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Kosel F, Hartley MR, Franklin TB. Aberrant Cortical Activity in 5xFAD Mice in Response to Social and Non-Social Olfactory Stimuli. J Alzheimers Dis 2024; 97:659-677. [PMID: 38143360 DOI: 10.3233/jad-230858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroimaging studies investigating the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD)- such as apathy, anxiety, and depression- have linked some of these symptoms with altered neural activity. However, inconsistencies in operational definitions and rating scales, limited scope of assessments, and poor temporal resolution of imaging techniques have hampered human studies. Many transgenic (Tg) mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) exhibit BPSD-like behaviors concomitant with AD-related neuropathology, allowing examination of how neural activity may relate to BPSD-like behaviors with high temporal and spatial resolution. OBJECTIVE To examine task-dependent neural activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of AD-model mice in response to social and non-social olfactory stimuli. METHODS We previously demonstrated age-related decreases in social investigation in Tg 5xFAD females, and this reduced social investigation is evident in Tg 5xFAD females and males by 6 months of age. In the present study, we examine local field potential (LFP) in the mPFC of awake, behaving 5xFAD females and males at 6 months of age during exposure to social and non-social odor stimuli in a novel olfactometer. RESULTS Our results indicate that Tg 5xFAD mice exhibit aberrant baseline and task-dependent LFP activity in the mPFC- including higher relative delta (1-4 Hz) band power and lower relative power in higher bands, and overall stronger phase-amplitude coupling- compared to wild-type controls. CONCLUSIONS These results are consistent with previous human and animal studies examining emotional processing, anxiety, fear behaviors, and stress responses, and suggest that Tg 5xFAD mice may exhibit altered arousal or anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip Kosel
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Mackenzie Rae Hartley
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Tamara Brook Franklin
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
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Hernández-Ortiz E, Luis-Islas J, Tecuapetla F, Gutierrez R, Bermúdez-Rattoni F. Top-down circuitry from the anterior insular cortex to VTA dopamine neurons modulates reward-related memory. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113365. [PMID: 37924513 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The insular cortex (IC) has been linked to the processing of interoceptive and exteroceptive signals associated with addictive behavior. However, whether the IC modulates the acquisition of drug-related affective states by direct top-down connectivity with ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons is unknown. We found that photostimulation of VTA terminals of the anterior insular cortex (aIC) induces rewarding contextual memory, modulates VTA activity, and triggers dopamine release within the VTA. Employing neuronal recordings and neurochemical and transsynaptic tagging techniques, we disclose the functional top-down organization tagging the aIC pre-synaptic neuronal bodies and identifying VTA recipient neurons. Furthermore, systemic administration of amphetamine altered the VTA excitability of neurons modulated by the aIC projection, where photoactivation enhances, whereas photoinhibition impairs, a contextual rewarding behavior. Our study reveals a key circuit involved in developing and retaining drug reward-related contextual memory, providing insight into the neurobiological basis of addictive behavior and helping develop therapeutic addiction strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Hernández-Ortiz
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, División de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City 04510, México
| | - Jorge Luis-Islas
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Appetitive, Department of Pharmacology, Center of Aging Research (CIE), Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Fatuel Tecuapetla
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, División de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City 04510, México
| | - Ranier Gutierrez
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Appetitive, Department of Pharmacology, Center of Aging Research (CIE), Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Federico Bermúdez-Rattoni
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, División de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City 04510, México.
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Dos Santos MB, de Oliveira Guarnieri L, Lunardi P, Schenatto Pereira G. On the effect of social cue valence in contextual memory persistence. Behav Brain Res 2023; 447:114398. [PMID: 36966939 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Social cues are valuable sensorial stimuli to the acquisition and retrieval of contextual memories. Here, we asked whether the valence of social cues would impact the formation of contextual memories. Adult male C57/BL6 mice were exposed to either conditioned place preference (CPP) or avoidance (CPA). As positive stimuli we used social interaction with a female (IF), while interaction with a male CD1 mice (IM) was used as negative stimulus. Contextual memory was tested 24 h and 7 days after conditioning. Aggressive behavior of CD1, as well as interaction with the female were quantified along the conditioning sessions. IM, but not IF, was salient enough to induce contextual memory estimated by the difference between the time in the conditioned context during test and habituation. Next, we chose two odors with innate behavioral responses and opposite valence to narrow down the sociability to one of its sensorial sources of information - the olfaction. We used urine from females in proestrus (U) and 2,4,5-trimethyl thiazoline (TMT), a predator odor. TMT decreased and U increased the time in the conditioned context during the test performed 24 h and 7 days after conditioning. Taken together, our results suggest that contextual memories conditioned to social encounters are difficult to stablish in mice, specially the one with positive valence. On the other hand, using odors with ecological relevance is a promising strategy to study long-term contextual memories with opposite valences. Ultimately, the behavioral protocol proposed here offers the advantage of studying contextual memories with opposite valences using unconditioned stimulus from the same sensorial category such as olfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matheus Barbosa Dos Santos
- Núcleo de Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Leonardo de Oliveira Guarnieri
- Núcleo de Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; Centro de Tecnologia e Pesquisa em Magneto Ressonância, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Elétrica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Paula Lunardi
- Núcleo de Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Grace Schenatto Pereira
- Núcleo de Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
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Przybysz KR, Spodnick MB, Johnson JM, Varlinskaya EI, Diaz MR. Moderate prenatal alcohol exposure produces sex-specific social impairments and attenuates prelimbic excitability and amygdala-cortex modulation of adult social behaviour. Addict Biol 2023; 28:e13252. [PMID: 36577734 PMCID: PMC10509785 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13252] [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: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Lifelong social impairments are common in individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), and preclinical studies have identified gestational day (G)12 as a vulnerable timepoint for producing social deficits following binge-level PAE. While moderate (m)PAE also produces social impairments, the long-term neuroadaptations underlying them are poorly understood. Activity of the projection from the basolateral amygdala to the prelimbic cortex (BLA → PL) leads to social avoidance, and the PL is implicated in negative social behaviours, making each of these potential candidates for the neuroadaptations underlying mPAE-induced social impairments. To examine this, we first established that G12 mPAE produced sex-specific social impairments lasting into adulthood in Sprague-Dawley rats. We then chemogenetically inhibited the BLA → PL using clozapine N-oxide (CNO) during adult social testing. This revealed that CNO reduced social investigation in control males but had no effect on mPAE males or females of either exposure, indicating that mPAE attenuated the role of this projection in regulating male social behaviour and highlighting one potential mechanism by which mPAE affects male social behaviour more severely. Using whole-cell electrophysiology, we also examined mPAE-induced changes to PL pyramidal cell physiology and determined that mPAE reduced cell excitability, likely due to increased suppression by inhibitory interneurons. Overall, this work identified two mPAE-induced neuroadaptations that last into adulthood and that may underlie the sex-specific vulnerability to mPAE-induced social impairments. Future research is necessary to expand upon how these circuits modulate both normal and pathological social behaviours and to identify sex-specific mechanisms, leading to differential vulnerability in males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn R. Przybysz
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA
| | - Mary B. Spodnick
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA
| | - Julia M. Johnson
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA
| | - Elena I. Varlinskaya
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA
| | - Marvin R. Diaz
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA
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Saragosa-Harris NM, Cohen AO, Reneau TR, Villano WJ, Heller AS, Hartley CA. Real-World Exploration Increases Across Adolescence and Relates to Affect, Risk Taking, and Social Connectivity. Psychol Sci 2022; 33:1664-1679. [DOI: 10.1177/09567976221102070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cross-species research suggests that exploratory behaviors increase during adolescence and relate to the social, affective, and risky behaviors characteristic of this developmental stage. However, how these typical adolescent behaviors manifest and relate in real-world settings remains unclear. Using geolocation tracking to quantify exploration—variability in daily movement patterns—over a 3-month period in 58 adolescents and adults (ages 13–27) in New York City, we investigated whether daily exploration varied with age and whether exploration related to social connectivity, risk taking, and momentary positive affect. In our cross-sectional sample, we found an association between daily exploration and age, with individuals near the transition to legal adulthood exhibiting the highest exploration levels. Days of higher exploration were associated with greater positive affect irrespective of age. Higher mean exploration was associated with greater social connectivity in all participants but was linked to higher risk taking selectively among adolescents. Our results highlight the interplay of exploration and socioemotional behaviors across development and suggest that societal norms may modulate their expression in naturalistic contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Catherine A. Hartley
- Department of Psychology, New York University
- Center for Neural Science, New York University
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Amaral IM, Hofer A, El Rawas R. Implication of Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase in the Expression of Natural Reward: Evidence Not Found. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:856675. [PMID: 35368299 PMCID: PMC8973696 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.856675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Many studies have implicated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in drug-rewarding properties. Yet, only few investigated whether ERK also mediates the naturally rewarding stimuli. In this study, we compared ERK activation in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) after cocaine reward and after positive social interaction (SI) with a partner-reward in male rats. With our protocol, ERK phosphorylation in the NAc was not increased after cocaine reward. In addition, the interaction with a social partner did not alter ERK activation in the NAc. These results suggest that ERK in the NAc may not be involved in natural reward learning. SI in an alternative context to the one associated with drugs of abuse can abolish drug preference. Given that intra-NAc core ERK inhibition impaired the expression of cocaine preference, we wanted to investigate whether the protective effects of SI when an individual is allowed to interact with a social partner in an alternative context to the one associated with drugs during the learning phase are enhanced by ERK inhibition. For that, U0126 was bilaterally infused into the NAc core of rats conditioned with cocaine in one context and with SI in the opposite context before assessing the expression of reward-related learning. Intra-NAc core ERK inhibition was ineffective to impair the expression of drug reward as previously demonstrated, when a social partner was available in an alternative context. Thus, the effects of the pharmacological manipulations based on decreasing ERK activity are not cumulative to other treatments for drug addiction based on SI.
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Amaral IM, Scheffauer L, Langeder AB, Hofer A, El Rawas R. Rewarding Social Interaction in Rats Increases CaMKII in the Nucleus Accumbens. Biomedicines 2021; 9:1886. [PMID: 34944702 PMCID: PMC8698734 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9121886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is known to be involved in the sensitized locomotor responses and drug-seeking behavior to psychostimulants. However, little is known about the contribution of CaMKII signaling in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in natural rewards such as social interaction. The present experiments explored the implication of CaMKII signaling in drug versus natural reward. In the NAc of rats expressing cocaine or social interaction conditioned place preference (CPP), αCaMKII activation was induced in those expressing social interaction but not cocaine CPP. In order to investigate the role of NAc CaMKII in the expression of reward-related learning of drug versus non-drug stimuli, we inhibited CaMKII through an infusion of KN-93, a CaMKII inhibitor, directly into the NAc shell or core, before the CPP test in a concurrent paradigm in which social interaction was made available in the compartment alternative to the one associated with cocaine during conditioning. Whereas vehicle infusions led to equal preference to both stimuli, inhibition of CaMKII by a KN-93 infusion before the CPP test in the shell but not the core of the NAc shifted the rats' preference toward the cocaine-associated compartment. Altogether, these results suggest that social interaction reward engages CaMKII in the NAc.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Rana El Rawas
- Division of Psychiatry I, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, Medical University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (I.M.A.); (L.S.); (A.B.L.); (A.H.)
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8
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Amaral IM, Hofer A, El Rawas R. Is It Possible to Shift from Down to Top Rank? A Focus on the Mesolimbic Dopaminergic System and Cocaine Abuse. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9080877. [PMID: 34440081 PMCID: PMC8389638 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9080877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Impaired social behavior is a common feature of many psychiatric disorders, in particular with substance abuse disorders. Switching the preference of the substance-dependent individual toward social interaction activities remains one of the major challenges in drug dependence therapy. However, social interactions yield to the emergence of social ranking. In this review, we provide an overview of the studies that examined how social status can influence the dopaminergic mesolimbic system and how drug-seeking behavior is affected. Generally, social dominance is associated with an increase in dopamine D2/3 receptor binding in the striatum and a reduced behavioral response to drugs of abuse. However, it is not clear whether higher D2 receptor availability is a result of increased D2 receptor density and/or reduced dopamine release in the striatum. Here, we discuss the possibility of a potential shift from down to top rank via manipulation of the mesolimbic system. Identifying the neurobiology underlying a potential rank switch to a resilient phenotype is of particular interest in order to promote a positive coping behavior toward long-term abstinence from drugs of abuse and a protection against relapse to drugs. Such a shift may contribute to a more successful therapeutic approach to cocaine addiction.
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Ortiz DM, Custodio RJP, Abiero A, Botanas CJ, Sayson LV, Kim M, Lee HJ, Kim HJ, Jeong Y, Yoon S, Lee YS, Cheong JH. The dopaminergic alterations induced by 4-F-PCP and 4-Keto-PCP may enhance their drug-induced rewarding and reinforcing effects: Implications for abuse. Addict Biol 2021; 26:e12981. [PMID: 33135332 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Novel psychoactive substances remain the popular recreational drugs of use over the years. They continue to bypass government restrictions due to their synthesis and modifications. Recent additions to the lists are the 4-F-PCP and 4-Keto-PCP, analogs of the drug phencyclidine (PCP) known to induce adverse effects and abuse potential. However, studies on the abuse potential of 4-F-PCP and 4-Keto-PCP remain scarce. The rewarding and reinforcing effects of the drugs were assessed using conditioned place preference (CPP), self-administration, and locomotor sensitization tests. Dopamine (DA) receptor antagonists (SCH23390 and haloperidol) were administered during CPP to evaluate the involvement of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. DA-related protein expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) was measured. Additionally, phosphorylated cyclic-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein (AMP) response element-binding (p-CREB) protein, deltaFosB (∆FosB), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein levels in the NAcc were measured to assess the addiction neural plasticity effect of the drugs. Both 4-F-PCP and 4-Keto-PCP-induced CPP and self-administration; however, only 4-F-PCP elicited locomotor sensitization. Treatment with DA receptor antagonists (SH23390 and haloperidol) inhibited the 4-F- and 4-Keto-induced CPP. Both substances altered the levels of DA receptor D1 (DRD1), thyroxine hydroxylase (TH), DA receptor D2 (DRD2), p-CREB, ∆FosB, and BDNF. The results suggest that 4-F-PCP and 4-Keto-PCP may induce abuse potential in rodents via alterations in dopaminergic system accompanied by addiction neural plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darlene Mae Ortiz
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacy Sahmyook University Seoul Republic of Korea
| | - Raly James Perez Custodio
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacy Sahmyook University Seoul Republic of Korea
| | - Arvie Abiero
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacy Sahmyook University Seoul Republic of Korea
- Centre for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Science University of Technology Sydney Ultimo New South Wales Australia
| | - Chrislean Jun Botanas
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacy Sahmyook University Seoul Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry University of Maryland School of Medicine Baltimore Maryland USA
| | - Leandro Val Sayson
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacy Sahmyook University Seoul Republic of Korea
| | - Mikyung Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Life Science Sahmyook University Seoul Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Jun Lee
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacy Sahmyook University Seoul Republic of Korea
| | - Hee Jin Kim
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacy Sahmyook University Seoul Republic of Korea
| | - Youngdo Jeong
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy and Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy Kyung Hee University Seoul Republic of Korea
| | - Sulmin Yoon
- School of Pharmacy Jeonbuk National University Jeonju‐si Jeollabuk‐do Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Sup Lee
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy and Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy Kyung Hee University Seoul Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Hoon Cheong
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacy Sahmyook University Seoul Republic of Korea
- School of Pharmacy Jeonbuk National University Jeonju‐si Jeollabuk‐do Republic of Korea
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Amaral IM, Lemos C, Cera I, Dechant G, Hofer A, El Rawas R. Involvement of cAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase in the Nucleus Accumbens in Cocaine Versus Social Interaction Reward. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 22:E345. [PMID: 33396297 PMCID: PMC7794935 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22010345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence suggests that PKA activity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays an essential role in reward-related learning. In this study, we investigated whether PKA is differentially involved in the expression of learning produced by either natural reinforcers or psychostimulants. For that purpose, we inhibited PKA through a bilateral infusion of Rp-cAMPS, a specific PKA inhibitor, directly into the NAc. The effects of PKA inhibition in the NAc on the expression of concurrent conditioned place preference (CPP) for cocaine (drug) and social interaction (natural reward) in rats were evaluated. We found that PKA inhibition increased the expression of cocaine preference. This effect was not due to altered stress levels or decreased social reward. PKA inhibition did not affect the expression of natural reward as intra-NAc Rp-cAMPS infusion did not affect expression of social preference. When rats were trained to express cocaine or social interaction CPP and tested for eventual persisting preference 7 and 14 days after CPP expression, cocaine preference was persistent, but social preference was abolished after the first test. These results suggest that PKA in the NAc is involved in drug reward learning that might lead to addiction and that only drug, but not natural, reward is persistent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês M. Amaral
- Division of Psychiatry I, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (I.M.A.); (C.L.); (A.H.)
| | - Cristina Lemos
- Division of Psychiatry I, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (I.M.A.); (C.L.); (A.H.)
| | - Isabella Cera
- Institute for Neuroscience, Medical University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (I.C.); (G.D.)
| | - Georg Dechant
- Institute for Neuroscience, Medical University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (I.C.); (G.D.)
| | - Alex Hofer
- Division of Psychiatry I, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (I.M.A.); (C.L.); (A.H.)
| | - Rana El Rawas
- Division of Psychiatry I, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (I.M.A.); (C.L.); (A.H.)
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11
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Karino G, Senoo A, Kunikata T, Kamei Y, Yamanouchi H, Nakamura S, Shukuya M, Colman RJ, Koshiba M. Inexpensive Home Infrared Living/Environment Sensor with Regional Thermal Information for Infant Physical and Psychological Development. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17186844. [PMID: 32961676 PMCID: PMC7559736 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17186844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The use of home-based image sensors for biological and environmental monitoring provides novel insight into health and development but it is difficult to evaluate people during their normal activities in their home. Therefore, we developed a low-cost infrared (IR) technology-based motion, location, temperature and thermal environment detection system that can be used non-invasively for long-term studies in the home environment. We tested this technology along with the associated analysis algorithm to visualize the effects of parental care and thermal environment on developmental state change in a non-human primate model, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). To validate this system, we first compared it to a manual analysis technique and we then assessed the development of circadian rhythms in common marmosets from postnatal day 15–45. The semi-automatically tracked biological indices of locomotion velocity (BV) and body surface temperature (BT) and the potential psychological index of place preference toward the door (BD), showed age-dependent shifts in circadian phase patterns. Although environmental variables appeared to affect circadian rhythm development, principal component analysis and signal superimposing imaging methods revealed a novel phasic pattern of BD-BT correlation day/night switching in animals older than postnatal day 38 (approximately equivalent to one year of age in humans). The origin of this switch was related to earlier development of body temperature (BT) rhythms and alteration of psychological behavior rhythms (BD) around earlier feeding times. We propose that this cost-effective, inclusive sensing and analytic technique has value for understanding developmental care conditions for which continual home non-invasive monitoring would be beneficial and further suggest the potential to adapt this technique for use in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genta Karino
- Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan; (G.K.); (A.S.); (S.N.)
- Department of Pediatrics, Saitama Medical University, Saitama 350-0495, Japan; (T.K.); (H.Y.)
- Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo 102-0083, Japan
| | - Aya Senoo
- Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan; (G.K.); (A.S.); (S.N.)
| | - Tetsuya Kunikata
- Department of Pediatrics, Saitama Medical University, Saitama 350-0495, Japan; (T.K.); (H.Y.)
| | - Yoshimasa Kamei
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Saitama Medical University, Saitama 350-0495, Japan;
| | - Hideo Yamanouchi
- Department of Pediatrics, Saitama Medical University, Saitama 350-0495, Japan; (T.K.); (H.Y.)
| | - Shun Nakamura
- Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan; (G.K.); (A.S.); (S.N.)
| | - Masanori Shukuya
- Faculty of Environmental Studies Department of Restoration Ecology and Built Environment, Tokyo City University, Kanagawa 224-8551, Japan;
| | - Ricki J. Colman
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53715, USA
- Department of Cell & Regenerative Biology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705, USA
- Correspondence: (R.J.C.); (M.K.)
| | - Mamiko Koshiba
- Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan; (G.K.); (A.S.); (S.N.)
- Department of Pediatrics, Saitama Medical University, Saitama 350-0495, Japan; (T.K.); (H.Y.)
- Graduate School of Science and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi 755-8611, Japan
- Graduate School of Information Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan
- Correspondence: (R.J.C.); (M.K.)
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12
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Social interaction reward: A resilience approach to overcome vulnerability to drugs of abuse. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2020; 37:12-28. [PMID: 32624295 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Drug addiction is a multifactorial disorder resulting from the complex interaction between biological, environmental and drug-induced effects. Generally, stress is a well-known risk factor for the development of drug addiction and relapse. While most of the research focuses on risk factors that increase the vulnerability to drugs of abuse, recent studies are focusing on the areas of strength/positive coping approaches that can increase resistance to drugs of abuse. In this review, we concentrate on resilience, seen as a dynamic process, which can allow individuals to positively adapt within the context of a specific risk for psychiatric illness. Here, we discuss the effects of social stress in animal models on drug use, particularly cocaine. In contrast, we suggest social interaction reward when available as an alternative to drug use as an approach contracting negative stress effects and increasing resistance to drug use. Indeed, interventions, which aim at enhancing resilience to stress through the facilitation of social interaction and the enhancement of social support, could be particularly effective in helping people cope with stress and preventing drug use problems or relapse. Finally, understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying protective factors such as social interaction reward should provide the basis for future evidence-based interventions targeting substance abuse and stress-related pathologies.
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13
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El Rawas R, Amaral IM, Hofer A. Is p38 MAPK Associated to Drugs of Abuse-Induced Abnormal Behaviors? Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E4833. [PMID: 32650599 PMCID: PMC7402127 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21144833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The family members of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) mediate a wide variety of cellular behaviors in response to extracellular stimuli. p38 MAPKs are key signaling molecules in cellular responses to external stresses and regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Some studies have suggested that p38 MAPK in the region of the nucleus accumbens is involved in abnormal behavioral responses induced by drugs of abuse. In this review, we discuss the role of the p38 MAPK in the rewarding effects of drugs of abuse. We also summarize the implication of p38 MAPK in stress, anxiety, and depression. We opine that p38 MAPK activation is more closely associated to stress-induced aversive responses rather than drug effects per se, in particular cocaine. p38 MAPK is only involved in cocaine reward, predominantly when promoted by stress. Downstream substrates of p38 that may contribute to the p38 MAPK associated-behavioral responses are proposed. Finally, we suggest p38 MAPK inhibitors as possible therapeutic interventions against stress-related disorders by potentially increasing resilience against stress and addiction relapse induced by adverse experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rana El Rawas
- Experimental Addiction Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Division of Psychiatry I, Medical University Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (I.M.A.); (A.H.)
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14
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Baron D, Holland CM, Carlson K, Wolfrum E, Thompson BL. Adapting social conditioned place preference for use in young children. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 172:107235. [PMID: 32389881 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Social-emotional processing is key to daily interactions and routines, yet a challenging construct to quantify. Measuring social and emotional processing in young children, children with language impairments, or non-verbal children, presents additional challenges. This study addresses a pressing need for tools to probe internal responses such as feelings, drives, and motivations that do not rely on intact language skills. METHODS In this study, we extend our recent success of inducing conditioned place preference (CPP) in children to demonstrate the success of using a social unconditioned stimulus in the CPP paradigm in both typically developing children (n = 36) and in children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (n = 14). RESULTS This is the first study to demonstrate successful social conditioned place preference in the human population. Both typically developing children and children with autism spectrum disorder demonstrate significant social conditioned place preference by spending significantly more time in the room paired with social interaction following training. CONCLUSIONS Significant heterogeneity of CPP scores in both groups of children indicates that social motivation is expressed along a continuum, and that the CPP paradigm may provide a more comprehensive characterization of social motivation beyond a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder for each child.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baron
- Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, 1540 Alcazar St, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States.
| | - Cristin M Holland
- Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, 1540 Alcazar St, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States.
| | - Kaitlin Carlson
- Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, 15 Michigan St NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States.
| | - Emily Wolfrum
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Core, Van Andel Research Institute, 333 Bostwick Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States.
| | - Barbara L Thompson
- Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, 1540 Alcazar St, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States; Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, 15 Michigan St NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, United States; Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 4651 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027, United States.
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15
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LPA 1 receptor and chronic stress: Effects on behaviour and the genes involved in the hippocampal excitatory/inhibitory balance. Neuropharmacology 2020; 164:107896. [PMID: 31811875 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.107896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The LPA1 receptor, one of the six characterized G protein-coupled receptors (LPA1-6) through which lysophosphatidic acid acts, is likely involved in promoting normal emotional behaviours. Current data suggest that the LPA-LPA1-receptor pathway may be involved in mediating the negative consequences of stress on hippocampal function. However, to date, there is no available information regarding the mechanisms whereby the LPA1 receptor mediates this adaptation. To gain further insight into how the LPA-LPA1 pathway may prevent the negative consequences of chronic stress, we assessed the effects of the continuous delivery of LPA on depressive-like behaviours induced by a chronic restraint stress protocol. Because a proper excitatory/inhibitory balance seems to be key for controlling the stress response system, the gene expression of molecular markers of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission was also determined. In addition, the hippocampal expression of mineralocorticoid receptor genes and glucocorticoid receptor genes and proteins as well as plasma corticosterone levels were determined. Contrary to our expectations, the continuous delivery of LPA in chronically stressed animals potentiated rather than inhibited some (e.g., anhedonia, reduced latency to the first immobility period), though not all, behavioural effects of stress. Furthermore, this treatment led to an alteration in the genes coding for proteins involved in the excitatory/inhibitory balance in the ventral hippocampus and to changes in corticosterone levels. In conclusion, the results of this study reinforce the assumption that LPA is involved in emotional regulation, mainly through the LPA1 receptor, and regulates the effects of stress on hippocampal gene expression and hippocampus-dependent behaviour.
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16
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Sampedro-Piquero P, Ávila-Gámiz F, Moreno Fernández RD, Castilla-Ortega E, Santín LJ. The presence of a social stimulus reduces cocaine-seeking in a place preference conditioning paradigm. J Psychopharmacol 2019; 33:1501-1511. [PMID: 31542987 DOI: 10.1177/0269881119874414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND One challenge in the treatment of substance use disorders is to re-engage the interest toward non-drug-related activities. Among these activities, social interaction has had a prominent role due to its positive influence on treatment outcome. AIMS AND METHODS Our aim was to study whether the presence of a social stimulus during the cocaine-induced conditioned place preference test was able to reduce the time spent in the drug-paired compartment. For that purpose, mice were trained for four days on a conditioned place preference task with one compartment paired with cocaine and the opposite with saline. On the test day, we introduced an unfamiliar juvenile male mouse into the saline-conditioned compartment (inside a pencil cup) to analyse the animal preference towards the two rewarding stimuli (cocaine vs mouse). Additionally, to discard the possible effect of novelty, as well as the housing condition (social isolation) on social preference, we decided to include a novel object during the test session, as well as perform the same conditioned place preference protocol with a group of animals in social housing conditions. RESULTS The social stimulus was able to reduce the preference for cocaine and enhance the active interaction with the juvenile mouse (sniffing) compared to the empty pencil cup paired with the drug. The introduction of a novel object during the test session did not reduce the preference for the cocaine-paired compartment, and interestingly, the preference for the social stimulus was independent of the housing condition. c-Fos immunohistochemistry revealed a different pattern of activation based on cocaine-paired conditioning or the presence of social stimulus. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that social interaction could constitute a valuable component in the treatment of substance use disorders by reducing the salience of the drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Sampedro-Piquero
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Malaga, Spain.,Departamento de Psicobiología y Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento, Universidad de Málaga, Malaga, Spain
| | - Fabiola Ávila-Gámiz
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Malaga, Spain.,Departamento de Psicobiología y Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento, Universidad de Málaga, Malaga, Spain
| | - Román D Moreno Fernández
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Malaga, Spain.,Departamento de Psicobiología y Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento, Universidad de Málaga, Malaga, Spain
| | - Estela Castilla-Ortega
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Malaga, Spain.,Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Salud Mental, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Malaga, Spain
| | - Luis J Santín
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Malaga, Spain.,Departamento de Psicobiología y Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento, Universidad de Málaga, Malaga, Spain
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17
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Berardino BG, Fesser EA, Belluscio LM, Gianatiempo O, Pregi N, Cánepa ET. Effects of cocaine base paste on anxiety-like behavior and immediate-early gene expression in nucleus accumbens and medial prefrontal cortex of female mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:3525-3539. [PMID: 31280332 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-019-05321-0] [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] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Cocaine base paste (CBP) is an illegal drug of abuse usually consumed by adolescents in a socio-economically vulnerable situation. Repeated drug use targets key brain circuits disrupting the processes that underlie emotions and cognition. At the basis of such neuroadaptations lie changes in the expression of immediate-early genes (IEGs). Nevertheless, changes in transcriptional regulation associated with CBP consumption remain unknown. OBJECTIVES We aimed to describe behavioral phenotype related to locomotion, anxiety-like behavior, and memory of CBP-injected mice and to study IEGs expression after an abstinence period. METHODS Five-week-old female CF-1 mice were i.p. injected daily with vehicle or CBP (40 mg/kg) for 10 days and subjected to a 10-day period of abstinence. Open field and novel object recognition tests were used to evaluate locomotion and anxiety-like behaviors and recognition memory, respectively, during chronic administration and after abstinence. After abstinence, prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) were isolated and gene expression analysis performed through real-time PCR. RESULTS We found an increase in locomotion and anxiety-like behavior during CBP administration and after the abstinence period. Furthermore, the CBP group showed impaired recognition memory after abstinence. Egr1, FosB, ΔFosB, Arc, Bdnf, and TrkB expression was upregulated in CBP-injected mice in NAc and FosB, ΔFosB, Arc, and Npas4 expression was downregulated in mPFC. We generated an anxiety score and found positive and negative correlations with IEGs expression in NAc and mPFC, respectively. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that chronic CBP exposure induced alterations in anxiety-like behavior and recognition memory. These changes were accompanied by altered IEGs expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno G Berardino
- Laboratorio de Neuroepigenética, Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, CONICET, C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Estefanía A Fesser
- Laboratorio de Neuroepigenética, Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, CONICET, C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Laura M Belluscio
- Laboratorio de Neuroepigenética, Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, CONICET, C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Octavio Gianatiempo
- Laboratorio de Neuroepigenética, Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, CONICET, C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Nicolás Pregi
- Laboratorio de Neuroepigenética, Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, CONICET, C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Eduardo T Cánepa
- Laboratorio de Neuroepigenética, Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, CONICET, C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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18
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Azogu I, Cossette I, Mukunzi J, Ibeke O, Plamondon H. Sex-specific differences in adult cognition and neuroplasticity following repeated combinatory stress and TrkB receptor antagonism in adolescence. Horm Behav 2019; 113:21-37. [PMID: 30995444 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Revised: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Evidence supports brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its primary receptor tyrosine-related kinase B (TrkB) as targets in the treatment of mood disorders. This study characterized the impact of a 10-day combinatory stress paradigm (alternating days of restraint stress and forced swim) and administration of the selective TrkB antagonist ANA-12 (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) during adolescence in male and female Wistar rats on adulthood behavioral and neurochemical responses. The social interaction/preference (SIT/SP), and Y maze conditioned place preference (YMCPP) and passive avoidance tests (YMPAT), initiated on PND 62, served to determine sex-related behavioral responses. Results support reduced sociability in females in the SIT/SP, but no impact of ANA-12 to regulate sociability or social memory. Blockade of TrkB during adolescence facilitated YMCPP-related reward behavior in both sexes, and reduced YMPAT fear conditioning in females. Following behavioral testing, rats were exposed to 5-min acute forced swim and brains collected 2 h post swim to determine effects of adolescent TrkB blockade and stress exposure on neurochemical regulators of stress and plasticity. Findings show elevated glucocorticoid receptor (GR-) and TrkB-immunoreactivity (ir) in the amygdalar central nucleus, and GR-ir in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus of females compared to males. In the hippocampal CA1, BDNF-ir was lower in females versus males, and GR-ir was elevated in stress versus non-stress males. Together, we demonstrate that inherent sex-specific differences, which may modulate impact of adolescence stress exposure and TrkB inhibition, differentially affect male and female adulthood behavior and biochemical response profiles, suggesting that these responses are in part conditioned by prior experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Idu Azogu
- Behavioral Neuroscience Group, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Isabelle Cossette
- Behavioral Neuroscience Group, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Joana Mukunzi
- Behavioral Neuroscience Group, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Ogechi Ibeke
- Behavioral Neuroscience Group, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Helene Plamondon
- Behavioral Neuroscience Group, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
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19
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Borland JM, Rilling JK, Frantz KJ, Albers HE. Sex-dependent regulation of social reward by oxytocin: an inverted U hypothesis. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:97-110. [PMID: 29968846 PMCID: PMC6235847 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0129-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Revised: 06/10/2018] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The rewarding properties of social interactions are essential for the expression of social behavior and the development of adaptive social relationships. Here, we review sex differences in social reward, and more specifically, how oxytocin (OT) acts in the mesolimbic dopamine system (MDS) to mediate the rewarding properties of social interactions in a sex-dependent manner. Evidence from rodents and humans suggests that same-sex social interactions may be more rewarding in females than in males. We propose that there is an inverted U relationship between OT dose, social reward, and neural activity within structures of the MDS in both males and females, and that this dose-response relationship is initiated at lower doses in females than males. As a result, depending on the dose of OT administered, OT could reduce social reward in females, while enhancing it in males. Sex differences in the neural mechanisms regulating social reward may contribute to sex differences in the incidence of a large number of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. This review addresses the potential significance of a sex-dependent inverted U dose-response function for OT's effects on social reward and in the development of gender-specific therapies for these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnathan M Borland
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - James K Rilling
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Center for Translational and Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kyle J Frantz
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - H Elliott Albers
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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20
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Bariselli S, Contestabile A, Tzanoulinou S, Musardo S, Bellone C. SHANK3 Downregulation in the Ventral Tegmental Area Accelerates the Extinction of Contextual Associations Induced by Juvenile Non-familiar Conspecific Interaction. Front Mol Neurosci 2018; 11:360. [PMID: 30364266 PMCID: PMC6193109 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Haploinsufficiency of the SHANK3 gene, encoding for a scaffolding protein located in the postsynaptic density of glutamatergic synapse, has been linked to forms of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). It has been shown that SHANK3 controls the maturation of social reward circuits in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Whether the impairments in associative learning observed in ASD relate to SHANK3 insufficiency restricted to the reward system is still an open question. Here, we first characterize a social-conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm based on the direct and free interaction with a juvenile and non-familiar conspecific. In both group- and single-housed C57Bl6/j late adolescence male mice, this CPP protocol promotes the formation of social-induced contextual associations that undergo extinction. Interestingly, the downregulation of Shank3 expression in the VTA altered the habituation to a non-familiar conspecific during conditioning and accelerated the extinction of social-induced conditioned responses. Thus, inspired by the literature on drugs of abuse-induced contextual learning, we propose that acquisition and extinction of CPP might be used as behavioral assays to assess social-induced contextual association and “social-seeking” dysfunctions in animal models of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastiano Bariselli
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Geneva, Centre Médical Universitaire (CMU), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Alessandro Contestabile
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Geneva, Centre Médical Universitaire (CMU), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Stamatina Tzanoulinou
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Geneva, Centre Médical Universitaire (CMU), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Stefano Musardo
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Geneva, Centre Médical Universitaire (CMU), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Camilla Bellone
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Geneva, Centre Médical Universitaire (CMU), Geneva, Switzerland
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21
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Salti A, Apostolova G, Kummer KK, Lemos C, Dechant G, El Rawas R. Cocaine Paired Environment Increases SATB2 Levels in the Rat Paraventricular Thalamus. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:224. [PMID: 30356831 PMCID: PMC6190852 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
SATB2 is a DNA binding protein that specifically binds the nuclear matrix attachment region and functions as a regulator of the transcription of large chromatin domains. Unlike its well addressed role during brain development, the role of SATB2 in adult brain is under-investigated. It has been shown that deletion of SATB2 from the forebrain of adult mice significantly impaired long-term memory for contextual fear and object recognition memory. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of appetitive stimuli such as cocaine and social interaction (SI) on SATB2 expression in the adult rat brain. For that, we performed conditioned place preference (CPP) to cocaine (15 mg/kg) and to SI, then assessed SATB2 expression in the brain 1 h (24 h after the last conditioning) and 24 h (48 h after the last conditioning) after the CPP test. We found that SATB2 expression in the paraventricular thalamus of rats was increased 1 h after the cocaine CPP test. This increase was selective for the cocaine-paired environment since the SI-paired environment did not increase SATB2 expression in the paraventricular thalamus. Also, the cocaine paired environment-induced increase of SATB2 levels in the paraventricular thalamus was due to cocaine conditioning as the unpaired cocaine group did not show an increase of SATB2 in the paraventricular thalamus. These results suggest that SATB2 in the paraventricular thalamus appears to be involved in the association between cocaine effects and environmental context. Further studies are needed to address the functional role of SATB2 in cocaine conditioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Salti
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.,Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Galina Apostolova
- Institute for Neuroscience, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Kai K Kummer
- Division of Physiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Cristina Lemos
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Georg Dechant
- Institute for Neuroscience, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Rana El Rawas
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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22
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Chauvigné LAS, Belyk M, Brown S. Taking two to tango: fMRI analysis of improvised joint action with physical contact. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0191098. [PMID: 29324862 PMCID: PMC5764359 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many forms of joint action involve physical coupling between the participants, such as when moving a sofa together or dancing a tango. We report the results of a novel two-person functional MRI study in which trained couple dancers engaged in bimanual contact with an experimenter standing next to the bore of the magnet, and in which the two alternated between being the leader and the follower of joint improvised movements. Leading showed a general pattern of self-orientation, being associated with brain areas involved in motor planning, navigation, sequencing, action monitoring, and error correction. In contrast, following showed a far more sensory, externally-oriented pattern, revealing areas involved in somatosensation, proprioception, motion tracking, social cognition, and outcome monitoring. We also had participants perform a "mutual" condition in which the movement patterns were pre-learned and the roles were symmetric, thereby minimizing any tendency toward either leading or following. The mutual condition showed greater activity in brain areas involved in mentalizing and social reward than did leading or following. Finally, the analysis of improvisation revealed the dual importance of motor-planning and working-memory areas. We discuss these results in terms of theories of both joint action and improvisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léa A. S. Chauvigné
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Michel Belyk
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Steven Brown
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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23
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Bregolin T, Pinheiro BS, El Rawas R, Zernig G. Preventive Strength of Dyadic Social Interaction against Reacquisition/Reexpression of Cocaine Conditioned Place Preference. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:225. [PMID: 29167636 PMCID: PMC5682322 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The reorientation away from drugs of abuse and toward social interaction is a highly desirable but as yet elusive goal in the therapy of substance dependence. We could previously show that cocaine preferring Sprague-Dawley rats which engaged in only four 15 min episodes of dyadic social interaction (DSI) did not reacquire and reexpress cocaine conditioned place preference (CPP) after a single cocaine exposure. In the present study, we investigated how strong this preventive effect of DSI is. In corroboration of our previous findings in rats, four 15 min DSI episodes prevented the reacquisition/reexpression of cocaine CPP in mice. However, this effect was only observed if only one cocaine conditioning session (15 min) was used. If mice were counterconditioned with a total of four cocaine sessions, the cocaine CPP reemerged. Interestingly, the opposite also held true: in mice that had acquired/expressed cocaine CPP, one conditioning session with DSI did not prevent the persistence of cocaine CPP, whereas four DSI conditioning sessions reversed CPP for 15 mg/kg intraperitoneal cocaine. Of note, this cocaine dose was a strong reward in C57BL/6J mice, causing CPP in all tested animals. Our findings suggest that both the reversal (reconditioning) of CPP from cocaine to DSI as well as that from DSI to cocaine requires four conditioning sessions. As previously shown in C57BL/6 mice from the NIH substrain, mice from the Jackson substrain also showed a greater relative preference for 15 mg/kg intraperitoneal cocaine over DSI, whereas Sprague-Dawley rats were equally attracted to contextual stimuli associated with this cocaine dose and DSI. Also in corroboration of previous findings, both C57BL/6J mice and experimenters several generations removed from the original ones produced CPP for DSI to a lesser degree than Sprague-Dawley rats. Our findings demonstrate the robustness of our experimental model across several subject- and experimenter generations in two rodent genus (i.e., mouse and rat) and allow the quantification of the strength (i.e., persistence) of the preventive effect of DSI against the reacquisition/reexpression of cocaine CPP, arguably a model for cocaine relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Bregolin
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry 1, Medical University of Innsbruck (MUI), Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Barbara S. Pinheiro
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry 1, Medical University of Innsbruck (MUI), Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Rana El Rawas
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry 1, Medical University of Innsbruck (MUI), Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Gerald Zernig
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry 1, Medical University of Innsbruck (MUI), Innsbruck, Austria
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Muñiz JA, Prieto JP, González B, Sosa MH, Cadet JL, Scorza C, Urbano FJ, Bisagno V. Cocaine and Caffeine Effects on the Conditioned Place Preference Test: Concomitant Changes on Early Genes within the Mouse Prefrontal Cortex and Nucleus Accumbens. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:200. [PMID: 29093669 PMCID: PMC5651260 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Caffeine is the world's most popular psychostimulant and is frequently used as an active adulterant in many illicit drugs including cocaine. Previous studies have shown that caffeine can potentiate the stimulant effects of cocaine and cocaine-induced drug seeking behavior. However, little is known about the effects of this drug combination on reward-related learning, a key process in the maintenance of addiction and vulnerability to relapse. The goal of the present study was thus to determine caffeine and cocaine combined effects on the Conditioned Place Preference (CPP) test and to determine potential differential mRNA expression in the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of immediate-early genes (IEGs) as well as dopamine and adenosine receptor subunits. Mice were treated with caffeine (5 mg/kg, CAF), cocaine (10 mg/kg, COC), or their combination (caffeine 5 mg/kg + cocaine 10 mg/kg, CAF-COC) and trained in the CPP test or treated with repeated injections inside the home cage. NAc and mPFC tissues were dissected immediately after the CPP test, after a single conditioning session or following psychostimulant injection in the home cage for mRNA expression analysis. CAF-COC induced a marked change of preference to the drug conditioned side of the CPP and a significant increase in locomotion compared to COC. Gene expression analysis after CPP test revealed specific up-regulation in the CAF-COC group of Drd1a, cFos, and FosB in the NAc, and cFos, Egr1, and Npas4 in the mPFC. Importantly, none of these changes were observed when animals received same treatments in their home cage. With a single conditioning session, we found similar effects in both CAF and CAF-COC groups: increased Drd1a and decreased cFos in the NAc, and increased expression of Drd1a and Drd2, in the mPFC. Interestingly, we found that cFos and Npas4 gene expression were increased only in the mPFC of the CAF-COC. Our study provides evidence that caffeine acting as an adulterant could potentiate reward-associated memories elicited by cocaine. This is associated with specific changes in IEGs expression that were observed almost exclusively in mice that received the combination of both psychostimulants in the context of CPP memory encoding and retrieval. Our results highlight the potential relevance of caffeine in the maintenance of cocaine addiction which might be mediated by modifying neural plasticity mechanisms that strengthen learning of the association between drug and environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier A Muñiz
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - José P Prieto
- Departamento de Neurofarmacología Experimental, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Betina González
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Máximo H Sosa
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jean L Cadet
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Intramural Program, Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Cecilia Scorza
- Departamento de Neurofarmacología Experimental, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Francisco J Urbano
- Laboratorio de Fisiología y Biología Molecular, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Verónica Bisagno
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Dossat AM, Jourdi H, Wright KN, Strong CE, Sarkar A, Kabbaj M. Viral-mediated Zif268 expression in the prefrontal cortex protects against gonadectomy-induced working memory, long-term memory, and social interaction deficits in male rats. Neuroscience 2017; 340:243-257. [PMID: 27816701 PMCID: PMC5154846 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.10.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Revised: 10/17/2016] [Accepted: 10/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
In humans, some males experience reductions in testosterone levels, as a natural consequence of aging or in the clinical condition termed hypogonadism, which are associated with impaired cognitive performance and mood disorder(s). Some of these behavioral deficits can be reversed by testosterone treatment. Our previous work in rats reported that sex differences in the expression of the transcription factor Zif268, a downstream target of testosterone, within the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) mediates sex differences in social interaction. In the present study, we aimed to examine the effects of gonadectomy (GNX) in male rats on mPFC Zif268 expression, mood and cognitive behaviors. We also examined whether reinstitution of Zif268 in GNX rats will correct some of the behavioral deficits observed following GNX. Our results show that GNX induced a downregulation of Zif268 protein in the mPFC, which was concomitant with impaired memory in the y-maze and spontaneous object recognition test, reduced social interaction time, and depression-like behaviors in the forced swim test. Reinstitution of mPFC Zif268, using a novel adeno-associated-viral (AAV) construct, abrogated GNX-induced working memory and long-term memory impairments, and reductions in social interaction time, but not GNX-induced depression-like behaviors. These findings suggest that mPFC Zif268 exerts beneficial effects on memory and social interaction, and could be a potential target for novel treatments for behavioral impairments observed in hypogonadal and aged men with declining levels of gonadal hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Dossat
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States
| | - Hussam Jourdi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Balamand, Souk-El-Gharb, Mount-Lebanon, Lebanon
| | - Katherine N Wright
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States
| | - Caroline E Strong
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States
| | - Ambalika Sarkar
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States
| | - Mohamed Kabbaj
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States.
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26
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Lüscher Dias T, Fernandes Golino H, Oliveira VEMD, Dutra Moraes MF, Schenatto Pereira G. c-Fos expression predicts long-term social memory retrieval in mice. Behav Brain Res 2016; 313:260-271. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.07.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Revised: 06/26/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Bastle RM, Peartree NA, Goenaga J, Hatch KN, Henricks A, Scott S, Hood LE, Neisewander JL. Immediate early gene expression reveals interactions between social and nicotine rewards on brain activity in adolescent male rats. Behav Brain Res 2016; 313:244-254. [PMID: 27435419 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Revised: 07/12/2016] [Accepted: 07/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Smoking initiation predominantly occurs during adolescence, often in the presence of peers. Therefore, understanding the neural mechanisms underlying the rewarding effects of nicotine and social stimuli is vital. Using the conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure, we measured immediate early gene (IEG) expression in animals following exposure either to a reward-conditioned environment or to the unconditioned stimuli (US). Adolescent, male rats were assigned to the following CPP US conditions: (1) Saline+Isolated, (2) Nicotine+Isolated, (3) Saline+Social, or (4) Nicotine+Social. For Experiment 1, brain tissue was collected 90min following the CPP expression test and processed for Fos immunohistochemistry. We found that rats conditioned with nicotine with or without a social partner exhibited CPP; however, we found no group differences in Fos expression in any brain region analyzed, with the exception of the nucleus accumbens core that exhibited a social-induced attenuation in Fos expression. For Experiment 2, brain tissue was collected 90min following US exposure during the last conditioning session. We found social reward-induced increases in IEG expression in striatal and amydalar subregions. In contrast, nicotine reduced IEG expression in prefrontal and striatal subregions. Reward interactions were also found in the dorsolateral striatum, basolateral amygdala, and ventral tegmental area where nicotine alone attenuated IEG expression and social reward reversed this effect. These results suggest that in general social rewards enhance, whereas nicotine attenuates, activation of mesocorticolimbic regions; however, the rewards given together interact to enhance activation in some regions. The findings contribute to knowledge of how a social environment influences nicotine effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan M Bastle
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, United States; School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, United States
| | - Natalie A Peartree
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, United States
| | - Julianna Goenaga
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, United States
| | - Kayla N Hatch
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, United States
| | - Angela Henricks
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, United States
| | - Samantha Scott
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, United States
| | - Lauren E Hood
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, United States
| | - Janet L Neisewander
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, United States; School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501, United States.
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28
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Common experience modifies the reinforcing properties of methamphetamine-injected cage mates but not morphine-injected cage mates in C57 mice. Behav Pharmacol 2016; 26:636-41. [PMID: 25932721 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine whether previous exposure to a drug affects the social facilitation of conditioned place preference (CPP) for a drug-injected cage mate. Twenty-two male C57/BL6J mice received drug injections (methamphetamine or morphine) and 22 male C57/BL6J mice received saline injections. All 44 mice then received CPP training, during which one compartment of a conventional CPP apparatus was associated with a drug-injected cage mate (stimulus mouse) and the other compartment was associated with a saline-injected cage mate (stimulus mouse). The subject mice did not receive any drug injection during this CPP training. Time spent in the compartment associated with the drug-injected cage mate was measured before and after training. Subject mice that had previously received methamphetamine injections showed an increase in the time spent in the compartment associated with the methamphetamine-injected cage mate after CPP training. This effect was not observed in subject mice that had previously received saline injections. Subject mice did not show an increase in the time spent in the compartment associated with the morphine-injected cage mate irrespective of whether they had previously received morphine or saline injections. Therefore, in agreement with previous reports, common experience with methamphetamine induced reinforcing properties, but that with morphine did not.
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Zernig G, Pinheiro BS. Dyadic social interaction inhibits cocaine-conditioned place preference and the associated activation of the accumbens corridor. Behav Pharmacol 2015; 26:580-94. [PMID: 26221832 PMCID: PMC4523229 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Impaired social interaction is a hallmark symptom of many psychiatric disorders. In substance use disorders, impaired social interaction is triply harmful (a) because addicts increasingly prefer the drug of abuse to the natural reward of drug-free social interaction, thus worsening the progression of the disease by increasing their drug consumption, (b) because treatment adherence and, consequently, treatment success itself depends on the ability of the recovering addict to maintain social interaction and adhere to treatment, and (c) because socially interacting with an individual suffering from a substance use disorder may be harmful for others. Helping the addict reorient his/her behavior away from the drug of abuse toward social interaction would therefore be of considerable therapeutic benefit. This article reviews our work on the neural basis of such a reorientation from cocaine, as a prototypical drug of abuse, toward dyadic (i.e. one-to-one) social interaction and compares our findings with the effects of other potentially beneficial interventions, that is, environmental enrichment or paired housing, on the activation of the accumbens and other brain regions involved in behavior motivated by drugs of abuse or nondrug stimuli. Our experimental models are based on the conditioned place preference paradigm. As the therapeutically most promising finding, only four 15 min episodes of dyadic social interaction were able to inhibit both the subsequent reacquisition/re-expression of preference for cocaine and the neural activation associated with this behavior, that is, an increase in the expression of the immediate early gene Early Growth Response protein 1 (EGR1, Zif268) in the nucleus accumbens, basolateral and central amygdala, and the ventral tegmental area. The time spent in the cocaine-associated conditioning compartment was correlated with the density of EGR1-activated neurons not only in the medial core (AcbCm) and medial shell (AcbShm) of the nucleus accumbens, but was observed in all regions medial to the anterior commissure ('accumbens corridor'), including (from medial to lateral), the vertical limb of the diagonal band and the medial septum (VDB+MS), the major island of Calleja and the intermediate nucleus of the lateral septum (ICjM+LSI), the AcbShm, and the AcbCm. All effects were limited to GABAergic projection neurons (called 'medium spiny neurons', in the accumbens), encompassing both dopamine D1 receptor-expressing and D2 receptor-expressing medium spiny neuron subtypes. Our EGR1 expression findings were mirrored in multielectrode array recordings. Finally, we have validated our paradigm in C57BL/6 mice to make use of the plethora of transgenic models available in this genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald Zernig
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Department of General Psychiatry and Social Psychiatry, Medical University of Innsbruck
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Barbara S. Pinheiro
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Department of General Psychiatry and Social Psychiatry, Medical University of Innsbruck
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Social interaction reward decreases p38 activation in the nucleus accumbens shell of rats. Neuropharmacology 2015; 99:510-6. [PMID: 26300300 PMCID: PMC5056637 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.08.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2015] [Revised: 08/17/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
We have previously shown that animals acquired robust conditioned place preference (CPP) to either social interaction alone or cocaine alone. Recently it has been reported that drugs of abuse abnormally activated p38, a member of mitogen-activated protein kinase family, in the nucleus accumbens. In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression of the activated form of p38 (pp38) in the nucleus accumbens shell and core of rats expressing either cocaine CPP or social interaction CPP 1 h, 2 h and 24 h after the CPP test. We hypothesized that cocaine CPP will increase pp38 in the nucleus accumbens shell/core as compared to social interaction CPP. Surprisingly, we found that 24 h after social interaction CPP, pp38 neuronal levels were decreased in the nucleus accumbens shell to the level of naïve rats. Control saline rats that received saline in both compartments of the CPP apparatus and cocaine CPP rats showed similar enhanced p38 activation as compared to naïve and social interaction CPP rats. We also found that the percentage of neurons expressing dopaminergic receptor D2R and pp38 was also decreased in the shell of the nucleus accumbens of social interaction CPP rats as compared to controls. Given the emerging role of p38 in stress/anxiety behaviors, these results suggest that (1) social interaction reward has anti-stress effects; (2) cocaine conditioning per se does not affect p38 activation and that (3) marginal stress is sufficient to induce p38 activation in the shell of the nucleus accumbens.
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El Rawas R, Saria A. The Two Faces of Social Interaction Reward in Animal Models of Drug Dependence. Neurochem Res 2015; 41:492-9. [PMID: 26088685 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-015-1637-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2015] [Revised: 06/08/2015] [Accepted: 06/09/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Drug dependence is a serious health and social problem. Social factors can modify vulnerability to developing drug dependence, acting as risk factors or protective factors. Whereas stress and peer environment that encourage substance use may increase drug taking, strong attachments between family members and peer environment that do not experience drug use may protect against drug taking and, ultimately, drug dependence. The rewarding effects of drug abuse and social interaction can be evaluated using animal models. In this review we focus on evaluating social interaction reward in the conditioned place preference paradigm. We give an overview of how social interaction, if made available within the drug context, may facilitate, promote and interact with the drug's effects. However, social interaction, if offered alternatively outside the drug context, may have pronounced protective effects against drug abuse and relapse. We also address the importance of the weight difference parameter between the social partners in determining the positive or "agonistic" versus the hostile or "antagonistic" social interaction. We conclude that understanding social interaction reward and its subsequent effects on drug reward is sorely needed for therapeutic interventions against drug dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rana El Rawas
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Department of General Psychiatry and Social Psychiatry, Center of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innrain 66a, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Alois Saria
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Department of General Psychiatry and Social Psychiatry, Center of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innrain 66a, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
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32
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DePoy LM, Gourley SL. Synaptic Cytoskeletal Plasticity in the Prefrontal Cortex Following Psychostimulant Exposure. Traffic 2015; 16:919-40. [PMID: 25951902 DOI: 10.1111/tra.12295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2014] [Revised: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 04/30/2015] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Addiction is characterized by maladaptive decision-making, a loss of control over drug consumption and habit-like drug seeking despite adverse consequences. These cognitive changes may reflect the effects of drugs of abuse on prefrontal cortical neurobiology. Here, we review evidence that amphetamine and cocaine fundamentally remodel the structure of excitatory neurons in the prefrontal cortex. We summarize evidence in particular that these psychostimulants have opposing effects in the medial and orbital prefrontal cortices ('mPFC' and 'oPFC', respectively). For example, amphetamine and cocaine increase dendrite length and spine density in the mPFC, while dendrites are impoverished and dendritic spines are eliminated in the oPFC. We will discuss evidence that certain cytoskeletal regulatory proteins expressed in the oPFC and implicated in postnatal (adolescent) neural development also regulate behavioral sensitivity to cocaine. These findings potentially open a window of opportunity for the identification of novel pharmacotherapeutic targets in the treatment of drug abuse disorders in adults, as well as in drug-vulnerable adolescent populations. Finally, we will discuss the behavioral implications of drug-related dendritic spine elimination in the oPFC, with regard to reversal learning tasks and tasks that assess the development of reward-seeking habits, both used to model aspects of addiction in rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M DePoy
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Shannon L Gourley
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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33
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Kummer KK, El Rawas R, Kress M, Saria A, Zernig G. Social interaction and cocaine conditioning in mice increase spontaneous spike frequency in the nucleus accumbens or septal nuclei as revealed by multielectrode array recordings. Pharmacology 2015; 95:42-9. [PMID: 25592253 DOI: 10.1159/000370314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2014] [Accepted: 12/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Both cocaine and social interaction place preference conditioning lead to increased neuronal expression of the immediate early gene EGR1 in the nucleus accumbens, a central region of the reward pathway, suggesting that both drug and natural rewards may be processed in similar brain regions. In order to gain novel insights into the intrinsic in vitro electrical activity of the nucleus accumbens and adjacent brain regions and to explore the effects of reward conditioning on network activity, we performed multielectrode array recordings of spontaneous firing in acute brain slices of mice conditioned to either cocaine or social interaction place preference. Cocaine conditioning increased the spike frequency of neurons in the septal nuclei, whereas social interaction conditioning increased the spike frequency in the nucleus accumbens compared to saline control animals. In addition, social interaction conditioning decreased the amount of active neuron clusters in the nucleus accumbens. Our findings suggest that place preference conditioning for both drug and natural rewards may induce persistent changes in neuronal network activity in the nucleus accumbens and the septum that are still preserved in acute slice preparations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai K Kummer
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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Kummer KK, Hofhansel L, Barwitz CM, Schardl A, Prast JM, Salti A, El Rawas R, Zernig G. Differences in social interaction- vs. cocaine reward in mouse vs. rat. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:363. [PMID: 25368560 PMCID: PMC4201146 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2014] [Accepted: 10/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously developed rat experimental models based on the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm in which only four 15-min episodes of dyadic social interaction with a sex- and weight-matched male Sprague Dawley (SD) rat (1) reversed CPP from cocaine to social interaction despite continuing cocaine training, and (2) prevented the reacquisition/re-expression of cocaine CPP. In a concurrent conditioning schedule, pairing one compartment with social interaction and the other compartment with 15 mg/kg cocaine injections, rats spent the same amount of time in both compartments and the most rewarding sensory component of the composite stimulus social interaction was touch (taction). In the present study, we validated our experimental paradigm in C57BL/6 mice to investigate if our experimental paradigm may be useful for the considerable number of genetically modified mouse models. Only 71% of the tested mice developed place preference for social interaction, whereas 85% of the rats did. Accordingly, 29% of the mice developed conditioned place aversion (CPA) to social interaction, whereas this was true for only 15% of the rats. In support of the lesser likelihood of mice to develop a preference for social interaction, the average amount of time spent in direct contact was 17% for mice vs. 79% for rats. In animals that were concurrently conditioned for social interaction vs. cocaine, the relative reward strength for cocaine was 300-fold higher in mice than in rats. Considering that human addicts regularly prefer drugs of abuse to drug-free social interaction, the present findings suggest that our experimental paradigm of concurrent CPP for cocaine vs. social interaction is of even greater translational power if performed in C57BL/6 mice, the genetic background for most transgenic rodent models, than in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai K Kummer
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Medical University of Innsbruck Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Lena Hofhansel
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Medical University of Innsbruck Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Constanze M Barwitz
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Medical University of Innsbruck Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Aurelia Schardl
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Medical University of Innsbruck Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Janine M Prast
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Medical University of Innsbruck Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ahmad Salti
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Medical University of Innsbruck Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Rana El Rawas
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Medical University of Innsbruck Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Gerald Zernig
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Medical University of Innsbruck Innsbruck, Austria ; Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck Innsbruck, Austria
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Kraus MM, Prast H, Philippu A. Facilitation of short-term memory by histaminergic neurons in the nucleus accumbens is independent of cholinergic and glutamatergic transmission. Br J Pharmacol 2014; 170:214-21. [PMID: 23750549 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2012] [Revised: 05/23/2013] [Accepted: 06/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Here, we have investigated whether learning and/or short-term memory was associated with release of ACh and glutamate in the rat nucleus accumbens (NAc). Additionally, neurotransmitter release in the NAc was assessed during facilitation of cognitive processes by antagonists of inhibitory histamine autoreceptors. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH The olfactory, social memory test was used in combination with push-pull superfusion of the NAc. A male, juvenile rat was exposed twice to an adult male rat at intervals of 60 or 90 min, and release of ACh and glutamate was determined in the NAc of the conscious adult rat. Histamine receptor antagonists were applied i.c.v. KEY RESULTS First exposure of a juvenile rat to an adult rat increased ACh and glutamate release in the NAc of the adult rat. Repetition of exposure after 60 min did not change release of ACh and glutamate, while contact time to recognition (CTR) was shortened. Repetition of exposure after an interval of 90 min prolonged CTR and enhanced accumbal ACh and glutamate release rates. Injection (i.c.v.) of thioperamide (histamine H3 receptor antagonist) together with famotidine (H₂ receptor antagonist), 80 min prior to second exposure, diminished CTR and abolished ACh and glutamate release when second exposure was carried out 90 min after the first one. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Histaminergic neurons per se facilitated short-term memory, without activation of cholinergic and/or glutamatergic neurons in the NAc of rats. Cholinergic and glutamatergic neurons within the NAc contributed to learning but not to recall of memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Kraus
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Innsbruck, Austria
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Peña CJ, Neugut YD, Calarco CA, Champagne FA. Effects of maternal care on the development of midbrain dopamine pathways and reward-directed behavior in female offspring. Eur J Neurosci 2014; 39:946-956. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2013] [Accepted: 12/12/2013] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Jensen Peña
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute; Mount Sinai School of Medicine; New York NY USA
| | - Yael D. Neugut
- Department of Psychology; Columbia University; 406 Schermerhorn Hall, 1190 Amsterdam Avenue New York NY 10027 USA
| | | | - Frances A. Champagne
- Department of Psychology; Columbia University; 406 Schermerhorn Hall, 1190 Amsterdam Avenue New York NY 10027 USA
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Zernig G, Kummer KK, Prast JM. Dyadic social interaction as an alternative reward to cocaine. Front Psychiatry 2013; 4:100. [PMID: 24062696 PMCID: PMC3770939 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2013] [Accepted: 08/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals suffering from substance use disorders often show severely impaired social interaction, preferring drugs of abuse to the contact with others. Their impaired social interaction is doubly harmful for them as (1) therapy itself is based and dependent on social interaction and as (2) social interaction is not available to them as an "alternative", i.e., non-drug reward, decreasing their motivation to stop drug use. We therefore developed an animal experimental model to investigate the neurobiology of dyadic social interaction- vs. cocaine reward. We took care to avoid: (a) engaging sexual attraction-related aspects of such a social interaction and (b) hierarchical difference as confounding stimuli. The cocaine- or social interaction stimulus was offered - in a mutually exclusive setting - within the confines of a conditioned place preference (CPP) apparatus. In our paradigm, only four 15-min episodes of social interaction proved sufficient to (i) switch the rats' preference from cocaine-associated contextual stimuli to social interaction CPP and (ii) inhibit the subsequent reacquisition/reexpression of cocaine CPP. This behavioral effect was paralleled by a reversal of brain activation (i.e., EGR1 expression) in the nucleus accumbens, the central and basolateral amygdala, and the ventral tegmental area. Of relevance for the psychotherapy of addictive disorders, the most rewarding sensory component of the composite stimulus "social interaction" was touch. To test our hypothesis that motivation is encoded in neuron ensembles dedicated to specific reward scenarios, we are currently (1) mapping the neural circuits involved in cocaine- vs. social-interaction reward and (2) adapting our paradigm for C57BL/6 mice to make use of the plethora of transgenic models available in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald Zernig
- Experimental Psychiatry Unit, Department of General Psychiatry and Social Psychiatry, Innsbruck Medical University , Innsbruck , Austria ; Department of Psychology, Leopold-Franzens University of Innsbruck , Innsbruck , Austria
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Been LE, Hedges VL, Vialou V, Nestler EJ, Meisel RL. ΔJunD overexpression in the nucleus accumbens prevents sexual reward in female Syrian hamsters. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2013; 12:666-72. [PMID: 23790091 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2013] [Revised: 05/23/2013] [Accepted: 06/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Motivated behaviors, including sexual experience, activate the mesolimbic dopamine system and produce long-lasting molecular and structural changes in the nucleus accumbens. The transcription factor ΔFosB is hypothesized to partly mediate this experience-dependent plasticity. Previous research in our laboratory has demonstrated that overexpressing ΔFosB in the nucleus accumbens of female Syrian hamsters augments the ability of sexual experience to cause the formation of a conditioned place preference. It is unknown, however, whether ΔFosB-mediated transcription in the nucleus accumbens is required for the behavioral consequences of sexual reward. We therefore used an adeno-associated virus to overexpress ΔJunD, a dominant negative binding partner of ΔFosB that decreases ΔFosB-mediated transcription by competitively heterodimerizing with ΔFosB before binding at promotor regions on target genes, in the nucleus accumbens. We found that overexpression of ΔJunD prevented the formation of a conditioned place preference following repeated sexual experiences. These data, when coupled with our previous findings, suggest that ΔFosB is both necessary and sufficient for behavioral plasticity following sexual experience. Furthermore, these results contribute to an important and growing body of literature demonstrating the necessity of endogenous ΔFosB expression in the nucleus accumbens for adaptive responding to naturally rewarding stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- L E Been
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
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