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Hallock HL, Adiraju SS, Miranda-Barrientos J, McInerney JM, Oh S, DeBrosse AC, Li Y, Carr GV, Martinowich K. Electrophysiological correlates of attention in the locus coeruleus-prelimbic cortex circuit during the rodent continuous performance test. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:521-531. [PMID: 37563281 PMCID: PMC10789747 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01692-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Sustained attention, the ability to focus on an activity or stimulus over time, is significantly impaired in many psychiatric disorders, and there remains a major unmet need in treating impaired attention. Continuous performance tests (CPTs) were developed to measure sustained attention in humans, non-human primates, rats, and mice, and similar neural circuits are engaged across species during CPT performance, supporting their use in translational studies to identify novel therapeutics. Here, we identified electrophysiological correlates of attentional performance in a touchscreen-based rodent CPT (rCPT) in the locus coeruleus (LC) and prelimbic cortex (PrL), two inter-connected regions that are implicated in attentional processes. We used viral labeling and molecular techniques to demonstrate that neural activity is recruited in LC-PrL projections during the rCPT, and that this recruitment increases with cognitive demand. We implanted male mice with depth electrodes within the LC and PrL for local field potential (LFP) recordings during rCPT training, and identified an increase in PrL delta and theta power, and an increase in LC delta power during correct responses in the rCPT. We also found that the LC leads the PrL in theta frequencies during correct responses while the PrL leads the LC in gamma frequencies during incorrect responses. These findings may represent translational biomarkers that can be used to screen novel therapeutics for drug discovery in attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry L Hallock
- Neuroscience Program, Lafayette College, Easton, PA, 18042, USA
| | - Suhaas S Adiraju
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | | | - Jessica M McInerney
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Seyun Oh
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Adrienne C DeBrosse
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Ye Li
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Gregory V Carr
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
| | - Keri Martinowich
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
- The Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
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Varma MM, Zhen S, Yu R. Not all discounts are created equal: Regional activity and brain networks in temporal and effort discounting. Neuroimage 2023; 280:120363. [PMID: 37673412 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120363] [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: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Reward outcomes associated with costs like time delay and effort investment are generally discounted in decision-making. Standard economic models predict rewards associated with different types of costs are devalued in a similar manner. However, our review of rodent lesion studies indicated partial dissociations between brain regions supporting temporal- and effort-based decision-making. Another debate is whether options involving low and high costs are processed in different brain substrates (dual-system) or in the same regions (single-system). This research addressed these issues using coordinate-based, connectivity-based, and activation network-based meta-analyses to identify overlapping and separable neural systems supporting temporal (39 studies) and effort (20 studies) discounting. Coordinate-based activation likelihood estimation and resting-state connectivity analyses showed immediate-small reward and delayed-large reward choices engaged distinct regions with unique connectivity profiles, but their activation network mapping was found to engage the default mode network. For effort discounting, salience and sensorimotor networks supported low-effort choices, while the frontoparietal network supported high-effort choices. There was little overlap between the temporal and effort networks. Our findings underscore the importance of differentiating different types of costs in decision-making and understanding discounting at both regional and network levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohith M Varma
- Department of Management, Marketing, and Information Systems, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shanshan Zhen
- Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Rongjun Yu
- Department of Management, Marketing, and Information Systems, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
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Hallock HL, Adiraju S, Miranda-Barrientos J, McInerney JM, Oh S, DeBrosse AC, Li Y, Carr GV, Martinowich K. Electrophysiological correlates of attention in the locus coeruleus - anterior cingulate cortex circuit during the rodent continuous performance test. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.19.537406. [PMID: 37131757 PMCID: PMC10153204 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.19.537406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Sustained attention, the ability to focus on an activity or stimulus over time, is significantly impaired in many psychiatric disorders, and there remains a major unmet need in treating impaired attention. Continuous performance tests (CPTs) were developed to measure sustained attention in humans, non-human primates, rats, and mice, and similar neural circuits are engaged across species during CPT performance, supporting their use in translational studies to identify novel therapeutics. Here, we identified electrophysiological correlates of attentional performance in a touchscreen-based rodent CPT (rCPT) in the locus coeruleus (LC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), two inter-connected regions that are implicated in attentional processes. We used viral labeling and molecular techniques to demonstrate that neural activity is recruited in LC-ACC projections during the rCPT, and that this recruitment increases with cognitive demand. We implanted male mice with depth electrodes within the LC and ACC for local field potential (LFP) recordings during rCPT training, and identified an increase in ACC delta and theta power, and an increase in LC delta power during correct responses in the rCPT. We also found that the LC leads the ACC in theta frequencies during correct responses while the ACC leads the LC in gamma frequencies during incorrect responses. These findings may represent translational biomarkers that can be used to screen novel therapeutics for drug discovery in attention.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Suhaas Adiraju
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | | | - Jessica M. McInerney
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Seyun Oh
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Adrienne C. DeBrosse
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Ye Li
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Gregory V. Carr
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Keri Martinowich
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- The Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
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Marty V, Butler JJ, Coutens B, Chargui O, Chagraoui A, Guiard BP, De Deurwaerdère P, Cavaillé J. Deleting Snord115 genes in mice remodels monoaminergic systems activity in the brain toward cortico-subcortical imbalances. Hum Mol Genet 2023; 32:244-261. [PMID: 35951020 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddac139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The neuronal-specific SNORD115 has gathered interest because its deficiency may contribute to the pathophysiology of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), possibly by altering post-transcriptional regulation of the gene encoding the serotonin (HTR2C) receptor. Yet, Snord115-KO mice do not resume the main symptoms of PWS, and only subtle-altered A-to-I RNA editing of Htr2c mRNAs was uncovered. Because HTR2C signaling fine-tunes the activity of monoaminergic neurons, we addressed the hypothesis that lack of Snord115 alters monoaminergic systems. We first showed that Snord115 was expressed in both monoaminergic and non-monoaminergic cells of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) harboring cell bodies of dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons, respectively. Measuring the tissue level of monoamines and metabolites, we found very few differences except that the content of homovanillic acid-a metabolite of dopamine-was decreased in the orbitofrontal and prefrontal cortex of Snord115-KO mice. The latter effects were, however, associated with a few changes in monoamine tissue content connectivity across the 12 sampled brain regions. Using in vivo single-cell extracellular recordings, we reported that the firing rate of VTA dopaminergic neurons and DRN serotonergic neurons was significantly increased in Snord115-KO mice. These neural circuit dysfunctions were not, however, associated with apparent defects in binge eating, conditioned place preference to cocaine, cocaine-induced hyperlocomotion or compulsive behavior. Altogether, our multiscale study shows that the absence of Snord115 impacts central monoaminergic circuits to an extent that does not elicit gross behavioral abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginie Marty
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCD) unit, Center of Integrative Biology (CBI), CNRS - University of Toulouse; CNRS, UPS, 31 062 Toulouse, France
| | - Jasmine J Butler
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine (INCIA), CNRS-UMR 5287, 146 rue Léo Saignat, B.P.281, F-33000 Bordeaux Cedex, France
| | - Basile Coutens
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center of Integrative Biology (CBI), CNRS - University of Toulouse; CNRS, UPS, 31 062 Toulouse, France
| | - Oumaima Chargui
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine (INCIA), CNRS-UMR 5287, 146 rue Léo Saignat, B.P.281, F-33000 Bordeaux Cedex, France
| | - Abdeslam Chagraoui
- Différenciation et Communication Neuroendocrine, Endocrine et Germinale (NorDic), INSERM U1239, IRIB, CHU Rouen, 76 000 Rouen, France.,Department of Medical Biochemistry, Rouen University Hospital, 76 000 Rouen, France
| | - Bruno P Guiard
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center of Integrative Biology (CBI), CNRS - University of Toulouse; CNRS, UPS, 31 062 Toulouse, France
| | - Philippe De Deurwaerdère
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine (INCIA), CNRS-UMR 5287, 146 rue Léo Saignat, B.P.281, F-33000 Bordeaux Cedex, France
| | - Jérôme Cavaillé
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCD) unit, Center of Integrative Biology (CBI), CNRS - University of Toulouse; CNRS, UPS, 31 062 Toulouse, France
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Martens MAG, Dalton N, Scaife J, Harmer CJ, Harrison PJ, Tunbridge EM. Catechol-O-methyltransferase activity does not influence emotional processing in men. J Psychopharmacol 2022; 36:768-775. [PMID: 35443830 PMCID: PMC9150146 DOI: 10.1177/02698811221089032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) regulates cortical dopaminergic transmission and prefrontal-dependent cognitive function. However, its role in other cognitive processes, including emotional processing, is relatively unexplored. We therefore investigated the separate and interactive influences of COMT inhibition and Val158Met (rs4680) genotype on performance on an emotional test battery. METHODS We recruited 74 healthy men homozygous for the functional COMT Val158Met polymorphism. Volunteers were administered either a single 200 mg dose of the brain-penetrant COMT inhibitor tolcapone or placebo in a double-blind, randomised manner. Emotional processing was assessed using the emotional test battery, and mood was rated using visual analogue scales and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire across the test day. RESULTS There were no main or interactive effects of Val158Met genotype or tolcapone on any of the emotional processing measures or mood ratings. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that, at least in healthy adult men, COMT has little or no effect on emotional processing or mood. These findings contrast with several neuroimaging studies that suggest that COMT modulates neural activity during emotional processing. Thus, further studies are required to understand how COMT impacts on the relationship between behavioural output and neural activity during emotional processing. Nevertheless, our data suggest that novel COMT inhibitors under development for treating cognitive dysfunction are unlikely to have acute off target effects on emotional behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marieke AG Martens
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK,Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK,Marieke AG Martens, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK.
| | - Nina Dalton
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jessica Scaife
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK,Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Catherine J Harmer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK,Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Paul J Harrison
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK,Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Elizabeth M Tunbridge
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK,Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
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Rotolo RA, Presby RE, Tracy O, Asar S, Yang JH, Correa M, Murray F, Salamone JD. The novel atypical dopamine transport inhibitor CT-005404 has pro-motivational effects in neurochemical and inflammatory models of effort-based dysfunctions related to psychopathology. Neuropharmacology 2020; 183:108325. [PMID: 32956676 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Depressed individuals suffer from effort-related motivational symptoms such as anergia and fatigue, which are resistant to treatment with many common antidepressants. While drugs that block dopamine transport (DAT) reportedly have positive motivational effects, DAT inhibitors such as cocaine and amphetamines produce undesirable side effects. Thus, there is a need to develop and characterize novel atypical DAT inhibitors with unique and selective binding profiles. Rodent effort-based choice tasks provide useful models of motivational dysfunctions. With these tasks, animals choose between a high-effort instrumental action leading to highly valued reinforcement vs. a low effort/low reward option. The present studies focused on the initial characterization of a novel atypical DAT inhibitor, CT-005404, which binds to DAT with high selectivity relative to serotonin and norepinephrine transport, and produces long-term elevations of extracellular DA. CT-005404 was assessed for its ability to attenuate the effort-related motivational effects of the DA depleting agent tetrabenazine and the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β) using a fixed ratio 5/chow feeding choice test. Tetrabenazine (1.0 mg/kg i.p.) shifted choice behavior, decreasing lever pressing and increasing chow intake. IL-1β (4.0 μg/kg i.p.) also decreased lever pressing. CT-005404 was co-administered (7.5-30.0 mg/kg p.o.) with either tetrabenazine or IL-1β, and the 15.0 and 30.0 mg/kg doses significantly reversed the effects of tetrabenazine and IL-1β. CT-005404 administered alone produced a dose-related increase in lever pressing in rats tested on a progressive ratio/chow feeding choice task. Atypical DAT inhibitors such as CT-005404 offer potential as a new avenue for drug treatment of motivational dysfunctions in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renee A Rotolo
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06261-1020, USA
| | - Rose E Presby
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06261-1020, USA
| | - Olivia Tracy
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06261-1020, USA
| | - Sokaina Asar
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06261-1020, USA
| | - Jen-Hau Yang
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06261-1020, USA
| | - Merce Correa
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06261-1020, USA; Àrea de Psicobiologia, Campus de Riu Sec, Universitat Jaume I, 12071, Castelló, Spain
| | - Fraser Murray
- Chronos Therapeutics, The Magdalen Centre, Oxford Science Park, Oxford, OX4 4GA, UK
| | - John D Salamone
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06261-1020, USA.
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7
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Yang JH, Presby RE, Cayer S, Rotolo RA, Perrino PA, Fitch RH, Correa M, Chesler EJ, Salamone JD. Effort-related decision making in humanized COMT mice: Effects of Val 158Met polymorphisms and possible implications for negative symptoms in humans. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2020; 196:172975. [PMID: 32593787 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2020.172975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) is an enzyme that metabolizes catecholamines, and is crucial for clearance of dopamine (DA) in prefrontal cortex. Val158Met polymorphism, which causes a valine (Val) to methionine (Met) substitution at codon 158, is reported to be associated with human psychopathologies in some studies. The Val/Val variant of the enzyme results in higher dopamine metabolism, which results in reduced dopamine transmission. Thus, it is important to investigate the relation between Val158Met polymorphisms using rodent models of psychiatric symptoms, including negative symptoms such as motivational dysfunction. In the present study, humanized COMT transgenic mice with two genotype groups (Val/Val (Val) and Met/Met (Met) homozygotes) and wild-type (WT) mice from the S129 background were tested using a touchscreen effort-based choice paradigm. Mice were trained to choose between delivery of a preferred liquid diet that reinforced panel pressing on various fixed ratio (FR) schedules (high-effort alternative), vs. intake of pellets concurrently available in the chamber (low-effort alternative). Panel pressing requirements were controlled by varying the FR levels (FR1, 2, 4, 8, 16) in ascending and descending sequences across weeks of testing. All mice were able to acquire the initial touchscreen operant training, and there was an inverse relationship between the number of reinforcers delivered by panel pressing and pellet intake across different FR levels. There was a significant group x FR level interaction in the ascending limb, with panel presses in the Val group being significantly lower than the WT group in FR1-8, and lower than Met in FR4. These findings indicate that the humanized Val allele in mice modulates FR/pellet-choice performance, as marked by lower levels of panel pressing in the Val group when the ratio requirement was moderately high. These studies may contribute to the understanding of the role of COMT polymorphisms in negative symptoms such as motivational dysfunctions in schizophrenic patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jen-Hau Yang
- Behavioral Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA; Present address: Dept. of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Rose E Presby
- Behavioral Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Suzanne Cayer
- Behavioral Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Renee A Rotolo
- Behavioral Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Peter A Perrino
- Behavioral Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - R Holly Fitch
- Behavioral Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Merce Correa
- Behavioral Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA; Area de Psicobiologia, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló, Spain
| | | | - John D Salamone
- Behavioral Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
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