow
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
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Sperling SA, Druzgal J, Blair JC, Flanigan JL, Stohlman SL, Barrett MJ. Cholinergic nucleus 4 grey matter density is associated with apathy in Parkinson's disease. Clin Neuropsychol 2023; 37:676-694. [PMID: 35443870 DOI: 10.1080/13854046.2022.2065362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Objective: The generation and maintenance of goal-directed behavior is subserved by multiple brain regions that receive cholinergic inputs from the cholinergic nucleus 4 (Ch4). It is unknown if Ch4 degeneration contributes to apathy in Parkinson's disease (PD). Method: We analyzed data from 106 pre-surgical patients with PD who had brain MRIs and completed the Frontal Systems Behavior Scales (FrSBe). Eighty-eight patients also completed the Beck Depression Inventory-2nd Edition. Cholinergic basal forebrain grey matter densities (GMD) were measured by applying probabilistic maps to T1 MPRAGE sequences processed using voxel-based morphometry methods. We used linear and hierarchical regression modelling to examine the association between Ch4 GMD and the FrSBe Apathy subscale scores. We used similar methods to assess the specificity of this association and potential associations between Ch4 target regions and apathy. Results: Ch4 GMD (p = .021) and Ch123 GMD (p = .032) were significantly associated with Apathy subscale scores on univariate analysis. Ch4 GMD, but not Ch123 GMD, remained significantly associated with apathy when adjusting for age, sex, levodopa equivalent doses, and disease duration. Centromedial amygdala GMD, which receives cholinergic inputs from Ch4, was also associated with apathy. Ch4 GMD was not associated with depression or disinhibition, nor was it associated with executive dysfunction when adjusting for clinical and demographic variables. Conclusions: Ch4 GMD is specifically associated with apathy in PD. Ch4 degeneration results in cholinergic denervation of multiple cortical and limbic regions, which may contribute to the cognitive and emotional-affective processing deficits that underlie the behavioral symptoms of apathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott A Sperling
- Center for Neurological Restoration, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Jason Druzgal
- Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Jamie C Blair
- Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Joseph L Flanigan
- Department of Neurology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Shelby L Stohlman
- Curry School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Matthew J Barrett
- Department of Neurology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
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Colaizzi JM, Flagel SB, Gearhardt AN, Borowitz MA, Kuplicki R, Zotev V, Clark G, Coronado J, Abbott T, Paulus MP. The propensity to sign-track is associated with externalizing behavior and distinct patterns of reward-related brain activation in youth. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4402. [PMID: 36928057 PMCID: PMC10020483 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30906-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Externalizing behaviors in childhood often predict impulse control disorders in adulthood; however, the underlying bio-behavioral risk factors are incompletely understood. In animals, the propensity to sign-track, or the degree to which incentive motivational value is attributed to reward cues, is associated with externalizing-type behaviors and deficits in executive control. Using a Pavlovian conditioned approach paradigm, we quantified sign-tracking in 40 healthy 9-12-year-olds. We also measured parent-reported externalizing behaviors and anticipatory neural activations to outcome-predicting cues using the monetary incentive delay fMRI task. Sign-tracking was associated with attentional and inhibitory control deficits and the degree of amygdala, but not cortical, activation during reward anticipation. These findings support the hypothesis that youth with a propensity to sign-track are prone to externalizing tendencies, with an over-reliance on subcortical cue-reactive brain systems. This research highlights sign-tracking as a promising experimental approach delineating the behavioral and neural circuitry of individuals at risk for externalizing disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janna M Colaizzi
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 S Yale Ave, Tulsa, OK, USA.
| | - Shelly B Flagel
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, 205 Zina Pitcher Pl, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Ashley N Gearhardt
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Michelle A Borowitz
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Rayus Kuplicki
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 S Yale Ave, Tulsa, OK, USA
| | - Vadim Zotev
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 S Yale Ave, Tulsa, OK, USA
| | - Grace Clark
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 S Yale Ave, Tulsa, OK, USA
| | - Jennifer Coronado
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 S Yale Ave, Tulsa, OK, USA
| | - Talia Abbott
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 S Yale Ave, Tulsa, OK, USA
| | - Martin P Paulus
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 S Yale Ave, Tulsa, OK, USA
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Carmon H, Haley EC, Parikh V, Tronson NC, Sarter M. Neuro-Immune Modulation of Cholinergic Signaling in an Addiction Vulnerability Trait. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0023-23.2023. [PMID: 36810148 PMCID: PMC9997697 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0023-23.2023] [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: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Sign-tracking (ST) describes the propensity to approach and contact a Pavlovian reward cue. By contrast, goal-trackers (GTs) respond to such a cue by retrieving the reward. These behaviors index the presence of opponent cognitive-motivational traits, with STs exhibiting attentional control deficits, behavior dominated by incentive motivational processes, and vulnerability for addictive drug taking. Attentional control deficits in STs were previously attributed to attenuated cholinergic signaling, resulting from deficient translocation of intracellular choline transporters (CHTs) into synaptosomal plasma membrane. Here, we investigated a posttranslational modification of CHTs, poly-ubiquitination, and tested the hypothesis that elevated cytokine signaling in STs contributes to CHT modification. We demonstrated that intracellular CHTs, but not plasma membrane CHTs, are highly ubiquitinated in male and female sign-tracking rats when compared with GTs. Moreover, levels of cytokines measured in cortex and striatum, but not spleen, were higher in STs than in GTs. Activation of the innate immune system by systemic administration of the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) elevated ubiquitinated CHT levels in cortex and striatum of GTs only, suggesting ceiling effects in STs. In spleen, LPS increased levels of most cytokines in both phenotypes. In cortex, LPS particularly robustly increased levels of the chemokines CCL2 and CXCL10. Phenotype-specific increases were restricted to GTs, again suggesting ceiling effects in STs. These results indicate that interactions between elevated brain immune modulator signaling and CHT regulation are essential components of the neuronal underpinnings of the addiction vulnerability trait indexed by sign-tracking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Carmon
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Evan C Haley
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122
| | - Vinay Parikh
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122
| | - Natalie C Tronson
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Martin Sarter
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
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Muscarinic antagonists impair multiple aspects of operant discrimination learning and performance. Neurosci Lett 2023; 794:137025. [PMID: 36529388 PMCID: PMC9812939 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2022.137025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Acetylcholine signaling can strengthen associations between environmental cues and reward availability. Diverse subtypes (M1-M5) of the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) family may have distinct roles in different learning and memory processes, such as encoding cue-reward associations and consolidating these associations in long-term memory. Using an operant discrimination learning task in which mice are trained to nose poke during a tone to receive a food reward, we found that acquisition of the task requires mAChR signaling in the central nervous system. In addition, post-session injections of a broad mAChR antagonist, scopolamine impaired consolidation of the cue-reward memory. Further, after successful learning of a cue-reward contingency across multiple training sessions, mice that received a single pre-session injection of scopolamine were unable to use the learned cue association to receive rewards. Taken together, these data demonstrate distinct roles for muscarinic signaling in acquisition, consolidation and recall of the operant discrimination learning task. Understanding mechanisms underlying natural reward-related responding may provide insight into other maladaptive forms of reward learning such as addiction.
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Cope LM, Gheidi A, Martz ME, Duval ER, Khalil H, Allerton T, Morrow JD. A mechanical task for measuring sign- and goal-tracking in humans: A proof-of-concept study. Behav Brain Res 2023; 436:114112. [PMID: 36115435 PMCID: PMC10153473 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cue-based associative learning (i.e., Pavlovian conditioning) is a foundational component of behavior in almost all forms of animal life and may provide insight into individual differences in addiction liability. Cues can take on incentive-motivational properties (i.e., incentive salience) through Pavlovian learning. Extensive testing with non-human animals (primarily rats) has demonstrated significant variation among individuals in the behaviors this type of learning evokes. So-named "sign-trackers" and "goal-trackers" have been examined in many studies of non-human animals, but this work in humans is still a nascent area of research. In the present proof-of-concept study, we used a Pavlovian conditioned approach task to investigate human sign- and goal-tracking in emerging adults. Conditioned behaviors that developed over the course of the task were directed toward the reward-cue and toward the reward location. Participants' eye-gaze and behavior during the task were submitted to a latent profile analysis, which revealed three groups defined as sign-trackers (n = 10), goal-trackers (n = 4), and intermediate responders (n = 36). Impulsivity was a significant predictor of the sign-tracking group relative to the goal-tracking group. The present study provides preliminary evidence that a simple procedure can produce learned Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior in humans. Though further investigation is required, findings provide a promising step toward the long-term goal of translating important insights gleaned from basic research into treatment strategies that can be applied to clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- L M Cope
- Department of Psychiatry and Addiction Center, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - A Gheidi
- Biomedical Science Research Building, University of Michigan, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - M E Martz
- Department of Psychiatry and Addiction Center, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - E R Duval
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - H Khalil
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - T Allerton
- Biomedical Science Research Building, University of Michigan, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - J D Morrow
- Department of Psychiatry and Addiction Center, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Biomedical Science Research Building, University of Michigan, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
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Basal Forebrain Chemogenetic Inhibition Converts the Attentional Control Mode of Goal-Trackers to That of Sign-Trackers. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0418-22.2022. [PMID: 36635246 PMCID: PMC9794377 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0418-22.2022] [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: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sign tracking versus goal tracking in rats indicate vulnerability and resistance, respectively, to Pavlovian cue-evoked addictive drug taking and relapse. Here, we tested hypotheses predicting that the opponent cognitive-behavioral styles indexed by sign tracking versus goal tracking include variations in attentional performance which differentially depend on basal forebrain projection systems. Pavlovian Conditioned Approach (PCA) testing was used to identify male and female sign-trackers (STs) and goal-trackers (GTs), as well as rats with an intermediate phenotype (INTs). Upon reaching asymptotic performance in an operant task requiring the detection of visual signals (hits) as well as the reporting of signal absence for 40 min per session, GTs scored more hits than STs, and hit rates across all phenotypes correlated with PCA scores. STs missed relatively more signals than GTs specifically during the last 15 min of a session. Chemogenetic inhibition of the basal forebrain decreased hit rates in GTs but was without effect in STs. Moreover, the decrease in hits in GTs manifested solely during the last 15 min of a session. Transfection efficacy in the horizontal limb of the diagonal band (HDB), but not substantia innominate (SI) or nucleus basalis of Meynert (nbM), predicted the behavioral efficacy of chemogenetic inhibition in GTs. Furthermore, the total subregional transfection space, not transfection of just cholinergic neurons, correlated with performance effects. These results indicate that the cognitive-behavioral phenotype indexed by goal tracking, but not sign tracking, depends on activation of the basal forebrain-frontal cortical projection system and associated biases toward top-down or model-based performance.
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Availability of Central α4β2* Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Human Obesity. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12121648. [PMID: 36552108 PMCID: PMC9775559 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12121648] [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: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Obesity is thought to arise, in part, from deficits in the inhibitory control over appetitive behavior. Such motivational processes are regulated by neuromodulators, specifically acetylcholine (ACh), via α4β2* nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChR). These nAChR are highly enriched in the thalamus and contribute to the thalamic gating of cortico-striatal signaling, but also act on the mesoaccumbal reward system. The changes in α4β2* nAChR availability, however, have not been demonstrated in human obesity thus far. The aim of our study was, thus, to investigate whether there is altered brain α4β2* nAChR availability in individuals with obesity compared to normal-weight healthy controls. METHODS We studied 15 non-smoking individuals with obesity (body mass index, BMI: 37.8 ± 3.1 kg/m2; age: 39 ± 14 years, 9 females) and 16 normal-weight controls (non-smokers, BMI: 21.9 ± 1.7 kg/m2; age: 28 ± 7 years, 13 females) by using PET and the α4β2* nAChR selective (-)-[18F]flubatine, which was applied within a bolus-infusion protocol (294 ± 16 MBq). Volume-of-interest (VOI) analysis was performed in order to calculate the regional total distribution volume (VT). RESULTS No overall significant difference in VT between the individuals with obesity and the normal-weight volunteers was found, while the VT in the nucleus basalis of Meynert tended to be lower in the individuals with obesity (10.1 ± 2.1 versus 11.9 ± 2.2; p = 0.10), and the VT in the thalamus showed a tendency towards higher values in the individuals with obesity (26.5 ± 2.5 versus 25.9 ± 4.2; p = 0.09). CONCLUSION While these first data do not show greater brain α4β2* nAChR availability in human obesity overall, the findings of potentially aberrant α4β2* nAChR availability in the key brain regions that regulate feeding behavior merit further exploration.
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Acute Caffeine Enhances Sign-Tracking in Male Sprague-Dawley Rats. Behav Processes 2022; 203:104782. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Genetic characterization of outbred Sprague Dawley rats and utility for genome-wide association studies. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010234. [PMID: 35639796 PMCID: PMC9187121 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Sprague Dawley (SD) rats are among the most widely used outbred laboratory rat populations. Despite this, the genetic characteristics of SD rats have not been clearly described, and SD rats are rarely used for experiments aimed at exploring genotype-phenotype relationships. In order to use SD rats to perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS), we collected behavioral data from 4,625 SD rats that were predominantly obtained from two commercial vendors, Charles River Laboratories and Harlan Sprague Dawley Inc. Using double-digest genotyping-by-sequencing (ddGBS), we obtained dense, high-quality genotypes at 291,438 SNPs across 4,061 rats. This genetic data allowed us to characterize the variation present in Charles River vs. Harlan SD rats. We found that the two populations are highly diverged (FST > 0.4). Furthermore, even for rats obtained from the same vendor, there was strong population structure across breeding facilities and even between rooms at the same facility. We performed multiple separate GWAS by fitting a linear mixed model that accounted for population structure and using meta-analysis to jointly analyze all cohorts. Our study examined Pavlovian conditioned approach (PavCA) behavior, which assesses the propensity for rats to attribute incentive salience to reward-associated cues. We identified 46 significant associations for the various metrics used to define PavCA. The surprising degree of population structure among SD rats from different sources has important implications for their use in both genetic and non-genetic studies. Outbred Sprague Dawley rats are among the most commonly used rats for neuroscience, physiology and pharmacological research; in the year 2020, 4,188 publications contained the keyword “Sprague Dawley”. Rats identified as “Sprague Dawley” are sold by several commercial vendors, including Charles River Laboratories and Harlan Sprague Dawley Inc. (now Envigo). Despite their widespread use, little is known about the genetic diversity of SD. We genotyped more than 4,000 SD rats, which we used for a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and to characterize genetic differences between SD rats from Charles River Laboratories and Harlan. Our analysis revealed extensive population structure both between and within vendors. The GWAS for Pavlovian conditioned approach (PavCA) identified a number of genome-wide significant loci for that complex behavioral trait. Our results demonstrate that, despite sharing an identical name, SD rats that are obtained from different vendors are very different. Future studies should carefully define the exact source of SD rats being used and may exploit their genetic diversity for genetic studies of complex traits.
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Donovan E, Avila C, Klausner S, Parikh V, Fenollar-Ferrer C, Blakely RD, Sarter M. Disrupted Choline Clearance and Sustained Acetylcholine Release In Vivo by a Common Choline Transporter Coding Variant Associated with Poor Attentional Control in Humans. J Neurosci 2022; 42:3426-3444. [PMID: 35232764 PMCID: PMC9034784 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1334-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Transport of choline via the neuronal high-affinity choline transporter (CHT; SLC5A7) is essential for cholinergic terminals to synthesize and release acetylcholine (ACh). In humans, we previously demonstrated an association between a common CHT coding substitution (rs1013940; Ile89Val) and reduced attentional control as well as attenuated frontal cortex activation. Here, we used a CRISPR/Cas9 approach to generate mice expressing the I89V substitution and assessed, in vivo, CHT-mediated choline transport, and ACh release. Relative to wild-type (WT) mice, CHT-mediated clearance of choline in male and female mice expressing one or two Val89 alleles was reduced by over 80% in cortex and over 50% in striatum. Choline clearance in CHT Val89 mice was further reduced by neuronal inactivation. Deficits in ACh release, 5 and 10 min after repeated depolarization at a low, behaviorally relevant frequency, support an attenuated reloading capacity of cholinergic neurons in mutant mice. The density of CHTs in total synaptosomal lysates and neuronal plasma-membrane-enriched fractions was not impacted by the Val89 variant, indicating a selective impact on CHT function. When challenged with a visual disruptor to reveal attentional control mechanisms, Val89 mice failed to adopt a more conservative response bias. Structural modeling revealed that Val89 may attenuate choline transport by altering conformational changes of CHT that support normal transport rates. Our findings support the view that diminished sustained cholinergic signaling capacity underlies perturbed attentional performance in individuals expressing CHT Val89. The CHT Val89 mouse serves as a valuable model to study heritable risk for cognitive disorders arising from cholinergic dysfunction.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Acetylcholine (ACh) signaling depends on the functional capacity of the neuronal choline transporter (CHT). Previous research demonstrated that humans expressing the common CHT coding variant Val89 exhibit attentional vulnerabilities and attenuated fronto-cortical activation during attention. Here, we find that mice engineered to express the Val89 variant exhibit reduced CHT-mediated choline clearance and a diminished capacity to sustain ACh release. Additionally, Val89 mice lack cognitive flexibility in response to an attentional challenge. These findings provide a mechanistic and cognitive framework for interpreting the attentional phenotype associated with the human Val89 variant and establish a model that permits a more invasive interrogation of CNS effects as well as the development of therapeutic strategies for those, including Val89 carriers, with presynaptic cholinergic perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eryn Donovan
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Cassandra Avila
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Sarah Klausner
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Vinay Parikh
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122
| | - Cristina Fenollar-Ferrer
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Section of Human Genetics, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Randy D Blakely
- Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute and Department of Biomedical Science, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida 33458
| | - Martin Sarter
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program and Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
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15
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Kuhn BN, Campus P, Klumpner MS, Chang SE, Iglesias AG, Flagel SB. Inhibition of a cortico-thalamic circuit attenuates cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior in "relapse prone" male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:1035-1051. [PMID: 34181035 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05894-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Relapse often occurs when individuals are exposed to stimuli or cues previously associated with the drug-taking experience. The ability of drug cues to trigger relapse is believed to be a consequence of incentive salience attribution, a process by which the incentive value of reward is transferred to the reward-paired cue. Sign-tracker (ST) rats that attribute enhanced incentive value to reward cues are more prone to relapse compared to goal-tracker (GT) rats that primarily attribute predictive value to such cues. OBJECTIVES The neurobiological mechanisms underlying this individual variation in relapse propensity remains largely unexplored. The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) has been identified as a critical node in the regulation of cue-elicited behaviors in STs and GTs, including cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior. Here we used a chemogenetic approach to assess whether "top-down" cortical input from the prelimbic cortex (PrL) to the PVT plays a role in mediating individual differences in relapse propensity. RESULTS Chemogenetic inhibition of the PrL-PVT pathway selectively decreased cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior in STs, without affecting behavior in GTs. In contrast, cocaine-primed drug-seeking behavior was not affected in either phenotype. Furthermore, when rats were characterized based on a different behavioral phenotype-locomotor response to novelty-inhibition of the PrL-PVT pathway had no effect on either cue- or drug-induced reinstatement. CONCLUSIONS These results highlight an important role for the PrL-PVT pathway in vulnerability to relapse that is consequent to individual differences in the propensity to attribute incentive salience to discrete reward cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany N Kuhn
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, 4137 Undergraduate Science Building, 204 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Paolo Campus
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Marin S Klumpner
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Stephen E Chang
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Amanda G Iglesias
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, 4137 Undergraduate Science Building, 204 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Shelly B Flagel
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, 4137 Undergraduate Science Building, 204 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, 205 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, USA.
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16
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Quantifying the instrumental and noninstrumental underpinnings of Pavlovian responding with the Price equation. Psychon Bull Rev 2021; 29:1295-1306. [PMID: 34918283 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-021-02047-z] [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] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The Price equation is a mathematical expression of selectionist and non-selectionist pressures on biological, cultural, and behavioral change. We use it here to specify instrumental and noninstrumental behaviors as they arise within the context of the Pavlovian autoshaping procedure, for rats trained under reward certainty and reward uncertainty. The point of departure for this endeavor is that some portion of autoshaped behavior referred to as goal-tracking appears instrumental-a function of resource attainment (the individual approaches the location where the unconditioned stimulus is to be delivered). By contrast, some other portion of autoshaped behavior referred to as sign-tracking is noninstrumental-irrelevant to making contact with the to-be-delivered unconditioned stimulus. A Price equation model is proposed that unifies our understanding of Pavlovian autoshaping behavior by isolating operant and respondent influences on goal-tracking (instrumental) and sign-tracking (noninstrumental) behavior.
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17
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Ostlund SB, Marshall AT. Probing the role of reward expectancy in Pavlovian-instrumental transfer. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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18
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Angelyn H, Loney GC, Meyer PJ. Nicotine Enhances Goal-Tracking in Ethanol and Food Pavlovian Conditioned Approach Paradigms. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:561766. [PMID: 34483813 PMCID: PMC8416423 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.561766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rationale Nicotine promotes alcohol intake through pharmacological and behavioral interactions. As an example of the latter, nicotine can facilitate approach toward food- and alcohol-associated stimuli ("sign-tracking") in lever-Pavlovian conditioned approach (PavCA) paradigms. However, we recently reported that nicotine can also enhance approach toward locations of reward delivery ("goal-tracking") triggered by ethanol-predictive stimuli when the location of ethanol delivery is non-static (i.e., a retractable sipper bottle). Objective To determine whether the non-static nature of the reward location could have biased the development of goal-tracking in our previous study (Loney et al., 2019); we assessed the effect of nicotine in a lever-PavCA paradigm wherein the location of ethanol delivery was static (i.e., a stationary liquid receptacle). Then, to determine whether nicotine's enhancement of goal-tracking is unique to ethanol-predictive stimuli, we assessed the effect of systemic nicotine on approach triggered by food-predictive stimuli in a lever-PavCA paradigm. Methods Long-Evans rats were used in two PavCA experiments wherein a lever predicted the receipt of ethanol (15% vol/vol; experiment 1) or food (experiment 2) into a stationary receptacle. Prior to testing, rats were administered nicotine (0.4 mg/kg subcutaneously) or saline systemically. Results In both experiments, nicotine increased measures of goal-tracking, but not sign-tracking. Conclusion Nicotine can facilitate approach to reward locations without facilitating approach to reward-predictive stimuli. As such, conceptualization of the mechanisms by which nicotine affects behavior must be expanded to explain an enhancement of goal-tracking by nicotine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hailley Angelyn
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Gregory C Loney
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Paul J Meyer
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
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19
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Flagel SB, Robinson TE, Sarter M. Comment on Pohorala et al.: Sign-tracking as a predictor of addiction vulnerability. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:2661-2664. [PMID: 34308488 PMCID: PMC9248762 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05927-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shelly B Flagel
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Terry E Robinson
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Martin Sarter
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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20
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Maiolati M, Tarmati V, Latagliata C, Cabib S, Orsini C. Opposite genotype-specific effects of serotoninergic treatments on Pavlovian Conditioned Approach in mice of two inbred strains C57 BL/6J and DBA/2J. Behav Pharmacol 2021; 32:392-403. [PMID: 33709985 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Individual variability in the response to pharmacological therapies is a major problem in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Comparative studies of phenotypes expressed by mice of the C57BL/6J (C57) and DBA/2J (DBA) inbred strains can help identify neurobiological determinants of this variability at preclinical levels. We have recently demonstrated that whereas young adult mice of both strains develop sign-tracking in a Pavlovian Conditioned Approach (PCA), a trait associated with dysfunctional behavior in rat models, in full adult C57 mice acquisition of this phenotype is inhibited by pre-frontal cortical (PFC) serotonin (5HT) transmission. These findings suggest a different role of 5HT transmission on sign-tracking development in mice of the two genotypes. In the present experiments, we tested the effects of the 5-HT synthesis booster 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and of the selective 5HT reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine on the development and expression of sign-tracking in young adult mice from both inbred strains. In mice of the C57 strain, administration of 5-HTP before each training session blocked the training-induced shift to positive PCA scores which indicates the development of sign-tracking, whereas the same treatment was ineffective in mice of DBA strain. On the other hand, a single administration of fluoxetine was ineffective in unhandled saline- and 5-HTP-treated C57 mice, whereas it enhanced the expression of positive PCA scores by mice of DBA strain treated with 5-HTP during training. These findings confirm the strain-specific inhibitory role of PFC 5-HT transmission on sign-tracking development by mice of the C57 strain and support the hypothesis that different genotype-specific neurobiological substrates of dysfunctional phenotypes contribute to variable effects of pharmacotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marzia Maiolati
- PhD Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Rome "Sapienza"
| | - Valeria Tarmati
- PhD Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Rome "Sapienza"
| | | | - Simona Cabib
- IRCSS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Department of Experimental Neurosciences
- Department of Psychology, University of Rome "Sapienza", Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina Orsini
- IRCSS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Department of Experimental Neurosciences
- Department of Psychology, University of Rome "Sapienza", Rome, Italy
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21
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Pohořalá V, Enkel T, Bartsch D, Spanagel R, Bernardi RE. Sign- and goal-tracking score does not correlate with addiction-like behavior following prolonged cocaine self-administration. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:2335-2346. [PMID: 33950271 PMCID: PMC8292273 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05858-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE In classical conditioning, sign-tracking reflects behavior directed toward a conditioned stimulus (CS) in expectation of a reward (unconditioned stimulus, US); in contrast, goal-tracking describes behavior directed toward the location of delivery of a US. As cues previously paired with drugs of abuse promote drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior in both animals and humans and thus contribute to the severity of substance abuse, sign-tracking may represent a maladaptive cue-focused behavior that may increase addiction vulnerability as compared to goal-tracking. Recent studies do, in fact, support this possibility. Previous work in this area has focused primarily on paradigms using relatively limited exposure to drug rather than extended drug intake. OBJECTIVES Here, we used the DSM-IV-based 3-criteria (3-CRIT) model and examined whether a relationship exists between sign- or goal-tracking phenotypes and the prevalence of criteria associated with addiction-like behavior following extended cocaine self-administration as measured in this model. METHODS Forty-six male Sprague Dawley rats underwent a Pavlovian conditioned approach (PCA) procedure and were characterized along a continuum as goal-trackers (GTs), intermediates (INTs), or sign-trackers (STs). The animals were subsequently trained to intravenous self-administer cocaine during 45 self-administration (SA) sessions and characterized for the 3 criteria outlined in the model: persistence of drug-seeking, motivation for cocaine-taking, and resistance to punishment. RESULTS We performed correlational analyses on the traits measured, finding no relationships between PCA score and addiction-like characteristics measured using the 3-CRIT model of addiction. However, STs showed significantly greater resistance to punishment than GTs. CONCLUSIONS Phenotyping along a continuum of PCA scores may not be a valid predictor for identifying vulnerability to the addiction-like behaviors examined using the 3-CRIT model. However, PCA phenotype may predict a single feature of the 3-CRIT model, resistance to punishment, among those rats classified as either STs or GTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Pohořalá
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Thomas Enkel
- Department of Molecular Biology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Dusan Bartsch
- Department of Molecular Biology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Rainer Spanagel
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Rick E Bernardi
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
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22
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Amalric M, Pattij T, Sotiropoulos I, Silva JM, Sousa N, Ztaou S, Chiamulera C, Wahlberg LU, Emerich DF, Paolone G. Where Dopaminergic and Cholinergic Systems Interact: A Gateway for Tuning Neurodegenerative Disorders. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:661973. [PMID: 34366802 PMCID: PMC8340002 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.661973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Historically, many investigations into neurodegenerative diseases have focused on alterations in specific neuronal populations such as, for example, the loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD) and loss of cholinergic transmission in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it has become increasingly clear that mammalian brain activities, from executive and motor functioning to memory and emotional responses, are strictly regulated by the integrity of multiple interdependent neuronal circuits. Among subcortical structures, the dopaminergic nigrostriatal and mesolimbic pathways as well as cholinergic innervation from basal forebrain and brainstem, play pivotal roles in orchestrating cognitive and non-cognitive symptoms in PD and AD. Understanding the functional interactions of these circuits and the consequent neurological changes that occur during degeneration provides new opportunities to understand the fundamental inter-workings of the human brain as well as develop new potential treatments for patients with dysfunctional neuronal circuits. Here, excerpted from a session of the European Behavioral Pharmacology Society meeting (Braga, Portugal, August 2019), we provide an update on our recent work in behavioral and cellular neuroscience that primarily focuses on interactions between cholinergic and dopaminergic systems in PD models, as well as stress in AD. These brief discussions include descriptions of (1) striatal cholinergic interneurons (CINs) and PD, (2) dopaminergic and cholinergic modulation of impulse control, and (3) the use of an implantable cell-based system for drug delivery directly the into brain and (4) the mechanisms through which day life stress, a risk factor for AD, damage protein and RNA homeostasis leading to AD neuronal malfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianne Amalric
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR 7291, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives, Aix-Marseille University (AMU), Marseille, France
| | - Tommy Pattij
- Amsterdam Neuroscience, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Ioannis Sotiropoulos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s – PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - Joana M. Silva
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s – PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- ICVS/3B’s – PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - Samira Ztaou
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR 7291, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives, Aix-Marseille University (AMU), Marseille, France
- Department of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Cristiano Chiamulera
- Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, Section of Pharmacology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | | | - Giovanna Paolone
- Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, Section of Pharmacology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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23
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Betts GD, Hynes TJ, Winstanley CA. Pharmacological evidence of a cholinergic contribution to elevated impulsivity and risky decision-making caused by adding win-paired cues to a rat gambling task. J Psychopharmacol 2021; 35:701-712. [PMID: 33573446 DOI: 10.1177/0269881120972421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pairing rewards with sensory stimulation, in the form of auditory and visual cues, increases risky decision-making in both rats and humans. Understanding the neurobiological basis of this effect could help explain why electronic gambling machines are so addictive, and inform treatment development for compulsive gambling and gaming. Numerous studies implicate the dopamine system in mediating the motivational influence of reward-paired cues; recent data suggest the cholinergic system also plays a critical role. Previous work also indicates that cholinergic drugs alter decision-making under uncertainty. AIMS We investigated whether the addition of reward-concurrent cues to the rat gambling task (crGT) altered the effects of peripherally administered cholinergic compounds. METHODS Muscarinic and nicotinic agonists and antagonists were administered to 16 male, Long-Evans rats trained on the crGT. Measures of optimal/risky decision-making and motor impulsivity were the main dependent variables of interest. RESULTS The muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine improved decision-making overall, decreasing selection of one of the risky options while increasing choice of the more advantageous options. The muscarinic agonist oxotremorine increased choice latency but did not significantly affect option preference. Neither the nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine nor the agonist nicotine affected choice patterns, but mecamylamine decreased premature responding, an index of motor impulsivity. CONCLUSIONS These results contrast sharply from those obtained previously using the uncued rGT, and suggest that the deleterious effects of win-paired cues on decision-making and impulse control may result from elevated cholinergic tone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graeme D Betts
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Tristan J Hynes
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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24
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Albin RL, Müller MLTM, Bohnen NI, Spino C, Sarter M, Koeppe RA, Szpara A, Kim K, Lustig C, Dauer WT. α4β2 * Nicotinic Cholinergic Receptor Target Engagement in Parkinson Disease Gait-Balance Disorders. Ann Neurol 2021; 90:130-142. [PMID: 33977560 DOI: 10.1002/ana.26102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Attentional deficits following degeneration of brain cholinergic systems contribute to gait-balance deficits in Parkinson disease (PD). As a step toward assessing whether α4β2* nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) stimulation improves gait-balance function, we assessed target engagement of the α4β2* nAChR partial agonist varenicline. METHODS Nondemented PD participants with cholinergic deficits were identified with [18 F]fluoroethoxybenzovesamicol positron emission tomography (PET). α4β2* nAChR occupancy after subacute oral varenicline treatment was measured with [18 F]flubatine PET. With a dose selected from the nAChR occupancy experiment, varenicline effects on gait, balance, and cognition were assessed in a double-masked placebo-controlled crossover study. Primary endpoints were normal pace gait speed and a measure of postural stability. RESULTS Varenicline doses (0.25mg per day, 0.25mg twice daily [b.i.d.], 0.5mg b.i.d., and 1.0mg b.i.d.) produced 60 to 70% receptor occupancy. We selected 0.5mg orally b.i.d for the crossover study. Thirty-three participants completed the crossover study with excellent tolerability. Varenicline had no significant impact on the postural stability measure and caused slower normal pace gait speed. Varenicline narrowed the difference in normal pace gait speed between dual task and no dual task gait conditions, reduced dual task cost, and improved sustained attention test performance. We obtained identical conclusions in 28 participants with treatment compliance confirmed by plasma varenicline measurements. INTERPRETATION Varenicline occupied α4β2* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, was tolerated well, enhanced attention, and altered gait performance. These results are consistent with target engagement. α4β2* agonists may be worth further evaluation for mitigation of gait and balance disorders in PD. ANN NEUROL 2021;90:130-142.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger L Albin
- Neurology Service and GRECC, VAAAHS, Ann Arbor, MI.,Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.,University of Michigan Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence, Ann Arbor, MI.,University of Michigan Parkinson's Foundation Research Center of Excellence, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Martijn L T M Müller
- University of Michigan Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence, Ann Arbor, MI.,University of Michigan Parkinson's Foundation Research Center of Excellence, Ann Arbor, MI.,Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Nicolaas I Bohnen
- Neurology Service and GRECC, VAAAHS, Ann Arbor, MI.,Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.,University of Michigan Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence, Ann Arbor, MI.,University of Michigan Parkinson's Foundation Research Center of Excellence, Ann Arbor, MI.,Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Cathie Spino
- University of Michigan Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence, Ann Arbor, MI.,Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Martin Sarter
- University of Michigan Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence, Ann Arbor, MI.,Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Robert A Koeppe
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Ashley Szpara
- Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.,University of Michigan Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Kamin Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Cindy Lustig
- University of Michigan Parkinson's Foundation Research Center of Excellence, Ann Arbor, MI.,Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - William T Dauer
- Neurology Service and GRECC, VAAAHS, Ann Arbor, MI.,Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.,University of Michigan Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence, Ann Arbor, MI.,Department of Neurology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.,Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.,Peter J. O'Donnell Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
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Male Goal-Tracker and Sign-Tracker Rats Do Not Differ in Neuroendocrine or Behavioral Measures of Stress Reactivity. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0384-20.2021. [PMID: 33731330 PMCID: PMC8116112 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0384-20.2021] [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: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental cues attain the ability to guide behavior via learned associations. As predictors, cues can elicit adaptive behavior and lead to valuable resources (e.g., food). For some individuals, however, cues are transformed into incentive stimuli and elicit motivational states that can be maladaptive. The goal-tracker (GT)/sign-tracker (ST) animal model captures individual differences in cue-motivated behaviors, with reward-associated cues serving as predictors of reward for both phenotypes but becoming incentive stimuli to a greater degree for STs. While these distinct phenotypes are characterized based on Pavlovian conditioned approach (PavCA) behavior, they exhibit differences on a number of behaviors relevant to psychopathology. To further characterize the neurobehavioral endophenotype associated with individual differences in cue-reward learning, neuroendocrine and behavioral profiles associated with stress and anxiety were investigated in male GT, ST, and intermediate responder (IR) rats. It was revealed that baseline corticosterone (CORT) increases with Pavlovian learning, but to the same degree, regardless of phenotype. No significant differences in behavior were observed between GTs and STs during an elevated plus maze (EPM) or open field test (OFT), nor were there differences in CORT response to the OFT or physiological restraint. Upon examination of central markers associated with stress reactivity, we found that STs have greater glucocorticoid receptor (GR) mRNA expression in the ventral hippocampus, with no phenotypic differences in the dorsal hippocampus or prelimbic cortex (PrL). These findings demonstrate that GTs and STs do not differ on stress-related and anxiety-related behaviors, and suggest that differences in neuroendocrine measures between these phenotypes can be attributed to distinct cue-reward learning styles.
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Chronic Stress Prevents Cortico-Accumbens Cue Encoding and Alters Conditioned Approach. J Neurosci 2021; 41:2428-2436. [PMID: 33622777 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1869-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic stress impairs the function of multiple brain regions and causes severe hedonic and motivational deficits. One brain region known to be susceptible to these effects is the PFC. Neurons in this region, specifically neuronal projections from the prelimbic region (PL) to the nucleus accumbens core (NAcC), have a significant role in promoting motivated approach. However, little is known about how activity in this pathway changes during associative learning to encode cues that promote approach. Less is known about how activity in this pathway may be altered by stress. In this study, an intersectional fiber photometry approach was used in male Sprague Dawley rats engaged in a Pavlovian autoshaping design to characterize the involvement of the PL-NAcC pathway in the typical acquisition of learned approach (directed at both the predictive cue and the goal), and its potential alteration by stress. Specifically, the hypothesis that neural activity in PL-NAcC would encode a Pavlovian approach cue and that prior exposure to chronic stress would disrupt both the nature of conditioned approach and the encoding of a cue that promotes approach was tested. Results of the study demonstrated that the rapid acquisition of conditioned approach was associated with cue-induced PL-NAcC activity. Prior stress both reduced cue-directed behavior and impaired the associated cortical activity. These findings demonstrate that prior stress diminishes the task-related activity of a brain pathway that regulates approach behavior. In addition, the results support the interpretation that stress disrupts reward processing by altering the incentive value of associated cues.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Chronic stress causes hedonic and motivational deficits and disrupts the function of the PFC. A specific projection from the prelimbic region of the PFC to the nucleus accumbens core (PL-NAcC) promotes approach behavior and is a strong candidate for contributing to stress-induced disruptions in motivation. However, it is not known how activity in this pathway encodes cues that promote approach, and how this encoding may be altered by stress. Here we show that the rapid acquisition of conditioned approach is associated with cue-induced activity in the PL-NAcC pathway. Prior stress both reduces cue-directed behavior and impairs the associated cortical activity. These findings demonstrate that stress diminishes task-related activity in a brain pathway that regulates approach behavior.
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Abstract
Learning to respond appropriately to one's surrounding environment is fundamental to survival. Importantly, however, individuals vary in how they respond to cues in the environment and this variation may be a key determinant of psychopathology. The ability of seemingly neutral cues to promote maladaptive behavior is a hallmark of several psychiatric disorders including, substance use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Thus, it is important to uncover the neural mechanisms by which such cues are able to attain inordinate control and promote psychopathological behavior. Here, we suggest that glucocorticoids play a critical role in this process. Glucocorticoids are primarily recognized as the main hormone secreted in response to stress but are known to exert their effects across the body and the brain, and to affect learning and memory, cognition and reward-related behaviors, among other things. Here we speculate that glucocorticoids act to facilitate a dopamine-dependent form of cue-reward learning that appears to be relevant to a number of psychiatric conditions. Specifically, we propose to utilize the sign-tracker/goal-tracker animal model as a means to capture individual variation in stimulus-reward learning and to isolate the role of glucocorticoid-dopamine interactions in mediating these individual differences. It is hoped that this framework will lead to the discovery of novel mechanisms that contribute to complex neuropsychiatric disorders and their comorbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia A. Lopez
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Shelly B. Flagel
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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28
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King CP, Tripi JA, Hughson AR, Horvath AP, Lamparelli AC, Holl KL, Chitre AS, Polesskaya O, Ishiwari K, Solberg Woods LC, Palmer AA, Robinson TE, Flagel SB, Meyer PJ. Sensitivity to food and cocaine cues are independent traits in a large sample of heterogeneous stock rats. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2223. [PMID: 33500444 PMCID: PMC7838206 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80798-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensitivity to cocaine and its associated stimuli ("cues") are important factors in the development and maintenance of addiction. Rodent studies suggest that this sensitivity is related, in part, to the propensity to attribute incentive salience to food cues, which, in turn, contributes to the maintenance of cocaine self-administration, and cue-induced relapse of drug-seeking. Whereas each of these traits has established links to drug use, the relatedness between the individual traits themselves has not been well characterized in preclinical models. To this end, the propensity to attribute incentive salience to a food cue was first assessed in two distinct cohorts of 2716 outbred heterogeneous stock rats (HS; formerly N:NIH). We then determined whether each cohort was associated with performance in one of two paradigms (cocaine conditioned cue preference and cocaine contextual conditioning). These measure the unconditioned locomotor effects of cocaine, as well as conditioned approach and the locomotor response to a cocaine-paired floor or context. There was large individual variability and sex differences among all traits, but they were largely independent of one another in both males and females. These findings suggest that these traits may contribute to drug-use via independent underlying neuropsychological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher P King
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, University At Buffalo, Park Hall B72, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Jordan A Tripi
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, University At Buffalo, Park Hall B72, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Alesa R Hughson
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Aidan P Horvath
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Alexander C Lamparelli
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, University At Buffalo, Park Hall B72, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Katie L Holl
- Department of Pediatrics, Human and Molecular Genetics Center and Children's Research Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA
| | - Apurva S Chitre
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
| | - Oksana Polesskaya
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
| | - Keita Ishiwari
- Clinical and Research Institute On Addictions, Buffalo, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University At Buffalo, Buffalo, USA
| | - Leah C Solberg Woods
- Department of Internal Medicine, Molecular Medicine, Center on Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, USA
| | - Abraham A Palmer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
| | - Terry E Robinson
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Shelly B Flagel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Paul J Meyer
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, University At Buffalo, Park Hall B72, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.
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The lateral hypothalamus and orexinergic transmission in the paraventricular thalamus promote the attribution of incentive salience to reward-associated cues. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:3741-3758. [PMID: 32852601 PMCID: PMC7960144 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05651-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Prior research suggests that the neural pathway from the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) to the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) mediates the attribution of incentive salience to Pavlovian reward cues. However, a causal role for the LHA and the neurotransmitters involved have not been demonstrated in this regard. OBJECTIVES To examine (1) the role of LHA in the acquisition of Pavlovian conditioned approach (PavCA) behaviors, and (2) the role of PVT orexin 1 receptors (OX1r) and orexin 2 receptors (OX2r) in the expression of PavCA behaviors and conditioned reinforcement. METHODS Rats received excitotoxic lesions of the LHA prior to Pavlovian training. A separate cohort of rats characterized as sign-trackers (STs) or goal-trackers (GTs) received the OX1r antagonist SB-334867, or the OX2r antagonist TCS-OX2-29, into the PVT, to assess their effects on the expression of PavCA behavior and on the conditioned reinforcing properties of a Pavlovian reward cue. RESULTS LHA lesions attenuated the development of sign-tracking behavior. Administration of either the OX1r or OX2r antagonist into the PVT reduced sign-tracking behavior in STs. Further, OX2r antagonism reduced the conditioned reinforcing properties of a Pavlovian reward cue in STs. CONCLUSIONS The LHA is necessary for the development of sign-tracking behavior; and blockade of orexin signaling in the PVT attenuates the expression of sign-tracking behavior and the conditioned reinforcing properties of a Pavlovian reward cue. Together, these data suggest that LHA orexin inputs to the PVT are a key component of the circuitry that encodes the incentive motivational value of reward cues.
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30
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Sangarapillai N, Ellenberger M, Wöhr M, Schwarting RKW. Ultrasonic vocalizations and individual differences in rats performing a Pavlovian conditioned approach task. Behav Brain Res 2020; 398:112926. [PMID: 33049281 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Rats emit distinct types of ultrasonic vocalizations (USV), including high-frequency 50-kHz USV, which occur in appetitive situations. Such 50-kHz USV are thought to reflect positive affective states, for example in case of reward anticipation, and are linked to dopamine signaling. The present study was conducted to investigate whether rats emit 50-kHz USV during a Pavlovian conditioned approach task and whether trait-like differences in 50-kHz USV emission are associated with sign- versus goal-tracking. We hypothesize that individuals engaging more with a cue predicting a food reward will also elicit more 50-kHz USV. In order to test this, we investigated 34 female rats and gauged USV while they underwent a Pavlovian conditioned approach training and extinction paradigm. For one, we found a high subject-dependent variability in the emission of 50-kHz calls. These were not largely affected by state differences, since these 50-kHz USV were observed throughout the task. During task progress and in most subjects, there was a rather complete shift toward goal-tracking, but subjects engaging more with the cue predicting a reward also emitted higher numbers of appetitive 50-kHz calls. This supports the hypothesis that sign-tracking is positively associated with the emission of 50-kHz USV. The high subject-dependent variability in the emission of 50-kHz calls warrants special attention in future appetitive studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nivethini Sangarapillai
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Gutenbergstr. 18, D-35037 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, D-35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Marek Ellenberger
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Gutenbergstr. 18, D-35037 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, D-35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Markus Wöhr
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Gutenbergstr. 18, D-35037 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, D-35032, Marburg, Germany; Laboratory for Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Rainer K W Schwarting
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Gutenbergstr. 18, D-35037 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, D-35032, Marburg, Germany.
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31
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Yuan R, Biswal BB, Zaborszky L. Functional Subdivisions of Magnocellular Cell Groups in Human Basal Forebrain: Test-Retest Resting-State Study at Ultra-high Field, and Meta-analysis. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:2844-2858. [PMID: 30137295 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2017] [Revised: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The heterogeneous neuronal subgroups of the basal forebrain corticopetal system (BFcs) have been shown to modulate cortical functions through their cholinergic, gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic, and glutamatergic projections to the entire cortex. Although previous studies suggested that the basalo-cortical projection system influences various cognitive functions, particularly via its cholinergic component, these studies only focused on certain parts of the BFcs or nearby structures, leaving aside a more systematic picture of the functional connectivity of BFcs subcompartments. Moreover, these studies lacked the high-spatial resolution and the probability maps needed to identify specific subcompartments. Recent advances in the ultra-high field 7T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provided potentially unprecedented spatial resolution of functional MRI images to study the subdivision of the BFcs. In this study, the BF space containing corticopetal cells was divided into 3 functionally distinct subdivisions based on functional connection to cortical regions derived from fMRI. The overall functional connection of each BFcs subdivision was examined with a test-retest study. Finally, a meta-analysis was used to study the related functional topics of each BF subdivision. Our results demonstrate distinct functional connectivity patterns of these subdivisions along the rostrocaudal axis of the BF. All three compartments have shown consistent segregation and overlap at specific target regions including the hippocampus, insula, thalamus, and the cingulate gyrus, suggesting functional integration and separation in BFcs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Yuan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Bharat B Biswal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA.,The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Laszlo Zaborszky
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, USA
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32
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Pichon S, Garibotto V, Wissmeyer M, Seimbille Y, Antico L, Ratib O, Vuilleumier P, Haller S, Picard F. Higher availability of α4β2 nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) in dorsal ACC is linked to more efficient interference control. Neuroimage 2020; 214:116729. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
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33
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From sign-tracking to attentional bias: Implications for gambling and substance use disorders. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2020; 99:109861. [PMID: 31931091 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.109861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Sign-tracking behavior in Pavlovian autoshaping is known to be a relevant index of the incentive salience attributed to reward-related cues. Evidence has accumulated to suggest that animals that exhibit a sign-tracker phenotype are especially vulnerable to addiction and relapse due to their proneness to attribute incentive salience to drug cues, and their relatively weak cognitive and attentional control over their behavior. Interestingly, sign-tracking is also influenced by reward uncertainty in a way that may promote gambling disorder. Research indicates that reward uncertainty sensitizes sign-tracking responses and favors the development of a sign-tracker phenotype, compatible with the conditioned attractiveness of lights and sounds in casinos for problem gamblers. The study of attentional biases in humans (an effect akin to sign-tracking in animals) leads to similar observations, notably that the propensity to develop attraction for conditioned stimuli (CSs) is predictive of addictive behavior. Here we review the literature on drug addiction and gambling disorder, highlighting the similarities between studies of sign-tracking and attentional biases.
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34
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Colaizzi JM, Flagel SB, Joyner MA, Gearhardt AN, Stewart JL, Paulus MP. Mapping sign-tracking and goal-tracking onto human behaviors. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 111:84-94. [PMID: 31972203 PMCID: PMC8087151 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
As evidenced through classic Pavlovian learning mechanisms, environmental cues can become incentivized and influence behavior. These stimulus-outcome associations are relevant in everyday life but may be particularly important for the development of impulse control disorders including addiction. Rodent studies have elucidated specific learning profiles termed 'sign-tracking' and 'goal-tracking' which map onto individual differences in impulsivity and other behaviors associated with impulse control disorders' etiology, course, and relapse. Whereas goal-trackers are biased toward the outcome, sign-trackers fixate on features that are associated with but not necessary for achieving an outcome; a pattern of behavior that often leads to escalation of reward-seeking that can be maladaptive. The vast majority of the sign- and goal-tracking research has been conducted using rodent models and very few have bridged this concept into the domain of human behavior. In this review, we discuss the attributes of sign- and goal-tracking profiles, how these are manifested neurobiologically, and how these distinct learning styles could be an important tool for clinical interventions in human addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janna M Colaizzi
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 S Yale Ave, Tulsa, OK, USA.
| | - Shelly B Flagel
- University of Michigan Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, 205 Zina Pitcher Pl, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Michelle A Joyner
- University of Michigan, Department of Psychology, 530 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Ashley N Gearhardt
- University of Michigan, Department of Psychology, 530 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | | | - Martin P Paulus
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 S Yale Ave, Tulsa, OK, USA
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35
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Azimi M, Oemisch M, Womelsdorf T. Dissociation of nicotinic α7 and α4/β2 sub-receptor agonists for enhancing learning and attentional filtering in nonhuman primates. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:997-1010. [PMID: 31865424 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-019-05430-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) modulate attention, memory, and higher executive functioning, but it is unclear how nACh sub-receptors mediate different mechanisms supporting these functions. OBJECTIVES We investigated whether selective agonists for the alpha-7 nAChR versus the alpha-4/beta-2 nAChR have unique functional contributions for value learning and attentional filtering of distractors in the nonhuman primate. METHODS Two adult rhesus macaque monkeys performed reversal learning following systemic administration of either the alpha-7 nAChR agonist PHA-543613 or the alpha-4/beta-2 nAChR agonist ABT-089 or a vehicle control. Behavioral analysis quantified performance accuracy, speed of processing, reversal learning speed, the control of distractor interference, perseveration tendencies, and motivation. RESULTS We found that the alpha-7 nAChR agonist PHA-543613 enhanced the learning speed of feature values but did not modulate how salient distracting information was filtered from ongoing choice processes. In contrast, the selective alpha-4/beta-2 nAChR agonist ABT-089 did not affect learning speed but reduced distractibility. This dissociation was dose-dependent and evident in the absence of systematic changes in overall performance, reward intake, motivation to perform the task, perseveration tendencies, or reaction times. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest nicotinic sub-receptor specific mechanisms consistent with (1) alpha-4/beta-2 nAChR specific amplification of cholinergic transients in prefrontal cortex linked to enhanced cue detection in light of interferences, and (2) alpha-7 nAChR specific activation prolonging cholinergic transients, which could facilitate subjects to follow-through with newly established attentional strategies when outcome contingencies change. These insights will be critical for developing function-specific drugs alleviating attention and learning deficits in neuro-psychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marzyeh Azimi
- Department of Biology, Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario, M6J 1P3, Canada
| | - Mariann Oemisch
- Department of Biology, Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario, M6J 1P3, Canada.,The Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Thilo Womelsdorf
- Department of Biology, Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario, M6J 1P3, Canada. .,Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, PMB 407817, 2301, Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN, 37240-7817, USA.
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36
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Phillips KB, Sarter M. Addiction vulnerability and the processing of significant cues: Sign-, but not goal-, tracker perceptual sensitivity relies on cue salience. Behav Neurosci 2020; 134:133-143. [PMID: 31916796 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The identification of broadly defined psychological traits that bestow vulnerability for the manifestation of addiction-like behaviors can guide the discovery of the neuronal mechanisms underlying the propensity for drug taking. Sign-tracking behavior in rats (STs) signifies the presence of a trait that predicts a relatively greater behavioral control of Pavlovian drug and reward cues than in rats that exhibit goal-tracking behavior (GTs). We previously demonstrated that relatively poor cholinergic-attentional control in STs is an essential component of the trait indexed by sign-tracking and that this trait aspect contributes to the relatively greater power of drug cues to control the behavior of STs. Here we addressed the possibility that STs and GTs employ fundamentally different psychological mechanisms for the detection of cues in attention-demanding contexts. Rats were trained to perform an operant Sustained Attention Task. As task training advanced to the stage that taxed attentional control, the relative brightness of visual target signals significantly influenced detection performance in STs but not GTs. This finding suggests that STs, but not GTs, rely on bottom-up, cue salience-driven mechanisms to detect cues. GTs may be able to resist behavioral control by Pavlovian drug cues by utilizing goal-directed decisional processes that minimize the influence of the salience of drug cues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Abstract
The central cholinergic system is one of the most important modulator neurotransmitter system implicated in diverse behavioral processes. Activation of the basal forebrain cortical cholinergic input system represents a critical step in cortical information processing. This chapter explores recent developments illustrating cortical cholinergic transmission mediate defined cognitive operations, which is contrary to the traditional view that acetylcholine acts as a slowly acting neuromodulator that influences arousal cortex-wide. Specifically, we review the evidence that phasic cholinergic signaling in the prefrontal cortex is a causal mediator of signal detection. In addition, studies that support the neuromodulatory role of cholinergic inputs in top-down attentional control are summarized. Finally, we review new findings that reveal sex differences and hormonal regulation of the cholinergic-attention system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinay Parikh
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Debra A Bangasser
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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38
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Sajedin A, Menhaj MB, Vahabie AH, Panzeri S, Esteky H. Cholinergic Modulation Promotes Attentional Modulation in Primary Visual Cortex- A Modeling Study. Sci Rep 2019; 9:20186. [PMID: 31882838 PMCID: PMC6934489 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56608-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Attention greatly influences sensory neural processing by enhancing firing rates of neurons that represent the attended stimuli and by modulating their tuning properties. The cholinergic system is believed to partly mediate the attention contingent improvement of cortical processing by influencing neuronal excitability, synaptic transmission and neural network characteristics. Here, we used a biophysically based model to investigate the mechanisms by which cholinergic system influences sensory information processing in the primary visual cortex (V1) layer 4C. The physiological properties and architectures of our model were inspired by experimental data and include feed-forward input from dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus that sets up orientation preference in V1 neural responses. When including a cholinergic drive, we found significant sharpening in orientation selectivity, desynchronization of LFP gamma power and spike-field coherence, decreased response variability and correlation reduction mostly by influencing intracortical interactions and by increasing inhibitory drive. Our results indicated that these effects emerged due to changes specific to the behavior of the inhibitory neurons. The behavior of our model closely resembles the effects of attention on neural activities in monkey V1. Our model suggests precise mechanisms through which cholinergic modulation may mediate the effects of attention in the visual cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atena Sajedin
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Hafez Ave., 15875-4413, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Bagher Menhaj
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Hafez Ave., 15875-4413, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Abdol-Hossein Vahabie
- School of Cognitive Sciences (SCS), Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), 19395-5746, Tehran, Iran
| | - Stefano Panzeri
- Neural Computation Laboratory, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems @UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 38068, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Hossein Esteky
- Research Group for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti Medical University, 19839-63113, Tehran, Iran.
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Rice BA, Saunders MA, Jagielo-Miller JE, Prendergast MA, Akins CK. Repeated subcutaneous administration of PT150 has dose-dependent effects on sign tracking in male Japanese quail. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 2019; 27:515-521. [PMID: 30896239 PMCID: PMC6776696 DOI: 10.1037/pha0000275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
A devastating feature of drug dependence is the susceptibility of relapse (40-60%) after stretches of abstinence. In both animal and human research, it has been demonstrated that cues (e.g., levers, paraphernalia) associated with drug reward can instigate renewed drug taking. Research has shown animals that attend to a cue that predicts reward more than the location of reward delivery when the cue is present (sign trackers) have an increase in corticosterone (CORT), a primary stress hormone when compared with animals that do not sign track. This interaction of sign tracking and CORT implicate CORT's effects as a possible pharmacological target for cue-induced relapse behaviors. PT150 is a novel glucocorticoid receptor antagonist that reduces the effects of CORT. Previous research has shown that oral administration of 40 mg/kg PT150 reduced sign tracking. To better understand dose-dependent effects and to control for more accurate doses, the current experiment hypothesized that PT150 (20/40/60 mg/kg) given by subcutaneous (SC) injection to male quail would reduce sign tracking to a keylight conditional stimulus that predicts a grain unconditioned stimulus dose dependently. Results showed that SC injection of 20 mg/kg PT150 reduced sign tracking, but 40 or 60 mg/kg did not. The main findings from the current study are that the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist PT150 reduces sign tracking behavior dose dependently, and SC administration may provide better bioavailability compared with our previous study that used an oral route of administration. The current findings support previous literature by suggesting that the glucocorticoid receptor may be a potential pharmacological target for reducing relapse-like behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth Ann Rice
- Department of Psychology, Slippery Rock University,Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Beth Ann Rice, Department of Psychology, Slippery Rock University at, OR
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40
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Ahrens AM, Ahmed OJ. Neural circuits linking sleep and addiction: Animal models to understand why select individuals are more vulnerable to substance use disorders after sleep deprivation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 108:435-444. [PMID: 31756346 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2019] [Revised: 10/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Individuals differ widely in their drug-craving behaviors. One reason for these differences involves sleep. Sleep disturbances lead to an increased risk of substance use disorders and relapse in only some individuals. While animal studies have examined the impact of sleep on reward circuitry, few have addressed the role of individual differences in the effects of altered sleep. There does, however, exist a rodent model of individual differences in reward-seeking behavior: the sign/goal-tracker model of Pavlovian conditioned approach. In this model, only some rats show the key behavioral traits associated with addiction, including impulsivity and poor attentional control, making this an ideal model system to examine individually distinct sleep-reward interactions. Here, we describe how the limbic neural circuits responsible for individual differences in incentive motivation overlap with those involved in sleep-wake regulation, and how this model can elucidate the common underlying mechanisms. Consideration of individual differences in preclinical models would improve our understanding of how sleep interacts with motivational systems, and why sleep deprivation contributes to addiction in only select individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Omar J Ahmed
- Dept. of Psychology, United States; Neuroscience Graduate Program, United States; Michigan Center for Integrative Research in Critical Care, United States; Kresge Hearing Research Institute, United States; Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, United States.
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41
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Campus P, Covelo IR, Kim Y, Parsegian A, Kuhn BN, Lopez SA, Neumaier JF, Ferguson SM, Solberg Woods LC, Sarter M, Flagel SB. The paraventricular thalamus is a critical mediator of top-down control of cue-motivated behavior in rats. eLife 2019; 8:e49041. [PMID: 31502538 PMCID: PMC6739869 DOI: 10.7554/elife.49041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cues in the environment can elicit complex emotional states, and thereby maladaptive behavior, as a function of their ascribed value. Here we capture individual variation in the propensity to attribute motivational value to reward-cues using the sign-tracker/goal-tracker animal model. Goal-trackers attribute predictive value to reward-cues, and sign-trackers attribute both predictive and incentive value. Using chemogenetics and microdialysis, we show that, in sign-trackers, stimulation of the neuronal pathway from the prelimbic cortex (PrL) to the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) decreases the incentive value of a reward-cue. In contrast, in goal-trackers, inhibition of the PrL-PVT pathway increases both the incentive value and dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens shell. The PrL-PVT pathway, therefore, exerts top-down control over the dopamine-dependent process of incentive salience attribution. These results highlight PrL-PVT pathway as a potential target for treating psychopathologies associated with the attribution of excessive incentive value to reward-cues, including addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Campus
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Ignacio R Covelo
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Youngsoo Kim
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Aram Parsegian
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Brittany N Kuhn
- Neuroscience Graduate ProgramUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Sofia A Lopez
- Neuroscience Graduate ProgramUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - John F Neumaier
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleUnited States
| | - Susan M Ferguson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleUnited States
| | - Leah C Solberg Woods
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Molecular MedicineWake Forest School of MedicineWinston-SalemUnited States
| | - Martin Sarter
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate ProgramUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Shelly B Flagel
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
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Stringfield SJ, Madayag AC, Boettiger CA, Robinson DL. Sex differences in nicotine-enhanced Pavlovian conditioned approach in rats. Biol Sex Differ 2019; 10:37. [PMID: 31315660 PMCID: PMC6637589 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-019-0244-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Nicotine exposure enhances Pavlovian conditioned approach (PCA), or the learned approach to reward-predictive cues. While females show elevated approach to conditioned stimuli compared to males, potentially indicating heightened addiction vulnerability, it is unknown how sex may interact with nicotine to influence approach behavior. Additionally, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels can be altered significantly after repeated nicotine exposure, suggesting a potential mechanism contributing to nicotine-induced behavioral phenotypes. The present study investigated the role of sex on nicotine-induced changes to stimulus-response behavior and associated BDNF protein levels. Methods Male and female rats were exposed to nicotine (0.4 mg/kg, subcutaneously) or saline 15 min prior to each PCA session. PCA training consisted of 29 sessions of 15 trials, in which a 30-s cue presentation ended concurrently with a sucrose reward (20% w/v in water, 100 μL), and a 120-s variable intertrial interval occurred between trials. Approach behavior to the cue and reward receptacle was recorded. Preference toward the reward receptacle indicated a goal-tracking phenotype, and preference toward the cue indicated a sign-tracking phenotype, demonstrating that the cue had gained incentive salience. Twenty-four hours after the last PCA session, brain tissue was collected and BDNF levels were measured in the basolateral amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens using Western blot analysis. Results Nicotine exposure enhanced both sign- and goal-tracking conditioned approach, and females showed elevated sign-tracking compared to males. There were no sex-by-drug interactions on conditioned approach. Day-to-day variability in conditioned approach was similar between sexes. In contrast to prior studies, neither repeated exposure to nicotine nor sex significantly affected BDNF expression. Conclusions Drug-naïve females exhibited heightened sign-tracking compared to males, and nicotine enhanced conditioned approach similarly in males and females. Further, non-significant changes to BDNF expression in brain regions highly associated with PCA indicate that BDNF is unlikely to drive nicotine-enhanced conditioned behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sierra J Stringfield
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, CB #7178, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7178, USA.,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Aric C Madayag
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, CB #7178, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7178, USA
| | - Charlotte A Boettiger
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, CB #7178, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7178, USA.,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Donita L Robinson
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, CB #7178, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7178, USA. .,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. .,Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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Enkel T, Bartsch D, Bähner F. Sign- and goal-tracking rats show differences in various executive functions: Authors. Behav Brain Res 2019; 371:111979. [PMID: 31141726 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.111979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Sign tracking (ST) is a complex Pavlovian trait that is known to impact instrumental behaviour. Recent work suggests that this trait also correlates with altered top-down executive control relative to goal tracking (GT) rats. This raises the question as to the extent to which both phenotypes differ in executive functions. Moreover, it is unclear which cognitive processes might cause potential differences between ST and GT rats. We therefore compared the behaviour of ST and GT rats in several assays, such as outcome devaluation, attentional set shifting and reversal learning, conditional responding, as well as delayed alternation to measure different aspects of executive functioning. Goal-directed behaviour per se was not different between ST and GT rats in the outcome devaluation task. ST rats performed slightly better than GT rats in one condition of the set shifting task (place->cue shift) and the delayed alternation task, but did not perform as well in the conditional responding task. Thus, differential behavioural performance between ST and GT rats was dependent on the specific task context. Further, we found evidence that the differences in executive functions are likely related to increased incentive salience attribution and impulsive action in ST rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Enkel
- Department of Molecular Biology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Dusan Bartsch
- Department of Molecular Biology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Florian Bähner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; Department of Theoretical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
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Abstract
Our target article proposes that a new concept - incentive hope - is necessary in the behavioral sciences to explain animal foraging under harsh environmental conditions. Incentive hope refers to a specific motivational mechanism in the brain - considered only in mammals and birds. But it can also be understood at a functional level, as an adaptive behavioral strategy that contributes to improve survival. Thus, this concept is an attempt to bridge across different research fields such as behavioral psychology, reward neuroscience, and behavioral ecology. Many commentaries suggest that incentive hope even could help understand phenomena beyond these research fields, including food wasting and food sharing, mental energy conservation, diverse psychopathologies, irrational decisions in invertebrates, and some aspects of evolution by means of sexual selection. We are favorable to such extensions because incentive hope denotes an unconscious process capable of working against many forms of adversity; organisms do not need to hope as a subjective feeling, but to behave as if they had this feeling. In our response, we carefully discuss each suggestion and criticism and reiterate the importance of having a theory accounting for motivation under reward uncertainty.
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Koshy Cherian A, Tronson NC, Parikh V, Kucinski A, Blakely RD, Sarter M. Repetitive mild concussion in subjects with a vulnerable cholinergic system: Lasting cholinergic-attentional impairments in CHT+/- mice. Behav Neurosci 2019; 133:448-459. [PMID: 30896190 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Previous research emphasized the impact of traumatic brain injury on cholinergic systems and associated cognitive functions. Here we addressed the converse question: Because of the available evidence indicating cognitive and neuronal vulnerabilities in humans expressing low-capacity cholinergic systems or with declining cholinergic systems, do injuries cause more severe cognitive decline in such subjects, and what cholinergic mechanisms contribute to such vulnerability? Using mice heterozygous for the choline transporter (CHT+/- mice) as a model for a limited cholinergic capacity, we investigated the cognitive and neuronal consequences of repeated, mild concussion injuries (rmCc). After five rmCc, and compared with wild type (WT) mice, CHT+/- mice exhibited severe and lasting impairments in sustained attention performance, consistent with effects of cholinergic losses on attention. However, rmCc did not affect the integrity of neuronal cell bodies and did not alter the density of cortical synapses. As a cellular mechanism potentially responsible for the attentional impairment in CHT+/- mice, we found that rmCc nearly completely attenuated performance-associated, CHT-mediated choline transport. These results predict that subjects with an already vulnerable cholinergic system will experience severe and lasting cognitive-cholinergic effects after even relatively mild injuries. If confirmed in humans, such subjects may be excluded from, or receive special protection against, activities involving injury risk. Moreover, the treatment and long-term outcome of traumatic brain injuries may benefit from determining the status of cholinergic systems and associated cognitive functions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Vinay Parikh
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program
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46
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Kucinski A, Kim Y, Sarter M. Basal forebrain chemogenetic inhibition disrupts the superior complex movement control of goal-tracking rats. Behav Neurosci 2019; 133:121-134. [PMID: 30688488 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Sign- and goal-tracking behavior signifies the influence of opposed cognitive-motivational styles, with the former being characterized by a tendency for approaching and contacting reward cues, including a readiness for attending, bottom-up, to salient cues, and a relatively greater vulnerability for developing and maintaining addiction-like behaviors. We previously demonstrated that these styles also impact the cognitive-motor interactions that are taxed during traversal of dynamic surfaces, with goal-trackers (GTs) making less movement errors and falling less frequently than sign-trackers (STs). The present experiment tested the hypothesis that complex movement control in GTs, but not STs, depends on activation of the basal forebrain projection system to telencephalic regions. Chemogenetic inhibition of the basal forebrain increased movement errors and falls in GTs during traversal of a rotating zigzag rod but had no significant effect on the relatively lower performance of STs. Neurochemical evidence confirmed the efficacy of the inhibitory designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drug (DREADD). Administration of clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) had no significant effect in GTs not expressing the DREADD. These results indicate that GTs, but not STs, activate the basal forebrain projection system to mediate their relatively superior ability for complex movement control. STs may also serve as an animal model in research on the role of basal forebrain systems in aging- and Parkinson's disease-associated falls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Youngsoo Kim
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program
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47
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Hughson AR, Horvath AP, Holl K, Palmer AA, Solberg Woods LC, Robinson TE, Flagel SB. Incentive salience attribution, "sensation-seeking" and "novelty-seeking" are independent traits in a large sample of male and female heterogeneous stock rats. Sci Rep 2019; 9:2351. [PMID: 30787409 PMCID: PMC6382850 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39519-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
There are a number of traits that are thought to increase susceptibility to addiction, and some of these are modeled in preclinical studies. For example, "sensation-seeking" is predictive of the initial propensity to take drugs; whereas "novelty-seeking" predicts compulsive drug-seeking behavior. In addition, the propensity to attribute incentive salience to reward cues can predict the propensity to approach drug cues, and reinstatement or relapse, even after relatively brief periods of drug exposure. The question addressed here is the extent to which these three 'vulnerability factors' are related; that is, predictive of one another. Some relationships have been reported in small samples, but here a large sample of 1,598 outbred male and female heterogeneous stock rats were screened for Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior (to obtain an index of incentive salience attribution; 'sign-tracking'), and subsequently tested for sensation-seeking and novelty-seeking. Despite the large N there were no significant correlations between these traits, in either males or females. There were, however, novel relationships between multiple measures of incentive salience attribution and, based on these findings, we generated a new metric that captures "incentive value". Furthermore, there were sex differences on measures of incentive salience attribution and sensation-seeking behavior that were not previously apparent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alesa R Hughson
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Aidan P Horvath
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Katie Holl
- Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA
| | - Abraham A Palmer
- Department of Psychiatry and Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA
| | - Leah C Solberg Woods
- Department of Internal Medicine, Molecular Medicine, Center on Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, USA
| | - Terry E Robinson
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Shelly B Flagel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
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Sarter M, Lustig C. Cholinergic double duty: cue detection and attentional control. Curr Opin Psychol 2019; 29:102-107. [PMID: 30711909 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.12.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/31/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Cholinergic signaling in the cortex involves fast or transient signaling as well as a relatively slower neuromodulatory component. These two components of cholinergic activity mediate separate yet interacting aspects of cue detection and attentional control. The transient component appears to support the activation of cue-associated task or response sets, whereas the slower modulatory component stabilizes task-set and context representations, therefore potentially facilitating top-down control. Evidence from humans expressing genetic variants of the choline transporter as well as from patients with degenerating cholinergic systems supports the hypothesis that attentional control capacities depend on levels of cholinergic neuromodulation. Deficits in cholinergic-attentional control impact diverse cognitive functions, including timing, working memory, and complex movement control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Sarter
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States.
| | - Cindy Lustig
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
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Kucinski A, Lustig C, Sarter M. Addiction vulnerability trait impacts complex movement control: Evidence from sign-trackers. Behav Brain Res 2018; 350:139-148. [PMID: 29705686 PMCID: PMC6506847 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.04.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Revised: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive-motivational vulnerability traits are associated with increased risk for substance addiction and relapse. Sign-tracking (ST) behavior in rats is associated with poor attentional control, mediated by an unresponsive basal forebrain cholinergic system, and an increased risk for substance addiction/relapse. A separate literature links poor attentional control and cholinergic losses to increased fall risk in Parkinson's disease. Here we tested the hypothesis that the relatively inferior attentional control of STs extends to complex movement control and a propensity for falls. STs were found to fall more often than goal-trackers (GTs) while traversing a straight rotating rod and, similar to human fallers, when taxed by a secondary task. Furthermore, STs fell more often while traversing a rotating zig-zag rod. GTs exhibited fewer falls from this rod by avoiding entry to the rotating zig-zag sections when in, or rotating toward, a difficult traversal state. Goal-tracking rats approached risky movement situations using strategies indicative of superior top-down control. These results suggest that the impact of opponent cognitive-cholinergic traits extends to complex movement control, and that impairments in the cognitive-motor interface are likely to be comorbid with addiction vulnerability. Sign-tracking indexes an endophenotype that may increase the risk for a wide range of neurobehavioral disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Kucinski
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Cindy Lustig
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Martin Sarter
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
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50
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Pitchers KK, Sarter M, Robinson TE. The hot 'n' cold of cue-induced drug relapse. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 25:474-480. [PMID: 30115769 PMCID: PMC6097766 DOI: 10.1101/lm.046995.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Environmental cues associated with rewards can acquire motivational properties. However, there is considerable variation in the extent to which a reward cue gains motivational control over behavior, depending on the individual and the form of the cue. When a discrete cue is paired with food reward, it acquires greater control over motivated behavior in some rats (sign-trackers, STs) than others (goal-trackers, GTs) as indicated by the propensity to approach the cue, the willingness to work to obtain it, and its ability to reinstate reward-seeking behavior. Here, we review studies that employ this ST/GT animal model to investigate characteristics of individuals that are especially susceptible to reward cue-elicited behavior and the involvement of dopamine and acetylcholine neuromodulator systems in the susceptibility to cue-induced drug relapse. First, we discuss individual differences in the attribution of incentive salience to different forms of reward cues and the involvement of the mesolimbic dopamine system. We then discuss individual differences in cognitive/attentional control and the contributions of the cholinergic system in processing reward cues. It is suggested that in STs a propensity to attribute motivational properties to a drug cue is combined with poor attentional control in the face of these cues, making them particularly vulnerable to transition from casual/experimental patterns of drug use to addiction and to cue-induced relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle K Pitchers
- Department of Psychology (Biopsychology) and Neuroscience Program, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Martin Sarter
- Department of Psychology (Biopsychology) and Neuroscience Program, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Terry E Robinson
- Department of Psychology (Biopsychology) and Neuroscience Program, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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