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Peart DR, Nolan CJ, Stone AP, Williams MA, Karlovcec JM, Murray JE. Disruption of positive- and negative-feature morphine interoceptive occasion setters by dopamine receptor agonism and antagonism in male and female rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024; 241:1597-1615. [PMID: 38580732 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-024-06584-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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
RATIONALE Internally perceived stimuli evoked by morphine administration can form Pavlovian associations such that they can function as occasion setters (OSs) for externally perceived reward cues in rats, coming to modulate reward-seeking behaviour. Though much research has investigated mechanisms underlying opioid-related reinforcement and analgesia, neurotransmitter systems involved in the functioning of opioids as Pavlovian interoceptive discriminative stimuli remain to be disentangled despite documented differences in the development of tolerance to analgesic versus discriminative stimulus effects. OBJECTIVES Dopamine has been implicated in many opioid-related behaviours, so we aimed to investigate the role of this neurotransmitter in expression of morphine occasion setting. METHODS Male and female rats were assigned to positive- (FP) or negative-feature (FN) groups and received an injection of morphine or saline before each training session. A 15-s white noise conditioned stimulus (CS) was presented 8 times during every training session; offset of this stimulus was followed by 4-s access to liquid sucrose on morphine, but not saline, sessions for FP rats. FN rats learned the reverse contingency. Following stable discrimination, rats began generalization testing for expression of morphine-guided sucrose seeking after systemic pretreatment with different doses of the non-selective dopamine receptor antagonist, flupenthixol, and the non-selective dopamine receptor agonist, apomorphine, combined with training doses of morphine or saline in a Latin-square design. RESULTS The morphine discrimination was acquired under both FP and FN contingencies by males and females. Neither flupenthixol nor apomorphine at any dose substituted for morphine, but both apomorphine and flupenthixol disrupted expression of the morphine OS. This inhibition was specific to sucrose seeking during CS presentations rather than during the period before CS onset and, in the case of apomorphine more so than flupenthixol, to trials on which access to sucrose was anticipated. CONCLUSIONS Our findings lend support to a mechanism of occasion setting involving gating of CS-induced dopamine release rather than by direct dopaminergic modulation by the morphine stimulus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davin R Peart
- Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
- Collaborative Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Caitlin J Nolan
- Collaborative Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Adiia P Stone
- Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
- Collaborative Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Mckenna A Williams
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Jessica M Karlovcec
- Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
- Collaborative Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Jennifer E Murray
- Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
- Collaborative Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
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2
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Jo AY, Xie Y, Rodrigues A, Sandoval Ortega RA, Creasy KT, Beier KT, Blendy JA, Corder G. VTA μ-opioidergic neurons facilitate low sociability in protracted opioid withdrawal. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.08.602522. [PMID: 39026700 PMCID: PMC11257471 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.08.602522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Opioids initiate dynamic maladaptation in brain reward and affect circuits that occur throughout chronic exposure and withdrawal that persist beyond cessation. Protracted withdrawal is characterized by negative affective behaviors such as heightened anxiety, irritability, dysphoria, and anhedonia, which pose a significant risk factor for relapse. While the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and mu-opioid receptors (MORs) are critical for opioid reinforcement, the specific contributions of VTAMOR neurons in mediating protracted withdrawal-induced negative affect is not fully understood. In our study, we elucidate the role of VTAMOR neurons in mediating negative affect and altered brain-wide neuronal activities following opioid exposure and withdrawal in male and female mice. Utilizing a chronic oral morphine administration model, we observe increased social deficit, anxiety-related, and despair-like behaviors during protracted withdrawal. VTAMOR neurons show heightened neuronal FOS activation at the onset of withdrawal and connect to an array of brain regions that mediate reward and affective processes. Viral re-expression of MORs selectively within the VTA of MOR knockout mice demonstrates that the disrupted social interaction observed during protracted withdrawal is facilitated by this neural population, without affecting other protracted withdrawal behaviors. Lastly, VTAMORs contribute to heightened neuronal FOS activation in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in response to an acute morphine challenge, suggesting their unique role in modulating ACC-specific neuronal activity. These findings identify VTAMOR neurons as critical modulators of low sociability during protracted withdrawal and highlight their potential as a mechanistic target to alleviate negative affective behaviors associated with opioid withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrienne Y. Jo
- Dept. of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Dept. of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Yihan Xie
- Dept. of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Amrith Rodrigues
- Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Kate Townsend Creasy
- Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Dept. of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kevin T. Beier
- Dept. of Physiology and Biophysics, Neurobiology and Behavior, Biomedical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Julie A. Blendy
- Dept. of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Gregory Corder
- Dept. of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Dept. of Neuroscience, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Dept. of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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3
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Gooding SW, Lewis E, Chau C, Sandhu S, Glienke J, Whistler JL. Nucleus accumbens sub-regions experience distinct dopamine release responses following acute and chronic morphine exposure. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.28.601282. [PMID: 39005415 PMCID: PMC11244850 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.28.601282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
It is well established that dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) play a critical role in reward and aversion as well as pathologies including drug dependence and addiction. The distinct effects of acute and chronic opioid exposure have been previously characterized at VTA synapses. Recent work suggests that distinct VTA projections that target the medial and lateral shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAc), may play opposing roles in modulating behavior. It is possible that these two anatomically and functionally distinct pathways also have disparate roles in opioid reward, tolerance, and withdrawal in the brain. In this study we monitored dopamine release in the medial or lateral shell of the NAc of male mice during a week-long morphine treatment paradigm. We measured dopamine release in response to an intravenous morphine injection both acutely and following a week of repeated morphine. We also measured dopamine in response to a naloxone injection both prior to and following repeated morphine treatment. Morphine induced a transient increase in dopamine in the medial NAc shell that was much larger than the slower rise observed in the lateral shell. Surprisingly, chronic morphine treatment induced a sensitization of the medial dopamine response to morphine that opposed a diminished response observed in the saline-treated control group. This study expands on our current understanding of the medial NAc shell as hub of opioid-induced dopamine fluctuation. It also highlights the need for future opioid studies to appreciate the heterogeneity of dopamine neurons. Significance Statement The social and economic consequences of the opioid epidemic are tragic and far-reaching. Yet, opioids are indisputably necessary in clinical settings where they remain the most useful treatment for severe pain. To combat this crisis, we must improve our understanding of opioid function in the brain, particularly the neural mechanisms that underlie opioid dependence and addictive behaviors. This study uses fiber photometry to examine dopamine changes that occur in response to repeated morphine, and morphine withdrawal, at multiple stages of a longitudinal opioid-dependence paradigm. We reveal key differences in how dopamine levels respond to opioid administration in distinct sub-regions of the ventral striatum and lay a foundation for future opioid research that appreciates our contemporary understanding of the dopamine system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elinor Lewis
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California–Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Christine Chau
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California–Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Suhail Sandhu
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California–Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Julianna Glienke
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California–Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer L. Whistler
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California–Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, UC Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA, USA
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4
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Zhu F, Kanda H, Neyama H, Wu Y, Kato S, Hu D, Duan S, Noguchi K, Watanabe Y, Kobayashi K, Dai Y, Cui Y. Modulation of Nicotine-Associated Behaviour in Rats By μ-Opioid Signals from the Medial Prefrontal Cortex to the Nucleus Accumbens Shell. Neurosci Bull 2024:10.1007/s12264-024-01230-1. [PMID: 38850386 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-024-01230-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Nicotine addiction is a concern worldwide. Most mechanistic investigations are on nicotine substance dependence properties based on its pharmacological effects. However, no effective therapeutic treatment has been established. Nicotine addiction is reinforced by environments or habits. We demonstrate the neurobiological basis of the behavioural aspect of nicotine addiction. We utilized the conditioned place preference to establish nicotine-associated behavioural preferences (NABP) in rats. Brain-wide neuroimaging analysis revealed that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) was activated and contributed to NABP. Chemogenetic manipulation of µ-opioid receptor positive (MOR+) neurons in the mPFC or the excitatory outflow to the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcShell) modulated the NABP. Electrophysiological recording confirmed that the MOR+ neurons directly regulate the mPFC-NAcShell circuit via GABAA receptors. Thus, the MOR+ neurons in the mPFC modulate the formation of behavioural aspects of nicotine addiction via direct excitatory innervation to the NAcShell, which may provide new insight for the development of effective therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Zhu
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, Hyogo Medical University, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663-8501, Japan
| | - Hirosato Kanda
- School of Pharmacy, Hyogo Medical University, Kobe, Hyogo, 650-8530, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Neyama
- RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Hyogo, 650-0047, Japan
| | - Yuping Wu
- RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Hyogo, 650-0047, Japan
| | - Shigeki Kato
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Fukushima Medical University Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan
| | - Di Hu
- RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Hyogo, 650-0047, Japan
| | - Shaoqi Duan
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, Hyogo Medical University, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663-8501, Japan
| | - Koichi Noguchi
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, Hyogo Medical University, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663-8501, Japan
| | - Yasuyoshi Watanabe
- RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Hyogo, 650-0047, Japan
| | - Kazuto Kobayashi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Fukushima Medical University Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan
| | - Yi Dai
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, Hyogo Medical University, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663-8501, Japan.
| | - Yilong Cui
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, Hyogo Medical University, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663-8501, Japan.
- Laboratory for Brain-Gut Homeostasis, Hyogo Medical University, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663-8501, Japan.
- RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Hyogo, 650-0047, Japan.
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5
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Oriol L, Chao M, Kollman GJ, Dowlat DS, Singhal SM, Steinkellner T, Hnasko TS. Ventral tegmental area interneurons revisited: GABA and glutamate projection neurons make local synapses. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.07.597996. [PMID: 38895464 PMCID: PMC11185768 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.07.597996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
The ventral tegmental area (VTA) contains projection neurons that release the neurotransmitters dopamine, GABA, and/or glutamate from distal synapses. VTA also contains GABA neurons that synapse locally on to VTA dopamine neurons, synapses widely credited to a population of so-called VTA interneurons. Interneurons in cortex, striatum, and elsewhere have well-defined morphological features, physiological properties, and molecular markers, but such features have not been clearly described in VTA. Indeed, there is scant evidence that local and distal synapses originate from separate populations of VTA GABA neurons. In this study we tested whether several markers expressed in non-dopamine VTA neurons are selective markers of interneurons, defined as neurons that synapse locally but not distally. Challenging previous assumptions, we found that VTA neurons genetically defined by expression of parvalbumin, somatostatin, neurotensin, or mu-opioid receptor project to known VTA targets including nucleus accumbens, ventral pallidum, lateral habenula, and prefrontal cortex. Moreover, we provide evidence that VTA GABA and glutamate projection neurons make functional inhibitory or excitatory synapses locally within VTA. These findings suggest that local collaterals of VTA projection neurons could mediate functions prior attributed to VTA interneurons. This study underscores the need for a refined understanding of VTA connectivity to explain how heterogeneous VTA circuits mediate diverse functions related to reward, motivation, or addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Oriol
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, United States
| | - Melody Chao
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, United States
| | - Grace J Kollman
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, United States
| | - Dina S Dowlat
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, United States
| | - Sarthak M Singhal
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, United States
| | - Thomas Steinkellner
- Institute of Pharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas S Hnasko
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, United States
- Research Service VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, United States
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6
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Smith ACW, Ghoshal S, Centanni SW, Heyer MP, Corona A, Wills L, Andraka E, Lei Y, O'Connor RM, Caligiuri SPB, Khan S, Beaumont K, Sebra RP, Kieffer BL, Winder DG, Ishikawa M, Kenny PJ. A master regulator of opioid reward in the ventral prefrontal cortex. Science 2024; 384:eadn0886. [PMID: 38843332 DOI: 10.1126/science.adn0886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
In addition to their intrinsic rewarding properties, opioids can also evoke aversive reactions that protect against misuse. Cellular mechanisms that govern the interplay between opioid reward and aversion are poorly understood. We used whole-brain activity mapping in mice to show that neurons in the dorsal peduncular nucleus (DPn) are highly responsive to the opioid oxycodone. Connectomic profiling revealed that DPn neurons innervate the parabrachial nucleus (PBn). Spatial and single-nuclei transcriptomics resolved a population of PBn-projecting pyramidal neurons in the DPn that express μ-opioid receptors (μORs). Disrupting μOR signaling in the DPn switched oxycodone from rewarding to aversive and exacerbated the severity of opioid withdrawal. These findings identify the DPn as a key substrate for the abuse liability of opioids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander C W Smith
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Soham Ghoshal
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Samuel W Centanni
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Mary P Heyer
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Alberto Corona
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Lauren Wills
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Emma Andraka
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Ye Lei
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Richard M O'Connor
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Stephanie P B Caligiuri
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Sohail Khan
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Kristin Beaumont
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Robert P Sebra
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Brigitte L Kieffer
- Douglas Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- INSERM U1114, Department of Psychiatry, University of Strasbourg, 67081 Strasbourg, France
| | - Danny G Winder
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Masago Ishikawa
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Paul J Kenny
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
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7
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Heilig M, Petrella M. Neural pathways for reward and relief promote fentanyl addiction. Nature 2024; 630:38-39. [PMID: 38778188 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-024-01361-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
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8
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Chaudun F, Python L, Liu Y, Hiver A, Cand J, Kieffer BL, Valjent E, Lüscher C. Distinct µ-opioid ensembles trigger positive and negative fentanyl reinforcement. Nature 2024; 630:141-148. [PMID: 38778097 PMCID: PMC11153127 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07440-x] [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: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Fentanyl is a powerful painkiller that elicits euphoria and positive reinforcement1. Fentanyl also leads to dependence, defined by the aversive withdrawal syndrome, which fuels negative reinforcement2,3 (that is, individuals retake the drug to avoid withdrawal). Positive and negative reinforcement maintain opioid consumption, which leads to addiction in one-fourth of users, the largest fraction for all addictive drugs4. Among the opioid receptors, µ-opioid receptors have a key role5, yet the induction loci of circuit adaptations that eventually lead to addiction remain unknown. Here we injected mice with fentanyl to acutely inhibit γ-aminobutyric acid-expressing neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), causing disinhibition of dopamine neurons, which eventually increased dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. Knockdown of µ-opioid receptors in VTA abolished dopamine transients and positive reinforcement, but withdrawal remained unchanged. We identified neurons expressing µ-opioid receptors in the central amygdala (CeA) whose activity was enhanced during withdrawal. Knockdown of µ-opioid receptors in CeA eliminated aversive symptoms, suggesting that they mediate negative reinforcement. Thus, optogenetic stimulation caused place aversion, and mice readily learned to press a lever to pause optogenetic stimulation of CeA neurons that express µ-opioid receptors. Our study parses the neuronal populations that trigger positive and negative reinforcement in VTA and CeA, respectively. We lay out the circuit organization to develop interventions for reducing fentanyl addiction and facilitating rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrice Chaudun
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Laurena Python
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Yu Liu
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Agnes Hiver
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jennifer Cand
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Brigitte L Kieffer
- INSERM U1114, University of Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Study, Strasbourg, France
| | - Emmanuel Valjent
- IGF, Université de Montpellier CNRS, Inserm, Montpellier, France
| | - Christian Lüscher
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Clinic of Neurology, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
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9
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Cole RH, Moussawi K, Joffe ME. Opioid modulation of prefrontal cortex cells and circuits. Neuropharmacology 2024; 248:109891. [PMID: 38417545 PMCID: PMC10939756 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.109891] [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: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
Several neurochemical systems converge in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) to regulate cognitive and motivated behaviors. A rich network of endogenous opioid peptides and receptors spans multiple PFC cell types and circuits, and this extensive opioid system has emerged as a key substrate underlying reward, motivation, affective behaviors, and adaptations to stress. Here, we review the current evidence for dysregulated cortical opioid signaling in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders. We begin by providing an introduction to the basic anatomy and function of the cortical opioid system, followed by a discussion of endogenous and exogenous opioid modulation of PFC function at the behavioral, cellular, and synaptic level. Finally, we highlight the therapeutic potential of endogenous opioid targets in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, synthesizing clinical reports of altered opioid peptide and receptor expression and activity in human patients and summarizing new developments in opioid-based medications. This article is part of the Special Issue on "PFC circuit function in psychiatric disease and relevant models".
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca H Cole
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA; Translational Neuroscience Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Neuroscience University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Khaled Moussawi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA; Translational Neuroscience Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Neuroscience University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Max E Joffe
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA; Translational Neuroscience Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Neuroscience University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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10
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Martínez-Rivera A, Fetcho RN, Birmingham L, Jiu JX, Yang R, Foord C, Scala-Chávez D, Mekawy N, Pleil K, Pickel VM, Liston C, Castorena CM, Levitz J, Pan YX, Briand LA, Rajadhyaksha AM, Lee FS. Elevating levels of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol blunts opioid reward but not analgesia. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.02.585967. [PMID: 38766079 PMCID: PMC11101127 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.02.585967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Converging findings have established that the endocannabinoid (eCB) system serves as a possible target for the development of new treatments for pain as a complement to opioid-based treatments. Here we show in male and female mice that enhancing levels of the eCB, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), through pharmacological inhibition of its catabolic enzyme, monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), either systemically or in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) with JZL184, leads to a substantial attenuation of the rewarding effects of opioids in male and female mice using conditioned place preference and self-administration paradigms, without altering their analgesic properties. These effects are driven by CB1 receptors (CB1Rs) within the VTA as VTA CB1R conditional knockout, counteracts JZL184's effects. Conversely, pharmacologically enhancing the levels of the other eCB, anandamide (AEA), by inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) has no effect on opioid reward or analgesia. Using fiber photometry with fluorescent sensors for calcium and dopamine (DA), we find that enhancing 2-AG levels diminishes opioid reward-related nucleus accumbens (NAc) activity and DA neurotransmission. Together these findings reveal that 2-AG counteracts the rewarding properties of opioids and provides a potential adjunctive therapeutic strategy for opioid-related analgesic treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arlene Martínez-Rivera
- Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Robert N. Fetcho
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Lizzie Birmingham
- Department of Psychology, Temple University; Neuroscience Program, Temple University, 19122, USA
| | - Jin X Jiu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
| | - Ruirong Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Careen Foord
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Diego Scala-Chávez
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Narmin Mekawy
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Kristen Pleil
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Virginia M. Pickel
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Conor Liston
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Carlos M. Castorena
- Center for Hypothalamic Research, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Joshua Levitz
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Ying-Xian Pan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
| | - Lisa A. Briand
- Department of Psychology, Temple University; Neuroscience Program, Temple University, 19122, USA
| | - Anjali M. Rajadhyaksha
- Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Francis S. Lee
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
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11
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Amo R, Uchida N, Watabe-Uchida M. Glutamate inputs send prediction error of reward, but not negative value of aversive stimuli, to dopamine neurons. Neuron 2024; 112:1001-1019.e6. [PMID: 38278147 PMCID: PMC10957320 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.12.019] [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: 03/26/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Midbrain dopamine neurons are thought to signal reward prediction errors (RPEs), but the mechanisms underlying RPE computation, particularly the contributions of different neurotransmitters, remain poorly understood. Here, we used a genetically encoded glutamate sensor to examine the pattern of glutamate inputs to dopamine neurons in mice. We found that glutamate inputs exhibit virtually all of the characteristics of RPE rather than conveying a specific component of RPE computation, such as reward or expectation. Notably, whereas glutamate inputs were transiently inhibited by reward omission, they were excited by aversive stimuli. Opioid analgesics altered dopamine negative responses to aversive stimuli into more positive responses, whereas excitatory responses of glutamate inputs remained unchanged. Our findings uncover previously unknown synaptic mechanisms underlying RPE computations; dopamine responses are shaped by both synergistic and competitive interactions between glutamatergic and GABAergic inputs to dopamine neurons depending on valences, with competitive interactions playing a role in responses to aversive stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryunosuke Amo
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Naoshige Uchida
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Mitsuko Watabe-Uchida
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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12
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Levinstein MR, De Oliveira PA, Casajuana-Martin N, Quiroz C, Budinich RC, Rais R, Rea W, Ventriglia EN, Llopart N, Casadó-Anguera V, Moreno E, Walther D, Glatfelter GC, Weinshenker D, Zarate CA, Casadó V, Baumann MH, Pardo L, Ferré S, Michaelides M. Unique pharmacodynamic properties and low abuse liability of the µ-opioid receptor ligand (S)-methadone. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:624-632. [PMID: 38145984 PMCID: PMC11221360 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02353-z] [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: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
(R,S)-methadone ((R,S)-MTD) is a µ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist comprised of (R)-MTD and (S)-MTD enantiomers. (S)-MTD is being developed as an antidepressant and is considered an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist. We compared the pharmacology of (R)-MTD and (S)-MTD and found they bind to MORs, but not NMDARs, and induce full analgesia. Unlike (R)-MTD, (S)-MTD was a weak reinforcer that failed to affect extracellular dopamine or induce locomotor stimulation. Furthermore, (S)-MTD antagonized motor and dopamine releasing effects of (R)-MTD. (S)-MTD acted as a partial agonist at MOR, with complete loss of efficacy at the MOR-galanin Gal1 receptor (Gal1R) heteromer, a key mediator of the dopaminergic effects of opioids. In sum, we report novel and unique pharmacodynamic properties of (S)-MTD that are relevant to its potential mechanism of action and therapeutic use. One-sentence summary: (S)-MTD, like (R)-MTD, binds to and activates MORs in vitro, but (S)-MTD antagonizes the MOR-Gal1R heteromer, decreasing its abuse liability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie R Levinstein
- Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Paulo A De Oliveira
- Integrative Neurobiology Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Nil Casajuana-Martin
- Laboratory of Computational Medicine, Biostatistics Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cesar Quiroz
- Integrative Neurobiology Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Reece C Budinich
- Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Rana Rais
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Neurology and Pharmacology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - William Rea
- Integrative Neurobiology Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Emilya N Ventriglia
- Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Natàlia Llopart
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Biology and Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Verònica Casadó-Anguera
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Biology and Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Estefanía Moreno
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Biology and Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Donna Walther
- Designer Drug Research Unit, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Grant C Glatfelter
- Designer Drug Research Unit, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - David Weinshenker
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Carlos A Zarate
- Section on the Neurobiology and Treatment of Mood Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Vicent Casadó
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Biology and Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Michael H Baumann
- Designer Drug Research Unit, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Leonardo Pardo
- Laboratory of Computational Medicine, Biostatistics Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sergi Ferré
- Integrative Neurobiology Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA.
| | - Michael Michaelides
- Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
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13
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Lu X, Xue J, Lai Y, Tang X. Heterogeneity of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons: From molecular classifications, electrophysiological properties to functional connectivity. FASEB J 2024; 38:e23465. [PMID: 38315491 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202302031r] [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: 10/07/2023] [Revised: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
The mesencephalic dopamine (DA) system is composed of neuronal subtypes that are molecularly and functionally distinct, are responsible for specific behaviors, and are closely associated with numerous brain disorders. Existing research has made significant advances in identifying the heterogeneity of mesencephalic DA neurons, which is necessary for understanding their diverse physiological functions and disease susceptibility. Moreover, there is a conflict regarding the electrophysiological properties of the distinct subsets of midbrain DA neurons. This review aimed to elucidate recent developments in the heterogeneity of midbrain DA neurons, including subpopulation categorization, electrophysiological characteristics, and functional connectivity to provide new strategies for accurately identifying distinct subtypes of midbrain DA neurons and investigating the underlying mechanisms of these neurons in various diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaying Lu
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
| | - Jinhua Xue
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
| | - Yudong Lai
- Department of Human Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
| | - Xiaolu Tang
- The First Clinical Medical College, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
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14
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Cai J, Jiang Y, Xu Y, Jiang Z, Young C, Li H, Ortiz-Guzman J, Zhuo Y, Li Y, Xu Y, Arenkiel BR, Tong Q. An excitatory projection from the basal forebrain to the ventral tegmental area that underlies anorexia-like phenotypes. Neuron 2024; 112:458-472.e6. [PMID: 38056455 PMCID: PMC10922337 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.11.001] [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: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Maladaptation in balancing internal energy needs and external threat cues may result in eating disorders. However, brain mechanisms underlying such maladaptations remain elusive. Here, we identified that the basal forebrain (BF) sends glutamatergic projections to glutamatergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in mice. Glutamatergic neurons in both regions displayed correlated responses to various stressors. Notably, in vivo manipulation of BF terminals in the VTA revealed that the glutamatergic BF → VTA circuit reduces appetite, increases locomotion, and elicits avoidance. Consistently, activation of VTA glutamatergic neurons reduced body weight, blunted food motivation, and caused hyperactivity with behavioral signs of anxiety, all hallmarks of typical anorexia symptoms. Importantly, activation of BF glutamatergic terminals in the VTA reduced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. Collectively, our results point to overactivation of the glutamatergic BF → VTA circuit as a potential cause of anorexia-like phenotypes involving reduced dopamine release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Cai
- Brown Foundation of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; MD Anderson Cancer Center & UTHealth Graduate School for Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yanyan Jiang
- Brown Foundation of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yuanzhong Xu
- Brown Foundation of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Zhiying Jiang
- Brown Foundation of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Claire Young
- Brown Foundation of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Hongli Li
- Brown Foundation of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Joshua Ortiz-Guzman
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics and Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, and Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yizhou Zhuo
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yong Xu
- USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Benjamin R Arenkiel
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics and Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, and Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA; USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Qingchun Tong
- Brown Foundation of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; MD Anderson Cancer Center & UTHealth Graduate School for Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy of McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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15
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Wallace CW, Holleran KM, Slinkard CY, Centanni SW, Jones SR. Kappa Opioid Receptors Negatively Regulate Real Time Spontaneous Dopamine Signals by Reducing Release and Increasing Uptake. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.05.578840. [PMID: 38370660 PMCID: PMC10871279 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.05.578840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
The role of the dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor (KOR) system in dopamine (DA) regulation has been extensively investigated. KOR activation reduces extracellular DA concentrations and increases DA transporter (DAT) activity and trafficking to the membrane. To explore KOR influences on real-time DA fluctuations, we used the photosensor dLight1.2 with fiber photometry in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core of freely moving male and female C57BL/6 mice. First, we established that the rise and fall of spontaneous DA signals were due to DA release and reuptake, respectively. Then mice were systemically administered the KOR agonist U50,488H (U50), with or without pretreatment with the KOR antagonist aticaprant (ATIC). U50 reduced both the amplitude and width of spontaneous signals in males, but only reduced width in females. Further, the slope of the correlation between amplitude and width was increased in both sexes, suggesting that DA uptake rates were increased. U50 also reduced the frequency of signals in both males and females. All effects of KOR activation were stronger in males. Overall, KORs exerted significant inhibitory control over spontaneous DA signaling, acting through at least three mechanisms - inhibiting DA release, promoting DAT-mediated uptake, and reducing the frequency of signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conner W Wallace
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC
| | - Katherine M Holleran
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC
| | - Clare Y Slinkard
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC
| | - Samuel W Centanni
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC
| | - Sara R Jones
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC
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16
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McClain SP, Ma X, Johnson DA, Johnson CA, Layden AE, Yung JC, Lubejko ST, Livrizzi G, He XJ, Zhou J, Chang-Weinberg J, Ventriglia E, Rizzo A, Levinstein M, Gomez JL, Bonaventura J, Michaelides M, Banghart MR. In vivo photopharmacology with light-activated opioid drugs. Neuron 2023; 111:3926-3940.e10. [PMID: 37848025 PMCID: PMC11188017 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.09.017] [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: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Traditional methods for site-specific drug delivery in the brain are slow, invasive, and difficult to interface with recordings of neural activity. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility and experimental advantages of in vivo photopharmacology using "caged" opioid drugs that are activated in the brain with light after systemic administration in an inactive form. To enable bidirectional manipulations of endogenous opioid receptors in vivo, we developed photoactivatable oxymorphone (PhOX) and photoactivatable naloxone (PhNX), photoactivatable variants of the mu opioid receptor agonist oxymorphone and the antagonist naloxone. Photoactivation of PhOX in multiple brain areas produced local changes in receptor occupancy, brain metabolic activity, neuronal calcium activity, neurochemical signaling, and multiple pain- and reward-related behaviors. Combining PhOX photoactivation with optical recording of extracellular dopamine revealed adaptations in the opioid sensitivity of mesolimbic dopamine circuitry in response to chronic morphine administration. This work establishes a general experimental framework for using in vivo photopharmacology to study the neural basis of drug action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannan P McClain
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Xiang Ma
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Desiree A Johnson
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Caroline A Johnson
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Aryanna E Layden
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jean C Yung
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Susan T Lubejko
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Giulia Livrizzi
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Biological Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - X Jenny He
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Biological Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jingjing Zhou
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Janie Chang-Weinberg
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Emilya Ventriglia
- Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Arianna Rizzo
- Departament de Patologia i Terapèutica Experimental, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat 08907, Catalonia, Spain; Neuropharmacology and Pain Group, Neuroscience Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat 08907, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Marjorie Levinstein
- Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Juan L Gomez
- Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Jordi Bonaventura
- Departament de Patologia i Terapèutica Experimental, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat 08907, Catalonia, Spain; Neuropharmacology and Pain Group, Neuroscience Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat 08907, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Michael Michaelides
- Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Matthew R Banghart
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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17
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McGovern DJ, Polter AM, Prévost ED, Ly A, McNulty CJ, Rubinstein B, Root DH. Ventral tegmental area glutamate neurons establish a mu-opioid receptor gated circuit to mesolimbic dopamine neurons and regulate opioid-seeking behavior. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:1889-1900. [PMID: 37407648 PMCID: PMC10584944 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01637-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
A two-neuron model of ventral tegmental area (VTA) opioid function classically involves VTA GABA neuron regulation of VTA dopamine neurons via a mu-opioid receptor dependent inhibitory circuit. However, this model predates the discovery of a third major type of neuron in the VTA: glutamatergic neurons. We found that about one-quarter of VTA neurons expressing the mu-opioid receptor are glutamate neurons without molecular markers of GABA co-release. Glutamate-Mu opioid receptor neurons are largely distributed in the anterior VTA. The majority of remaining VTA mu-opioid receptor neurons are GABAergic neurons that are mostly within the posterior VTA and do not express molecular markers of glutamate co-release. Optogenetic stimulation of VTA glutamate neurons resulted in excitatory currents recorded from VTA dopamine neurons that were reduced by presynaptic activation of the mu-opioid receptor ex vivo, establishing a local mu-opioid receptor dependent excitatory circuit from VTA glutamate neurons to VTA dopamine neurons. This VTA glutamate to VTA dopamine pathway regulated dopamine release to the nucleus accumbens through mu-opioid receptor activity in vivo. Behaviorally, VTA glutamate calcium-related neuronal activity increased following oral oxycodone consumption during self-administration and response-contingent oxycodone-associated cues during abstinent reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior. Further, chemogenetic inhibition of VTA glutamate neurons reduced abstinent oral oxycodone-seeking behavior in male but not female mice. These results establish 1) a three-neuron model of VTA opioid function involving a mu-opioid receptor gated VTA glutamate neuron pathway to VTA dopamine neurons that controls dopamine release within the nucleus accumbens, and 2) that VTA glutamate neurons participate in opioid-seeking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dillon J McGovern
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Abigail M Polter
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
| | - Emily D Prévost
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Annie Ly
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Connor J McNulty
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Bodhi Rubinstein
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - David H Root
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA.
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18
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Welsch L, Colantonio E, Frison M, Johnson DA, McClain SP, Mathis V, Banghart MR, Ben Hamida S, Darcq E, Kieffer BL. Mu Opioid Receptor-Expressing Neurons in the Dorsal Raphe Nucleus Are Involved in Reward Processing and Affective Behaviors. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 94:842-851. [PMID: 37285896 PMCID: PMC10850692 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.05.019] [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: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mu opioid receptors (MORs) are key for reward processing, mostly studied in dopaminergic pathways. MORs are also expressed in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), which is central for the modulation of reward and mood, but MOR function in the DRN remains underexplored. Here, we investigated whether MOR-expressing neurons of the DRN (DRN-MOR neurons) participate in reward and emotional responses. METHODS We characterized DRN-MOR neurons anatomically using immunohistochemistry and functionally using fiber photometry in responses to morphine and rewarding/aversive stimuli. We tested the effect of opioid uncaging on the DRN on place conditioning. We examined the effect of DRN-MOR neuron optostimulation on positive reinforcement and mood-related behaviors. We mapped their projections and selected DRN-MOR neurons projecting to the lateral hypothalamus for a similar optogenetic experimentation. RESULTS DRN-MOR neurons form a heterogeneous neuronal population essentially composed of GABAergic (gamma-aminobutyric acidergic) and glutamatergic neurons. Calcium activity of DRN-MOR neurons was inhibited by rewarding stimuli and morphine. Local photo-uncaging of oxymorphone in the DRN produced conditioned place preference. DRN-MOR neuron optostimulation triggered real-time place preference and was self-administered, promoted social preference, and reduced anxiety and passive coping. Finally, specific optostimulation of DRN-MOR neurons projecting to the lateral hypothalamus recapitulated the reinforcing effects of total DRN-MOR neuron stimulation. CONCLUSIONS Our data show that DRN-MOR neurons respond to rewarding stimuli and that their optoactivation has reinforcing effects and promotes positive emotional responses, an activity which is partially mediated by their projections to the lateral hypothalamus. Our study also suggests a complex regulation of DRN activity by MOR opioids, involving mixed inhibition/activation mechanisms that fine-tune DRN function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lola Welsch
- Douglas Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; INSERM U1114, Department of Psychiatry, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Esther Colantonio
- INSERM U1114, Department of Psychiatry, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Mathilde Frison
- Douglas Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Desiree A Johnson
- Neurobiology Department, School of the Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Shannan P McClain
- Neurobiology Department, School of the Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Victor Mathis
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, UPR 3212, Strasbourg, France
| | - Matthew R Banghart
- Neurobiology Department, School of the Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Sami Ben Hamida
- Douglas Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; INSERM UMR 1247, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - Emmanuel Darcq
- Douglas Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; INSERM U1114, Department of Psychiatry, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Brigitte L Kieffer
- Douglas Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; INSERM U1114, Department of Psychiatry, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
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19
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Amo R, Uchida N, Watabe-Uchida M. Glutamate inputs send prediction error of reward but not negative value of aversive stimuli to dopamine neurons. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.09.566472. [PMID: 37986868 PMCID: PMC10659341 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.09.566472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Midbrain dopamine neurons are thought to signal reward prediction errors (RPEs) but the mechanisms underlying RPE computation, particularly contributions of different neurotransmitters, remain poorly understood. Here we used a genetically-encoded glutamate sensor to examine the pattern of glutamate inputs to dopamine neurons. We found that glutamate inputs exhibit virtually all of the characteristics of RPE, rather than conveying a specific component of RPE computation such as reward or expectation. Notably, while glutamate inputs were transiently inhibited by reward omission, they were excited by aversive stimuli. Opioid analgesics altered dopamine negative responses to aversive stimuli toward more positive responses, while excitatory responses of glutamate inputs remained unchanged. Our findings uncover previously unknown synaptic mechanisms underlying RPE computations; dopamine responses are shaped by both synergistic and competitive interactions between glutamatergic and GABAergic inputs to dopamine neurons depending on valences, with competitive interactions playing a role in responses to aversive stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryunosuke Amo
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Naoshige Uchida
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Mitsuko Watabe-Uchida
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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20
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Falconnier C, Caparros-Roissard A, Decraene C, Lutz PE. Functional genomic mechanisms of opioid action and opioid use disorder: a systematic review of animal models and human studies. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:4568-4584. [PMID: 37723284 PMCID: PMC10914629 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02238-1] [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: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
In the past two decades, over-prescription of opioids for pain management has driven a steep increase in opioid use disorder (OUD) and death by overdose, exerting a dramatic toll on western countries. OUD is a chronic relapsing disease associated with a lifetime struggle to control drug consumption, suggesting that opioids trigger long-lasting brain adaptations, notably through functional genomic and epigenomic mechanisms. Current understanding of these processes, however, remain scarce, and have not been previously reviewed systematically. To do so, the goal of the present work was to synthesize current knowledge on genome-wide transcriptomic and epigenetic mechanisms of opioid action, in primate and rodent species. Using a prospectively registered methodology, comprehensive literature searches were completed in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. Of the 2709 articles identified, 73 met our inclusion criteria and were considered for qualitative analysis. Focusing on the 5 most studied nervous system structures (nucleus accumbens, frontal cortex, whole striatum, dorsal striatum, spinal cord; 44 articles), we also conducted a quantitative analysis of differentially expressed genes, in an effort to identify a putative core transcriptional signature of opioids. Only one gene, Cdkn1a, was consistently identified in eleven studies, and globally, our results unveil surprisingly low consistency across published work, even when considering most recent single-cell approaches. Analysis of sources of variability detected significant contributions from species, brain structure, duration of opioid exposure, strain, time-point of analysis, and batch effects, but not type of opioid. To go beyond those limitations, we leveraged threshold-free methods to illustrate how genome-wide comparisons may generate new findings and hypotheses. Finally, we discuss current methodological development in the field, and their implication for future research and, ultimately, better care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Falconnier
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives UPR 3212, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Alba Caparros-Roissard
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives UPR 3212, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Charles Decraene
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives UPR 3212, 67000, Strasbourg, France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives UMR 7364, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Pierre-Eric Lutz
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives UPR 3212, 67000, Strasbourg, France.
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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21
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Hu RR, Yang MD, Ding XY, Wu N, Li J, Song R. Blockade of the Dopamine D 3 Receptor Attenuates Opioids-Induced Addictive Behaviours Associated with Inhibiting the Mesolimbic Dopamine System. Neurosci Bull 2023; 39:1655-1668. [PMID: 37040055 PMCID: PMC10603017 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-023-01059-0] [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: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Opioid use disorder (OUD) has become a considerable global public health challenge; however, potential medications for the management of OUD that are effective, safe, and nonaddictive are not available. Accumulating preclinical evidence indicates that antagonists of the dopamine D3 receptor (D3R) have effects on addiction in different animal models. We have previously reported that YQA14, a D3R antagonist, exhibits very high affinity and selectivity for D3Rs over D2Rs, and is able to inhibit cocaine- or methamphetamine-induced reinforcement and reinstatement in self-administration tests. In the present study, our results illustrated that YQA14 dose-dependently reduced infusions under the fixed-ratio 2 procedure and lowered the breakpoint under the progressive-ratio procedure in heroin self-administered rats, also attenuated heroin-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior. On the other hand, YQA14 not only reduced morphine-induced expression of conditioned place preference but also facilitated the extinguishing process in mice. Moreover, we elucidated that YQA14 attenuated opioid-induced reward or reinforcement mainly by inhibiting morphine-induced up-regulation of dopaminergic neuron activity in the ventral tegmental area and decreasing dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens with a fiber photometry recording system. These findings suggest that D3R might play a very important role in opioid addiction, and YQA14 may have pharmacotherapeutic potential in attenuating opioid-induced addictive behaviors dependent on the dopamine system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong-Rong Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hainan Hospital of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Sanya, 572013, China
| | - Meng-Die Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China
| | - Xiao-Yan Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China
| | - Ning Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China
| | - Jin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China.
| | - Rui Song
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China.
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22
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Nguyen VT, Harris AC, Eltit JM. Structural and functional perspectives on interactions between synthetic cathinones and monoamine transporters. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2023; 99:83-124. [PMID: 38467490 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2023.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Synthetic cathinone derivatives comprise a family of psychoactive compounds structurally related to amphetamine. Over the last decade, clandestine chemists have synthesized a consistent stream of innovative cathinone derivatives to outpace governmental regulatory restrictions. Many of these unregulated substances are produced and distributed as designer drugs. Two of the principal chemical scaffolds exploited to expand the synthetic cathinone family are methcathinone and α-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (or α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone, α-PVP). These compounds' main physiological targets are monoamine transporters, where they promote addiction by potentiating dopaminergic neurotransmission. This chapter describes techniques used to study the pharmacodynamic properties of cathinones at monoamine transporters in vitro. Biochemical techniques described include uptake inhibition and release assays in rat brain synaptosomes and in mammalian expression systems. Electrophysiological techniques include current measurements using the voltage clamp technique. We describe a Ca2+ mobilization assay wherein voltage-gated Ca2+ channels function as reporters to study the action of synthetic cathinones at monoamine transporters. We discuss results from systematic structure-activity relationship studies on simple and complex cathinones at monoamine transporters with an emphasis on identifying structural moieties that modulate potency and selectivity at these transporters. Moreover, different profiles of selectivity at monoamine transporters directly predict compounds associated with behavioral and subjective effects within animals and humans. In conclusion, clarification of the structural aspects of compounds which modulate potency and selectivity at monoamine transporters is critical to identify and predict potential addictive drugs. This knowledge may allow prompt allocation of resources toward drugs that represent the greatest threats after drugs are identified by forensic laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vy T Nguyen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Alan C Harris
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Jose M Eltit
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States.
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23
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Ma L, Liu H, Xu Z, Yang M, Zhang Y. Application of the wholebrain calculation interactive framework to map whole-brain neural connectivity networks. J Chem Neuroanat 2023; 132:102304. [PMID: 37331669 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2023.102304] [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: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this work was to develop a simple and feasible method of mapping the neural network topology of the mouse brain. Wild-type C57BL/6 J mice (n = 10) aged 8-10 weeks were injected with the cholera toxin subunit B (CTB) tracer in the anterior (NAcCA) and posterior (NAcCP) parts of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core and in the medial (NAcSM) and lateral (NAcSL) parts of the NAc shell. The labeled neurons were reconstructed using the WholeBrain Calculation Interactive Framework. The NAcCA receives neuronal projections from the olfactory areas (OLF) and isocortex; the thalamus and isocortex project more fibers to the NAcSL, and the hypothalamus send more fiber projections to the NAcSM. Cell resolution can be automatically annotated, analyzed, and visualized using the WholeBrain Calculation Interactive Framework, making large-scale mapping of mouse brains at cellular and subcellular resolutions easier and more accurate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Ma
- Department of Human Anatomy & Histoembryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - He Liu
- Department of Human Anatomy & Histoembryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - Ziyi Xu
- Department of Human Anatomy & Histoembryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - Mengli Yang
- Department of Human Anatomy & Histoembryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - Yinghua Zhang
- Department of Human Anatomy & Histoembryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China.
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24
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Nagaeva E, Schäfer A, Linden AM, Elsilä LV, Egorova K, Umemori J, Ryazantseva M, Korpi ER. Somatostatin-Expressing Neurons in the Ventral Tegmental Area Innervate Specific Forebrain Regions and Are Involved in Stress Response. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0149-23.2023. [PMID: 37553240 PMCID: PMC10464661 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0149-23.2023] [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: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Expanding knowledge about the cellular composition of subcortical brain regions demonstrates large heterogeneity and differences from the cortical architecture. Previously we described three subtypes of somatostatin-expressing (Sst) neurons in the mouse ventral tegmental area (VTA) and showed their local inhibitory action on the neighboring dopaminergic neurons (Nagaeva et al., 2020). Here, we report that Sst+ neurons especially from the anterolateral part of the mouse VTA also project far outside the VTA and innervate forebrain regions that are mainly involved in the regulation of emotional behavior, including the ventral pallidum, lateral hypothalamus, the medial part of the central amygdala, anterolateral division of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis, and paraventricular thalamic nucleus. Deletion of these VTASst neurons in mice affected several behaviors, such as home cage activity, sensitization of locomotor activity to morphine, fear conditioning responses, and reactions to the inescapable stress of forced swimming, often in a sex-dependent manner. Together, these data demonstrate that VTASst neurons have selective projection targets distinct from the main targets of VTA dopamine neurons. VTASst neurons are involved in the regulation of behaviors primarily associated with the stress response, making them a relevant addition to the efferent VTA pathways and stress-related neuronal network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elina Nagaeva
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Annika Schäfer
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anni-Maija Linden
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lauri V. Elsilä
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ksenia Egorova
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juzoh Umemori
- Gene and Cell Technology, A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Science, University of Eastern Finland, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Maria Ryazantseva
- HiLIFE Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Esa R. Korpi
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
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25
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Zheng Y, Li Y. Past, present, and future of tools for dopamine detection. Neuroscience 2023:S0306-4522(23)00295-6. [PMID: 37419404 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Dopamine (DA) is a critical neuromodulator involved in various brain functions. To understand how DA regulates neural circuits and behaviors in the physiological and pathological conditions, it is essential to have tools that enable the direct detection of DA dynamics in vivo. Recently, genetically encoded DA sensors based on G protein-coupled receptors revolutionized this field, as it allows us to track in vivo DA dynamic with unprecedented spatial-temporal resolution, high molecular specificity, and sub-second kinetics. In this review, we first summarize traditional DA detection methods. Then we focus on the development of genetically encoded DA sensors and feature its significance to understanding dopaminergic neuromodulation across diverse behaviors and species. Finally, we present our perspectives about the future direction of the next-generation DA sensors and extend their potential applications. Overall, this review offers a comprehensive perspective on the past, present, and future of DA detection tools, with important implications for the study of DA functions in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zheng
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, 100871 Beijing, China
| | - Yulong Li
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, 100871 Beijing, China; State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, 100871 Beijing, China; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, 100871 Beijing, China; National Biomedical Imaging Center, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, China.
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26
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Terem A, Fatal Y, Peretz-Rivlin N, Turm H, Koren SS, Kitsberg D, Ashwal-Fluss R, Mukherjee D, Habib N, Citri A. Claustral neurons projecting to frontal cortex restrict opioid consumption. Curr Biol 2023:S0960-9822(23)00737-6. [PMID: 37379841 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.05.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
The synthetic opioid fentanyl is a major contributor to the current opioid addiction crisis. We report that claustral neurons projecting to the frontal cortex limit oral fentanyl self-administration in mice. We found that fentanyl transcriptionally activates frontal-projecting claustrum neurons. These neurons also exhibit a unique suppression of Ca2+ activity upon initiation of bouts of fentanyl consumption. Optogenetic stimulation of frontal-projecting claustral neurons, intervening in this suppression, decreased bouts of fentanyl consumption. In contrast, constitutive inhibition of frontal-projecting claustral neurons in the context of a novel, group-housed self-administration procedure increased fentanyl bout consumption. This same manipulation also sensitized conditioned-place preference for fentanyl and enhanced the representation of fentanyl experience in the frontal cortex. Together, our results indicate that claustrum neurons exert inhibitory control over frontal cortical neurons to restrict oral fentanyl intake. Upregulation of activity in the claustro-frontal projection may be a promising strategy for reducing human opioid addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Terem
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Yonatan Fatal
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Noa Peretz-Rivlin
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Hagit Turm
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Shahar Shohat Koren
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Danny Kitsberg
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Reut Ashwal-Fluss
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Diptendu Mukherjee
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Naomi Habib
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Ami Citri
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; Program in Child and Brain Development, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, MaRS Centre, West Tower, 661 University Avenue, Suite 505, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada.
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27
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Milella MS, D'Ottavio G, De Pirro S, Barra M, Caprioli D, Badiani A. Heroin and its metabolites: relevance to heroin use disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:120. [PMID: 37031205 PMCID: PMC10082801 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02406-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Heroin is an opioid agonist commonly abused for its rewarding effects. Since its synthesis at the end of the nineteenth century, its popularity as a recreational drug has ebbed and flowed. In the last three decades, heroin use has increased again, and yet the pharmacology of heroin is still poorly understood. After entering the body, heroin is rapidly deacetylated to 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), which is then deacetylated to morphine. Thus, drug addiction literature has long settled on the notion that heroin is little more than a pro-drug. In contrast to these former views, we will argue for a more complex interplay among heroin and its active metabolites: 6-MAM, morphine, and morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G). In particular, we propose that the complex temporal pattern of heroin effects results from the sequential, only partially overlapping, actions not only of 6-MAM, morphine, and M6G, but also of heroin per se, which, therefore, should not be seen as a mere brain-delivery system for its active metabolites. We will first review the literature concerning the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of heroin and its metabolites, then examine their neural and behavioral effects, and finally discuss the possible implications of these data for a better understanding of opioid reward and heroin addiction. By so doing we hope to highlight research topics to be investigated by future clinical and pre-clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Stanislaw Milella
- Toxicology Unit, Policlinico Umberto I University Hospital, Rome, Italy.
- Laboratory affiliated to the Institute Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti-Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | - Ginevra D'Ottavio
- Laboratory affiliated to the Institute Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti-Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
| | - Silvana De Pirro
- Laboratory affiliated to the Institute Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti-Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research (SERAF), Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Sussex Addiction and Intervention Centre (SARIC), School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | | | - Daniele Caprioli
- Laboratory affiliated to the Institute Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti-Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
- Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy.
| | - Aldo Badiani
- Laboratory affiliated to the Institute Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti-Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
- Sussex Addiction and Intervention Centre (SARIC), School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
- Fondazione Villa Maraini, Rome, Italy.
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28
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Yang J, Chen J, Liu Y, Chen KH, Baraban JM, Qiu Z. Ventral tegmental area astrocytes modulate cocaine reward by tonically releasing GABA. Neuron 2023; 111:1104-1117.e6. [PMID: 36681074 PMCID: PMC10079641 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.12.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Addictive drugs increase ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neuron activity through distinct cellular mechanisms, one of which involves disinhibition of DA neurons by inhibiting local GABA neurons. How drugs regulate VTA GABA neuron activity and drive addictive behaviors remains poorly understood. Here, we show that astrocytes control VTA GABA neuron activity in cocaine reward via tonic inhibition in mice. Repeated cocaine exposure potentiates astrocytic tonic GABA release through volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs) and augments tonic inhibition of VTA GABA neurons, thus downregulating their activities and disinhibiting nucleus accumbens (NAc) projecting DA neurons. Attenuation of tonic inhibition by either deleting Swell1 (Lrrc8a), the obligatory subunit of VRACs, in VTA astrocytes or disrupting δ subunit of GABAA receptors in VTA GABA neurons reduces cocaine-evoked changes in neuron activity, locomotion, and reward behaviors in mice. Together, our findings reveal the critical role of astrocytes in regulating the VTA local circuit and cocaine reward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junhua Yang
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Jianan Chen
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Yongqing Liu
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Kevin Hong Chen
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Jay M Baraban
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Zhaozhu Qiu
- Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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29
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Olejniczak I, Begemann K, Wilhelm I, Oster H. The circadian neurobiology of reward. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2023; 237:e13928. [PMID: 36625310 DOI: 10.1111/apha.13928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Circadian clocks are important regulators of physiology and behavior. In the brain, circadian clocks have been described in many centers of the central reward system. They affect neurotransmitter signaling, neuroendocrine circuits, and the sensitivity to external stimulation. Circadian disruption affects reward signaling, promoting the development of behavioral and substance use disorders. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge of circadian clock-reward crosstalk. We show how chronodisruption affects reward signaling in different animal models. We then translate these findings to circadian aspects of human reward (dys-) function and its clinical implications. Finally, we devise approaches to and challenges in implementing the concepts of circadian medicine in the therapy of substance use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iwona Olejniczak
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Kimberly Begemann
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Ines Wilhelm
- Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Translational Psychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Henrik Oster
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
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30
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Abstract
The midbrain dopamine (mDA) system is composed of molecularly and functionally distinct neuron subtypes that mediate specific behaviours and are linked to various brain diseases. Considerable progress has been made in identifying mDA neuron subtypes, and recent work has begun to unveil how these neuronal subtypes develop and organize into functional brain structures. This progress is important for further understanding the disparate physiological functions of mDA neurons and their selective vulnerability in disease, and will ultimately accelerate therapy development. This Review discusses recent advances in our understanding of molecularly defined mDA neuron subtypes and their circuits, ranging from early developmental events, such as neuron migration and axon guidance, to their wiring and function, and future implications for therapeutic strategies.
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31
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Barrera ED, Timken PD, Lee E, Persaud KRS, Goldstein H, Parasram DN, Vashisht A, Ranaldi R. Environmental enrichment facilitates electric barrier induced heroin abstinence after incubation of craving in male and female rats. Drug Alcohol Depend 2023; 244:109799. [PMID: 36774806 PMCID: PMC9982754 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.109799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Treatment strategies that aim to promote abstinence to heroin use and reduce vulnerability to drug-use resumption are limited in sustainability and long-term efficacy. We have previously shown that environmental enrichment (EE), when implemented after drug self-administration, reduces drug-seeking and promotes abstinence to cocaine and heroin in male rats. Here, we tested the effects of EE on abstinence in an animal conflict model in males and females, and after periods where incubation of craving may occur. METHODS Male and female rats were trained to self-administer heroin followed by 3 or 21 days of a no-event-interval (NEI). Following NEI, rats were permanently moved to environmental enrichment (EE) or new standard (nEE) housing 3 days prior to resuming self-administration in the presence of an electric barrier adjacent to the drug access lever. Electric barrier current was increased daily until rats ceased self-administration. RESULTS We found that 21 days of NEI led to significantly greater heroin self-administration and a trend toward shorter latencies to emit the first active lever press in the first abstinence session compared to 3 days of NEI. EE, when compared to nEE, led to longer latencies in the first abstinence session. Also, EE groups of both sexes and in both NEIs achieved abstinence criteria in significantly fewer numbers of sessions. CONCLUSIONS EE facilitates abstinence in males and females and after periods where incubation of craving may occur. This suggests that EE may benefit individuals attempting to abstain from heroin use and may aid in the development of long term treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eddy D Barrera
- Psychology Department, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367, United States; The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, United States.
| | - Patrick D Timken
- Psychology Department, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367, United States.
| | - Elaine Lee
- Psychology Department, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367, United States.
| | - Kirk R S Persaud
- Psychology Department, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367, United States.
| | - Hindy Goldstein
- Psychology Department, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367, United States.
| | - Daleya N Parasram
- Psychology Department, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367, United States.
| | - Apoorva Vashisht
- Psychology Department, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367, United States; The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, United States.
| | - Robert Ranaldi
- Psychology Department, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367, United States; The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, United States.
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McClain SP, Ma X, Johnson DA, Johnson CA, Layden AE, Yung JC, Lubejko ST, Livrizzi G, Jenny He X, Zhou J, Ventriglia E, Rizzo A, Levinstein M, Gomez JL, Bonaventura J, Michaelides M, Banghart MR. In vivo photopharmacology with light-activated opioid drugs. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.02.526901. [PMID: 36778286 PMCID: PMC9915677 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.02.526901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Traditional methods for site-specific drug delivery in the brain are slow, invasive, and difficult to interface with recordings of neural activity. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility and experimental advantages of in vivo photopharmacology using "caged" opioid drugs that are activated in the brain with light after systemic administration in an inactive form. To enable bidirectional manipulations of endogenous opioid receptors in vivo , we developed PhOX and PhNX, photoactivatable variants of the mu opioid receptor agonist oxymorphone and the antagonist naloxone. Photoactivation of PhOX in multiple brain areas produced local changes in receptor occupancy, brain metabolic activity, neuronal calcium activity, neurochemical signaling, and multiple pain- and reward-related behaviors. Combining PhOX photoactivation with optical recording of extracellular dopamine revealed adaptations in the opioid sensitivity of mesolimbic dopamine circuitry during chronic morphine administration. This work establishes a general experimental framework for using in vivo photopharmacology to study the neural basis of drug action. Highlights A photoactivatable opioid agonist (PhOX) and antagonist (PhNX) for in vivo photopharmacology. Systemic pro-drug delivery followed by local photoactivation in the brain. In vivo photopharmacology produces behavioral changes within seconds of photostimulation. In vivo photopharmacology enables all-optical pharmacology and physiology.
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33
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Yoshimi Y, Katsumata Y, Osawa N, Ogishita N, Kadoya R. Synthesis of fluorescent Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Nanoparticles Sensing Small Neurotransmitters with High Selectivity Using Immobilized Templates with Regulated Surface Density. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 13:212. [PMID: 36616121 PMCID: PMC9824157 DOI: 10.3390/nano13010212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
To develop nanosensors to probe neurotransmitters, we synthesized fluorescent-functionalized molecularly imprinted polymeric nanoparticles (fMIP-NPs) using monoamine neurotransmitters (serotonin and dopamine) immobilized on glass beads as templates. The size and fluorescence intensity of the fMIP-NPs synthesized with blended silane couplers increased with the presence of the target but were insensitive to the target analogs (L-tryptophan and L-dopa, respectively). However, when the template is anchored by a pure silane agent, both the fluorescence intensity and particle size of the fMIP-NPs were sensitive to the structural analog of the template. Another fMIP-NP was synthesized in the presence of poly([2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride (METMAC)-co-methacrylamide) grafted onto glass beads as a dummy template for acetylcholine. Acetylcholine increased the diameter and fluorescence intensity of the fMIP-NP, but choline had no effect. When the homopolymer of METMAC was used as a template, the fluorescence intensity and size of the resulting nanoparticles were not responsive to either acetylcholine or choline. The principle of increased fluorescence intensity due to specific interaction with the target substance is probably due to the increased distance between the fluorescent functional groups and decreased self-quenching due to the swelling caused by the specific interaction with the template. The results also indicate that MIP nanoparticles prepared by solid-phase synthesis can be used for targeting small molecules, such as the neurotransmitters addressed in this study, by adjusting the surface density of the template.
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34
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Brandner DD, Retzlaff CL, Kocharian A, Stieve BJ, Mashal MA, Mermelstein PG, Rothwell PE. Neuroligin-3 in dopaminergic circuits promotes behavioural and neurobiological adaptations to chronic morphine exposure. Addict Biol 2023; 28:e13247. [PMID: 36577719 PMCID: PMC9803875 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Chronic opioid exposure causes structural and functional changes in brain circuits, which may contribute to opioid use disorders. Synaptic cell-adhesion molecules are prime candidates for mediating this opioid-evoked plasticity. Neuroligin-3 (NL3) is an X-linked postsynaptic adhesion protein that shapes synaptic function at multiple sites in the mesolimbic dopamine system. We therefore studied how genetic knockout of NL3 alters responses to chronic morphine in male mice. Constitutive NL3 knockout caused a persistent reduction in psychomotor sensitization after chronic morphine exposure and change in the topography of locomotor stimulation produced by morphine. This latter change was recapitulated by conditional genetic deletion of NL3 from cells expressing the Drd1 dopamine receptor, whereas reduced psychomotor sensitization was recapitulated by conditional genetic deletion from dopamine neurons. Without NL3 expression, dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area exhibited diminished activation following chronic morphine exposure, by measuring in vivo calcium signals with fibre photometry. This altered pattern of dopamine neuron activity may be driven by aberrant forms of opioid-evoked synaptic plasticity in the absence of NL3: dopamine neurons lacking NL3 showed weaker synaptic inhibition at baseline, which was subsequently strengthened after chronic morphine. In total, our study highlights neurobiological adaptations in dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area that correspond with increased behavioural sensitivity to opioids and further suggests that NL3 expression by dopamine neurons provides a molecular substrate for opioid-evoked adaptations in brain function and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dieter D. Brandner
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455,Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455
| | | | - Adrina Kocharian
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455,Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455
| | - Bethany J. Stieve
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455
| | - Mohammed A. Mashal
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455
| | | | - Patrick E. Rothwell
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455,Corresponding Author: Patrick E. Rothwell, Ph.D., 4-142 Wallin Medical Biosciences Building, 2101 6 Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, Phone: 612-626-8744,
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35
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Kroning KE, Wang W. Genetically encoded tools for in vivo G-protein-coupled receptor agonist detection at cellular resolution. Clin Transl Med 2022; 12:e1124. [PMID: 36446954 PMCID: PMC9708909 DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.1124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the most abundant receptor type in the human body and are responsible for regulating many physiological processes, such as sensation, cognition, muscle contraction and metabolism. Further, GPCRs are widely expressed in the brain where their agonists make up a large number of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. Due to the importance of GPCRs in human physiology, genetically encoded sensors have been engineered to detect GPCR agonists at cellular resolution in vivo. These sensors can be placed into two main categories: those that offer real-time information on the signalling dynamics of GPCR agonists and those that integrate the GPCR agonist signal into a permanent, quantifiable mark that can be used to detect GPCR agonist localisation in a large brain area. In this review, we discuss the various designs of real-time and integration sensors, their advantages and limitations, and some in vivo applications. We also discuss the potential of using real-time and integrator sensors together to identify neuronal circuits affected by endogenous GPCR agonists and perform detailed characterisations of the spatiotemporal dynamics of GPCR agonist release in those circuits. By using these sensors together, the overall knowledge of GPCR-mediated signalling can be expanded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla E. Kroning
- Life Sciences Institute, University of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
| | - Wenjing Wang
- Life Sciences Institute, University of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
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36
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Samson KR, Xu W, Kortagere S, España RA. Intermittent access to oxycodone decreases dopamine uptake in the nucleus accumbens core during abstinence. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13241. [PMID: 36301217 PMCID: PMC10262085 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13241] [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: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
A major obstacle in treating opioid use disorder is the persistence of drug seeking or craving during periods of abstinence, which is believed to contribute to relapse. Dopamine transmission in the mesolimbic pathway is posited to contribute to opioid reinforcement, but the processes by which dopamine influences drug seeking have not been completely elucidated. To examine whether opioid seeking during abstinence is associated with alterations in dopamine transmission, female and male rats self-administered oxycodone under an intermittent access schedule of reinforcement. Following self-administration, rats underwent a forced abstinence period, and cue-induced seeking tests were conducted to assess oxycodone seeking. One day following the final seeking test, rats were sacrificed to perform ex vivo fast scan cyclic voltammetry and western blotting in the nucleus accumbens. Rats displayed reduced dopamine uptake rate on abstinence day 2 and abstinence day 15, compared to oxycodone-naïve rats. Further, on abstinence day 15, rats had reduced phosphorylation of the dopamine transporter. Additionally, local application of oxycodone to the nucleus accumbens reduced dopamine uptake in oxycodone-naïve rats and in rats during oxycodone abstinence, on abstinence day 2 and abstinence day 15. These observations suggest that abstinence from oxycodone results in dysfunctional dopamine transmission, which may contribute to sustained oxycodone seeking during abstinence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle R. Samson
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy
| | - Wei Xu
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
| | - Sandhya Kortagere
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
| | - Rodrigo A. España
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy
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37
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A possible anti-anxiety effect of appetitive aggression and a possible link to the work of Donald Winnicott. Scand J Child Adolesc Psychiatr Psychol 2022; 10:102-113. [PMID: 36133733 PMCID: PMC9454322 DOI: 10.2478/sjcapp-2022-0011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Various pleasant sensations that give a particularly intense pleasure are able to improve anxiety. In the present study I consider the possibility that their anti-anxiety action depends on the strong pleasure they provide, and I propose a possible mechanism of this action. According to some studies, also appetitive aggression (an aggression that provokes a strong pleasure and that is performed only for the pleasure it provides) can improve anxiety, and in this article I consider the possibility that the pleasure of appetitive aggression is able to reduce anxiety by the same mechanism I have proposed for other intense pleasurable sensations. The aggression performed by a child against the mother or against a substitute for the mother in the first period of life (a period in which this aggression is not dangerous) is a recurring theme throughout the work of of Donald Winnicott. Winnicott stresses that this aggression is necessary for the normal development of the child, and that the child must be free to practise it. According to Winnicott, this aggression is highly pleasurable and is not a response to unpleasant or hostile external situations. For these characteristics it seems to correspond to appetitive aggression in the adult that has been found to be able to reduce anxiety. Consequently, aggression performed by the child in the first period of life may also relieve anxiety, in the same way that appetitive aggression helps against anxiety in the adult. In his writings, Winnicott returns several times to an unthinkable or archaic anxiety that children experience when they feel abandoned by their mother for a period that is too long for them, and all children, according to Winnicott, live on the brink of this anxiety. In this study I propose the hypothesis that aggression in the early period of life may be necessary for children because the intense pleasure it provides may help them against this continuously impending anxiety.
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38
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Liu X, Vickstrom CR, Yu H, Liu S, Snarrenberg ST, Friedman V, Mu L, Chen B, Kelly TJ, Baker DA, Liu QS. Epac2 in midbrain dopamine neurons contributes to cocaine reinforcement via facilitation of dopamine release. eLife 2022; 11:80747. [PMID: 35993549 PMCID: PMC9436413 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Repeated exposure to drugs of abuse results in an upregulation of cAMP signaling in the mesolimbic dopamine system, a molecular adaptation thought to be critically involved in the development of drug dependence. Exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (Epac2) is a major cAMP effector abundantly expressed in the brain. However, it remains unknown whether Epac2 contributes to cocaine reinforcement. Here, we report that Epac2 in the mesolimbic dopamine system promotes cocaine reinforcement via enhancement of dopamine release. Conditional knockout of Epac2 from midbrain dopamine neurons (Epac2-cKO) and the selective Epac2 inhibitor ESI-05 decreased cocaine self-administration in mice under both fixed-ratio and progressive-ratio reinforcement schedules and across a broad range of cocaine doses. In addition, Epac2-cKO led to reduced evoked dopamine release, whereas Epac2 agonism robustly enhanced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens in vitro. This mechanism is central to the behavioral effects of Epac2 disruption, as chemogenetic stimulation of ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons via deschloroclozapine (DCZ)-induced activation of Gs-DREADD increased dopamine release and reversed the impairment of cocaine self-administration in Epac2-cKO mice. Conversely, chemogenetic inhibition of VTA dopamine neurons with Gi-DREADD reduced dopamine release and cocaine self-administration in wild-type mice. Epac2-mediated enhancement of dopamine release may therefore represent a novel and powerful mechanism that contributes to cocaine reinforcement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojie Liu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, United States
| | - Casey R Vickstrom
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, United States
| | - Hao Yu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, United States
| | - Shuai Liu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, United States
| | - Shana Terai Snarrenberg
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, United States
| | - Vladislav Friedman
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, United States
| | - Lianwei Mu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, United States
| | - Bixuan Chen
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, United States
| | - Thomas J Kelly
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, United States
| | - David A Baker
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, United States
| | - Qing-Song Liu
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, United States
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39
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Piccin A, Courtand G, Contarino A. Morphine reduces the interest for natural rewards. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:2407-2419. [PMID: 35396673 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06131-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Alongside a pathological, excessive, motivation for substances of abuse, substance use disorder (SUD) patients often show a dramatic loss of interest for naturally rewarding activities, such as positive peer social interaction and food intake. Yet, pre-clinical evidence of the latter SUD features remains scarce and inconsistent. OBJECTIVES In the current study, we investigated the effect of non-rewarding and rewarding doses of morphine upon social behaviour, motivation for and intake of palatable food, in male and female C57BL/6J mice. METHODS First, the rewarding effects of two relatively low morphine doses (1.25 and 2.5 mg/kg) were assessed using a newly established single substance administration/conditioning trial conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. Then, morphine (1.25 and 2.5 mg/kg) effects upon social behaviour, motivation for and intake of palatable food were examined by the three-chamber (3-CH), an operant behaviour and a palatable food preference test, respectively. RESULTS Morphine (2.5 mg/kg) induced CPP in both male and female mice, whereas morphine (1.25 mg/kg) induced CPP only in female mice. Both morphine doses (1.25 and 2.5 mg/kg) reduced sociability, motivation for and intake of palatable food in male and female mice, independently of cognitive function or locomotor activity. CONCLUSIONS Female mice were more sensitive than male mice to the rewarding effects of morphine. Moreover, both a non-rewarding and a rewarding dose of morphine impaired the interest for naturally rewarding activities, indicating that brain reward systems might be more sensitive to the deleterious than to the rewarding effects of substances of abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Piccin
- Université de Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.,CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - Gilles Courtand
- Université de Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.,CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - Angelo Contarino
- Université de Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France. .,CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.
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40
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Simmler LD, Li Y, Hadjas LC, Hiver A, van Zessen R, Lüscher C. Dual action of ketamine confines addiction liability. Nature 2022; 608:368-373. [PMID: 35896744 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04993-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Ketamine is used clinically as an anaesthetic and a fast-acting antidepressant, and recreationally for its dissociative properties, raising concerns of addiction as a possible side effect. Addictive drugs such as cocaine increase the levels of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. This facilitates synaptic plasticity in the mesolimbic system, which causes behavioural adaptations and eventually drives the transition to compulsion1-4. The addiction liability of ketamine is a matter of much debate, in part because of its complex pharmacology that among several targets includes N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor (NMDAR) antagonism5,6. Here we show that ketamine does not induce the synaptic plasticity that is typically observed with addictive drugs in mice, despite eliciting robust dopamine transients in the nucleus accumbens. Ketamine nevertheless supported reinforcement through the disinhibition of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). This effect was mediated by NMDAR antagonism in GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) neurons of the VTA, but was quickly terminated by type-2 dopamine receptors on dopamine neurons. The rapid off-kinetics of the dopamine transients along with the NMDAR antagonism precluded the induction of synaptic plasticity in the VTA and the nucleus accumbens, and did not elicit locomotor sensitization or uncontrolled self-administration. In summary, the dual action of ketamine leads to a unique constellation of dopamine-driven positive reinforcement, but low addiction liability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda D Simmler
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Yue Li
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Lotfi C Hadjas
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Agnès Hiver
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ruud van Zessen
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Christian Lüscher
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. .,Service de Neurologie, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
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Altered Accumbal Dopamine Terminal Dynamics Following Chronic Heroin Self-Administration. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158106. [PMID: 35897682 PMCID: PMC9332320 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Administration of heroin results in the engagement of multiple brain regions and the rewarding and addictive effects are mediated, at least partially, through activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system. However, less is known about dopamine system function following chronic exposure to heroin. Withdrawal from chronic heroin exposure is likely to drive a state of low dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), as previously observed during withdrawal from other drug classes. Thus, we aimed to investigate alterations in NAc dopamine terminal function following chronic heroin self-administration to identify a mechanism for dopaminergic adaptations. Adult male Long Evans rats were trained to self-administer heroin (0.05 mg/kg/inf, IV) and then placed on a long access (FR1, 6-h, unlimited inf, 0.05 mg/kg/inf) protocol to induce escalation of intake. Following heroin self-administration, rats had decreased basal extracellular levels of dopamine and blunted dopamine response following a heroin challenge (0.1 mg/kg/inf, IV) in the NAc compared to saline controls. FSCV revealed that heroin-exposed rats exhibited reduced stimulated dopamine release during tonic-like, single-pulse stimulations, but increased phasic-like dopamine release during multi-pulse stimulation trains (5 pulses, 5–100 Hz) in addition to an altered dynamic range of release stimulation intensities when compared to controls. Further, we found that presynaptic D3 autoreceptor and kappa-opioid receptor agonist responsivity were increased following heroin self-administration. These results reveal a marked low dopamine state following heroin exposure and suggest the combination of altered dopamine release dynamics may contribute to increased heroin seeking.
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Itskovich E, Bowling DL, Garner JP, Parker KJ. Oxytocin and the social facilitation of placebo effects. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:2640-2649. [PMID: 35338314 PMCID: PMC9167259 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01515-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Significant clinical improvement is often observed in patients who receive placebo treatment in randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials. While a proportion of this "improvement" reflects experimental design limitations (e.g., reliance on subjective outcomes, unbalanced groups, reporting biases), some of it reflects genuine improvement corroborated by physiological change. Converging evidence across diverse medical conditions suggests that clinically-relevant benefits from placebo treatment are associated with the activation of brain reward circuits. In parallel, evidence has accumulated showing that such benefits are facilitated by clinicians that demonstrate warmth and proficiency during interactions with patients. Here, we integrate research on these neural and social aspects of placebo effects with evidence linking oxytocin and social reward to advance a neurobiological account for the social facilitation of placebo effects. This account frames oxytocin as a key mediator of treatment success across a wide-spectrum of interventions that increase social connectedness, thereby providing a biological basis for assessing this fundamental non-specific element of medical care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Itskovich
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Daniel L. Bowling
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Joseph P. Garner
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305.,Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Karen J. Parker
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305.,Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
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43
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Wu Z, Lin D, Li Y. Pushing the frontiers: tools for monitoring neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. Nat Rev Neurosci 2022; 23:257-274. [PMID: 35361961 PMCID: PMC11163306 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00577-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Neurotransmitters and neuromodulators have a wide range of key roles throughout the nervous system. However, their dynamics in both health and disease have been challenging to assess, owing to the lack of in vivo tools to track them with high spatiotemporal resolution. Thus, developing a platform that enables minimally invasive, large-scale and long-term monitoring of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators with high sensitivity, high molecular specificity and high spatiotemporal resolution has been essential. Here, we review the methods available for monitoring the dynamics of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. Following a brief summary of non-genetically encoded methods, we focus on recent developments in genetically encoded fluorescent indicators, highlighting how these novel indicators have facilitated advances in our understanding of the functional roles of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in the nervous system. These studies present a promising outlook for the future development and use of tools to monitor neurotransmitters and neuromodulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaofa Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China.
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China.
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China.
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44
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Vandaele Y, Ahmed SH. Choosing between cocaine and sucrose under the influence: testing the effect of cocaine tolerance. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:1053-1063. [PMID: 34596725 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05987-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Cocaine use not only depends on the reinforcing properties of the drug, but also on its pharmacological effects on alternative nondrug activities. In animal models investigating choice between cocaine and alternative sweet rewards, the latter influence can have a dramatic impact on choice outcomes. When choosing under cocaine influence is prevented by imposing sufficiently long intervals between choice trials, animals typically prefer the sweet reward. However, when choosing under the drug influence is permitted, animals shift their preference in favor of cocaine. OBJECTIVES We previously hypothesized that this preference shift is mainly due to a direct suppression of responding for sweet reward by cocaine pharmacological effects. Here we tested this hypothesis by making rats tolerant to this drug-induced behavioral suppression. RESULTS Contrary to our expectation, tolerance did not prevent rats from shifting their preference to cocaine when choosing under the influence. CONCLUSION Thus, other mechanisms must be invoked to explain the influence of cocaine intoxication on choice outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - S H Ahmed
- Institut Des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.,Institut Des Maladies Neurodégénératives, CNRS, Bordeaux, France
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A Conditioned Place Preference for Heroin Is Signaled by Increased Dopamine and Direct Pathway Activity and Decreased Indirect Pathway Activity in the Nucleus Accumbens. J Neurosci 2022; 42:2011-2024. [PMID: 35031576 PMCID: PMC8916759 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1451-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Repeated pairing of a drug with a neutral stimulus, such as a cue or context, leads to the attribution of the drug's reinforcing properties to that stimulus, and exposure to that stimulus in the absence of the drug can elicit drug-seeking. A principal role for the NAc in the response to drug-associated stimuli has been well documented. Direct and indirect pathway medium spiny neurons (dMSNs and iMSNs) have been shown to bidirectionally regulate cue-induced heroin-seeking in rats expressing addiction-like phenotypes, and a shift in NAc activity toward the direct pathway has been shown in mice following cocaine conditioned place preference (CPP). However, how NAc signaling guides heroin CPP, and whether heroin alters the balance of signaling between dMSNs and iMSNs, remains unknown. Moreover, the role of NAc dopamine signaling in heroin reinforcement is unclear. Here, we integrate fiber photometry for in vivo monitoring of dopamine and dMSN/iMSN calcium activity with a heroin CPP procedure in rats to begin to address these questions. We identify a sensitization-like response to heroin in the NAc, with prominent iMSN activity during initial heroin exposure and prominent dMSN activity following repeated heroin exposure. We demonstrate a ramp in dopamine activity, dMSN activation, and iMSN inactivation preceding entry into a heroin-paired context, and a decrease in dopamine activity, dMSN inactivation, and iMSN activation preceding exit from a heroin-paired context. Finally, we show that buprenorphine is sufficient to prevent the development of heroin CPP and reduce Fos activation in the NAc after conditioning. Together, these data support the hypothesis that an imbalance in NAc activity contributes to the development of drug-cue associations that can drive addiction processes.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The attribution of the reinforcing effects of drugs to neutral stimuli (e.g., cues and contexts) contributes to the long-standing nature of addiction, as re-exposure to drug-associated stimuli can reinstate drug-seeking and -taking even after long periods of abstinence. The NAc has an established role in encoding the value of drug-associated stimuli, and dopamine release into the NAc is known to modulate the reinforcing effects of drugs, including heroin. Using fiber photometry, we show that entering a heroin-paired context is driven by dopamine signaling and NAc direct pathway activation, whereas exiting a heroin-paired context is driven by NAc indirect pathway activation. This study provides further insight into the role of NAc microcircuitry in encoding the reinforcing properties of heroin.
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Aquaporin-4 deletion attenuates opioid-induced addictive behaviours associated with dopamine levels in nucleus accumbens. Neuropharmacology 2022; 208:108986. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.108986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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47
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Massaly N, Markovic T, Creed M, Al-Hasani R, Cahill CM, Moron JA. Pain, negative affective states and opioid-based analgesics: Safer pain therapies to dampen addiction. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 157:31-68. [PMID: 33648672 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2020.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Across centuries and civilizations opioids have been used to relieve pain. In our modern societies, opioid-based analgesics remain one of the most efficient treatments for acute pain. However, the long-term use of opioids can lead to the development of analgesic tolerance, opioid-induced hyperalgesia, opioid use disorders, and overdose, which can ultimately produce respiratory depressant effects with fatal consequences. In addition to the nociceptive sensory component of pain, negative affective states arising from persistent pain represent a risk factor for developing an opioid use disorder. Several studies have indicated that the increase in prescribed opioid analgesics since the 1990s represents the root of our current opioid epidemic. In this review, we will present our current knowledge on the endogenous opioid system within the pain neuroaxis and the plastic changes occurring in this system that may underlie the occurrence of pain-induced negative affect leading to misuse and abuse of opioid medications. Dissecting the allostatic neuronal changes occurring during pain is the most promising avenue to uncover novel targets for the development of safer pain medications. We will discuss this along with current and potential approaches to treat pain-induced negative affective states that lead to drug misuse. Moreover, this chapter will provide a discussion on potential avenues to reduce the abuse potential of new analgesic drugs and highlight a basis for future research and drug development based on recent advances in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Massaly
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States; Washington University in St Louis, Pain Center, St. Louis, MO, United States; Washington University in St Louis, School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States.
| | - Tamara Markovic
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States; Washington University in St Louis, Pain Center, St. Louis, MO, United States; Washington University in St Louis, School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Meaghan Creed
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States; Washington University in St Louis, Pain Center, St. Louis, MO, United States; Washington University in St Louis, School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Ream Al-Hasani
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States; Washington University in St Louis, Pain Center, St. Louis, MO, United States; Washington University in St Louis, School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States; Department of Pharmaceutical and Administrative Sciences, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, St. Louis, MO, United States; Center for Clinical Pharmacology, St. Louis College of Pharmacy and Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Catherine M Cahill
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioural Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Shirley and Stefan Hatos Center for Neuropharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Jane & Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jose A Moron
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States; Washington University in St Louis, Pain Center, St. Louis, MO, United States; Washington University in St Louis, School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
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Davis S, Zhu J. Substance abuse and neurotransmission. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2022; 93:403-441. [PMID: 35341573 PMCID: PMC9759822 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2021.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The number of people who suffer from a substance abuse disorder has continued to rise over the last decade; particularly, the number of drug-related overdose deaths has sharply increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Converging lines of clinical observations, supported by imaging and neuropsychological performance testing, have demonstrated that substance abuse-induced dysregulation of neurotransmissions in the brain is critical for development and expression of the addictive properties of abused substances. Recent scientific advances have allowed for better understanding of the neurobiological processes that mediates drugs of abuse and addiction. This chapter presents the past classic concepts and the recent advances in our knowledge about how cocaine, amphetamines, opioids, alcohol, and nicotine alter multiple neurotransmitter systems, which contribute to the behaviors associated with each drug. Additionally, we discuss the interactive effects of HIV-1 or COVID-19 and substance abuse on neurotransmission and neurobiological pathways. Finally, we introduce therapeutic strategies for development of pharmacotherapies for substance abuse disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Davis
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Jun Zhu
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States.
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Kalló I, Omrani A, Meye FJ, de Jong H, Liposits Z, Adan RAH. Characterization of orexin input to dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area projecting to the medial prefrontal cortex and shell of nucleus accumbens. Brain Struct Funct 2022; 227:1083-1098. [PMID: 35029758 PMCID: PMC8930802 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02449-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Orexin neurons are involved in homeostatic regulatory processes, including arousal and feeding, and provide a major input from the hypothalamus to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the midbrain. VTA neurons are a central hub processing reward and motivation and target the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the shell part of nucleus accumbens (NAcs). We investigated whether subpopulations of dopamine (DA) neurons in the VTA projecting either to the mPFC or the medial division of shell part of nucleus accumbens (mNAcs) receive differential input from orexin neurons and whether orexin exerts differential electrophysiological effects upon these cells. VTA neurons projecting to the mPFC or the mNAcs were traced retrogradely by Cav2-Cre virus and identified by expression of yellow fluorescent protein (YFP). Immunocytochemical analysis showed that a higher proportion of all orexin-innervated DA neurons projected to the mNAcs (34.5%) than to the mPFC (5.2%). Of all sampled VTA neurons projecting either to the mPFC or mNAcs, the dopaminergic (68.3 vs. 79.6%) and orexin-innervated DA neurons (68.9 vs. 64.4%) represented the major phenotype. Whole-cell current clamp recordings were obtained from fluorescently labeled neurons in slices during baseline periods and bath application of orexin A. Orexin similarly increased the firing rate of VTA dopamine neurons projecting to mNAcs (1.99 ± 0.61 Hz to 2.53 ± 0.72 Hz) and mPFC (0.40 ± 0.22 Hz to 1.45 ± 0.56 Hz). Thus, the hypothalamic orexin system targets mNAcs and to a lesser extent mPFC-projecting dopaminergic neurons of the VTA and exerts facilitatory effects on both clusters of dopamine neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imre Kalló
- Laboratory of Endocrine Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Eötvös Loránd Research Center, Budapest, 1083, Hungary.,Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, 1083, Hungary
| | - Azar Omrani
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Frank J Meye
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Han de Jong
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Zsolt Liposits
- Laboratory of Endocrine Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Eötvös Loránd Research Center, Budapest, 1083, Hungary. .,Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, 1083, Hungary.
| | - Roger A H Adan
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584, Utrecht, The Netherlands. .,Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 40530, Goteborg, Sweden.
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50
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Kimmey BA, McCall NM, Wooldridge LM, Satterthwaite T, Corder G. Engaging endogenous opioid circuits in pain affective processes. J Neurosci Res 2022; 100:66-98. [PMID: 33314372 PMCID: PMC8197770 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The pervasive use of opioid compounds for pain relief is rooted in their utility as one of the most effective therapeutic strategies for providing analgesia. While the detrimental side effects of these compounds have significantly contributed to the current opioid epidemic, opioids still provide millions of patients with reprieve from the relentless and agonizing experience of pain. The human experience of pain has long recognized the perceived unpleasantness entangled with a unique sensation that is immediate and identifiable from the first-person subjective vantage point as "painful." From this phenomenological perspective, how is it that opioids interfere with pain perception? Evidence from human lesion, neuroimaging, and preclinical functional neuroanatomy approaches is sculpting the view that opioids predominately alleviate the affective or inferential appraisal of nociceptive neural information. Thus, opioids weaken pain-associated unpleasantness rather than modulate perceived sensory qualities. Here, we discuss the historical theories of pain to demonstrate how modern neuroscience is revisiting these ideas to deconstruct the brain mechanisms driving the emergence of aversive pain perceptions. We further detail how targeting opioidergic signaling within affective or emotional brain circuits remains a strong avenue for developing targeted pharmacological and gene-therapy analgesic treatments that might reduce the dependence on current clinical opioid options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake A. Kimmey
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, Equal contributions
| | - Nora M. McCall
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, Equal contributions
| | - Lisa M. Wooldridge
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Theodore Satterthwaite
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, Lifespan Informatics and Neuroimaging Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Gregory Corder
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, Department of Neuroscience, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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