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Luo Q, Kanen JW, Bari A, Skandali N, Langley C, Knudsen GM, Alsiö J, Phillips BU, Sahakian BJ, Cardinal RN, Robbins TW. Comparable roles for serotonin in rats and humans for computations underlying flexible decision-making. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:600-608. [PMID: 37914893 PMCID: PMC10789782 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01762-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Serotonin is critical for adapting behavior flexibly to meet changing environmental demands. Cognitive flexibility is important for successful attainment of goals, as well as for social interactions, and is frequently impaired in neuropsychiatric disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, a unifying mechanistic framework accounting for the role of serotonin in behavioral flexibility has remained elusive. Here, we demonstrate common effects of manipulating serotonin function across two species (rats and humans) on latent processes supporting choice behavior during probabilistic reversal learning, using computational modelling. The findings support a role of serotonin in behavioral flexibility and plasticity, indicated, respectively, by increases or decreases in choice repetition ('stickiness') or reinforcement learning rates following manipulations intended to increase or decrease serotonin function. More specifically, the rate at which expected value increased following reward and decreased following punishment (reward and punishment 'learning rates') was greatest after sub-chronic administration of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) citalopram (5 mg/kg for 7 days followed by 10 mg/kg twice a day for 5 days) in rats. Conversely, humans given a single dose of an SSRI (20 mg escitalopram), which can decrease post-synaptic serotonin signalling, and rats that received the neurotoxin 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT), which destroys forebrain serotonergic neurons, exhibited decreased reward learning rates. A basic perseverative tendency ('stickiness'), or choice repetition irrespective of the outcome produced, was likewise increased in rats after the 12-day SSRI regimen and decreased after single dose SSRI in humans and 5,7-DHT in rats. These common effects of serotonergic manipulations on rats and humans-identified via computational modelling-suggest an evolutionarily conserved role for serotonin in plasticity and behavioral flexibility and have clinical relevance transdiagnostically for neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Luo
- National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science and Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, P. R. China.
- Center for Computational Psychiatry, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
| | - Jonathan W Kanen
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | | | - Nikolina Skandali
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, CB21 5EF, UK
- NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Christelle Langley
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Gitte Moos Knudsen
- Neurobiology Research Unit, the Neuroscience Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Johan Alsiö
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Benjamin U Phillips
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Barbara J Sahakian
- National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science and Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, P. R. China
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Rudolf N Cardinal
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, CB21 5EF, UK
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine at Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science and Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, P. R. China.
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
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Panayi MC, Shetty S, Porod M, Bahena L, Xi ZX, Newman AH, Schoenbaum G. The selective D3-Receptor antagonist VK4-116 effectively treats behavioral inflexibility in rats caused by self-administration and withdrawal from cocaine. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.03.556083. [PMID: 37732238 PMCID: PMC10508727 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.03.556083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Chronic psychostimulant use can cause long lasting changes to neural and cognitive function that persist even after long periods of abstinence. As cocaine users transition from drug use to abstinence, a parallel transition from hyperactivity to hypoactivity has been found in orbitofrontal-striatal glucose metabolism, and striatal D2/D3 receptor activity. Targeting these changes pharmacologically, using highly selective dopamine D3 receptor (D3R) antagonists and partial agonists, has shown significant promise in reducing drug-taking, and attenuating relapse in animal models of cocaine and opioid use disorder. However, much less attention has been focused on treating inflexible and potentially maladaptive non-drug behaviors following chronic psychostimulant use. Here we tested the selective D3R antagonist VK4-116 as a treatment for the long-term behavioral inflexibility in abstinent male and female rats with a prior history of chronic cocaine use. Rats were first trained to self-administer cocaine (0.75 mg/kg/reinforcer) or a sucrose liquid (10%, .04 mL/reinforcer) for 2 weeks (FR1 schedule, max 60 reinforcers in 3 hrs/ day), followed by 4 weeks of abstinence. Cognitive and behavioral flexibilities were then assessed using a sensory preconditioning (SPC) learning paradigm. Rats were given an VK4-116 (15 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle 30 mins prior to each SPC training session, thus creating four drug-treatment groups: sucrose-vehicle, sucrose-VK4-116, cocaine-vehicle, cocaine-VK4-116. The control groups (sucrose-vehicle, sucrose-VK4-116) demonstrated significant evidence of flexible SPC behavior, whereas cocaine use (cocaine-vehicle) disrupted SPC behavior. Remarkably, the D3R antagonist VK4-116 mitigated this cocaine deficit in the cocaine-VK4-116 group, demonstrating flexible SPC to levels comparable to the control groups. These preclinical findings demonstrate that highly selective dopamine D3R antagonists, particularly VK4-116, show significant promise as a pharmacological treatment for the long-term negative behavioral consequences of cocaine use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marios C Panayi
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Shohan Shetty
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Micaela Porod
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Lisette Bahena
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Zheng-Xiong Xi
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Amy Hauck Newman
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Geoffrey Schoenbaum
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224, 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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Brockett AT, Tennyson SS, deBettencourt CA, Kallmyer M, Roesch MR. Medial prefrontal cortex lesions disrupt prepotent action selection signals in dorsomedial striatum. Curr Biol 2022; 32:3276-3287.e3. [PMID: 35803273 PMCID: PMC9378551 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The ability to inhibit or adapt unwanted actions or movements is a critical feature of almost all forms of behavior. Many have attributed this ability to frontal brain areas such as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), but the exact contribution of each brain region is often debated because their functions are not examined in animals performing the same task. Recently, we have shown that ACC signals a need for cognitive control and is crucial for the adaptation of action selection signals in dorsomedial striatum (DMS) in rats performing a stop-change task. Here, we show that unlike ACC, the prelimbic region of mPFC does not disrupt the inhibition or adaption of an action plan at either the level of behavior or downstream firing in DMS. Instead, lesions to mPFC correlate with changes in DMS signals involved in action initiation and disrupt performance on GO trials while improving performance on STOP trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam T Brockett
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
| | - Stephen S Tennyson
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Coreylyn A deBettencourt
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Madeline Kallmyer
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Matthew R Roesch
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
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Xiang J, Chen Y, Roussy M. Behavioral Inflexibility from a Neuronal Population Perspective. J Neurosci 2021; 41:5350-5352. [PMID: 34162748 PMCID: PMC8221595 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0559-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 04/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jinkang Xiang
- Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 5C2, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 5C1, Canada
- Department of Applied Mathematics, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada
- Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Yilin Chen
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China
| | - Megan Roussy
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 5C1, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario N6C 0A7, Canada
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada
- Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada
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