1
|
Eskenazi D, Malave L, Mingote S, Yetnikoff L, Ztaou S, Velicu V, Rayport S, Chuhma N. Dopamine Neurons That Cotransmit Glutamate, From Synapses to Circuits to Behavior. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:665386. [PMID: 34093138 PMCID: PMC8170480 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.665386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Discovered just over 20 years ago, dopamine neurons have the ability to cotransmit both dopamine and glutamate. Yet, the functional roles of dopamine neuron glutamate cotransmission and their implications for therapeutic use are just emerging. This review article encompasses the current body of evidence investigating the functions of dopamine neurons of the ventral midbrain that cotransmit glutamate. Since its discovery in dopamine neuron cultures, further work in vivo confirmed dopamine neuron glutamate cotransmission across species. From there, growing interest has led to research related to neural functioning including roles in synaptic signaling, development, and behavior. Functional connectome mapping reveals robust connections in multiple forebrain regions to various cell types, most notably to cholinergic interneurons in both the medial shell of the nucleus accumbens and the lateral dorsal striatum. Glutamate markers in dopamine neurons reach peak levels during embryonic development and increase in response to various toxins, suggesting dopamine neuron glutamate cotransmission may serve neuroprotective roles. Findings from behavioral analyses reveal prominent roles for dopamine neuron glutamate cotransmission in responses to psychostimulants, in positive valence and cognitive systems and for subtle roles in negative valence systems. Insight into dopamine neuron glutamate cotransmission informs the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders such as addiction, schizophrenia and Parkinson Disease, with therapeutic implications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Eskenazi
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Lauren Malave
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Susana Mingote
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
- Neuroscience Initiative, Advanced Science Research Center, Graduate Center of The City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Leora Yetnikoff
- Department of Psychology, College of Staten Island, City University of New York, Staten Island, NY, United States
- CUNY Neuroscience Collaborative, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Samira Ztaou
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Vlad Velicu
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Stephen Rayport
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Nao Chuhma
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gür E, Duyan YA, Türkakın E, Arkan S, Karson A, Balcı F. Aging impairs perceptual decision-making in mice: integrating computational and neurobiological approaches. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:1889-1902. [PMID: 32566973 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02101-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Decision-making is one of the cognitive domains which has been under-investigated in animal models of cognitive aging along with its neurobiological correlates. This study investigated the latent variables of the decision process using the hierarchical drift-diffusion model (HDDM). Neurobiological correlates of these processes were examined via immunohistochemistry. Young (n = 11, 4 months old), adult (n = 10, 10 months old), and old (n = 10, 18 months old) mice were tested in a perceptual decision-making task (i.e. two-alternative forced-choice; 2AFC). Observed data showed that there was an age-dependent decrease in the accuracy rate of old mice while response times were comparable between age groups. HDDM results revealed that age-dependent accuracy difference was a result of a decrease in the quality of evidence integration during decision-making. Significant positive correlations observed between evidence integration rate and the number of tyrosine hydroxylase positive (TH+) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and axon terminals in dorsomedial striatum (DMS) suggest that decrease in the quality of evidence integration in aging is related to decreased function of mesocortical and nigrostriatal dopamine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ezgi Gür
- Timing and Decision-Making Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Koç University, 34450, Istanbul, Turkey
- Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine, 34450, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Yalçın Akın Duyan
- Timing and Decision-Making Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Koç University, 34450, Istanbul, Turkey
- Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine, 34450, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Esin Türkakın
- Timing and Decision-Making Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Koç University, 34450, Istanbul, Turkey
- Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine, 34450, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Sertan Arkan
- Timing and Decision-Making Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Koç University, 34450, Istanbul, Turkey
- Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine, 34450, Istanbul, Turkey
- Physiology Department, Kocaeli University, Umuttepe Campus, 41380, Kocaeli, Turkey
| | - Ayşe Karson
- Physiology Department, Kocaeli University, Umuttepe Campus, 41380, Kocaeli, Turkey
| | - Fuat Balcı
- Timing and Decision-Making Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Koç University, 34450, Istanbul, Turkey.
- Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine, 34450, Istanbul, Turkey.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
The Avian Basal Ganglia Are a Source of Rapid Behavioral Variation That Enables Vocal Motor Exploration. J Neurosci 2018; 38:9635-9647. [PMID: 30249800 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2915-17.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The basal ganglia (BG) participate in aspects of reinforcement learning that require evaluation and selection of motor programs associated with improved performance. However, whether the BG additionally contribute to behavioral variation ("motor exploration") that forms the substrate for such learning remains unclear. In songbirds, a tractable system for studying BG-dependent skill learning, a role for the BG in generating exploratory variability, has been challenged by the finding that lesions of Area X, the song-specific component of the BG, have no lasting effects on several forms of vocal variability that have been studied. Here we demonstrate that lesions of Area X in adult male zebra finches (Taeniopygia gutatta) permanently eliminate rapid within-syllable variation in fundamental frequency (FF), which can act as motor exploration to enable reinforcement-driven song learning. In addition, we found that this within-syllable variation is elevated in juveniles and in adults singing alone, conditions that have been linked to enhanced song plasticity and elevated neural variability in Area X. Consistent with a model that variability is relayed from Area X, via its cortical target, the lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium (LMAN), to influence song motor circuitry, we found that lesions of LMAN also eliminate within-syllable variability. Moreover, we found that electrical perturbation of LMAN can drive fluctuations in FF that mimic naturally occurring within-syllable variability. Together, these results demonstrate that the BG are a central source of rapid behavioral variation that can serve as motor exploration for vocal learning.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Many complex motor skills, such as speech, are not innately programmed but are learned gradually through trial and error. Learning involves generating exploratory variability in action ("motor exploration") and evaluating subsequent performance to acquire motor programs that lead to improved performance. Although it is well established that the basal ganglia (BG) process signals relating to action evaluation and selection, whether and how the BG promote exploratory motor variability remain unclear. We investigated this question in songbirds, which learn to produce complex vocalizations through trial and error. In contrast with previous studies that did not find effects of BG lesions on vocal motor variability, we demonstrate that the BG are an essential source of rapid behavioral variation linked to vocal learning.
Collapse
|
4
|
Verma M, Wills Z, Chu CT. Excitatory Dendritic Mitochondrial Calcium Toxicity: Implications for Parkinson's and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:523. [PMID: 30116173 PMCID: PMC6083050 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Dysregulation of calcium homeostasis has been linked to multiple neurological diseases. In addition to excitotoxic neuronal cell death observed following stroke, a growing number of studies implicate excess excitatory neuronal activity in chronic neurodegenerative diseases. Mitochondria function to rapidly sequester large influxes of cytosolic calcium through the activity of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) complex, followed by more gradual release via calcium antiporters, such as NCLX. Increased cytosolic calcium levels almost invariably result in increased mitochondrial calcium uptake. While this response may augment mitochondrial respiration, limiting classic excitotoxic injury in the short term, recent studies employing live calcium imaging and molecular manipulation of calcium transporter activities suggest that mitochondrial calcium overload plays a key role in Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and related dementias [PD with dementia (PDD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD)]. Herein, we review the literature on increased excitatory input, mitochondrial calcium dysregulation, and the transcriptional or post-translational regulation of mitochondrial calcium transport proteins, with an emphasis on the PD-linked kinases LRRK2 and PINK1. The impact on pathological dendrite remodeling and neuroprotective effects of manipulating MCU, NCLX, and LETM1 are reviewed. We propose that shortening and simplification of the dendritic arbor observed in neurodegenerative diseases occur through a process of excitatory mitochondrial toxicity (EMT), which triggers mitophagy and perisynaptic mitochondrial depletion, mechanisms that are distinct from classic excitotoxicity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manish Verma
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Zachary Wills
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Charleen T Chu
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Center for Protein Conformational Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Center for Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Goto T, Ishibashi Y, Kajimura S, Oka R, Kusumi T. Belief in free will indirectly contributes to the strategic transition through sympathetic arousal. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2018.02.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
|
6
|
Abstract
Dopamine is a critical modulator of both learning and motivation. This presents a problem: how can target cells know whether increased dopamine is a signal to learn or to move? It is often presumed that motivation involves slow ('tonic') dopamine changes, while fast ('phasic') dopamine fluctuations convey reward prediction errors for learning. Yet recent studies have shown that dopamine conveys motivational value and promotes movement even on subsecond timescales. Here I describe an alternative account of how dopamine regulates ongoing behavior. Dopamine release related to motivation is rapidly and locally sculpted by receptors on dopamine terminals, independently from dopamine cell firing. Target neurons abruptly switch between learning and performance modes, with striatal cholinergic interneurons providing one candidate switch mechanism. The behavioral impact of dopamine varies by subregion, but in each case dopamine provides a dynamic estimate of whether it is worth expending a limited internal resource, such as energy, attention, or time.
Collapse
|
7
|
Apicella P. The role of the intrinsic cholinergic system of the striatum: What have we learned from TAN recordings in behaving animals? Neuroscience 2017; 360:81-94. [PMID: 28768155 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.07.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Cholinergic interneurons provide rich local innervation of the striatum and play an important role in controlling behavior, as evidenced by the variety of movement and psychiatric disorders linked to disrupted striatal cholinergic transmission. Much progress has been made in recent years regarding our understanding of how these interneurons contribute to the processing of information in the striatum. In particular, investigation of the activity of presumed striatal cholinergic interneurons, identified as tonically active neurons or TANs in behaving animals, has pointed to their role in the signaling and learning of the motivational relevance of environmental stimuli. Although the bulk of this work has been conducted in monkeys, several studies have also been carried out in behaving rats, but information remains rather disparate across studies and it is still questionable whether rodent TANs correspond to TANs described in monkeys. Consequently, our current understanding of the function of cholinergic transmission in the striatum is challenged by the rapidly growing, but often confusing literature on the relationship between TAN activity and specific behaviors. As regards the precise nature of the information conveyed by the cholinergic TANs, a recent influential view emphasized that these local circuit neurons may play a special role in the processing of contextual information that is important for reinforcement learning and selection of appropriate actions. This review provides a summary of recent progress in TAN physiology from which it is proposed that striatal cholinergic interneurons are crucial elements for flexible switching of behaviors under changing environmental conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul Apicella
- Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone UMR 7289, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, 13385 Marseille, France.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Stocco A, Murray NL, Yamasaki BL, Renno TJ, Nguyen J, Prat CS. Individual differences in the Simon effect are underpinned by differences in the competitive dynamics in the basal ganglia: An experimental verification and a computational model. Cognition 2017; 164:31-45. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2016] [Revised: 02/18/2017] [Accepted: 03/01/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
|
9
|
Stocco A. A Biologically Plausible Action Selection System for Cognitive Architectures: Implications of Basal Ganglia Anatomy for Learning and Decision-Making Models. Cogn Sci 2017; 42:457-490. [PMID: 28585747 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2017] [Revised: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 04/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Several attempts have been made previously to provide a biological grounding for cognitive architectures by relating their components to the computations of specific brain circuits. Often, the architecture's action selection system is identified with the basal ganglia. However, this identification overlooks one of the most important features of the basal ganglia-the existence of a direct and an indirect pathway that compete against each other. This characteristic has important consequences in decision-making tasks, which are brought to light by Parkinson's disease as well as genetic differences in dopamine receptors. This paper shows that a standard model of action selection in a cognitive architecture (ACT-R) cannot replicate any of these findings, details an alternative solution that reconciles action selection in the architecture with the physiology of the basal ganglia, and extends the domain of application of cognitive architectures. The implication of this solution for other architectures and existing models are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Stocco
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington.,Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS), University of Washington.,NSF Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering, University of Washington.,University of Washington Institute for Neuroengineering (UWIN), University of Washington
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Heterogeneous Responses of Tonically Active Interneurons in the Dorsal Striatum. J Neurosci 2016; 36:3412-3. [PMID: 27013670 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0099-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2016] [Accepted: 02/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
|
11
|
Franklin NT, Frank MJ. A cholinergic feedback circuit to regulate striatal population uncertainty and optimize reinforcement learning. eLife 2015; 4. [PMID: 26705698 PMCID: PMC4764588 DOI: 10.7554/elife.12029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2015] [Accepted: 12/24/2015] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Convergent evidence suggests that the basal ganglia support reinforcement learning by adjusting action values according to reward prediction errors. However, adaptive behavior in stochastic environments requires the consideration of uncertainty to dynamically adjust the learning rate. We consider how cholinergic tonically active interneurons (TANs) may endow the striatum with such a mechanism in computational models spanning three Marr's levels of analysis. In the neural model, TANs modulate the excitability of spiny neurons, their population response to reinforcement, and hence the effective learning rate. Long TAN pauses facilitated robustness to spurious outcomes by increasing divergence in synaptic weights between neurons coding for alternative action values, whereas short TAN pauses facilitated stochastic behavior but increased responsiveness to change-points in outcome contingencies. A feedback control system allowed TAN pauses to be dynamically modulated by uncertainty across the spiny neuron population, allowing the system to self-tune and optimize performance across stochastic environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas T Franklin
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, United States
| | - Michael J Frank
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, United States
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Laurent V, Morse AK, Balleine BW. The role of opioid processes in reward and decision-making. Br J Pharmacol 2015; 172:449-59. [PMID: 24930675 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2013] [Revised: 05/02/2014] [Accepted: 05/15/2014] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Contemporary theories emphasize the involvement of the endogenous opioid system in assigning hedonic values to rewards. Although earlier research supports this view, recent findings suggest that opioids play a larger and more complex role in reward processes than these theories suggest. For example, opioid activity in the basolateral amygdala is required for encoding incentive learning, a process by which the value of goal-directed actions is updated. Outside the amygdala, opioid receptors in the ventral striatum have been found to promote choice between different courses of action. Specifically, μ opioid receptors in the nucleus accumbens core and δ opioid receptors in the nucleus accumbens shell have been reported to mediate distinct aspects of incentive motivation; the core regulating the effect of experienced reward and the shell of predicted reward on choice. In both cases, the involvement of opioid receptors was restricted to the time of choice, although changes in their expression pattern could be observed prior to that point. This time-restricted involvement of opioid receptor-related processes is consistent with the view that opioids in the nucleus accumbens are central components of the limbic-motor interface, integrating reward-related information with instrumental learning to guide decision-making, particularly the selection and execution of goal-directed actions. LINKED ARTICLES This article is part of a themed section on Opioids: New Pathways to Functional Selectivity. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2015.172.issue-2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Laurent
- Behavioural Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain and Mind Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
The effects of regret on internalization of academic motivation: A longitudinal study. LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2014.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
|
14
|
Corbit LH, Balleine BW. Learning and Motivational Processes Contributing to Pavlovian-Instrumental Transfer and Their Neural Bases: Dopamine and Beyond. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2015; 27:259-89. [PMID: 26695169 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2015_388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Pavlovian stimuli exert a range of effects on behavior from simple conditioned reflexes, such as salivation, to altering the vigor and direction of instrumental actions. It is currently accepted that these distinct behavioral effects stem from two sources (i) the various associative connections between predictive stimuli and the component features of the events that these stimuli predict and (ii) the distinct motivational and cognitive functions served by cues, particularly their arousing and informational effects on the selection and performance of specific actions. Here, we describe studies that have assessed these latter phenomena using a paradigm that has come to be called Pavlovian-instrumental transfer. We focus first on behavioral experiments that have described distinct sources of stimulus control derived from the general affective and outcome-specific predictions of conditioned stimuli, referred to as general transfer and specific transfer, respectively. Subsequently, we describe research efforts attempting to establish the neural bases of these transfer effects, largely in the afferent and efferent connections of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core and shell. Finally, we examine the role of predictive cues in examples of aberrant stimulus control associated with psychiatric disorders and addiction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura H Corbit
- Department of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Bernard W Balleine
- Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, 94 Mallett Street, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Naudé J, Dongelmans M, Faure P. Nicotinic alteration of decision-making. Neuropharmacology 2014; 96:244-54. [PMID: 25498234 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2014] [Revised: 11/09/2014] [Accepted: 11/26/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Addiction to nicotine is characterized by impulses, urges and lack of self-control towards cigarettes. A key element in the process of addiction is the development of habits oriented towards nicotine consumption that surpass flexible systems as a consequence of a gradual adaptation to chronic drug exposure. However, the long-term effects of nicotine on brain circuits also induce wide changes in decision-making processes, affecting behaviors unrelated to cigarettes. This review aims at providing an update on the implications of nicotine on general decision-making processes, with an emphasis on impulsivity and risk-taking. As impulsivity is a rather ambiguous behavioral trait, we build on economic and normative theories to better characterize these nicotine-induced alterations in decision-making. Nonetheless, experimental data are sparse and often contradictory. We will discuss how the latest findings on the neurobiological basis of choice behavior may help disentangling these issues. We focus on the role of nicotine acetylcholine receptors and their different subunits, and on the spatio-temporal dynamics (i.e. diversity of the neural circuits, short- and long-term effects) of both endogenous acetylcholine and nicotine action. Finally, we try to link these neurobiological results with neuro-computational models of attention, valuation and action, and of the role of acetylcholine in these decision processes. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'The Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor: From Molecular Biology to Cognition'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jérémie Naudé
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie, CNRS UMR 8246, INSERM U 1130, UPMC UM CR18, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Malou Dongelmans
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie, CNRS UMR 8246, INSERM U 1130, UPMC UM CR18, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Philippe Faure
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie, CNRS UMR 8246, INSERM U 1130, UPMC UM CR18, 75005 Paris, France.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Laurent V, Wong FL, Balleine BW. δ-Opioid receptors in the accumbens shell mediate the influence of both excitatory and inhibitory predictions on choice. Br J Pharmacol 2014; 172:562-70. [PMID: 24758591 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2013] [Revised: 02/05/2014] [Accepted: 03/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Stimuli that predict rewarding events can control choice between future actions, and this control could be mediated by δ-opioid receptors in the nucleus accumbens shell (NAc-S). Stimuli predicting the absence of important events can also guide choice, although it remains unknown whether they do so via changes in an accumbal δ-opioid receptor-related process. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH δ-opioid receptor-eGFP mice were trained to perform two instrumental actions that delivered different food outcomes. Choice between the two actions was then tested in the presence of stimuli paired with either the delivery or the non-delivery of each of the two outcomes. Bilateral infusions of the δ-opioid receptor antagonist naltrindole into the NAc-S were used to determine the role of these receptors at the time of choice and δ-opioid receptor expression in the NAc-S used to assess functional activity. KEY RESULTS A stimulus predicting a specific outcome biased choice performance towards the action previously earning that same outcome. In contrast, a stimulus signalling the absence of that outcome biased performance away from the action that delivered that outcome towards actions associated with the absence of that outcome. Both effects were associated with increased δ-opioid receptor expression on the membrane of cholinergic interneurons within the NAc-S. Furthermore, both effects were blocked by naltrindole infused into the NAc-S. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS These findings suggest that δ-opioid receptors in the NAc-S were involved in the effects of predictive learning on choice between actions, whether those predictions involve the presence or absence of specific rewarding events. LINKED ARTICLES This article is part of a themed section on Opioids: New Pathways to Functional Selectivity. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2015.172.issue-2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Laurent
- Behavioural Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain and Mind Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Filoteo JV, Maddox WT. Procedural-based category learning in patients with Parkinson's disease: impact of category number and category continuity. Front Syst Neurosci 2014; 8:14. [PMID: 24600355 PMCID: PMC3928591 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2014.00014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2013] [Accepted: 01/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Previously we found that Parkinson's disease (PD) patients are impaired in procedural-based category learning when category membership is defined by a nonlinear relationship between stimulus dimensions, but these same patients are normal when the rule is defined by a linear relationship (Maddox and Filoteo, 2001; Filoteo et al., 2005a,b). We suggested that PD patients' impairment was due to a deficit in recruiting “striatal units” to represent complex nonlinear rules. In the present study, we further examined the nature of PD patients' procedural-based deficit in two experiments designed to examine the impact of (1) the number of categories, and (2) category discontinuity on learning. Results indicated that PD patients were impaired only under discontinuous category conditions but were normal when the number of categories was increased from two to four. The lack of impairment in the four-category condition suggests normal integrity of striatal medium spiny cells involved in procedural-based category learning. In contrast, and consistent with our previous observation of a nonlinear deficit, the finding that PD patients were impaired in the discontinuous condition suggests that these patients are impaired when they have to associate perceptually distinct exemplars with the same category. Theoretically, this deficit might be related to dysfunctional communication among medium spiny neurons within the striatum, particularly given that these are cholinergic neurons and a cholinergic deficiency could underlie some of PD patients' cognitive impairment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Vincent Filoteo
- Veterans Administration San Diego Healthcare System San Diego, CA, USA ; Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, CA, USA
| | - W Todd Maddox
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas Austin, TX, USA ; Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas Austin, TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Stocco A, Lebiere C. Inhibitory synapses between striatal projection neurons support efficient enhancement of cortical signals: a computational model. J Comput Neurosci 2013; 37:65-80. [PMID: 24306077 DOI: 10.1007/s10827-013-0490-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2012] [Revised: 11/12/2013] [Accepted: 11/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The function of lateral inhibitory synapses between striatal projection neurons is currently poorly understood. This paper puts forward a model suggesting that inhibitory collaterals can be used to enhance the incoming cortical signals. In particular, we propose that lateral inhibition between projection neurons performs a signal-enhancing process that resembles the image processing technique of "unsharp masking", where a blurred copy is used to enhance and sharpen an input image. The paper also presents the results of computer simulations deomsntrating that the proposed mechanisms is compatible with known properties of striatal projection neurons, and outperforms alternative models of lateral inhibition. Finally, this paper illustrates the advantages of the proposed model and discusses the relevance of these conclusions for existing computational models of the basal ganglia and their role in cognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Stocco
- Department of Psychology and Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA,
| | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Learning-related translocation of δ-opioid receptors on ventral striatal cholinergic interneurons mediates choice between goal-directed actions. J Neurosci 2013; 33:16060-71. [PMID: 24107940 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1927-13.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of animals to extract predictive information from the environment to inform their future actions is a critical component of decision-making. This phenomenon is studied in the laboratory using the pavlovian-instrumental transfer protocol in which a stimulus predicting a specific pavlovian outcome biases choice toward those actions earning the predicted outcome. It is well established that this transfer effect is mediated by corticolimbic afferents on the nucleus accumbens shell (NAc-S), and recent evidence suggests that δ-opioid receptors (DORs) play an essential role in this effect. In DOR-eGFP knock-in mice, we show a persistent, learning-related plasticity in the translocation of DORs to the somatic plasma membrane of cholinergic interneurons (CINs) in the NAc-S during the encoding of the specific stimulus-outcome associations essential for pavlovian-instrumental transfer. We found that increased membrane DOR expression reflected both stimulus-based predictions of reward and the degree to which these stimuli biased choice during the pavlovian-instrumental transfer test. Furthermore, this plasticity altered the firing pattern of CINs increasing the variance of action potential activity, an effect that was exaggerated by DOR stimulation. The relationship between the induction of membrane DOR expression in CINs and both pavlovian conditioning and pavlovian-instrumental transfer provides a highly specific function for DOR-related modulation in the NAc-S, and it is consistent with an emerging role for striatal CIN activity in the processing of predictive information. Therefore, our results reveal evidence of a long-term, experience-dependent plasticity in opioid receptor expression on striatal modulatory interneurons critical for the cognitive control of action.
Collapse
|
20
|
Ohira H, Matsunaga M, Murakami H, Osumi T, Fukuyama S, Shinoda J, Yamada J. Neural mechanisms mediating association of sympathetic activity and exploration in decision-making. Neuroscience 2013; 246:362-74. [PMID: 23643977 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.04.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2013] [Revised: 04/02/2013] [Accepted: 04/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The somatic marker hypothesis asserts that decision-making can be guided by feedback of bodily states to the brain. In line with this hypothesis, the present study tested whether sympathetic activity shows an association with a tonic dimension of decision-making, exploratory tendency represented by entropy in information theory, and further examined the neural mechanisms of the association. Twenty participants performed a stochastic reversal learning task that required decision-making in an unstable and uncertain situation. Regional cerebral blood flow was evaluated using (15)O-water positron emission tomography (PET), and cardiovascular indices and concentrations of catecholamine in peripheral blood were also measured, during the task. In reversal learning, increased epinephrine during the task positively correlated with larger entropy, indicating a greater tendency for exploration in decision-making. The increase of epinephrine also correlated with brain activity revealed by PET in the somatosensory cortices, anterior insula, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and the dorsal pons. This result is consistent with previously reported brain matrixes of representation of bodily states and interoception. In addition, activity of the anterior insula specifically correlated with entropy, suggesting possible mediation of this brain region between peripheral sympathetic arousal and exploration in decision-making. These findings shed a new light about a role of bodily states in decision-making and underlying neural mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H Ohira
- Department of Psychology, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|