1
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Rosenberg BM, Moreira JFG, Leal ASM, Saragosa-Harris NM, Gaines E, Meredith WJ, Waizman Y, Ninova E, Silvers JA. Functional connectivity between the nucleus accumbens and amygdala underlies avoidance learning during adolescence: Implications for developmental psychopathology. Dev Psychopathol 2024:1-13. [PMID: 39324228 DOI: 10.1017/s095457942400141x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/27/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reward and threat processes work together to support adaptive learning during development. Adolescence is associated with increasing approach behavior (e.g., novelty-seeking, risk-taking) but often also coincides with emerging internalizing symptoms, which are characterized by heightened avoidance behavior. Peaking engagement of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) during adolescence, often studied in reward paradigms, may also relate to threat mechanisms of adolescent psychopathology. METHODS 47 typically developing adolescents (9.9-22.9 years) completed an aversive learning task during functional magnetic resonance imaging, wherein visual cues were paired with an aversive sound or no sound. Task blocks involved an escapable aversively reinforced stimulus (CS+r), the same stimulus without reinforcement (CS+nr), or a stimulus that was never reinforced (CS-). Parent-reported internalizing symptoms were measured using Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scales. RESULTS Functional connectivity between the NAcc and amygdala differentiated the stimuli, such that connectivity increased for the CS+r (p = .023) but not for the CS+nr and CS-. Adolescents with greater internalizing symptoms demonstrated greater positive functional connectivity for the CS- (p = .041). CONCLUSIONS Adolescents show heightened NAcc-amygdala functional connectivity during escape from threat. Higher anxiety and depression symptoms are associated with elevated NAcc-amygdala connectivity during safety, which may reflect poor safety versus threat discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M Rosenberg
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - João F Guassi Moreira
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Adriana S Méndez Leal
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth Gaines
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Wesley J Meredith
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yael Waizman
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Emilia Ninova
- College of Social Work, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Jennifer A Silvers
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
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2
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Borland JM. The effects of different types of social interactions on the electrophysiology of neurons in the nucleus accumbens in rodents. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 164:105809. [PMID: 39004323 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105809] [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: 04/23/2024] [Revised: 07/05/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
BORLAND, J.M., The effects of different types of social interactions on the electrophysiology of neurons in the nucleus accumbens in rodents, NEUROSCI BIOBEH REV 21(1) XXX-XXX, 2024.-Sociality shapes an organisms' life. The nucleus accumbens is a critical brain region for mental health. In the following review, the effects of different types of social interactions on the physiology of neurons in the nucleus accumbens is synthesized. More specifically, the effects of sex behavior, aggression, social defeat, pair-bonding, play behavior, affiliative interactions, parental behaviors, the isolation from social interactions and maternal separation on measures of excitatory synaptic transmission, intracellular signaling and factors of transcription and translation in neurons in the nucleus accumbens in rodent models are reviewed. Similarities and differences in effects depending on the type of social interaction is then discussed. This review improves the understanding of the molecular and synaptic mechanisms of sociality.
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3
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Zhou X, Stine C, Prada PO, Fusca D, Assoumou K, Dernic J, Bhat MA, Achanta AS, Johnson JC, Pasqualini AL, Jadhav S, Bauder CA, Steuernagel L, Ravotto L, Benke D, Weber B, Suko A, Palmiter RD, Stoeber M, Kloppenburg P, Brüning JC, Bruchas MR, Patriarchi T. Development of a genetically encoded sensor for probing endogenous nociceptin opioid peptide release. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5353. [PMID: 38918403 PMCID: PMC11199706 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49712-0] [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: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Nociceptin/orphanin-FQ (N/OFQ) is a recently appreciated critical opioid peptide with key regulatory functions in several central behavioral processes including motivation, stress, feeding, and sleep. The functional relevance of N/OFQ action in the mammalian brain remains unclear due to a lack of high-resolution approaches to detect this neuropeptide with appropriate spatial and temporal resolution. Here we develop and characterize NOPLight, a genetically encoded sensor that sensitively reports changes in endogenous N/OFQ release. We characterized the affinity, pharmacological profile, spectral properties, kinetics, ligand selectivity, and potential interaction with intracellular signal transducers of NOPLight in vitro. Its functionality was established in acute brain slices by exogeneous N/OFQ application and chemogenetic induction of endogenous N/OFQ release from PNOC neurons. In vivo studies with fibre photometry enabled direct recording of NOPLight binding to exogenous N/OFQ receptor ligands, as well as detection of endogenous N/OFQ release within the paranigral ventral tegmental area (pnVTA) during natural behaviors and chemogenetic activation of PNOC neurons. In summary, we show here that NOPLight can be used to detect N/OFQ opioid peptide signal dynamics in tissue and freely behaving animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuehan Zhou
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Carrie Stine
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Patricia Oliveira Prada
- Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, Germany
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD) and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- School of Applied Sciences, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Limeira, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Debora Fusca
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD) and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Institute of Zoology, Department of Biology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Kevin Assoumou
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jan Dernic
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Musadiq A Bhat
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Ananya S Achanta
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Joseph C Johnson
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Amanda Loren Pasqualini
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sanjana Jadhav
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Corinna A Bauder
- Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, Germany
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD) and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Lukas Steuernagel
- Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, Germany
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD) and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Luca Ravotto
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Dietmar Benke
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Bruno Weber
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Azra Suko
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Richard D Palmiter
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Departments of Biochemistry and Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Miriam Stoeber
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Peter Kloppenburg
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD) and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Institute of Zoology, Department of Biology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Jens C Brüning
- Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, Germany
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD) and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Policlinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Preventive Medicine (PEDP), University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Michael R Bruchas
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Tommaso Patriarchi
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
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4
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Jeong Y, Noh J. Neurophysiological analysis of disadvantageous social inequity: Exploring emotional behavior changes and c-Fos expression in a male rat model. Behav Brain Res 2024; 466:114983. [PMID: 38580200 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114983] [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: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
Humans and other animals exhibit aversive behavioral and emotional responses to unequal reward distributions compared with their conspecifics. Despite the significance of this phenomenon, experimental animal models designed to investigate social inequity aversion and delve into the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms are limited. In this study, we developed a rat model to determine the effects of socially equal or unequal reward and stress on emotional changes in male rats. During the training session, the rats were trained to escape when a sound cue was presented, and they were assigned to one of the following groups: all escaping rats [advantageous equity (AE)], freely moving rats alongside a restrained rat [advantageous inequity (AI)], all restrained rats [disadvantageous equity (DE)], and a rat restrained in the presence of freely moving companions [disadvantageous inequity (DI)]. During the test session, rats in the advantageous group (AE and AI) escaped after the cue sound (expected reward acquisition), whereas rats in the disadvantageous group (DE and DI) could not escape despite the cue being presented (expected reward deprivation). Emotional alteration induced by exposure to restraint stress under various social interaction circumstances was examined using an open field test. Notably, the DI group displayed reduced exploration of the center zone during the open field tests compared with the other groups, indicating heightened anxiety-like behaviors in response to reward inequity. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed increased c-Fos expression in the medial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices, coupled with reduced c-Fos expression in the striatum and nucleus accumbens under DI conditions, in contrast to the other experimental conditions. These findings provide compelling evidence that rats are particularly sensitive to reward inequity, shedding light on the neurophysiological basis for distinct cognitive processes that manifest when individuals are exposed to social equity and inequity situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujeong Jeong
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea
| | - Jihyun Noh
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea.
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5
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Zhou X, Stine C, Prada PO, Fusca D, Assoumou K, Dernic J, Bhat MA, Achanta AS, Johnson JC, Pasqualini AL, Jadhav S, Bauder CA, Steuernagel L, Ravotto L, Benke D, Weber B, Suko A, Palmiter RD, Stoeber M, Kloppenburg P, Brüning JC, Bruchas MR, Patriarchi T. Development of a genetically encoded sensor for probing endogenous nociceptin opioid peptide release. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.05.26.542102. [PMID: 37292957 PMCID: PMC10245933 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.26.542102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Nociceptin/orphanin-FQ (N/OFQ) is a recently appreciated critical opioid peptide with key regulatory functions in several central behavioral processes including motivation, stress, feeding, and sleep. The functional relevance of N/OFQ action in the mammalian brain remains unclear due to a lack of high-resolution approaches to detect this neuropeptide with appropriate spatial and temporal resolution. Here we develop and characterize NOPLight, a genetically encoded sensor that sensitively reports changes in endogenous N/OFQ release. We characterized the affinity, pharmacological profile, spectral properties, kinetics, ligand selectivity, and potential interaction with intracellular signal transducers of NOPLight in vitro. Its functionality was established in acute brain slices by exogeneous N/OFQ application and chemogenetic induction of endogenous N/OFQ release from PNOC neurons. In vivo studies with fibre photometry enabled direct recording of NOPLight binding to exogenous N/OFQ receptor ligands, as well as detection of endogenous N/OFQ release within the paranigral ventral tegmental area (pnVTA) during natural behaviors and chemogenetic activation of PNOC neurons. In summary, we show here that NOPLight can be used to detect N/OFQ opioid peptide signal dynamics in tissue and freely behaving animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuehan Zhou
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, CH
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zürich, Zürich, CH
| | - Carrie Stine
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Departments of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Patricia Oliveira Prada
- Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, DE
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD) and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, DE
- School of Applied Sciences, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Limeira, Sao Paulo, BR
| | - Debora Fusca
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD) and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, DE
- Institute of Zoology, Department of Biology, University of Cologne, DE
| | - Kevin Assoumou
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, University of Geneva, CH
| | - Jan Dernic
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, CH
| | - Musadiq A Bhat
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, CH
| | - Ananya S Achanta
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Departments of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Joseph C Johnson
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Departments of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Amanda Loren Pasqualini
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Departments of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sanjana Jadhav
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Departments of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Corinna A Bauder
- Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, DE
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD) and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, DE
| | - Lukas Steuernagel
- Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, DE
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD) and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, DE
| | - Luca Ravotto
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, CH
| | - Dietmar Benke
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, CH
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zürich, Zürich, CH
| | - Bruno Weber
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, CH
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zürich, Zürich, CH
| | - Azra Suko
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Departments of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Richard D Palmiter
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Departments of Biochemistry and Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Miriam Stoeber
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, University of Geneva, CH
| | - Peter Kloppenburg
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD) and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, DE
- Institute of Zoology, Department of Biology, University of Cologne, DE
| | - Jens C Brüning
- Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, DE
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases (CECAD) and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, DE
- Policlinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Preventive Medicine (PEDP), University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, DE
| | - Michael R Bruchas
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Departments of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Tommaso Patriarchi
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, CH
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zürich, Zürich, CH
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6
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Faget L, Oriol L, Lee WC, Zell V, Sargent C, Flores A, Hollon NG, Ramanathan D, Hnasko TS. Ventral pallidum GABA and glutamate neurons drive approach and avoidance through distinct modulation of VTA cell types. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4233. [PMID: 38762463 PMCID: PMC11102457 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48340-y] [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: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The ventral pallidum (VP) contains GABA and glutamate neurons projecting to ventral tegmental area (VTA) whose stimulation drives approach and avoidance, respectively. Yet little is known about the mechanisms by which VP cell types shape VTA activity and drive behavior. Here, we found that both VP GABA and glutamate neurons were activated during approach to reward or by delivery of an aversive stimulus. Stimulation of VP GABA neurons inhibited VTA GABA, but activated dopamine and glutamate neurons. Remarkably, stimulation-evoked activation was behavior-contingent such that VTA recruitment was inhibited when evoked by the subject's own action. Conversely, VP glutamate neurons activated VTA GABA, as well as dopamine and glutamate neurons, despite driving aversion. However, VP glutamate neurons evoked dopamine in aversion-associated ventromedial nucleus accumbens (NAc), but reduced dopamine release in reward-associated dorsomedial NAc. These findings show how heterogeneous VP projections to VTA can be engaged to shape approach and avoidance behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Faget
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
| | - Lucie Oriol
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Wen-Chun Lee
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Vivien Zell
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Cody Sargent
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Andrew Flores
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Nick G Hollon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Dhakshin Ramanathan
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Thomas S Hnasko
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
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7
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Bornhoft KN, Prohofsky J, O'Neal TJ, Wolff AR, Saunders BT. Valence ambiguity dynamically shapes striatal dopamine heterogeneity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.17.594692. [PMID: 38798567 PMCID: PMC11118546 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.17.594692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Adaptive decision making relies on dynamic updating of learned associations where environmental cues come to predict positive and negatively valenced stimuli, such as food or threat. Flexible cue-guided behaviors depend on a network of brain systems, including dopamine signaling in the striatum, which is critical for learning and maintenance of conditioned behaviors. Critically, it remains unclear how dopamine signaling encodes multi-valent, dynamic learning contexts, where positive and negative associations must be rapidly disambiguated. To understand this, we employed a Pavlovian discrimination paradigm, where cues predicting positive and negative outcomes were intermingled during conditioning sessions, and their meaning was serially reversed across training. We found that rats readily distinguished these cues, and updated their behavior rapidly upon valence reversal. Using fiber photometry, we recorded dopamine signaling in three major striatal subregions -,the dorsolateral striatum (DLS), the nucleus accumbens core, and the nucleus accumbens medial shell - and found heterogeneous responses to positive and negative conditioned cues and their predicted outcomes. Valence ambiguity introduced by cue reversal reshaped striatal dopamine on different timelines: nucleus accumbens core and shell signals updated more readily than those in the DLS. Together, these results suggest that striatal dopamine flexibly encodes multi-valent learning contexts, and these signals are dynamically modulated by changing contingencies to resolve ambiguity about the meaning of environmental cues.
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8
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Tsuboi D, Nagai T, Yoshimoto J, Kaibuchi K. Neuromodulator regulation and emotions: insights from the crosstalk of cell signaling. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 17:1376762. [PMID: 38516040 PMCID: PMC10954900 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1376762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The unraveling of the regulatory mechanisms that govern neuronal excitability is a major challenge for neuroscientists worldwide. Neurotransmitters play a critical role in maintaining the balance between excitatory and inhibitory activity in the brain. The balance controls cognitive functions and emotional responses. Glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are the primary excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters of the brain, respectively. Disruptions in the balance between excitatory and inhibitory transmission are implicated in several psychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorders, depression, and schizophrenia. Neuromodulators such as dopamine and acetylcholine control cognition and emotion by regulating the excitatory/inhibitory balance initiated by glutamate and GABA. Dopamine is closely associated with reward-related behaviors, while acetylcholine plays a role in aversive and attentional behaviors. Although the physiological roles of neuromodulators have been extensively studied neuroanatomically and electrophysiologically, few researchers have explored the interplay between neuronal excitability and cell signaling and the resulting impact on emotion regulation. This review provides an in-depth understanding of "cell signaling crosstalk" in the context of neuronal excitability and emotion regulation. It also anticipates that the next generation of neurochemical analyses, facilitated by integrated phosphorylation studies, will shed more light on this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Tsuboi
- Division of Cell Biology, International Center for Brain Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
| | - Taku Nagai
- Division of Behavioral Neuropharmacology, International Center for Brain Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
| | - Junichiro Yoshimoto
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
| | - Kozo Kaibuchi
- Division of Cell Biology, International Center for Brain Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
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9
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Ronström JW, Williams SB, Payne A, Obray DJ, Hafen C, Burris M, Scott Weber K, Steffensen SC, Yorgason JT. Interleukin-10 enhances activity of ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons resulting in increased dopamine release. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 113:145-155. [PMID: 37453452 PMCID: PMC10530119 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.07.007] [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: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Dopamine transmission from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) regulates important aspects of motivation and is influenced by the neuroimmune system. The neuroimmune system is a complex network of leukocytes, microglia and astrocytes that detect and remove foreign threats like bacteria or viruses and communicate with each other to regulate non-immune (e.g neuronal) cell activity through cytokine signaling. Inflammation is a key regulator of motivational states, though the effects of specific cytokines on VTA circuitry and motivation are largely unknown. Therefore, electrophysiology, neurochemical, immunohistochemical and behavioral studies were performed to determine the effects of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) on mesolimbic activity, dopamine transmission and conditioned behavior. IL-10 enhanced VTA dopamine firing and NAc dopamine levels via decreased VTA GABA currents in dopamine neurons. The IL-10 receptor was localized on VTA dopamine and non-dopamine cells. The IL-10 effects on dopamine neurons required post-synaptic phosphoinositide 3-kinase activity, and IL-10 appeared to have little-to-no efficacy on presynaptic GABA terminals. Intracranial IL-10 enhanced NAc dopamine levels in vivo and produced conditioned place aversion. Together, these studies identify the IL-10R on VTA dopamine neurons as a potential regulator of motivational states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joakim W Ronström
- Brigham Young University, Department of Psychology/Neuroscience, Provo, UT 84602, United States
| | - Stephanie B Williams
- Brigham Young University, Department of Psychology/Neuroscience, Provo, UT 84602, United States
| | - Andrew Payne
- Brigham Young University, Department of Psychology/Neuroscience, Provo, UT 84602, United States
| | - Daniel J Obray
- Brigham Young University, Department of Psychology/Neuroscience, Provo, UT 84602, United States
| | - Caylor Hafen
- Brigham Young University, Department of Psychology/Neuroscience, Provo, UT 84602, United States
| | - Matthew Burris
- Brigham Young University, Department of Cellular Biology and Physiology, Provo, UT 84602, United States
| | - K Scott Weber
- Brigham Young University, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Provo, UT 84602, United States
| | - Scott C Steffensen
- Brigham Young University, Department of Psychology/Neuroscience, Provo, UT 84602, United States
| | - Jordan T Yorgason
- Brigham Young University, Department of Psychology/Neuroscience, Provo, UT 84602, United States; Brigham Young University, Department of Cellular Biology and Physiology, Provo, UT 84602, United States.
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10
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Silk JS, Sequeira SS, Jones NP, Lee KH, Dahl RE, Forbes EE, Ryan ND, Ladouceur CD. Subgenual Anterior Cingulate Cortex Reactivity to Rejection Vs. Acceptance Predicts Depressive Symptoms among Adolescents with an Anxiety History. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL FOR THE SOCIETY OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY, AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, DIVISION 53 2023; 52:659-674. [PMID: 35072560 PMCID: PMC9308833 DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2021.2019048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to examine whether neural sensitivity to negative peer evaluation conveys risk for depression among youth with a history of anxiety. We hypothesized that brain activation in regions that process affective salience in response to rejection, relative to acceptance, from virtual peers would predict depressive symptoms 1 year later and would be associated with ecological momentary assessment (EMA) reports of peer connectedness. METHOD Participants were 38 adolescents ages 11-16 (50% female) with a history of anxiety, recruited from a previous clinical trial. The study was a prospective naturalistic follow-up of depressive symptoms assessed 2 years (Wave 2) and 3 years (Wave 3) following treatment. At Wave 2, participants completed the Chatroom Interact Task during neuroimaging and 16 days of EMA. RESULTS Controlling for depressive and anxiety symptoms at Wave 2, subgenual anterior cingulate (sgACC; β = .39, p = .010) activation to peer rejection (vs. acceptance) predicted depressive symptoms at Wave 3. SgACC activation to rejection (vs. acceptance) was highly negatively correlated with EMA reports of connectedness with peers in daily life (r = - .71, p < .001). CONCLUSION Findings suggest that elevated sgACC activation to negative, relative to positive, peer evaluation may serve as a risk factor for depressive symptoms among youth with a history of anxiety, perhaps by promoting vigilance or reactivity to social evaluative threats. SgACC activation to simulated peer evaluation appears to have implications for understanding how adolescents experience their daily social environments in ways that could contribute to depressive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Neil P Jones
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh
| | - Kyung Hwa Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine
| | - Ronald E Dahl
- School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley
| | | | - Neal D Ryan
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh
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11
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Faget L, Oriol L, Lee WC, Sargent C, Ramanathan D, Hnasko TS. Ventral pallidum GABA and glutamate neurons drive approach and avoidance through distinct modulation of VTA cell types. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.12.548750. [PMID: 37502884 PMCID: PMC10369949 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.12.548750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
The ventral pallidum (VP) contains GABA and glutamate (Glut) neurons projecting to ventral tegmental area (VTA) whose stimulation drives approach and avoidance, respectively. Yet little is known about the cell-type-specific mechanisms by which VP projections to VTA drive behavior. Here, we found that both VP GABA and Glut neurons were activated during approach to reward or delivery of an aversive stimulus. Stimulation of VP GABA neurons inhibited VTA GABA, but activated dopamine (DA) and glutamate neurons. Remarkably, this cell-type-specific recruitment was behavior-contingent such that VTA recruitment was inhibited when evoked by the subject's own action. Conversely, VP Glut neurons activated VTA GABA, as well as DA and Glut neurons, despite driving aversion. However, VP Glut neurons evoked DA in reward-associated ventromedial nucleus accumbens (NAc), but reduced DA in aversion-associated dorsomedial NAc. These findings show how heterogeneous VP cell types can engage VTA cell types to shape approach and avoidance behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Faget
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
| | - Lucie Oriol
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Wen-Chun Lee
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Cody Sargent
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Dhakshin Ramanathan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
| | - Thomas S. Hnasko
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
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12
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Esancy K, Conceicao LL, Curtright A, Tran T, Condon L, Lecamp B, Dhaka A. A novel small molecule, AS1, reverses the negative hedonic valence of noxious stimuli. BMC Biol 2023; 21:69. [PMID: 37013580 PMCID: PMC10071644 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01573-7] [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: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pain is the primary reason people seek medical care, with chronic pain affecting ~ 20% of people in the USA. However, many existing analgesics are ineffective in treating chronic pain, while others (e.g., opioids) have undesirable side effects. Here, we describe the screening of a small molecule library using a thermal place aversion assay in larval zebrafish to identify compounds that alter aversion to noxious thermal stimuli and could thus serve as potential analgesics. RESULTS From our behavioral screen, we discovered a small molecule, Analgesic Screen 1 (AS1), which surprisingly elicited attraction to noxious painful heat. When we further explored the effects of this compound using other behavioral place preference assays, we found that AS1 was similarly able to reverse the negative hedonic valence of other painful (chemical) and non-painful (dark) aversive stimuli without being inherently rewarding. Interestingly, targeting molecular pathways canonically associated with analgesia did not replicate the effects of AS1. A neuronal imaging assay revealed that clusters of dopaminergic neurons, as well as forebrain regions located in the teleost equivalent of the basal ganglia, were highly upregulated in the specific context of AS1 and aversive heat. Through a combination of behavioral assays and pharmacological manipulation of dopamine circuitry, we determined that AS1 acts via D1 dopamine receptor pathways to elicit this attraction to noxious stimuli. CONCLUSIONS Together, our results suggest that AS1 relieves an aversion-imposed "brake" on dopamine release, and that this unique mechanism may provide valuable insight into the development of new valence-targeting analgesic drugs, as well as medications for other valence-related neurological conditions, such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kali Esancy
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Lais L Conceicao
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Andrew Curtright
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Thanh Tran
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Logan Condon
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Bryce Lecamp
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Ajay Dhaka
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
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13
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He ZX, Xi K, Liu KJ, Yue MH, Wang Y, Yin YY, Liu L, He XX, Yu HL, Xing ZK, Zhu XJ. A Nucleus Accumbens Tac1 Neural Circuit Regulates Avoidance Responses to Aversive Stimuli. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054346. [PMID: 36901777 PMCID: PMC10001899 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural circuits that control aversion are essential for motivational regulation and survival in animals. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays an important role in predicting aversive events and translating motivations into actions. However, the NAc circuits that mediate aversive behaviors remain elusive. Here, we report that tachykinin precursor 1 (Tac1) neurons in the NAc medial shell regulate avoidance responses to aversive stimuli. We show that NAcTac1 neurons project to the lateral hypothalamic area (LH) and that the NAcTac1→LH pathway contributes to avoidance responses. Moreover, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) sends excitatory inputs to the NAc, and this circuit is involved in the regulation of avoidance responses to aversive stimuli. Overall, our study reveals a discrete NAc Tac1 circuit that senses aversive stimuli and drives avoidance behaviors.
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14
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Goedhoop JN, van den Boom BJG, Robke R, Veen F, Fellinger L, van Elzelingen W, Arbab T, Willuhn I. Nucleus accumbens dopamine tracks aversive stimulus duration and prediction but not value or prediction error. eLife 2022; 11:e82711. [PMID: 36366962 PMCID: PMC9651945 DOI: 10.7554/elife.82711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
There is active debate on the role of dopamine in processing aversive stimuli, where inferred roles range from no involvement at all, to signaling an aversive prediction error (APE). Here, we systematically investigate dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens core (NAC), which is closely linked to reward prediction errors, in rats exposed to white noise (WN, a versatile, underutilized, aversive stimulus) and its predictive cues. Both induced a negative dopamine ramp, followed by slow signal recovery upon stimulus cessation. In contrast to reward conditioning, this dopamine signal was unaffected by WN value, context valence, or probabilistic contingencies, and the WN dopamine response shifted only partially toward its predictive cue. However, unpredicted WN provoked slower post-stimulus signal recovery than predicted WN. Despite differing signal qualities, dopamine responses to simultaneous presentation of rewarding and aversive stimuli were additive. Together, our findings demonstrate that instead of an APE, NAC dopamine primarily tracks prediction and duration of aversive events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica N Goedhoop
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Bastijn JG van den Boom
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Rhiannon Robke
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Felice Veen
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Lizz Fellinger
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Wouter van Elzelingen
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Tara Arbab
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Ingo Willuhn
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
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15
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Vázquez D, Schneider KN, Roesch MR. Neural signals implicated in the processing of appetitive and aversive events in social and non-social contexts. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:926388. [PMID: 35993086 PMCID: PMC9381696 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.926388] [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: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In 2014, we participated in a special issue of Frontiers examining the neural processing of appetitive and aversive events. Specifically, we reviewed brain areas that contribute to the encoding of prediction errors and value versus salience, attention and motivation. Further, we described how we disambiguated these cognitive processes and their neural substrates by using paradigms that incorporate both appetitive and aversive stimuli. We described a circuit in which the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) signals expected value and the basolateral amygdala (BLA) encodes the salience and valence of both appetitive and aversive events. This information is integrated by the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and dopaminergic (DA) signaling in order to generate prediction and prediction error signals, which guide decision-making and learning via the dorsal striatum (DS). Lastly, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is monitoring actions and outcomes, and signals the need to engage attentional control in order to optimize behavioral output. Here, we expand upon this framework, and review our recent work in which within-task manipulations of both appetitive and aversive stimuli allow us to uncover the neural processes that contribute to the detection of outcomes delivered to a conspecific and behaviors in social contexts. Specifically, we discuss the involvement of single-unit firing in the ACC and DA signals in the NAc during the processing of appetitive and aversive events in both social and non-social contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Vázquez
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, United States
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Kevin N. Schneider
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, United States
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Matthew R. Roesch
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, United States
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Matthew R. Roesch,
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16
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Tang Q, Assali DR, Güler AD, Steele AD. Dopamine systems and biological rhythms: Let's get a move on. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:957193. [PMID: 35965599 PMCID: PMC9364481 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.957193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
How dopamine signaling regulates biological rhythms is an area of emerging interest. Here we review experiments focused on delineating dopamine signaling in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, nucleus accumbens, and dorsal striatum to mediate a range of biological rhythms including photoentrainment, activity cycles, rest phase eating of palatable food, diet-induced obesity, and food anticipatory activity. Enthusiasm for causal roles for dopamine in the regulation of circadian rhythms, particularly those associated with food and other rewarding events, is warranted. However, determining that there is rhythmic gene expression in dopamine neurons and target structures does not mean that they are bona fide circadian pacemakers. Given that dopamine has such a profound role in promoting voluntary movements, interpretation of circadian phenotypes associated with locomotor activity must be differentiated at the molecular and behavioral levels. Here we review our current understanding of dopamine signaling in relation to biological rhythms and suggest future experiments that are aimed at teasing apart the roles of dopamine subpopulations and dopamine receptor expressing neurons in causally mediating biological rhythms, particularly in relation to feeding, reward, and activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qijun Tang
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Dina R. Assali
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State Polytechnic University Pomona, Pomona, CA, United States
| | - Ali D. Güler
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Andrew D. Steele
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State Polytechnic University Pomona, Pomona, CA, United States
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17
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Metz VG, da Rosa JLO, Rossato DR, Burger ME, Pase CS. Cannabidiol treatment prevents drug reinstatement and the molecular alterations evoked by amphetamine on receptors and enzymes from dopaminergic and endocannabinoid systems in rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2022; 218:173427. [PMID: 35810923 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2022.173427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In psychostimulant drug addiction, relapse is the most concerning outcome to be managed, considering there is no approved treatment for this neuropsychiatric condition. Here, we investigated the effects of the CBD treatment on the relapse behavior triggered by stress, after being submitted to the amphetamine (AMPH)-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in rats. To elucidate the mechanisms of action underlying the CBD treatment, we evaluated the neuroadaptations on dopaminergic and endocannabinoid targets in the ventral striatum (VS) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain. Animals received d,l-AMPH (4 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle in the CPP paradigm for 8 days. Following the first CPP test, animals were treated with CBD (10 mg/kg, i.p.) or its vehicle for 5 days and subsequently submitted to forced swim stress protocol to induce AMPH-CPP relapse. Behavioral findings showed that CBD treatment prevented AMPH-reinstatement, also exerting anxiolytic activity. At the molecular level, in the VTA, CBD restored the CB1R levels decreased by AMPH-exposure, increased NAPE-PLD, and decreased FAAH levels. In the VS, the increase of D1R and D2R, as well as the decrease of DAT levels induced by AMPH were restored by CBD treatment. The current outcomes evidence a substantial preventive action of the CBD on the AMPH-reinstatement evoked by stress, also involving neuroadaptations in both dopaminergic and endocannabinoid systems in brain areas closely involved in the addiction. Although further studies are needed, these findings support the therapeutic potential of CBD in AMPH-relapse prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinícia Garzella Metz
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Camila Simonetti Pase
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, RS, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Pampa, Campus Uruguaiana, RS, Brazil.
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18
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van Elzelingen W, Goedhoop J, Warnaar P, Denys D, Arbab T, Willuhn I. A unidirectional but not uniform striatal landscape of dopamine signaling for motivational stimuli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2117270119. [PMID: 35594399 PMCID: PMC9171911 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2117270119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Dopamine signals in the striatum are critical for motivated behavior. However, their regional specificity and precise information content are actively debated. Dopaminergic projections to the striatum are topographically organized. Thus, we quantified dopamine release in response to motivational stimuli and associated predictive cues in six principal striatal regions of unrestrained, behaving rats. Absolute signal size and its modulation by stimulus value and by subjective state of the animal were interregionally heterogeneous on a medial to lateral gradient. In contrast, dopamine-concentration direction of change was homogeneous across all regions: appetitive stimuli increased and aversive stimuli decreased dopamine concentration. Although cues predictive of such motivational stimuli acquired the same influence over dopamine homogeneously across all regions, dopamine-mediated prediction-error signals were restricted to the ventromedial, limbic striatum. Together, our findings demonstrate a nuanced striatal landscape of unidirectional but not uniform dopamine signals, topographically encoding distinct aspects of motivational stimuli and their prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wouter van Elzelingen
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jessica Goedhoop
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Pascal Warnaar
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Damiaan Denys
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tara Arbab
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ingo Willuhn
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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19
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Gil-Lievana E, Ramírez-Mejía G, Urrego-Morales O, Luis-Islas J, Gutierrez R, Bermúdez-Rattoni F. Photostimulation of Ventral Tegmental Area-Insular Cortex Dopaminergic Inputs Enhances the Salience to Consolidate Aversive Taste Recognition Memory via D1-Like Receptors. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:823220. [PMID: 35360496 PMCID: PMC8962201 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.823220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Taste memory involves storing information through plasticity changes in the neural network of taste, including the insular cortex (IC) and ventral tegmental area (VTA), a critical provider of dopamine. Although a VTA-IC dopaminergic pathway has been demonstrated, its role to consolidate taste recognition memory remains poorly understood. We found that photostimulation of dopaminergic neurons in the VTA or VTA-IC dopaminergic terminals of TH-Cre mice improves the salience to consolidate a subthreshold novel taste stimulus regardless of its hedonic value, without altering their taste palatability. Importantly, the inhibition of the D1-like receptor into the IC impairs the salience to facilitate consolidation of an aversive taste recognition memory. Finally, our results showed that VTA photostimulation improves the salience to consolidate a conditioned taste aversion memory through the D1-like receptor into the IC. It is concluded that the dopamine activity from the VTA into IC is required to increase the salience enabling the consolidation of a taste recognition memory. Notably, the D1-like receptor activity into the IC is required to consolidate both innate and learned aversive taste memories but not appetitive taste memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvi Gil-Lievana
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, División de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Gerardo Ramírez-Mejía
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, División de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Oscar Urrego-Morales
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, División de Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Jorge Luis-Islas
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Appetitive, Department of Pharmacology, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute, CINVESTAV, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Ranier Gutierrez
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Appetitive, Department of Pharmacology, 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, Mexico City, Mexico
- *Correspondence: Federico Bermúdez-Rattoni,
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20
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Bernanke A, Burnette E, Murphy J, Hernandez N, Zimmerman S, Walker QD, Wander R, Sette S, Reavis Z, Francis R, Armstrong C, Risher ML, Kuhn C. Behavior and Fos activation reveal that male and female rats differentially assess affective valence during CTA learning and expression. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260577. [PMID: 34898621 PMCID: PMC8668140 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Females are more affected by psychiatric illnesses including eating disorders, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder than males. However, the neural mechanisms mediating these sex differences are poorly understood. Animal models can be useful in exploring such neural mechanisms. Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) is a behavioral task that assesses how animals process the competition between associated reinforcing and aversive stimuli in subsequent task performance, a process critical to healthy behavior in many domains. The purpose of the present study was to identify sex differences in this behavior and associated neural responses. We hypothesized that females would value the rewarding stimulus (Boost®) relative to the aversive stimulus (LiCl) more than males in performing CTA. We evaluated behavior (Boost® intake, LiCl-induced behaviors, ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), CTA performance) and Fos activation in relevant brain regions after the acute stimuli [acute Boost® (AB), acute LiCl (AL)] and the context-only task control (COT), Boost® only task (BOT) and Boost®-LiCl task (BLT). Acutely, females drank more Boost® than males but showed similar aversive behaviors after LiCl. Females and males performed CTA similarly. Both sexes produced 55 kHz USVs anticipating BOT and inhibited these calls in the BLT. However, more females emitted both 22 kHz and 55 kHz USVs in the BLT than males: the latter correlated with less CTA. Estrous cycle stage also influenced 55 kHz USVs. Fos responses were similar in males and females after AB or AL. Females engaged the gustatory cortex and ventral tegmental area (VTA) more than males during the BOT and males engaged the amygdala more than females in both the BOT and BLT. Network analysis of correlated Fos responses across brain regions identified two unique networks characterizing the BOT and BLT, in both of which the VTA played a central role. In situ hybridization with RNAscope identified a population of D1-receptor expressing cells in the CeA that responded to Boost® and D2 receptor-expressing cells that responded to LiCl. The present study suggests that males and females differentially process the affective valence of a stimulus to produce the same goal-directed behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa Bernanke
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth Burnette
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Justine Murphy
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Nathaniel Hernandez
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Sara Zimmerman
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Q. David Walker
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Rylee Wander
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Samantha Sette
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Zackery Reavis
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Reynold Francis
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Christopher Armstrong
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Mary-Louise Risher
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, United States of America
| | - Cynthia Kuhn
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
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21
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Kutlu MG, Zachry JE, Melugin PR, Cajigas SA, Chevee MF, Kelly SJ, Kutlu B, Tian L, Siciliano CA, Calipari ES. Dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens core signals perceived saliency. Curr Biol 2021; 31:4748-4761.e8. [PMID: 34529938 PMCID: PMC9084920 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
A large body of work has aimed to define the precise information encoded by dopaminergic projections innervating the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Prevailing models are based on reward prediction error (RPE) theory, in which dopamine updates associations between rewards and predictive cues by encoding perceived errors between predictions and outcomes. However, RPE cannot describe multiple phenomena to which dopamine is inextricably linked, such as behavior driven by aversive and neutral stimuli. We combined a series of behavioral tasks with direct, subsecond dopamine monitoring in the NAc of mice, machine learning, computational modeling, and optogenetic manipulations to describe behavior and related dopamine release patterns across multiple contingencies reinforced by differentially valenced outcomes. We show that dopamine release only conforms to RPE predictions in a subset of learning scenarios but fits valence-independent perceived saliency encoding across conditions. Here, we provide an extended, comprehensive framework for accumbal dopamine release in behavioral control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Munir Gunes Kutlu
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Jennifer E Zachry
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Patrick R Melugin
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Stephanie A Cajigas
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Maxime F Chevee
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Shannon J Kelly
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Banu Kutlu
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Libraries Strategic Technologies, Penn State University Libraries, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Lin Tian
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Cody A Siciliano
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Erin S Calipari
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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22
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Patterns of brain c-Fos expression in response to feeding behavior in acute and chronic inflammatory pain condition. Neuroreport 2021; 32:1269-1277. [PMID: 34494992 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000001723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Feeding behavior is known to have potential to alleviate pain. We recently demonstrated that both 24 h fasting and 2 h refeeding (food intake after 24 h fasting) induce analgesia in inflammatory pain conditions via different brain mechanisms. However, brain structures that distinctly involved fasting- and refeeding-induced analgesia is still unknown. Hence, this study is aimed to reveal brain structures mediating fasting- and refeeding-induced analgesia. METHODS Mice were given intraplantar (i.pl.) injection of formalin and complete Freund's adjuvant into the left hind paw to induce acute and chronic inflammatory pain, respectively. We examined changes in c-Fos expression with 24 h fasting and 2 h refeeding under acute and chronic inflammatory pain conditions in the contralateral brain. RESULTS Under acute pain condition, c-Fos expression changed with fasting in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), central amygdala (CeA), lateral hypothalamus (LH) and nucleus accumbens core (NAcC). Refeeding changed c-Fos expression in the CeA, LH and lateral parabrachial nucleus (lPBN). On the other hand, under chronic inflammatory pain condition, c-Fos expression changed with fasting in the lPBN, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens shell (NAcS) while refeeding changed c-Fos expression in the anterior insular cortex, lPBN, mPFC and NAcS. CONCLUSION The present results show that brain regions that participated in the fasting- and refeeding-induced analgesia were completely different in acute and chronic inflammatory pain conditions. Also, refeeding recruits more brain regions under chronic inflammatory pain conditions compared to the acute inflammatory pain condition. Collectively, our findings provide novel insights into brain regions involved in fasting- and refeeding-induced analgesia, which can be potential neural circuit-based targets for the development of novel therapeutics.
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23
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Chiacchierini G, Naneix F, Peters KZ, Apergis-Schoute J, Snoeren EMS, McCutcheon JE. Protein Appetite Drives Macronutrient-Related Differences in Ventral Tegmental Area Neural Activity. J Neurosci 2021; 41:5080-5092. [PMID: 33926995 PMCID: PMC8197647 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3082-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Control of protein intake is essential for numerous biological processes as several amino acids cannot be synthesized de novo, however, its neurobiological substrates are still poorly understood. In the present study, we combined in vivo fiber photometry with nutrient-conditioned flavor in a rat model of protein appetite to record neuronal activity in the VTA, a central brain region for the control of food-related processes. In adult male rats, protein restriction increased preference for casein (protein) over maltodextrin (carbohydrate). Moreover, protein consumption was associated with a greater VTA response, relative to carbohydrate. After initial nutrient preference, a switch from a normal balanced diet to protein restriction induced rapid development of protein preference but required extensive exposure to macronutrient solutions to induce elevated VTA responses to casein. Furthermore, prior protein restriction induced long-lasting food preference and VTA responses. This study reveals that VTA circuits are involved in protein appetite in times of need, a crucial process for animals to acquire an adequate amount of protein in their diet.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Acquiring insufficient protein in one's diet has severe consequences for health and ultimately will lead to death. In addition, a low level of dietary protein has been proposed as a driver of obesity as it can leverage up intake of fat and carbohydrate. However, much remains unknown about the role of the brain in ensuring adequate intake of protein. Here, we show that in a state of protein restriction a key node in brain reward circuitry, the VTA, is activated more strongly during consumption of protein than carbohydrate. Moreover, although rats' behavior changed to reflect new protein status, patterns of neural activity were more persistent and only loosely linked to protein status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Chiacchierini
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology & Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 9HN, United Kingdom
| | - Fabien Naneix
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology & Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 9HN, United Kingdom
- Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Kate Zara Peters
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology & Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 9HN, United Kingdom
| | - John Apergis-Schoute
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology & Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 9HN, United Kingdom
| | | | - James Edgar McCutcheon
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology & Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 9HN, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, 9037, Norway
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24
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Piantadosi PT, Halladay LR, Radke AK, Holmes A. Advances in understanding meso-cortico-limbic-striatal systems mediating risky reward seeking. J Neurochem 2021; 157:1547-1571. [PMID: 33704784 PMCID: PMC8981567 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The risk of an aversive consequence occurring as the result of a reward-seeking action can have a profound effect on subsequent behavior. Such aversive events can be described as punishers, as they decrease the probability that the same action will be produced again in the future and increase the exploration of less risky alternatives. Punishment can involve the omission of an expected rewarding event ("negative" punishment) or the addition of an unpleasant event ("positive" punishment). Although many individuals adaptively navigate situations associated with the risk of negative or positive punishment, those suffering from substance use disorders or behavioral addictions tend to be less able to curtail addictive behaviors despite the aversive consequences associated with them. Here, we discuss the psychological processes underpinning reward seeking despite the risk of negative and positive punishment and consider how behavioral assays in animals have been employed to provide insights into the neural mechanisms underlying addictive disorders. We then review the critical contributions of dopamine signaling to punishment learning and risky reward seeking, and address the roles of interconnected ventral striatal, cortical, and amygdala regions to these processes. We conclude by discussing the ample opportunities for future study to clarify critical gaps in the literature, particularly as related to delineating neural contributions to distinct phases of the risky decision-making process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick T. Piantadosi
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lindsay R. Halladay
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California 95053, USA
| | - Anna K. Radke
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
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25
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Breukelaar IA, Bryant RA, Korgaonkar MS. The functional connectome in posttraumatic stress disorder. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 14:100321. [PMID: 33912628 PMCID: PMC8065342 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous fMRI studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have investigated region-specific alterations in intrinsic connectivity but connectome-wide changes in connectivity are yet to be characterized. Understanding the neurobiology of this is important to develop novel treatment interventions for PTSD. This study aims to identify connectome-wide disruptions in PTSD to provide a more comprehensive analysis of nseural networks in this disorder. METHODS A functional MRI scan was completed by 138 individuals (67 PTSD and 71 non-trauma-exposed healthy controls [HC]). For every individual, inter-regional intrinsic functional connectivity was estimated between 436 brain regions, comprising intra and inter-network connectivity of eight large-scale brain networks. Group-wise differences between PTSD and HC were investigated using network-based statistics at a family-wise error rate of p < 0.05. Significant network differences were then further investigated in 27 individuals with trauma exposure but no PTSD [TC]). RESULTS Compared to HC, PTSD displayed lower intrinsic functional connectivity in a network of 203 connections between 420 regions within and between mid-posterior default mode, central executive, limbic, visual and somatomotor regions. Additionally, PTSD displayed higher connectivity across a network of 50 connections from thalamic and limbic to sensory and default-mode regions. Connectivity in TC in both these networks was intermediate and significantly different to PTSD and HC. CONCLUSION A large-scale imbalance between hypoconnectivity of higher-order cortical networks and hyperconnectivity of emotional and arousal response systems seems to occur on a sliding scale from trauma exposure to clinical manifestation as PTSD. Novel interventions that target this systemic functional imbalance could provide potential mitigation of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella A. Breukelaar
- Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Richard A. Bryant
- Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Mayuresh S. Korgaonkar
- Brain Dynamics Centre, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Discipline of Psychiatry, Sydney Medical School, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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26
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Ruiz CM, Torrens A, Castillo E, Perrone CR, Cevallos J, Inshishian VC, Harder EV, Justeson DN, Huestis MA, Swarup V, Piomelli D, Mahler SV. Pharmacokinetic, behavioral, and brain activity effects of Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol in adolescent male and female rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:959-969. [PMID: 32927465 PMCID: PMC8115040 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00839-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the intoxicating constituent of cannabis and is responsible for the drug's reinforcing effects. Retrospective human studies suggest that cannabis use during adolescence is linked to long-term negative psychological outcomes, but in such studies it is difficult to distinguish the effects of THC from those of coexisting factors. Therefore, translationally relevant animal models are required to properly investigate THC effects in adolescents. However, though the relevance of these studies depends upon human-relevant dosing, surprisingly little is known about THC pharmacology and its effects on behavior and brain activity in adolescent rodents-especially in females. Here, we conducted a systematic investigation of THC pharmacokinetics, metabolism and distribution in blood and brain, and of THC effects upon behavior and neural activity in adolescent Long Evans rats of both sexes. We administered THC during an early-middle adolescent window (postnatal days 27-45) in which the brain may be particularly sensitive to developmental perturbation by THC. We determined the pharmacokinetic profile of THC and its main first-pass metabolites (11-hydroxy-THC and 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC) in blood and brain following acute injection (0.5 or 5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal). We also evaluated THC effects on behavioral assays of anxiety, locomotion, and place conditioning, as well as c-Fos expression in 14 brain regions. Confirming previous work, we find marked sex differences in THC metabolism, including a female-specific elevation in the bioactive metabolite 11-hydroxy-THC. Furthermore, we find dose-dependent and sex-dependent effects on behavior, neural activity, and functional connectivity across multiple nodes of brain stress and reward networks. Our findings are relevant for interpreting results of rat adolescent THC exposure studies, and may lend new insights into how THC impacts the brain in a sex-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina M. Ruiz
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Alexa Torrens
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Erik Castillo
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Christina R. Perrone
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA ,grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Jenny Cevallos
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Victoria C. Inshishian
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA ,grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Eden V. Harder
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Drew N. Justeson
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Marilyn A. Huestis
- grid.265008.90000 0001 2166 5843Institute of Emerging Health Professions, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107 USA
| | - Vivek Swarup
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
| | - Daniele Piomelli
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA. .,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA. .,Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
| | - Stephen V. Mahler
- grid.266093.80000 0001 0668 7243Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
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27
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A pain-induced tonic hypodopaminergic state augments phasic dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. Pain 2021; 161:2376-2384. [PMID: 32453137 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Diseases and disorders such as Parkinson disease, schizophrenia, and chronic pain are characterized by altered mesolimbic dopaminergic neurotransmission. Dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens influences behavior through both tonic and phasic signaling. Tonic dopamine levels are hypothesized to inversely regulate phasic signals through dopamine D2 receptor feedback inhibition. We tested this hypothesis directly in the context of ongoing pain. Tonic and phasic dopamine signals were measured using fast-scan controlled-adsorption voltammetry and fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, respectively, in the nucleus accumbens shell of male rats with standardized levels of anesthesia. Application of capsaicin to the cornea produced a transient decrease in tonic dopamine levels. During the pain-induced hypodopaminergic state, electrically evoked phasic dopamine release was significantly increased when compared to baseline, evoked phasic release. A second application of capsaicin to the same eye had a lessened effect on tonic dopamine suggesting desensitization of TRPV1 channels in that eye. Capsaicin treatment in the alternate cornea, however, again produced coincident decreased dopaminergic tone and increased phasic dopamine release. These findings occurred independently of stimulus lateralization relative to the hemisphere of dopamine measurement. Our data show that (1) the mesolimbic dopamine circuit reliably encodes acute noxious stimuli; (2) ongoing pain produces decreases in dopaminergic tone; and (3) pain-induced decreases in tonic dopamine correspond to augmented evoked phasic dopamine release. Enhanced phasic dopamine neurotransmission resulting from salient stimuli may contribute to increased impulsivity and cognitive deficits often observed in conditions associated with decreased dopaminergic tone, including Parkinson disease and chronic pain.
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28
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Liang F, Xu Q, Jiang M, Feng R, Jiang S, Yuan B, Xu S, Wu T, Wang F, Huang JH. Emotion Induced Monoamine Neuromodulator Release Affects Functional Neurological Disorders. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:633048. [PMID: 33659255 PMCID: PMC7917220 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.633048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional neurologic disorders (FNDs), also called conversion disorder (previously called hysteria), can show almost all the symptoms of other neurological diseases, including both physical (for example, seizure, weakness, fatigue) and psychological (for instance, depression, anxiety) symptoms. In spite of our general knowledge about emotional processes and developmental defects in the formation of these somatic symptoms, there is still no systemic and comprehensive research on the effects of emotional developmental variables in FND. Recently, both experimental and theoretical emotion studies have been greatly increased, such as prediction error, conceptual act model, basic emotional theory, and monoamine neuromodulator based three primary emotions. In addition, a large amount of evidence has confirmed the role of psychosocial adversity (such as stressful life events, interpersonal difficulties) as an important risk factor for FND. Here, we review recent advances about emotional stress on FND, and pay special attention to the effects of monoamine neuromodulators, such as how norepinephrine and serotonin affect behaviors. Then, we discuss the significance of these changes for FND, which may contribute to clarifying the pathogenesis of FND, and thus provide potential therapeutic drug targets or psychological intervention methods in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Liang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qiuyue Xu
- School of Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Mingchen Jiang
- School of Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pediatric Respiratory Disease, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Rou Feng
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Shan Jiang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Bin Yuan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pediatric Respiratory Disease, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Shijun Xu
- School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Ting Wu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Fushun Wang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jason H Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor Scott & White Health, Temple, TX, United States.,Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Temple, TX, United States
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29
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Peters KZ, Oleson EB, Cheer JF. A Brain on Cannabinoids: The Role of Dopamine Release in Reward Seeking and Addiction. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2021; 11:a039305. [PMID: 31964646 PMCID: PMC7778214 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a039305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Cannabis sativa, like all known drugs of abuse, leads to increased dopamine activation within the mesolimbic pathway. Consequent dopamine release within terminal regions of the striatum is a powerful mediator of reward and reinforcement and patterned dopamine release is critical for associative learning processes that are fundamentally involved in addiction. The endocannabinoid system modulates dopamine release at multiple sites, and the receptors, endogenous ligands, and synthetic and metabolic enzymes of the endocannabinoid system may provide key targets for pharmacotherapies to treat disorders of motivation including addiction. Disrupting endocannabinoid signaling decreases drug-induced increases in dopamine release as well those dopamine events evoked by conditioned stimuli during reward seeking. Advances in recording techniques for dopamine are allowing unprecedented examinations of these two interacting systems and elucidating the mechanisms of endocannabinoid modulation of dopamine release in reward and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Z Peters
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA
| | - Erik B Oleson
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado 80217-3364, USA
| | - Joseph F Cheer
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA
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30
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Lin YH, Yamahashi Y, Kuroda K, Faruk MO, Zhang X, Yamada K, Yamanaka A, Nagai T, Kaibuchi K. Accumbal D2R-medium spiny neurons regulate aversive behaviors through PKA-Rap1 pathway. Neurochem Int 2020; 143:104935. [PMID: 33301817 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2020.104935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays a crucial role in various mental activities, including positive and negative reinforcement. We previously hypothesized that a balance between dopamine (DA) and adenosine signals regulates the PKA-Rap1 pathway in medium spiny neurons expressing DA D1 receptors (D1R-MSNs) or D2 receptors (D2R-MSNs) and demonstrated that the PKA-Rap1 pathway in D1R-MSNs is responsible for positive reinforcement. Here, we show the role of the PKA-Rap1 pathway in accumbal D2R-MSNs in negative reinforcement. Mice were exposed to electric foot shock as an aversive stimulus. We monitored the phosphorylation level of Rap1gap S563, which leads to the activation of Rap1. Electric foot shocks increased the phosphorylation level of GluN1 S897 and Rap1gap S563 in the NAc. The aversive stimulus-evoked phosphorylation of Rap1gap S563 was detected in accumbal D2R-MSNs and inhibited by pretreatment with adenosine A2a receptor (A2aR) antagonist. A2aR antagonist-treated mice showed impaired aversive memory in passive avoidance tests. AAV-mediated inhibition of PKA, Rap1, or MEK1 in accumbal D2R-MSNs impaired aversive memory in passive avoidance tests, whereas activation of this pathway potentiated aversive memory. Optogenetic inactivation of mesolimbic DAergic neurons induced place aversion in real-time place aversion tests. Aversive response was attenuated by inhibition of PKA-Rap1 signaling in accumbal D2R-MSNs. These results suggested that accumbal D2R-MSNs regulate aversive behaviors through the A2aR-PKA-Rap1-MEK pathway. Our findings provide a novel molecular mechanism for regulating negative reinforcement.
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Affiliation(s)
- You-Hsin Lin
- Department of Cell Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Yukie Yamahashi
- Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1129, Japan
| | - Keisuke Kuroda
- Department of Cell Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Md Omar Faruk
- Department of Cell Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Xinjian Zhang
- Division of Behavioral Neuropharmacology, Project Office for Neuropsychological Research Center, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1129, Japan
| | - Kiyofumi Yamada
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Akihiro Yamanaka
- Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Taku Nagai
- Division of Behavioral Neuropharmacology, Project Office for Neuropsychological Research Center, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1129, Japan.
| | - Kozo Kaibuchi
- Department of Cell Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan; Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1129, Japan.
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31
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Abstract
Thirst is a highly potent drive that motivates organisms to seek out and consume balance-restoring stimuli. The detection of dehydration is well understood and involves signals of peripheral origin and the sampling of internal milieu by first order homeostatic neurons within the lamina terminalis-particularly glutamatergic neurons of the subfornical organ expressing CaMKIIa (SFOCaMKIIa). However, it remains unknown whether mesolimbic dopamine pathways that are critical for motivation and reinforcement integrate information from these "early" dehydration signals. We used in vivo fiber photometry in the ventral tegmental area and measured phasic dopamine responses to a water-predictive cue. Thirst, but not hunger, potentiated the phasic dopamine response to the water cue. In euvolemic rats, the dipsogenic hormone angiotensin II, but not the orexigenic hormone ghrelin, potentiated the dopamine response similarly to that observed in water-deprived rats. Chemogenetic manipulations of SFOCaMKIIa revealed bidirectional control of phasic dopamine signaling during cued water reward. Taking advantage of within-subject designs, we found predictive relationships between changes in cue-evoked dopamine response and changes in behavioral responses-supporting a role for dopamine in motivation induced by homeostatic need. Collectively, we reveal a putative mechanism for the invigoration of goal-directed behavior: internal milieu communicates to first order, need state-selective circuits to potentiate the mesolimbic dopamine system's response to cues predictive of restorative stimuli.
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Guerrero-Bautista R, Franco-García A, Hidalgo JM, Fernández-Gómez F, Milanés MV, Núñez C. Blockade of D3 receptor prevents changes in DAT and D3R expression in the mesolimbic dopaminergic circuit produced by social stress- and cocaine prime-induced reinstatement of cocaine-CPP. J Psychopharmacol 2020; 34:1300-1315. [PMID: 32648812 DOI: 10.1177/0269881120936468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cocaine may cause persistent changes in the brain, which are more apparent in DA transporter (DAT) and DA receptor availability within the nucleus accumbens (NAc). On the other hand, the DA D3 receptor (D3R) has emerged as a promising pharmacotherapeutic target for substance use disorders. AIMS This study aims to assess the impact of selective D3R antagonism on DAT and D3R after reinstatement of cocaine preference (CPP) induced by an acute session of social defeat stress (SDS) and a cocaine prime in mice after a period of abstinence. METHODS Male mice were conditioned with 25 mg/kg of cocaine for 4 days. After 60 days of extinction training mice were pretreated with the selective D3R antagonist SB-277011A before the re-exposure to a priming dose of cocaine or to a single SDS session. CPP scores were determined and levels of DAT, D3R, phospho Akt (pAkt) and phospho mTOR (pmTOR) were assessed in the NAc shell. RESULTS An increase in DAT and D3R expression was seen in the NAc after both a cocaine prime- and SDS-induced reinstatement of CPP. Pretreatment with SB-277011A blocked elevated DAT and D3R expression as well as SDS-induced reinstatement. By contrast, the blockade of D3R did not modified the cocaine prime-induced CPP. Changes in DAT and D3R expression do not seem to occur via the canonic pathway involving Akt/mTOR. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the selective D3R antagonist ability to inhibit DAT and D3R up-regulation could represent a possible mechanism for its behavioral effects in cocaine-memories reinstatement induced by social stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío Guerrero-Bautista
- Group of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, University of Murcia, Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain.,Murcia Research Institute of Health Sciences (IMIB), Avda. Buenavista, Murcia, Spain
| | - Aurelio Franco-García
- Group of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, University of Murcia, Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain.,Murcia Research Institute of Health Sciences (IMIB), Avda. Buenavista, Murcia, Spain
| | - Juana M Hidalgo
- Group of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, University of Murcia, Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain.,Murcia Research Institute of Health Sciences (IMIB), Avda. Buenavista, Murcia, Spain
| | - Francisco Fernández-Gómez
- Group of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, University of Murcia, Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain.,Murcia Research Institute of Health Sciences (IMIB), Avda. Buenavista, Murcia, Spain
| | - M Victoria Milanés
- Group of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, University of Murcia, Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain.,Murcia Research Institute of Health Sciences (IMIB), Avda. Buenavista, Murcia, Spain
| | - Cristina Núñez
- Group of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, University of Murcia, Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain.,Murcia Research Institute of Health Sciences (IMIB), Avda. Buenavista, Murcia, Spain
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33
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Abstract
Addiction is commonly identified with habitual nonmedical self-administration of drugs. It is usually defined by characteristics of intoxication or by characteristics of withdrawal symptoms. Such addictions can also be defined in terms of the brain mechanisms they activate; most addictive drugs cause elevations in extracellular levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Animals unable to synthesize or use dopamine lack the conditioned reflexes discussed by Pavlov or the appetitive behavior discussed by Craig; they have only unconditioned consummatory reflexes. Burst discharges (phasic firing) of dopamine-containing neurons are necessary to establish long-term memories associating predictive stimuli with rewards and punishers. Independent discharges of dopamine neurons (tonic or pacemaker firing) determine the motivation to respond to such cues. As a result of habitual intake of addictive drugs, dopamine receptors expressed in the brain are decreased, thereby reducing interest in activities not already stamped in by habitual rewards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roy A Wise
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA; .,Behavioral Genetics Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478, USA;
| | - Mykel A Robble
- Behavioral Genetics Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478, USA;
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34
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Driscoll JR, Wallace TL, Mansourian KA, Martin WJ, Margolis EB. Differential Modulation of Ventral Tegmental Area Circuits by the Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ System. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0376-19.2020. [PMID: 32747458 PMCID: PMC7840174 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0376-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The neuropeptide nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) can be released by stressors and is associated with disorders of emotion regulation and reward processing. N/OFQ and its receptor, NOP, are enriched in dopaminergic pathways, and intra-ventricular agonist delivery decreases dopamine levels in the dorsal striatum, nucleus accumbens (NAc), and ventral tegmental area (VTA). We used whole-cell electrophysiology in acute rat midbrain slices to investigate synaptic actions of N/OFQ. N/OFQ was primarily inhibitory, causing outward currents in both immunocytochemically identified dopaminergic (tyrosine hydroxylase positive (TH(+))) and non-dopaminergic (TH(-)) VTA neurons; effect at 1 μm: 20 ± 4 pA. Surprisingly, this effect was mediated by augmentation of postsynaptic GABAAR currents, unlike the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), where the N/OFQ-induced outward currents were K+ channel dependent. A smaller population, 17% of all VTA neurons, responded to low concentrations of N/OFQ with inward currents (10 nm: -11 ± 2 pA). Following 100 nm N/OFQ, the response to a second N/OFQ application was markedly diminished in VTA neurons (14 ± 10% of first response) but not in SNc neurons (90 ± 20% of first response). N/OFQ generated outward currents in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)-projecting VTA neurons, but inward currents in a subset of posterior anterior cingulate cortex (pACC)-projecting VTA neurons. While N/OFQ inhibited NAc-projecting VTA cell bodies, it had little effect on electrically or optogenetically evoked terminal dopamine release in the NAc measured ex vivo with fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV). These results extend our understanding of the N/OFQ system in brainstem circuits implicated in many neurobehavioral disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph R Driscoll
- BlackThorn Therapeutics, San Francisco, CA 94103
- UCSF Weill Institute of Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | | | - Kasra A Mansourian
- UCSF Weill Institute of Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | | | - Elyssa B Margolis
- UCSF Weill Institute of Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
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35
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Verharen JPH, Zhu Y, Lammel S. Aversion hot spots in the dopamine system. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2020; 64:46-52. [PMID: 32146296 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2020.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Revised: 02/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Through the development of optogenetics and other viral vector-based technologies, our view of the dopamine system has substantially advanced over the last decade. In particular, progress has been made in the reclassification of dopamine neurons based on subtypes displaying specific projections, which are associated with different features at the anatomical, molecular and behavioral level. Together, these discoveries have raised the possibility that individual groups of dopamine cells make a unique contribution to the processing of reward and aversion. Here, we review recent studies that have identified non-canonical dopamine pathways that are excited in response to aversive stimuli, including dopamine projections to the ventromedial shell of the nucleus accumbens, prefrontal cortex, tail of the striatum, and amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- J P H Verharen
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, USA
| | - Yichen Zhu
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, USA
| | - Stephan Lammel
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, USA.
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36
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Gordon-Fennell AG, Will RG, Ramachandra V, Gordon-Fennell L, Dominguez JM, Zahm DS, Marinelli M. The Lateral Preoptic Area: A Novel Regulator of Reward Seeking and Neuronal Activity in the Ventral Tegmental Area. Front Neurosci 2020; 13:1433. [PMID: 32009893 PMCID: PMC6978721 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The lateral preoptic area (LPO) is a hypothalamic region whose function has been largely unexplored. Its direct and indirect projections to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) suggest that the LPO could modulate the activity of the VTA and the reward-related behaviors that the VTA underlies. We examined the role of the LPO on reward taking and seeking using operant self-administration of cocaine or sucrose. Rats were trained to self-administer cocaine or sucrose and then subjected to extinction, whereby responding was no longer reinforced. We tested if stimulating the LPO pharmacologically with bicuculline or chemogenetically with Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs) modifies self-administration and/or seeking. In another set of experiments, we tested if manipulating the LPO influences cocaine self-administration during and after punishment. To examine the functional connectivity between the LPO and VTA, we used in vivo electrophysiology recordings in anesthetized rats. We tested if stimulating the LPO modifies the activity of GABA and dopamine neurons of the VTA. We found that stimulating the LPO reinstated cocaine and sucrose seeking behavior but had no effect on reward intake. Furthermore, both stimulating and inhibiting the LPO prevented the sustained reduction in cocaine intake seen after punishment. Finally, stimulating the LPO inhibited the activity of VTA GABA neurons while enhancing that of VTA dopamine neurons. These findings indicate that the LPO has the capacity to drive reward seeking, modulate sustained reductions in self-administration following punishment, and regulate the activity of VTA neurons. Taken together, these findings implicate the LPO as a previously overlooked member of the reward circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam G Gordon-Fennell
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Ryan G Will
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
- Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Vorani Ramachandra
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Lydia Gordon-Fennell
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Juan M Dominguez
- Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Daniel S Zahm
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, School of Medicine, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Michela Marinelli
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
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37
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Naneix F, Peters KZ, McCutcheon JE. Investigating the Effect of Physiological Need States on Palatability and Motivation Using Microstructural Analysis of Licking. Neuroscience 2019; 447:155-166. [PMID: 31682949 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.10.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2019] [Revised: 10/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The study of consummatory responses during food intake represents a unique opportunity to investigate the physiological, psychological and neurobiological processes that control ingestive behavior. Recording the occurrence and temporal organization of individual licks across consumption, also called lickometry, yields a rich data set that can be analyzed to dissect consummatory responses into different licking patterns. These patterns, divided into trains of licks separated by pauses, have been used to deconstruct the many influences on consumption, such as palatability evaluation, incentive properties, and post-ingestive processes. In this review, we describe commonly used definitions of licking patterns and how various studies have defined and measured these. We then discuss how licking patterns can be used to investigate the impact of different physiological need states on processes governing ingestive behavior. We also present new data showing how licking patterns are changed in an animal model of protein appetite and how this may guide food choice in different protein-associated hedonic and homeostatic states. Thus, recording lick microstructure can be achieved relatively easily and represents a useful tool to provide insights, beyond the measurement of total intake, into the multiple factors influencing ingestive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Naneix
- Dept. of Neuroscience, Psychology & Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Kate Z Peters
- Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - James E McCutcheon
- Dept. of Neuroscience, Psychology & Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK; Dept. of Psychology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
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38
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Saalfield J, Spear L. Fos activation patterns related to acute ethanol and conditioned taste aversion in adolescent and adult rats. Alcohol 2019; 78:57-68. [PMID: 30797833 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2019.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Studies in rats have revealed marked age differences in sensitivity to the aversive properties of ethanol, with a developmental insensitivity to ethanol aversion that is most pronounced during pre- and early adolescence, declining thereafter to reach the enhanced aversive sensitivity of adults. The adolescent brain undergoes significant transitions throughout adolescence, including in regions linked with drug reward and aversion; however, it is unknown how ontogenetic changes within this reward/aversion circuitry contribute to developmental differences in aversive sensitivity. The current study examined early adolescent (postnatal day [P]28-30) and adult (P72-74) Sprague-Dawley male rats for conditioned taste aversion (CTA) after doses of 0, 1.0, or 2.5 g/kg ethanol, and patterns of neuronal activation in response to ethanol using Fos-like immunohistochemistry (Fos+) to uncover regions where age differences in activation are associated with ethanol aversion. An adolescent-specific ethanol-induced increase in Fos+ staining was seen within the nucleus accumbens shell and core. An age difference was also noted within the Edinger-Westphal nucleus (EW) following administration of the lower dose of ethanol, with 1 g/kg ethanol producing CTA in adults but not in adolescents and inducing a greater EW Fos response in adults than adolescents. Regression analysis revealed that greater numbers of Fos+ neurons within the EW and insula (Ins) were related to lower consumption of the conditioned stimulus (CS) on test day (reflecting greater CTA). Some regionally specific age differences in Fos+ were noted under baseline conditions, with adolescents displaying fewer Fos+ neurons than adults within the prelimbic (PrL) cortex, but more than adults in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). In the BNST (but not PrL), ethanol-induced increases in Fos-immunoreactivity (IR) were evident at both ages. Increased ethanol-induced activity within critical appetitive brain regions (NAc core and shell) supports a role for greater reward-related activation during adolescence, possibly along with attenuated responsiveness to ethanol in EW and Ins in the age-typical resistance of adolescents to the aversive properties of ethanol.
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39
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Topography of Reward and Aversion Encoding in the Mesolimbic Dopaminergic System. J Neurosci 2019; 39:6472-6481. [PMID: 31217328 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0271-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Dopamine (DA) neurons in the VTA play essential roles in adaptive motivated behavior, which requires rapid discrimination between positive and negative motivational signature. However, the precise functional DA circuitry processing reward and aversive information remain elusive. Here, we report that the encoding of reward and aversion by the DA system in the NAc is tightly associated with its anatomical location. By recording the dynamics of DA release with genetically encoded fluorescent DA sensor using in vivo fiber photometry in freely moving male mice, we found that the DA-sensor signal in the dorsomedial NAc shell and dorsolateral NAc shell were increased during rewarding events and decreased during aversive noxious events. In contrast, the release of DA in the ventromedial NAc shell was increased by both rewarding and aversive stimuli, whereas the DA-sensor signal in the central ventromedial NAc shell and ventrolateral NAc shell showed complex dynamics. Furthermore, the activity of DA fibers in different subregions of NAc measured with calcium sensor largely recapitulated the changes of DA-sensor signal in response to rewarding and aversive stimuli. In addition, correlation analysis showed that the response magnitude of DA-sensor or fibers significantly changed along the DV axis of the NAc. These results revealed the distinct role of the mesolimbic DA system in different subregions of NAc in encoding value and salience.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Adaptive motivated behavior requires rapid discrimination between favorable and harmful events and is dynamically modulated by dopamine (DA) neurons in the VTA. However, the precise relationship between distinct DA circuitry and reward/aversion signal encoding is not well understood. Here, by recording the dynamics of DA release and the activity of DA fibers in each subregion of the NAc using in vivo fiber photometry in freely moving animals, we found that the DA system in the dorsomedial/dorsolateral, ventromedial, and ventrolateral NAc shell plays different roles in encoding value and salience. These results extend our knowledge about how the mesolimbic DA system process motivational information at the circuitry level.
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40
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Chang S, Fan Y, Shin JH, Ryu Y, Kim MS, Steffensen SC, Kim HK, Kim JM, Lee BH, Jang EY, Yang CH, Kim HY. Unpleasant Sound Elicits Negative Emotion and Reinstates Drug Seeking. Mol Neurobiol 2019; 56:7594-7607. [DOI: 10.1007/s12035-019-1609-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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41
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McCutcheon JE, Roitman MF. Mode of Sucrose Delivery Alters Reward-Related Phasic Dopamine Signals in Nucleus Accumbens. ACS Chem Neurosci 2019; 10:1900-1907. [PMID: 30156402 PMCID: PMC8259316 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In studies of appetitive Pavlovian conditioning, rewards are often delivered to subjects in a manner that confounds several processes. For example, delivery of a sugar pellet to a rodent requires movement to collect the pellet and is associated with sensory stimuli such as the sight and sound of the pellet arrival. Thus, any neurochemical events occurring in proximity to the reward may be related to multiple coincident phenomena. We used fast-scan cyclic voltammetry in rats to compare nucleus accumbens dopamine responses to two different modes of delivery: sucrose pellets, which require goal-directed action for their collection and are associated with sensory stimuli, and intraoral infusions of sucrose, which are passively received and not associated with external stimuli. We found that when rewards were unpredicted, both pellets and infusions evoked similar dopamine release. However, when rewards were predicted by distinct cues, greater dopamine release was evoked by pellet cues than infusion cues. Thus, dopamine responses to pellets, infusions as well as predictive cues suggest a nuanced role for dopamine in both reward seeking and reward evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- James E McCutcheon
- Dept. of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour, University of Leicester, UK
- Dept. of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
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42
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Gowrishankar R, Bruchas MR. Defining circuit-specific roles for G protein-coupled receptors in aversive learning. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2019; 26:146-156. [PMID: 32855999 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The encoding of negative valence in response to noxious stimuli/experiences and in turn, the behavioral representation of negative affective states is essential for survival. Recent advances in neuroscience have determined multiple sites of neural plasticity and key circuits of connectivity across these regions in mediating aversive behavior. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), owing to their neuromodulatory role, are especially important to refining our understanding of the molecular substrates involved in these circuits. In this review, we will focus on recent, contemporary findings that explore neural circuit-specific roles for neurotransmitter/peptide GPCRs and the importance of using novel approaches to illuminate the molecular mechanisms central to aversive learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raajaram Gowrishankar
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Michael R Bruchas
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.,Department of Pharmacology, Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.,Pain and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
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43
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Ernst M, Gowin JL, Gaillard C, Philips RT, Grillon C. Sketching the Power of Machine Learning to Decrypt a Neural Systems Model of Behavior. Brain Sci 2019; 9:E67. [PMID: 30897793 PMCID: PMC6468787 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9030067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Revised: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Uncovering brain-behavior mechanisms is the ultimate goal of neuroscience. A formidable amount of discoveries has been made in the past 50 years, but the very essence of brain-behavior mechanisms still escapes us. The recent exploitation of machine learning (ML) tools in neuroscience opens new avenues for illuminating these mechanisms. A key advantage of ML is to enable the treatment of large data, combing highly complex processes. This essay provides a glimpse of how ML tools could test a heuristic neural systems model of motivated behavior, the triadic neural systems model, which was designed to understand behavioral transitions in adolescence. This essay previews analytic strategies, using fictitious examples, to demonstrate the potential power of ML to decrypt the neural networks of motivated behavior, generically and across development. Of note, our intent is not to provide a tutorial for these analyses nor a pipeline. The ultimate objective is to relate, as simply as possible, how complex neuroscience constructs can benefit from ML methods for validation and further discovery. By extension, the present work provides a guide that can serve to query the mechanisms underlying the contributions of prefrontal circuits to emotion regulation. The target audience concerns mainly clinical neuroscientists. As a caveat, this broad approach leaves gaps, for which references to comprehensive publications are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monique Ernst
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety (NFA), National Institute of Mental Health/NIMH, 15K North Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Joshua L Gowin
- Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Claudie Gaillard
- IReach Lab, Unit of Clinical & Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Ryan T Philips
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety (NFA), National Institute of Mental Health/NIMH, 15K North Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Christian Grillon
- Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety (NFA), National Institute of Mental Health/NIMH, 15K North Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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44
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Murata K, Kinoshita T, Fukazawa Y, Kobayashi K, Yamanaka A, Hikida T, Manabe H, Yamaguchi M. Opposing Roles of Dopamine Receptor D1- and D2-Expressing Neurons in the Anteromedial Olfactory Tubercle in Acquisition of Place Preference in Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:50. [PMID: 30930757 PMCID: PMC6428768 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Olfaction induces adaptive motivated behaviors. Odors associated with food induce attractive behavior, whereas those associated with dangers induce aversive behavior. We previously reported that learned odor-induced attractive and aversive behaviors accompany activation of the olfactory tubercle (OT) in a domain- and cell type-specific manner. Odor cues associated with a sugar reward induced attractive behavior and c-fos expression in the dopamine receptor D1-expressing neurons (D1 neurons) in the anteromedial OT. In contrast, odor cues associated with electrical shock induced aversive behavior and c-fos expression in the pamine receptor D2-expressing neurons (D2 neurons) in the anteromedial OT, as well as the D1 neurons in the lateral OT. Here, we investigated whether the D1 and D2 neurons in the anteromedial OT play distinct roles in attractive or aversive behaviors, using optogenetic stimulation and real-time place preference (RTPP) tests. Mice expressing ChETA (ChR2/E123T)-enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) in the D1 neurons in the anteromedial OT spent a longer time in the photo-stimulation side of the place preference chamber than the control mice expressing EYFP. On the other hand, upon optogenetic stimulation of the D2 neurons in the anteromedial OT, the mice spent a shorter time in the photo-stimulation side than the control mice. Local neural activation in the anteromedial OT during the RTPP tests was confirmed by c-fos mRNA expression. These results suggest that the D1 and D2 neurons in the anteromedial OT play opposing roles in attractive and aversive behaviors, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koshi Murata
- Division of Brain Structure and Function, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
- Life Science Innovation Center, Faculty of Medical Science, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Tomoki Kinoshita
- Division of Brain Structure and Function, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Yugo Fukazawa
- Division of Brain Structure and Function, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
- Life Science Innovation Center, Faculty of Medical Science, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
- Research Center for Child Mental Health Development, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Kenta Kobayashi
- Section of Viral Vector Development, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Aichi, Japan
| | - Akihiro Yamanaka
- Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Aichi, Japan
| | - Takatoshi Hikida
- Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Manabe
- Laboratory of Neural Information, Graduate School of Brain Science, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Masahiro Yamaguchi
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Kochi, Japan
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45
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Simmons SC, Wheeler K, Mazei-Robison MS. Determination of circuit-specific morphological adaptations in ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons by chronic morphine. Mol Brain 2019; 12:10. [PMID: 30736837 PMCID: PMC6368752 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-019-0435-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic opiate exposure induces neuroadaptations in the mesocorticolimbic system including ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons, whose soma size is decreased following opiate exposure. Yet it is now well documented that VTA DA neurons are heterogeneous, with notable differences between VTA DA neurons based on their projection target. Therefore, we sought to determine whether chronic morphine induced similar changes in the morphology of VTA DA neurons that project to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and prefrontal cortex (PFC). We utilized Cre-dependent retrograde viral vectors in DA Cre driver lines to label VTA DA neurons that projected to NAc and PFC and assessed neuronal soma size. Consistent with previous data, the soma size of VTA DA neurons that projected to the NAc medial shell was decreased following morphine exposure. However, soma size of VTA DA neurons that projected to the NAc core was unaltered by morphine. Interestingly, morphology of PFC-projecting VTA DA neurons was also altered by morphine, but in this case soma size was increased compared to sham controls. Differences in basal soma size were also noted, suggesting stable differences in projection-specific morphology in addition to drug-induced changes. Together, these data suggest morphine-induced changes in VTA DA morphology occur within distinct VTA DA populations and that study of opiate-induced structural plasticity of individual VTA DA subcircuits may be critical for understanding addiction-related behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C Simmons
- Neuroscience Program and Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, 567 Wilson Road, BPS 3182, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Katie Wheeler
- Neuroscience Program and Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, 567 Wilson Road, BPS 3182, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Michelle S Mazei-Robison
- Neuroscience Program and Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, 567 Wilson Road, BPS 3182, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
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46
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Schier LA, Spector AC. The Functional and Neurobiological Properties of Bad Taste. Physiol Rev 2019; 99:605-663. [PMID: 30475657 PMCID: PMC6442928 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00044.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The gustatory system serves as a critical line of defense against ingesting harmful substances. Technological advances have fostered the characterization of peripheral receptors and have created opportunities for more selective manipulations of the nervous system, yet the neurobiological mechanisms underlying taste-based avoidance and aversion remain poorly understood. One conceptual obstacle stems from a lack of recognition that taste signals subserve several behavioral and physiological functions which likely engage partially segregated neural circuits. Moreover, although the gustatory system evolved to respond expediently to broad classes of biologically relevant chemicals, innate repertoires are often not in register with the actual consequences of a food. The mammalian brain exhibits tremendous flexibility; responses to taste can be modified in a specific manner according to bodily needs and the learned consequences of ingestion. Therefore, experimental strategies that distinguish between the functional properties of various taste-guided behaviors and link them to specific neural circuits need to be applied. Given the close relationship between the gustatory and visceroceptive systems, a full reckoning of the neural architecture of bad taste requires an understanding of how these respective sensory signals are integrated in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey A Schier
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California ; and Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University , Tallahassee, Florida
| | - Alan C Spector
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California ; and Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University , Tallahassee, Florida
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47
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Weele CMV, Siciliano CA, Tye KM. Dopamine tunes prefrontal outputs to orchestrate aversive processing. Brain Res 2018; 1713:16-31. [PMID: 30513287 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2018.11.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Revised: 11/25/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Decades of research suggest that the mesocortical dopamine system exerts powerful control over mPFC physiology and function. Indeed, dopamine signaling in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is implicated in a vast array of processes, including working memory, stimulus discrimination, stress responses, and emotional and behavioral control. Consequently, even slight perturbations within this delicate system result in profound disruptions of mPFC-mediated processes. Many neuropsychiatric disorders are associated with dysregulation of mesocortical dopamine, including schizophrenia, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, among others. Here, we review the anatomy and functions of the mesocortical dopamine system. In contrast to the canonical role of striatal dopamine in reward-related functions, recent work has revealed that mesocortical dopamine fine-tunes distinct efferent projection populations in a manner that biases subsequent behavior towards responding to stimuli associated with potentially aversive outcomes. We propose a framework wherein dopamine can serve as a signal for switching mPFC states by orchestrating how information is routed to the rest of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin M Vander Weele
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Cody A Siciliano
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Kay M Tye
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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48
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de Jong JW, Afjei SA, Pollak Dorocic I, Peck JR, Liu C, Kim CK, Tian L, Deisseroth K, Lammel S. A Neural Circuit Mechanism for Encoding Aversive Stimuli in the Mesolimbic Dopamine System. Neuron 2018; 101:133-151.e7. [PMID: 30503173 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 282] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons play a central role in mediating motivated behaviors, but the circuitry through which they signal positive and negative motivational stimuli is incompletely understood. Using in vivo fiber photometry, we simultaneously recorded activity in DA terminals in different nucleus accumbens (NAc) subnuclei during an aversive and reward conditioning task. We find that DA terminals in the ventral NAc medial shell (vNAcMed) are excited by unexpected aversive outcomes and to cues that predict them, whereas DA terminals in other NAc subregions are persistently depressed. Excitation to reward-predictive cues dominated in the NAc lateral shell and was largely absent in the vNAcMed. Moreover, we demonstrate that glutamatergic (VGLUT2-expressing) neurons in the lateral hypothalamus represent a key afferent input for providing information about aversive outcomes to vNAcMed-projecting DA neurons. Collectively, we reveal the distinct functional contributions of separate mesolimbic DA subsystems and their afferent pathways underlying motivated behaviors. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes W de Jong
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Seyedeh Atiyeh Afjei
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Iskra Pollak Dorocic
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - James R Peck
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Christine Liu
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Christina K Kim
- Neuroscience Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Lin Tian
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Departments of Bioengineering and Psychiatry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, USA
| | - Stephan Lammel
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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49
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Lichtenberg NT, Lee B, Kashtelyan V, Chappa BS, Girma HT, Green EA, Kantor S, Lagowala DA, Myers MA, Potemri D, Pecukonis MG, Tesfay RT, Walters MS, Zhao AC, Blair RJR, Cheer JF, Roesch MR. Rat behavior and dopamine release are modulated by conspecific distress. eLife 2018; 7:e38090. [PMID: 30484770 PMCID: PMC6261252 DOI: 10.7554/elife.38090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rats exhibit 'empathy' making them a model to understand the neural underpinnings of such behavior. We show data consistent with these findings, but also that behavior and dopamine (DA) release reflects subjective rather than objective evaluation of appetitive and aversive events that occur to another. We recorded DA release in two paradigms: one that involved cues predictive of unavoidable shock to the conspecific and another that allowed the rat to refrain from reward when there were harmful consequences to the conspecific. Behavior and DA reflected pro-social interactions in that DA suppression was reduced during cues that predicted shock in the presence of the conspecific and that DA release observed on self-avoidance trials was present when the conspecific was spared. However, DA also increased when the conspecific was shocked instead of the recording rat and DA release during conspecific avoidance trials was lower than when the rat avoided shock for itself.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brian Lee
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkUnited States
| | - Vadim Kashtelyan
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkUnited States
| | | | - Henok T Girma
- Gemstone Honors ProgramUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkUnited States
| | - Elizabeth A Green
- Gemstone Honors ProgramUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkUnited States
| | - Shir Kantor
- Gemstone Honors ProgramUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkUnited States
| | - Dave A Lagowala
- Gemstone Honors ProgramUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkUnited States
| | - Matthew A Myers
- Gemstone Honors ProgramUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkUnited States
| | - Danielle Potemri
- Gemstone Honors ProgramUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkUnited States
| | | | - Robel T Tesfay
- Gemstone Honors ProgramUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkUnited States
| | - Michael S Walters
- Gemstone Honors ProgramUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkUnited States
| | - Adam C Zhao
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkUnited States
| | - R James R Blair
- Center for Neurobehavioral ResearchBoys Town National Research HospitalBoys TownUnited States
| | - Joseph F Cheer
- Department of Anatomy and NeurobiologyUniversity of Maryland School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of Maryland School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
- Program in NeuroscienceUniversity of Maryland School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Matthew R Roesch
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkUnited States
- Gemstone Honors ProgramUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkUnited States
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive ScienceUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkUnited States
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50
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Lloyd K, Dayan P. Pavlovian-instrumental interactions in active avoidance: The bark of neutral trials. Brain Res 2018; 1713:52-61. [PMID: 30308188 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2018.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
In active avoidance tasks, subjects have to learn to execute particular actions in order to avoid an aversive stimulus, such as a shock. Such paradigms pose a number of psychological and neural enigmas, and so have attracted substantial computational interest. However, the ratio of conjecture to confirmation remains high. Here, we perform a theoretical inquiry into a recent experiment by Gentry, Lee, and Roesch ('Phasic dopamine release in the rat nucleus accumbens predicts approach and avoidance performance', Nat. Commun., 7:13154) who measured phasic dopamine concentrations in the nucleus accumbens core of rats whilst they avoided shocks, acquired food, or acted to gain no programmed outcome. These last, neutral, trials turned out to be a perfect probe for the workings of avoidance, partly because of the substantial differences between subjects and sessions revealed in the experiment. We suggest a way to interpret this probe, gaining support for opponency-, safety-, and Pavlovian-influenced treatments of avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Lloyd
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, United States.
| | - Peter Dayan
- Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, University College London, United Kingdom
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