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Crego ACG, Amaya KA, Palmer JA, Smith KS. A role for the dorsolateral striatum in prospective action control. iScience 2024; 27:110044. [PMID: 38883824 PMCID: PMC11176669 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110044] [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: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The dorsolateral striatum (DLS) is important for performing actions persistently, even when it becomes suboptimal, reflecting a function that is reflexive and habitual. However, there are also ways in which persistent behaviors can result from a more prospective, planning mode of behavior. To help tease apart these possibilities for DLS function, we trained animals to perform a lever press for reward and then inhibited the DLS in key test phases: as the task shifted from a 1-press to a 3-press rule (upshift), as the task was maintained, as the task shifted back to the one-press rule (downshift), and when rewards came independent of pressing. During DLS inhibition, animals always favored their initially learned strategy to press just once, particularly so during the free-reward period. DLS inhibition surprisingly changed performance speed bidirectionally depending on the task shifts. DLS inhibition thus encouraged habitual behavior, suggesting it could normally help adapt to changing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam C G Crego
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Kenneth A Amaya
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Jensen A Palmer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Kyle S Smith
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
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Bryant KG, Singh B, Barker JM. Sex and individual differences in the effect of chronic low-dose ethanol on behavioral strategy selection. ALCOHOL, CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 48:132-141. [PMID: 38206280 PMCID: PMC10784635 DOI: 10.1111/acer.15218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The development of an alcohol use disorder (AUD) involves impaired behavioral control and flexibility. Behavioral inflexibility includes an inability to shift behavior in response to changes in behavioral outcomes. Low levels of ethanol drinking may promote the formation of inflexible, habitual reward seeking, but this may depend on the timing of ethanol exposure in relation to learning. The goal of this study was to determine whether a history of low-dose ethanol exposure promoted contingency-insensitive sucrose seeking and altered behavioral strategy selection. METHODS Male and female C57BL/6J mice were trained to perform a response (lever press) for sucrose on two different reinforcement schedules: one that is thought to promote inflexible responding (random interval) and one that maintains flexible responding (variable ratio [VR]). Following instrumental training each day, mice were exposed to saline or low-dose ethanol (0.5 g/kg; i.p.) either proximal (1 h after) or distal (4 h after) to learning. Mice were then tested for sensitivity to changes in contingency in a contingency degradation test. RESULTS A history of low-dose ethanol exposure shifted behavioral strategy selection, as measured by reward tracking behavior, but this depended on sex and reinforcement schedule history. Both male and female mice used different strategies depending on the reinforcement schedule, but only males exhibited ethanol-induced shifts in strategy selection. A history of low-dose ethanol exposure did not impact contingency sensitivity in males but promoted insensitivity in females specifically on the VR lever. CONCLUSIONS Female mice show distinct behavioral effects of repeated, low-dose ethanol exposure as compared to males, with sex differences in the use of reward tracking strategies to guide behavior. Future studies should investigate sex differences in the neural consequences of chronic low-dose ethanol exposure that may underlie behavioral changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen G. Bryant
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202
| | - Binay Singh
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102
| | - Jacqueline M. Barker
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102
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Bryant KG, Barker JM. Positive correlation between measures of habitual responding and motivated responding in mice. J Exp Anal Behav 2024; 121:74-87. [PMID: 38105634 PMCID: PMC10841761 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.895] [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: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Habit and motivation are thought to be separate processes, with motivated behavior often considered to be goal directed, whereas habits are defined by the absence of goal-directed control over behavior. However, there has been increasing interrogation of the binary nature of habitual versus goal-directed behavior. Furthermore, although drug and alcohol exposure can promote the formation of habits, drug seeking itself can also be highly flexible, pointing toward the need for complex consideration of the parallel processes that drive behavior. The goal of the current study was to determine whether there was a relation between motivation-as measured by progressive ratio-and habit-as measured by contingency degradation-and whether this relation was affected by ethanol exposure history and sex. The results showed that these measures were positively correlated such that greater contingency insensitivity was associated with achieving higher break points on the progressive-ratio task. However, this relation depended on reinforcement schedule history, ethanol exposure history, and sex. These point to potential relations between measures of habit and motivation and stress the importance of carefully parsing behavioral findings and assays. These findings are also expected to inform future substance use research, as drug history may affect these relations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen G Bryant
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Jacqueline M Barker
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Jin L, Zhang Z, Pan P, Zhao Y, Zhou M, Liu L, Zhai Y, Wang H, Xu L, Mei D, Zhang H, Yang Y, Hua J, Zhang X, Zhang L. Low-dose ethanol consumption inhibits neutrophil extracellular traps formation to alleviate rheumatoid arthritis. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1088. [PMID: 37884797 PMCID: PMC10603044 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05473-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease. Ethanol consumption has been reported to reduce morbidity in RA patients, but the mechanism behind it remains unclear. Our results showed that Muribaculaceae was predominant in the gut microbiota of mice after ethanol treatment, and the levels of microbiota metabolite acetate were increased. Acetate reduced arthritis severity in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice, which was associated with a decrease in the articular neutrophils and the myeloperoxidase-deoxyribonucleic acid complex in serum. Meanwhile, in vitro experiments confirmed that acetate affected neutrophil activity by acting on G-protein-coupled receptor 43, which reduced endoplasmic reticulum stress in neutrophils and inhibited neutrophil extracellular traps formation. Furthermore, exogenous acetate reversed CIA mice with exacerbated gut microbial disruption, further confirming that the effect of gut microbial metabolite acetate on neutrophils in vivo is crucial for the immune regulation. Our findings illuminate the metabolic and cellular mechanisms of the gut-joint axis in the regulation of autoimmune arthritis, and may offer alternative avenues to replicate or induce the joint-protective benefits of ethanol without associated detrimental effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Jin
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Anti-inflammatory Immune Drugs Collaborative Innovation Center, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Ziwei Zhang
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Anti-inflammatory Immune Drugs Collaborative Innovation Center, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Pin Pan
- Department of orthopedics, The Second People's Hospital of Hefei, Hefei Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230011, Anhui, China
| | - Yuchen Zhao
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Anti-inflammatory Immune Drugs Collaborative Innovation Center, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Mengqi Zhou
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Anti-inflammatory Immune Drugs Collaborative Innovation Center, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Lianghu Liu
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Anti-inflammatory Immune Drugs Collaborative Innovation Center, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Yuanfang Zhai
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Anti-inflammatory Immune Drugs Collaborative Innovation Center, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Han Wang
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Anti-inflammatory Immune Drugs Collaborative Innovation Center, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Li Xu
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Anti-inflammatory Immune Drugs Collaborative Innovation Center, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Dan Mei
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Anti-inflammatory Immune Drugs Collaborative Innovation Center, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Han Zhang
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Anti-inflammatory Immune Drugs Collaborative Innovation Center, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Yining Yang
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Anti-inflammatory Immune Drugs Collaborative Innovation Center, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Jinghan Hua
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- Anti-inflammatory Immune Drugs Collaborative Innovation Center, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Xianzheng Zhang
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China.
- Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China.
- Anti-inflammatory Immune Drugs Collaborative Innovation Center, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China.
| | - Lingling Zhang
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China.
- Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China.
- Anti-inflammatory Immune Drugs Collaborative Innovation Center, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China.
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