Loss of microglial MCT4 leads to defective synaptic pruning and anxiety-like behavior in mice

Microglia, the innate immune cells of the central nervous system, actively participate in brain development by supporting neuronal maturation and refining synaptic connections. These cells are emerging as highly metabolically flexible, able to oxidize different energetic substrates to meet their energy demand. Lactate is particularly abundant in the brain, but whether microglia use it as a metabolic fuel has been poorly explored. Here we show that microglia can import lactate, and this is coupled with increased lysosomal acidification. In vitro, loss of the monocarboxylate transporter MCT4 in microglia prevents lactate-induced lysosomal modulation and leads to defective cargo degradation. Microglial depletion of MCT4 in vivo leads to impaired synaptic pruning, associated with increased excitation in hippocampal neurons, enhanced AMPA/GABA ratio, vulnerability to seizures and anxiety-like phenotype. Overall, these findings show that selective disruption of the MCT4 transporter in microglia is sufficient to alter synapse refinement and to induce defects in mouse brain development and adult behavior.

Mild stress accumulation limits GABAergic synaptic plasticity in the lateral habenula

Animals can cope with isolated stressful situations without enduring long-term consequences. However, when exposure to stressors becomes recurrent, behavioral symptoms of anxiety and depression can emerge. Yet, the neuronal mechanisms governing responsivity to isolated stressor remain elusive. Here, we investigate synaptic adaptations following mild stress in the lateral habenula (LHb), a structure engaged in aversion encoding and dysfunctional in depression. We describe that neuronal depolarization in the LHb drives long-term depression of inhibitory, but not excitatory, synaptic transmission (GABA LTD). This plasticity requires nitric oxide and presynaptic GABA_B receptors, leading to a decrease in probability of GABA release. Mild stressors such as brief social isolation, or exposure to novel environment in the company of littermates, do not alter GABA LTD. In contrast, GABA LTD is absent after mice experience a novel environment in social isolation. Altogether, our results suggest that LHb GABAergic plasticity is sensitive to stress accumulation, which could represent a threshold mechanism for long-term alterations of LHb function.

Biophysical and synaptic properties of NMDA receptors in the lateral habenula

Excitatory synaptic transmission in the lateral habenula (LHb), an evolutionarily ancient subcortical structure, encodes aversive stimuli and affective states. Habenular glutamatergic synapses contribute to these processes partly through the activation of AMPA receptors. Yet, N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are also expressed in the LHb and support the emergence of depressive symptoms. Indeed, local NMDAR blockade in the LHb rescues anhedonia and behavioral despair in rodent models of depression. However, the subunit composition and biophysical properties of habenular NMDARs remain unknown, thereby hindering their study in the context of mental health. Here, we performed electrophysiological recordings and optogenetic-assisted circuit mapping in mice, to study pharmacologically-isolated NMDAR currents in LHb neurons that receive innervation from different brain regions (entopeduncular nucleus, lateral hypothalamic area, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, or ventral tegmental area). This systematic approach revealed that habenular NMDAR currents are sensitive to TCN and ifenprodil - drugs that specifically inhibit GluN2A- and GluN2B-containing NMDARs, respectively. Whilst these pharmacological effects were consistently observed across inputs, we detected region-specific differences in the current-voltage relationship and decay time of NMDAR currents. Finally, inspired by the firing of LHb neurons in vivo, we designed a burst protocol capable of eliciting calcium-dependent long-term potentiation of habenular NMDAR transmission ex vivo. Altogether, we define basic biophysical and synaptic properties of NMDARs in LHb neurons, opening new avenues for studying their plasticity processes in physiological as well as pathological contexts.

Stress undermines reward-guided cognitive performance through synaptic depression in the lateral habenula

Weighing alternatives during reward pursuit is a vital cognitive computation that, when disrupted by stress, yields aspects of neuropsychiatric disorders. To examine the neural mechanisms underlying these phenomena, we employed a behavioral task in which mice were confronted by a reward and its omission (i.e., error). The experience of error outcomes engaged neuronal dynamics within the lateral habenula (LHb), a subcortical structure that supports appetitive behaviors and is susceptible to stress. A high incidence of errors predicted low strength of habenular excitatory synapses. Accordingly, stressful experiences increased error choices while decreasing glutamatergic neurotransmission onto LHb neurons. This synaptic adaptation required a reduction in postsynaptic AMPA receptors (AMPARs), irrespective of the anatomical source of glutamate. Bidirectional control of habenular AMPAR transmission recapitulated and averted stress-driven cognitive deficits. Thus, a subcortical synaptic mechanism vulnerable to stress underlies behavioral efficiency during cognitive performance.

Lateral Habenula Gone Awry in Depression: Bridging Cellular Adaptations With Therapeutics

Depression is a highly heterogeneous disease characterized by symptoms spanning from anhedonia and behavioral despair to social withdrawal and learning deficit. Such diversity of behavioral phenotypes suggests that discrete neural circuits may underlie precise aspects of the disease, rendering its treatment an unmet challenge for modern neuroscience. Evidence from humans and animal models indicate that the lateral habenula (LHb), an epithalamic center devoted to processing aversive stimuli, is aberrantly affected during depression. This raises the hypothesis that rescuing maladaptations within this nucleus may be a potential way to, at least partially, treat aspects of mood disorders. In this review article, we will discuss pre-clinical and clinical evidence highlighting the role of LHb and its cellular adaptations in depression. We will then describe interventional approaches aiming to rescue LHb dysfunction and ultimately ameliorate depressive symptoms. Altogether, we aim to merge the mechanistic-, circuit-, and behavioral-level knowledge obtained about LHb maladaptations in depression to build a general framework that might prove valuable for potential therapeutic interventions.

Positive regulation of raphe serotonin neurons by serotonin 2B receptors

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in many psychiatric diseases. In humans, a lack of 5-HT_2B receptors is associated with serotonin-dependent phenotypes, including impulsivity and suicidality. A lack of 5-HT_2B receptors in mice eliminates the effects of molecules that directly target serotonergic neurons including amphetamine derivative serotonin releasers, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants. In this work, we tested the hypothesis that 5-HT_2B receptors directly and positively regulate raphe serotonin neuron activity. By ex vivo electrophysiological recordings, we report that stimulation by the 5-HT_2B receptor agonist, BW723C86, increased the firing frequency of serotonin Pet1-positive neurons. Viral overexpression of 5-HT_2B receptors in these neurons increased their excitability. Furthermore, in vivo 5-HT_2B-receptor stimulation by BW723C86 counteracted 5-HT_1A autoreceptor-dependent reduction in firing rate and hypothermic response in wild-type mice. By a conditional genetic ablation that eliminates 5-HT_2B receptor expression specifically and exclusively from Pet1-positive serotonin neurons (Htr2b ^5-HTKO mice), we demonstrated that behavioral and sensitizing effects of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine), as well as acute behavioral and chronic neurogenic effects of the antidepressant fluoxetine, require 5-HT_2B receptor expression in serotonergic neurons. In Htr2b ^5-HTKO mice, dorsal raphe serotonin neurons displayed a lower firing frequency compared to control Htr2b ^lox/lox mice as assessed by in vivo extracellular recordings and a stronger hypothermic effect of 5-HT_1A-autoreceptor stimulation was observed. The increase in head-twitch response to DOI (2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine) further confirmed the lower serotonergic tone resulting from the absence of 5-HT_2B receptors in serotonin neurons. Together, these observations indicate that the 5-HT_2B receptor acts as a direct positive modulator of serotonin Pet1-positive neurons in an opposite way as the known 5-HT_1A-negative autoreceptor.

Limiting habenular hyperactivity ameliorates maternal separation-driven depressive-like symptoms

Early-life stress, including maternal separation (MS), increases the vulnerability to develop mood disorders later in life, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We report that MS promotes depressive-like symptoms in mice at a mature stage of life. Along with this behavioral phenotype, MS drives reduction of GABA_B-GIRK signaling and the subsequent lateral habenula (LHb) hyperexcitability—an anatomical substrate devoted to aversive encoding. Attenuating LHb hyperactivity using chemogenetic tools and deep-brain stimulation ameliorates MS depressive-like symptoms. This provides insights on mechanisms and strategies to alleviate stress-dependent affective behaviors.

Early-life stress primes depression in adulthood. This study shows that early maternal separation leads to lateral habenula (LHb) hyperactivity and causes depressive-like phenotypes, the latter being reversible when LHb hyperactivity is reduced chemogenetically or through deep-brain stimulation.

Aversive stimuli drive hypothalamus-to-habenula excitation to promote escape behavior

A sudden aversive event produces escape behaviors, an innate response essential for survival in virtually all-animal species. Nuclei including the lateral habenula (LHb), the lateral hypothalamus (LH), and the midbrain are not only reciprocally connected, but also respond to negative events contributing to goal-directed behaviors. However, whether aversion encoding requires these neural circuits to ultimately prompt escape behaviors remains unclear. We observe that aversive stimuli, including foot-shocks, excite LHb neurons and promote escape behaviors in mice. The foot-shock-driven excitation within the LHb requires glutamatergic signaling from the LH, but not from the midbrain. This hypothalamic excitatory projection predominates over LHb neurons monosynaptically innervating aversion-encoding midbrain GABA cells. Finally, the selective chemogenetic silencing of the LH-to-LHb pathway impairs aversion-driven escape behaviors. These findings unveil a habenular neurocircuitry devoted to encode external threats and the consequent escape; a process that, if disrupted, may compromise the animal’s survival.

Can the Lateral Habenula Crack the Serotonin Code?

The lateral habenula (LHb) and the serotonergic system both contribute to motivational states by encoding rewarding and aversive signals. Converging evidence suggests that perturbation of these systems is critical for the pathophysiology of mood disorders. Anatomical and functional studies indicate that the serotonergic system and the LHb are interconnected in a forward-feedback loop. However, how serotonin release modifies the synaptic and cellular properties of LHb neurons and whether this has any behavioral repercussions remain poorly investigated. In this review article, we discuss insights gained from rodents and humans regarding the implications of the serotonin system and the LHb in aversion encoding and related disorders. We then describe the type, properties and pharmacology of serotonergic receptors expressed throughout the LHb. Finally, we discuss physiological data reporting how serotonergic signaling modifies synaptic transmission and neuronal activity within the LHb. Altogether, we combine a mechanistic- and circuit-level knowledge to provide an overview on how the LHb integrates serotonergic signals, a process potentially contributing to LHb-dependent encoding of valenced external stimuli.

Rescue of GABAB and GIRK function in the lateral habenula by protein phosphatase 2A inhibition ameliorates depression-like phenotypes in mice

The lateral habenula (LHb) encodes aversive signals, and its aberrant activity contributes to depression-like symptoms. However, a limited understanding of the cellular mechanisms underlying LHb hyperactivity has precluded the development of pharmacological strategies to ameliorate depression-like phenotypes. Here we report that an aversive experience in mice, such as foot-shock exposure (FsE), induces LHb neuronal hyperactivity and depression-like symptoms. This occurs along with increased protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity, a known regulator of GABAB receptor (GABABR) and G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channel surface expression. Accordingly, FsE triggers GABAB1 and GIRK2 internalization, leading to rapid and persistent weakening of GABAB-activated GIRK-mediated (GABAB-GIRK) currents. Pharmacological inhibition of PP2A restores both GABAB-GIRK function and neuronal excitability. As a consequence, PP2A inhibition ameliorates depression-like symptoms after FsE and in a learned-helplessness model of depression. Thus, GABAB-GIRK plasticity in the LHb represents a cellular substrate for aversive experience. Furthermore, its reversal by PP2A inhibition may provide a novel therapeutic approach to alleviate symptoms of depression in disorders that are characterized by LHb hyperactivity.