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Kopelman JM, Chohan MO, Hsu AI, Yttri EA, Veenstra-VanderWeele J, Ahmari SE. Forebrain EAAT3 Overexpression Increases Susceptibility to Amphetamine-Induced Repetitive Behaviors. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0090-24.2024. [PMID: 38514191 PMCID: PMC11012153 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0090-24.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder characterized by intrusive obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. Multiple studies have shown the association of polymorphisms in the SLC1A1 gene with OCD. The most common of these OCD-associated polymorphisms increases the expression of the encoded protein, excitatory amino acid transporter 3 (EAAT3), a neuronal glutamate transporter. Previous work has shown that increased EAAT3 expression results in OCD-relevant behavioral phenotypes in rodent models. In this study, we created a novel mouse model with targeted, reversible overexpression of Slc1a1 in forebrain neurons. The mice do not have a baseline difference in repetitive behavior but show increased hyperlocomotion following a low dose of amphetamine (3 mg/kg) and increased stereotypy following a high dose of amphetamine (8 mg/kg). We next characterized the effect of amphetamine on striatal cFos response and found that amphetamine increased cFos throughout the striatum in both control and Slc1a1-overexpressing (OE) mice, but Slc1a1-OE mice had increased cFos expression in the ventral striatum relative to controls. We used an unbiased machine classifier to robustly characterize the behavioral response to different doses of amphetamine and found a unique response to amphetamine in Slc1a1-OE mice, relative to controls. Lastly, we found that the differences in striatal cFos expression in Slc1a1-OE mice were driven by cFos expression specifically in D1 neurons, as Slc1a1-OE mice had increased cFos in D1 ventral medial striatal neurons, implicating this region in the exaggerated behavioral response to amphetamine in Slc1a1-OE mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared M Kopelman
- Department of Psychiatry, Translational Neuroscience Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
| | - Muhammad O Chohan
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York 10032
| | - Alex I Hsu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
| | - Eric A Yttri
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
| | - Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York 10032
| | - Susanne E Ahmari
- Department of Psychiatry, Translational Neuroscience Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
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Chohan MO, Yueh H, Fein H, Kopelman JM, Ahmari SE, Veenstra-VanderWeele J. Intact amphetamine-induced behavioral sensitization in mice with increased or decreased neuronal glutamate transporter SLC1A1/EAAT3. Neurochem Int 2022; 160:105418. [PMID: 36096294 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2022.105418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Repeated amphetamine treatment results in locomotor sensitization, a phenomenon that may relate to the development of psychosis and addiction. Evidence suggests that interactions between dopaminergic and glutamatergic systems are involved in amphetamine sensitization. We previously demonstrated that the neuronal excitatory amino acid transporter (Slc1a1/EAAT3) produces bidirectional, expression-dependent effects on the response to acute amphetamine. Here, using mice with decreased or increased expression of EAAT3, we found that chronic alterations in EAAT3 expression do not significantly impact amphetamine-induced locomotor sensitization. Compensation by other glutamate transporters cannot be ruled out in this important neuroadaptive phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad O Chohan
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hannah Yueh
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Halli Fein
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA; Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Barnard College of Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jared M Kopelman
- Department of Psychiatry, Translational Neuroscience Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Susanne E Ahmari
- Department of Psychiatry, Translational Neuroscience Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
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Chohan MO, Kopelman JM, Yueh H, Fazlali Z, Greene N, Harris AZ, Balsam PD, Leonardo ED, Kramer ER, Veenstra-VanderWeele J, Ahmari SE. Developmental impact of glutamate transporter overexpression on dopaminergic neuron activity and stereotypic behavior. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:1515-1526. [PMID: 35058566 PMCID: PMC9106836 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01424-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disabling condition that often begins in childhood. Genetic studies in OCD have pointed to SLC1A1, which encodes the neuronal glutamate transporter EAAT3, with evidence suggesting that increased expression contributes to risk. In mice, midbrain Slc1a1 expression supports repetitive behavior in response to dopaminergic agonists, aligning with neuroimaging and pharmacologic challenge studies that have implicated the dopaminergic system in OCD. These findings suggest that Slc1a1 may contribute to compulsive behavior through altered dopaminergic transmission; however, this theory has not been mechanistically tested. To examine the developmental impact of Slc1a1 overexpression on compulsive-like behaviors, we, therefore, generated a novel mouse model to perform targeted, reversible overexpression of Slc1a1 in dopaminergic neurons. Mice with life-long overexpression of Slc1a1 showed a significant increase in amphetamine (AMPH)-induced stereotypy and hyperlocomotion. Single-unit recordings demonstrated that Slc1a1 overexpression was associated with increased firing of dopaminergic neurons. Furthermore, dLight1.1 fiber photometry showed that these behavioral abnormalities were associated with increased dorsal striatum dopamine release. In contrast, no impact of overexpression was observed on anxiety-like behaviors or SKF-38393-induced grooming. Importantly, overexpression solely in adulthood failed to recapitulate these behavioral phenotypes, suggesting that overexpression during development is necessary to generate AMPH-induced phenotypes. However, doxycycline-induced reversal of Slc1a1/EAAT3 overexpression in adulthood normalized both the increased dopaminergic firing and AMPH-induced responses. These data indicate that the pathologic effects of Slc1a1/EAAT3 overexpression on dopaminergic neurotransmission and AMPH-induced stereotyped behavior are developmentally mediated, and support normalization of EAAT3 activity as a potential treatment target for basal ganglia-mediated repetitive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad O. Chohan
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA,New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jared M. Kopelman
- Department of Psychiatry, Translational Neuroscience Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA,Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Hannah Yueh
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA,New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Zeinab Fazlali
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA,New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Natasha Greene
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA,Department of Psychology, Barnard College of Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alexander Z. Harris
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA,New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Peter D. Balsam
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA,New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA,Department of Psychology, Barnard College of Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - E. David Leonardo
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA,New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Edgar R. Kramer
- Peninsula Medical School, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, Devon, UK
| | - Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. .,New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Susanne E. Ahmari
- Department of Psychiatry, Translational Neuroscience Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA,Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Lukkes JL, Kopelman JM, Donner NC, Hale MW, Lowry CA. Development × environment interactions control tph2 mRNA expression. Neuroscience 2013; 237:139-50. [PMID: 23403177 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.01.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2012] [Revised: 01/28/2013] [Accepted: 01/29/2013] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Adverse early life experience is thought to increase an individual's susceptibility to mental health disorders, including anxiety and affective disorders, later in life. Our previous studies have shown that post-weaning social isolation of female rats during a critical period of development sensitizes an anxiety-related serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus (DR) system in adulthood. Therefore, we investigated how post-weaning social isolation, in combination with a challenge with the anxiogenic drug, N-methyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxamide (FG-7142; a partial inverse agonist at the benzodiazepine allosteric site on the GABAA receptor), affects home cage behavior and serotonergic gene expression in the DR of female rats using in situ hybridization histochemistry. Juvenile female rats were reared in isolation or groups of three for a 3-week period from weaning (postnatal day (PD) 21 to mid-adolescence (PD42)), after which all rats were group-reared for an additional 16 days until adulthood. Among vehicle-treated rats, isolation-reared rats had decreased rodent tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (tph2) mRNA expression in ventral and ventrolateral subdivisions of the DR, a pattern observed previously in a rat model of panic disorder. Isolation-reared rats, but not group-reared rats, responded to FG-7142 with increased duration of vigilance and arousal behaviors. In addition, FG-7142 decreased tph2 expression, measured 4h following treatment, in multiple subregions of the DR of group-reared rats but had no effect in isolation-reared rats. No treatment effects were observed on 5-HT1A receptor or serotonin transporter gene expression. These data suggest that adolescent social isolation alters tph2 expression in specific subregions of the DR and alters the effects of stress-related stimuli on behavior and serotonergic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Lukkes
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
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