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Brown PL, Palacorolla H, Cobb-Lewis DE, Jhou TC, McMahon P, Bell D, Elmer GI, Shepard PD. Substantia Nigra Dopamine Neuronal Responses to Habenular Stimulation and Foot Shock Are Altered by Lesions of the Rostromedial Tegmental Nucleus. Neuroscience 2024; 547:56-73. [PMID: 38636897 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.04.005] [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: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Dopamine (DA) neurons of the substantia nigra (SN) and ventral tegmental area generally respond to aversive stimuli or the absence of expected rewards with transient inhibition of firing rates, which can be recapitulated with activation of the lateral habenula (LHb) and eliminated by lesioning the intermediating rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg). However, a minority of DA neurons respond to aversive stimuli, such as foot shock, with a transient increase in firing rate, an outcome that rarely occurs with LHb stimulation. The degree to which individual neurons respond to these two stimulation modalities with the same response phenotype and the role of the RMTg is not known. Here, we record responses from single SN DA neurons to alternating activation of the LHb and foot shock in male rats. Lesions of the RMTg resulted in a shift away from inhibition to no response during both foot shock and LHb stimulation. Furthermore, lesions unmasked an excitatory response during LHb stimulation. The response correspondence within the same neuron between the two activation sources was no different from chance in sham controls, suggesting that external inputs rather than intrinsic DA neuronal properties are more important to response outcome. These findings contribute to a literature that shows a complex neurocircuitry underlies the regulation of DA activity and, by extension, behaviors related to learning, anhedonia, and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Leon Brown
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 55 Wade Ave., Catonsville, MD 21228, USA.
| | - Heather Palacorolla
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 55 Wade Ave., Catonsville, MD 21228, USA
| | - Dana E Cobb-Lewis
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 55 Wade Ave., Catonsville, MD 21228, USA
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 620 West Lexington St., Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Pat McMahon
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 55 Wade Ave., Catonsville, MD 21228, USA
| | - Dana Bell
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 55 Wade Ave., Catonsville, MD 21228, USA
| | - Greg I Elmer
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 55 Wade Ave., Catonsville, MD 21228, USA
| | - Paul D Shepard
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 55 Wade Ave., Catonsville, MD 21228, USA
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2
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Vento PJ, Watson JR, Pullmann D, Black SL, Tomberlin JS, Jhou TC. Pumping the brakes: rostromedial tegmental inhibition of compulsive cocaine seeking. bioRxiv 2023:2023.10.04.560908. [PMID: 38405989 PMCID: PMC10889025 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.04.560908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Addiction is marked by aberrant decision-making and an inability to suppress inappropriate and often dangerous behaviors. We previously demonstrated that inactivation of the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) in rats causes persistent food seeking despite impending aversive footshock, an effect strikingly similar to the punishment resistance observed in people with a history of protracted drug use [1]. Here, we extend these studies to demonstrate chemogenetic silencing of RMTg axonal projections to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) (RMTg→VTA pathway) causes rats to endure significantly more footshock to receive cocaine infusions. To further test whether activation of this circuit is sufficient to suppress reward seeking in the absence of an overtly aversive stimulus, we used temporally specific optogenetic stimulation of the RMTg→VTA pathway as a "punisher" in place of footshock following lever pressing for either food or cocaine reward. While optical stimulation of the RMTg→VTA pathway robustly suppressed lever pressing for food, we found that stimulation of this circuit had only modest effects on suppressing responding for cocaine infusions. Even though optical RMTg→VTA stimulation was not particularly effective at reducing ongoing cocaine use, this experience nevertheless had long-lasting consequences, as reinstatement of drug seeking in response to cocaine-associated cues was profoundly suppressed when tested nearly two weeks later. These results suggest the RMTg may serve as a useful target for producing enduring reductions in drug craving, particularly during periods of abstinence from drug use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Vento
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | - Jacob R Watson
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
| | - Dominika Pullmann
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
| | | | - Jensen S Tomberlin
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
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3
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Ouyang W, Lu W, Zhang Y, Liu Y, Kim JU, Shen H, Wu Y, Luan H, Kilner K, Lee SP, Lu Y, Yang Y, Wang J, Yu Y, Wegener AJ, Moreno JA, Xie Z, Wu Y, Won SM, Kwon K, Wu C, Bai W, Guo H, Liu TL, Bai H, Monti G, Zhu J, Madhvapathy SR, Trueb J, Stanslaski M, Higbee-Dempsey EM, Stepien I, Ghoreishi-Haack N, Haney CR, Kim TI, Huang Y, Ghaffari R, Banks AR, Jhou TC, Good CH, Rogers JA. A wireless and battery-less implant for multimodal closed-loop neuromodulation in small animals. Nat Biomed Eng 2023; 7:1252-1269. [PMID: 37106153 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-023-01029-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Fully implantable wireless systems for the recording and modulation of neural circuits that do not require physical tethers or batteries allow for studies that demand the use of unconstrained and freely behaving animals in isolation or in social groups. Moreover, feedback-control algorithms that can be executed within such devices without the need for remote computing eliminate virtual tethers and any associated latencies. Here we report a wireless and battery-less technology of this type, implanted subdermally along the back of freely moving small animals, for the autonomous recording of electroencephalograms, electromyograms and body temperature, and for closed-loop neuromodulation via optogenetics and pharmacology. The device incorporates a system-on-a-chip with Bluetooth Low Energy for data transmission and a compressed deep-learning module for autonomous operation, that offers neurorecording capabilities matching those of gold-standard wired systems. We also show the use of the implant in studies of sleep-wake regulation and for the programmable closed-loop pharmacological suppression of epileptic seizures via feedback from electroencephalography. The technology can support a broader range of applications in neuroscience and in biomedical research with small animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Ouyang
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Wei Lu
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Yamin Zhang
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Yiming Liu
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Jong Uk Kim
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Haixu Shen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Yunyun Wu
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Haiwen Luan
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | | | - Stephen P Lee
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Neurolux Inc., Northfield, IL, USA
| | - Yinsheng Lu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Yiyuan Yang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Jin Wang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | | | - Amy J Wegener
- US Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA
- US Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA
| | - Justin A Moreno
- US Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA
- US Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA
- SURVICE Engineering, Belcamp, MD, USA
| | - Zhaoqian Xie
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Yixin Wu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Sang Min Won
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyeongha Kwon
- School of Electrical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Changsheng Wu
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Wubin Bai
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Department of Applied Physical Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Hexia Guo
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Tzu-Li Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Hedan Bai
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Giuditta Monti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Jason Zhu
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Surabhi R Madhvapathy
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Jacob Trueb
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | | | | | - Iwona Stepien
- Developmental Therapeutics Core, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | | | - Chad R Haney
- Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Tae-Il Kim
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
- Biomedical Institute for Convergence at SKKU (BICS), Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Yonggang Huang
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Roozbeh Ghaffari
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Neurolux Inc., Northfield, IL, USA
| | - Anthony R Banks
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
- Neurolux Inc., Northfield, IL, USA
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
| | - Cameron H Good
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Neurolux Inc., Northfield, IL, USA.
- US Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA.
- US Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA.
| | - John A Rogers
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
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4
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Vollmer KM, Green LM, Grant RI, Winston KT, Doncheck EM, Bowen CW, Paniccia JE, Clarke RE, Tiller A, Siegler PN, Bordieanu B, Siemsen BM, Denton AR, Westphal AM, Jhou TC, Rinker JA, McGinty JF, Scofield MD, Otis JM. Author Correction: An opioid-gated thalamoaccumbal circuit for the suppression of reward seeking in mice. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4733. [PMID: 37550296 PMCID: PMC10406923 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40431-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey M Vollmer
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Lisa M Green
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Roger I Grant
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Kion T Winston
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Doncheck
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Christopher W Bowen
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Jacqueline E Paniccia
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Rachel E Clarke
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Annika Tiller
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Preston N Siegler
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Bogdan Bordieanu
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Benjamin M Siemsen
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Adam R Denton
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Annaka M Westphal
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Jennifer A Rinker
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Jacqueline F McGinty
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Michael D Scofield
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - James M Otis
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
- Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
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5
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Siemsen BM, Denton AR, Parrila-Carrero J, Hooker KN, Carpenter EA, Prescot ME, Brock AG, Westphal AM, Leath MN, McFaddin JA, Jhou TC, McGinty JF, Scofield MD. Heroin Self-Administration and Extinction Increase Prelimbic Cortical Astrocyte-Synapse Proximity and Alter Dendritic Spine Morphometrics That Are Reversed by N-Acetylcysteine. Cells 2023; 12:1812. [PMID: 37508477 PMCID: PMC10378353 DOI: 10.3390/cells12141812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [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: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Clinical and preclinical studies indicate that adaptations in corticostriatal neurotransmission significantly contribute to heroin relapse vulnerability. In animal models, heroin self-administration and extinction produce cellular adaptations in both neurons and astrocytes within the nucleus accumbens (NA) core that are required for cue-induced heroin seeking. Specifically, decreased glutamate clearance and reduced association of perisynaptic astrocytic processes with NAcore synapses allow glutamate release from prelimbic (PrL) cortical terminals to engage synaptic and structural plasticity in NAcore medium spiny neurons. Normalizing astrocyte glutamate homeostasis with drugs like the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) prevents cue-induced heroin seeking. Surprisingly, little is known about heroin-induced alterations in astrocytes or pyramidal neurons projecting to the NAcore in the PrL cortex (PrL-NAcore). Here, we observe functional adaptations in the PrL cortical astrocyte following heroin self-administration (SA) and extinction as measured by the electrophysiologically evoked plasmalemmal glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1)-dependent current. We likewise observed the increased complexity of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) cytoskeletal arbor and increased association of the astrocytic plasma membrane with synaptic markers following heroin SA and extinction training in the PrL cortex. Repeated treatment with NAC during extinction reversed both the enhanced astrocytic complexity and synaptic association. In PrL-NAcore neurons, heroin SA and extinction decreased the apical tuft dendritic spine density and enlarged dendritic spine head diameter in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Repeated NAC treatment during extinction prevented decreases in spine density but not dendritic spine head expansion. Moreover, heroin SA and extinction increased the co-registry of the GluA1 subunit of AMPA receptors in both the dendrite shaft and spine heads of PrL-NAcore neurons. Interestingly, the accumulation of GluA1 immunoreactivity in spine heads was further potentiated by NAC treatment during extinction. Finally, we show that the NAC treatment and elimination of thrombospondin 2 (TSP-2) block cue-induced heroin relapse. Taken together, our data reveal circuit-level adaptations in cortical dendritic spine morphology potentially linked to heroin-induced alterations in astrocyte complexity and association at the synapses. Additionally, these data demonstrate that NAC reverses PrL cortical heroin SA-and-extinction-induced adaptations in both astrocytes and corticostriatal neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M. Siemsen
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Adam R. Denton
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | | | - Kaylee N. Hooker
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Eilish A. Carpenter
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Meagan E. Prescot
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Ashley G. Brock
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Annaka M. Westphal
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Mary-Nan Leath
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - John A. McFaddin
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Thomas C. Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Jacqueline F. McGinty
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Michael D. Scofield
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
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6
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Chao YS, Parrilla-Carrero J, Eid M, Culver OP, Jackson TB, Lipat R, Taniguchi M, Jhou TC. Innate cocaine-seeking vulnerability arising from loss of serotonin-mediated aversive effects of cocaine in rats. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112404. [PMID: 37083325 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112404] [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: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Cocaine blocks dopamine reuptake, thereby producing rewarding effects that are widely studied. However, cocaine also blocks serotonin uptake, which we show drives, in rats, individually variable aversive effects that depend on serotonin 2C receptors (5-HT2CRs) in the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), a major GABAergic afferent to midbrain dopamine neurons. 5-HT2CRs produce depolarizing effects in RMTg neurons that are particularly strong in some rats, leading to aversive effects that reduce acquisition of and relapse to cocaine seeking. In contrast, 5-HT2CR signaling is largely lost after cocaine exposure in other rats, leading to reduced aversive effects and increased cocaine seeking. These results suggest a serotonergic biological marker of cocaine-seeking vulnerability that can be targeted to modulate drug seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying S Chao
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | | | - Maya Eid
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Oliver P Culver
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Tyler B Jackson
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Rachel Lipat
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Makoto Taniguchi
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
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7
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Vollmer KM, Green LM, Grant RI, Winston KT, Doncheck EM, Bowen CW, Paniccia JE, Clarke RE, Tiller A, Siegler PN, Bordieanu B, Siemsen BM, Denton AR, Westphal AM, Jhou TC, Rinker JA, McGinty JF, Scofield MD, Otis JM. An opioid-gated thalamoaccumbal circuit for the suppression of reward seeking in mice. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6865. [PMID: 36369508 PMCID: PMC9652456 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34517-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Suppression of dangerous or inappropriate reward-motivated behaviors is critical for survival, whereas therapeutic or recreational opioid use can unleash detrimental behavioral actions and addiction. Nevertheless, the neuronal systems that suppress maladaptive motivated behaviors remain unclear, and whether opioids disengage those systems is unknown. In a mouse model using two-photon calcium imaging in vivo, we identify paraventricular thalamostriatal neuronal ensembles that are inhibited upon sucrose self-administration and seeking, yet these neurons are tonically active when behavior is suppressed by a fear-provoking predator odor, a pharmacological stressor, or inhibitory learning. Electrophysiological, optogenetic, and chemogenetic experiments reveal that thalamostriatal neurons innervate accumbal parvalbumin interneurons through synapses enriched with calcium permeable AMPA receptors, and activity within this circuit is necessary and sufficient for the suppression of sucrose seeking regardless of the behavioral suppressor administered. Furthermore, systemic or intra-accumbal opioid injections rapidly dysregulate thalamostriatal ensemble dynamics, weaken thalamostriatal synaptic innervation of downstream neurons, and unleash reward-seeking behaviors in a manner that is reversed by genetic deletion of thalamic µ-opioid receptors. Overall, our findings reveal a thalamostriatal to parvalbumin interneuron circuit that is both required for the suppression of reward seeking and rapidly disengaged by opioids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey M Vollmer
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Lisa M Green
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Roger I Grant
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Kion T Winston
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Doncheck
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Christopher W Bowen
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Jacqueline E Paniccia
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Rachel E Clarke
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Annika Tiller
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Preston N Siegler
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Bogdan Bordieanu
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Benjamin M Siemsen
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Adam R Denton
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Annaka M Westphal
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Jennifer A Rinker
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Jacqueline F McGinty
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Michael D Scofield
- Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - James M Otis
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
- Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
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8
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Laque A, Wagner GE, Matzeu A, De Ness GL, Kerr TM, Carroll AM, de Guglielmo G, Nedelescu H, Buczynski MW, Gregus AM, Jhou TC, Zorrilla EP, Martin-Fardon R, Koya E, Ritter RC, Weiss F, Suto N. Linking drug and food addiction via compulsive appetite. Br J Pharmacol 2022; 179:2589-2609. [PMID: 35023154 PMCID: PMC9081129 DOI: 10.1111/bph.15797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE "Food addiction" is the subject of intense public and research interest. However, this nosology based on neurobehavioral similarities among obese individuals and patients with eating disorders and drug addiction remains controversial. We thus sought to determine which aspects of disordered eating are causally linked to preclinical models of drug addiction. We hypothesized that extensive drug histories, known to cause addiction-like brain changes and drug motivation in rats, would also cause addiction-like food motivation. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Rats underwent extensive cocaine, alcohol, caffeine or obesogenic diet histories, and were subsequently tested for punishment-resistant food self-administration or "compulsive appetite", as a measure of addiction-like food motivation. KEY RESULTS Extensive cocaine and alcohol (but not caffeine) histories caused compulsive appetite that persisted long after the last drug exposure. Extensive obesogenic diet histories also caused compulsive appetite, although neither cocaine nor alcohol histories caused excess calorie intake and bodyweight during abstinence. Hence, compulsive appetite and obesity appear to be dissociable, with the former sharing common mechanisms with preclinical drug addiction models. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Compulsive appetite, as seen in subsets of obese individuals and patients with binge-eating disorder and bulimia nervosa (eating disorders that do not necessarily result in obesity), appears to epitomize "food addiction". Because different drug and obesogenic diet histories caused compulsive appetite, overlapping dysregulations in the reward circuits, which control drug and food motivation independently of energy homeostasis, may offer common therapeutic targets for treating addictive behaviors across drug addiction, eating disorders and obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Laque
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Grant E Wagner
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Alessandra Matzeu
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Genna L De Ness
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Tony M Kerr
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.,College of Pharmacy, University of Texas Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Ayla M Carroll
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Giordano de Guglielmo
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Hermina Nedelescu
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Matthew W Buczynski
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.,School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Ann M Gregus
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Eric P Zorrilla
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Remi Martin-Fardon
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Eisuke Koya
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
| | - Robert C Ritter
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Friedbert Weiss
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Nobuyoshi Suto
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
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9
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Kruyer A, Parrilla-Carrero J, Powell C, Brandt L, Gutwinski S, Angelis A, Chalhoub RM, Jhou TC, Kalivas PW, Amato D. Accumbens D2-MSN hyperactivity drives antipsychotic-induced behavioral supersensitivity. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:6159-6169. [PMID: 34349226 PMCID: PMC8760070 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01235-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Antipsychotic-induced dopamine supersensitivity, or behavioral supersensitivity, is a problematic consequence of long-term antipsychotic treatment characterized by the emergence of motor abnormalities, refractory symptoms, and rebound psychosis. The underlying mechanisms are unclear and no approaches exist to prevent or reverse these unwanted effects of antipsychotic treatment. Here we demonstrate that behavioral supersensitivity stems from long-lasting pre, post and perisynaptic plasticity, including insertion of Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptors and loss of D2 receptor-dependent inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) in D2 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons (D2-MSNs) in the nucleus accumbens core (NAcore). The resulting hyperexcitability, prominent in a subpopulation of D2-MSNs (21%), caused locomotor sensitization to cocaine and was associated with behavioral endophenotypes of antipsychotic treatment resistance and substance use disorder, including disrupted extinction learning and augmented cue-induced cocaine-seeking behavior. Chemogenetic restoration of IPSCs in D2-MSNs in the NAcore was sufficient to prevent antipsychotic-induced supersensitivity, pointing to an entirely novel therapeutic direction for overcoming this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kruyer
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | | | - Courtney Powell
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Lasse Brandt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Gutwinski
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ariana Angelis
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Reda M Chalhoub
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Peter W Kalivas
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Davide Amato
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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10
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Jhou TC. The rostromedial tegmental (RMTg) "brake" on dopamine and behavior: A decade of progress but also much unfinished work. Neuropharmacology 2021; 198:108763. [PMID: 34433088 PMCID: PMC8593889 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [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: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Between 2005 and 2009, several research groups identified a strikingly dense inhibitory input to midbrain dopamine neurons arising from a previously uncharted region posterior to the ventral tegmental area (VTA). This region is now denoted as either the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) or the "tail of the VTA" (tVTA), and is recognized to express distinct genetic markers, encode negative "prediction errors" (inverse to dopamine neurons), and play critical roles in behavioral inhibition and punishment learning. RMTg neurons are also influenced by many categories of abused drugs, and may drive some aversive responses to such drugs, particularly cocaine and alcohol. However, despite much progress, many important questions remain about RMTg molecular/genetic properties, diversity of projection targets, and applications to addiction, depression, and other neuropsychiatric disorders. This article is part of the special Issue on 'Neurocircuitry Modulating Drug and Alcohol Abuse'.
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11
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Parrilla-Carrero J, Eid M, Li H, Chao YS, Jhou TC. Synaptic Adaptations at the Rostromedial Tegmental Nucleus Underlie Individual Differences in Cocaine Avoidance Behavior. J Neurosci 2021; 41:4620-4630. [PMID: 33753546 PMCID: PMC8260244 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1847-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Although cocaine is powerfully rewarding, not all individuals are equally prone to abusing this drug. We postulate that these differences arise in part because some individuals exhibit stronger aversive responses to cocaine that protect them from cocaine seeking. Indeed, using conditioned place preference (CPP) and a runway operant cocaine self-administration task, we demonstrate that avoidance responses to cocaine vary greatly between individual high cocaine-avoider and low cocaine-avoider rats. These behavioral differences correlated with cocaine-induced activation of the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), measured using both in vivo firing and c-fos, whereas slice electrophysiological recordings from ventral tegmental area (VTA)-projecting RMTg neurons showed that relative to low avoiders, high avoiders exhibited greater intrinsic excitability, greater transmission via calcium-permeable AMPA receptors (CP-AMPARs), and higher presynaptic glutamate release. In behaving animals, blocking CP-AMPARs in the RMTg with NASPM reduced cocaine avoidance. Hence, cocaine addiction vulnerability may be linked to multiple coordinated synaptic differences in VTA-projecting RMTg neurons.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Although cocaine is highly addictive, not all individuals exposed to cocaine progress to chronic use for reasons that remain unclear. We find that cocaine's aversive effects, although less widely studied than its rewarding effects, show more individual variability, are predictive of subsequent propensity to seek cocaine, and are driven by variations in RMTg in response to cocaine that arise from distinct alterations in intrinsic excitability and glutamate transmission onto VTA-projecting RMTg neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Parrilla-Carrero
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Maya Eid
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Hao Li
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Ying S Chao
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425
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12
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Rodriguez-Romaguera J, Ung RL, Nomura H, Otis JM, Basiri ML, Namboodiri VM, Zhu X, Robinson JE, van den Munkhof HE, McHenry JA, Eckman LE, Kosyk O, Jhou TC, Kash TL, Bruchas MR, Stuber GD. Prepronociceptin-Expressing Neurons in the Extended Amygdala Encode and Promote Rapid Arousal Responses to Motivationally Salient Stimuli. Cell Rep 2020; 33:108362. [PMID: 33176134 PMCID: PMC8136285 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Revised: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Motivational states consist of cognitive, emotional, and physiological components controlled by multiple brain regions. An integral component of this neural circuitry is the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Here, we identify that neurons within BNST that express the gene prepronociceptin (PnocBNST) modulate rapid changes in physiological arousal that occur upon exposure to motivationally salient stimuli. Using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging, we find that PnocBNST neuronal responses directly correspond with rapid increases in pupillary size when mice are exposed to aversive and rewarding odors. Furthermore, optogenetic activation of these neurons increases pupillary size and anxiety-like behaviors but does not induce approach, avoidance, or locomotion. These findings suggest that excitatory responses in PnocBNST neurons encode rapid arousal responses that modulate anxiety states. Further histological, electrophysiological, and single-cell RNA sequencing data reveal that PnocBNST neurons are composed of genetically and anatomically identifiable subpopulations that may differentially tune rapid arousal responses to motivational stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Rodriguez-Romaguera
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Randall L. Ung
- Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Hiroshi Nomura
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - James M. Otis
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Marcus L. Basiri
- Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Vijay M.K. Namboodiri
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Xueqi Zhu
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - J. Elliott Robinson
- Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Hanna E. van den Munkhof
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Jenna A. McHenry
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Louisa E.H. Eckman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Oksana Kosyk
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Thomas C. Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Thomas L. Kash
- Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA
| | - Michael R. Bruchas
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University Pain Center, Department of Neuroscience, Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences; and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Garret D. Stuber
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 72599, USA,Correspondence:
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13
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Zhao YN, Yan YD, Wang CY, Qu WM, Jhou TC, Huang ZL, Yang SR. The Rostromedial Tegmental Nucleus: Anatomical Studies and Roles in Sleep and Substance Addictions in Rats and Mice. Nat Sci Sleep 2020; 12:1215-1223. [PMID: 33380853 PMCID: PMC7769149 DOI: 10.2147/nss.s278026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), a brake of the dopamine system, is specifically activated by aversive stimuli, such as foot shock. It is principally composed of gamma-aminobutyric acid neurons. However, there is no exact location of the RMTg on the brain stereotaxic atlas. The RMTg can be defined by c-Fos staining elicited by psychostimulants, the position of retrograde-labeled neurons stained by injections into the ventral tegmental area (VTA), the terminal field formed by axons from the lateral habenula, and some molecular markers identified as specifically expressed in the RMTg such as FoxP1. The RMTg receives a broad range of inputs and produces diverse outputs, which indicates that the RMTg has multiple functions. First, the RMTg plays an essential role for non-rapid eye movement sleep. Additionally, the RMTg serves a vital role in response to addiction. Opiates increase the firing rates of dopaminergic neurons in the VTA by acting on μ-opioid receptors on RMTg neurons and their terminals inside the VTA. In this review, we summarize the recent research advances on the anatomical location of the RMTg in rats and mice, its projections, and its regulation of sleep-wake behavior and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Nan Zhao
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu-Dong Yan
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Chen-Yao Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei-Min Qu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Zhi-Li Huang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Su-Rong Yang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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14
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Glover EJ, Starr EM, Chao Y, Jhou TC, Chandler LJ. Inhibition of the rostromedial tegmental nucleus reverses alcohol withdrawal-induced anxiety-like behavior. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:1896-1905. [PMID: 31060041 PMCID: PMC6785010 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0406-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2018] [Revised: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Acute withdrawal from alcohol is associated with a number of unpleasant symptoms that play an important role in preventing recovery and long-term abstinence. Considerable research has focused on the role that neuropeptide systems and the amygdala play in mediating affective symptoms of acute withdrawal, but promising preclinical findings have not translated successfully into the clinic. The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) has been implicated in both fear and anxiety. In addition, RMTg neurons exert inhibitory control over midbrain dopamine neurons, the activity of which are suppressed during acute withdrawal. Thus, we hypothesized that the RMTg may play a role in mediating symptoms of acute withdrawal. Using a chronic ethanol vapor exposure paradigm that renders rats physically dependent on ethanol, we observed significant withdrawal-induced enhancement of cFos expression in the RMTg. This was accompanied by a significant increase in somatic symptoms and a decrease in reward sensitivity as measured by intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS). Both measures followed a similar time course to RMTg cFos expression with peak symptom severity occurring 12 h following cessation of ethanol exposure. Heightened anxiety-like behavior was also observed in withdrawn rats at this same time point. RMTg inhibition had no effect on somatic signs of withdrawal or withdrawal-induced changes in reward sensitivity, but significantly attenuated withdrawal-induced anxiety-like behavior. Together, these data demonstrate that the RMTg plays a distinct role in the negative affective state associated with acute withdrawal and may therefore be critically involved in the neurobiological mechanisms that promote relapse during early stages of recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth J Glover
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
- Center for Drug & Alcohol Programs, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
| | - E Margaret Starr
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Center for Drug & Alcohol Programs, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Ying Chao
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - L Judson Chandler
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
- Center for Drug & Alcohol Programs, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
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15
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Wright KM, Jhou TC, Pimpinelli D, McDannald MA. Cue-inhibited ventrolateral periaqueductal gray neurons signal fear output and threat probability in male rats. eLife 2019; 8:e50054. [PMID: 31566567 PMCID: PMC6821491 DOI: 10.7554/elife.50054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) is proposed to mediate fear responses to imminent danger. Previously we reported that vlPAG neurons showing short-latency increases in firing to a danger cue - the presumed neural substrate for fear output - signal threat probability in male rats (Wright et al., 2019). Here, we scrutinize the activity vlPAG neurons that decrease firing to danger. One cue-inhibited population flipped danger activity from early inhibition to late excitation: a poor neural substrate for fear output, but a better substrate for threat timing. A second population showed differential firing with greatest inhibition to danger, less to uncertainty and no inhibition to safety. The pattern of differential firing reflected the pattern of fear output, and was observed throughout cue presentation. The results reveal an expected vlPAG signal for fear output in an unexpected, cue-inhibited population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of NeuroscienceMedical University of South CarolinaCharlestonUnited States
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16
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Walker RA, Wright KM, Jhou TC, McDannald MA. The ventrolateral periaqueductal grey updates fear via positive prediction error. Eur J Neurosci 2019; 51:866-880. [PMID: 31376295 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [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: 02/05/2019] [Revised: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Aversive, positive prediction error (+PE) provides a mechanism to update and increase future fear to uncertain threat predictors. The ventrolateral periaqueductal grey (vlPAG) has been offered as a neural locus for +PE computation. Yet, a causal demonstration of vlPAG +PE activity to update fear remains elusive. We devised a fear discrimination procedure in which a danger cue predicts shock deterministically and an uncertainty cue predicts shock probabilistically, requiring prediction errors to achieve an appropriate fear response. Recording vlPAG single-unit activity during fear discrimination in Long-Evans rats, we reveal activity related to shock is consistent with +PE and updates subsequent fear to uncertainty at the trial level. We further demonstrate that vlPAG inhibition during shock selectively decreases future fear to uncertainty, but not danger, and temporal emergence of this effect is consistent with single-unit activity. These findings provide causal evidence that vlPAG +PE is necessary for fear updating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A Walker
- Psychology Department, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
| | | | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
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17
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Hardaway JA, Halladay LR, Mazzone CM, Pati D, Bloodgood DW, Kim M, Jensen J, DiBerto JF, Boyt KM, Shiddapur A, Erfani A, Hon OJ, Neira S, Stanhope CM, Sugam JA, Saddoris MP, Tipton G, McElligott Z, Jhou TC, Stuber GD, Bruchas MR, Bulik CM, Holmes A, Kash TL. Central Amygdala Prepronociceptin-Expressing Neurons Mediate Palatable Food Consumption and Reward. Neuron 2019; 102:1088. [PMID: 31170393 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.04.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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18
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Hardaway JA, Halladay LR, Mazzone CM, Pati D, Bloodgood DW, Kim M, Jensen J, DiBerto JF, Boyt KM, Shiddapur A, Erfani A, Hon OJ, Neira S, Stanhope CM, Sugam JA, Saddoris MP, Tipton G, McElligott Z, Jhou TC, Stuber GD, Bruchas MR, Bulik CM, Holmes A, Kash TL. Central Amygdala Prepronociceptin-Expressing Neurons Mediate Palatable Food Consumption and Reward. Neuron 2019; 102:1037-1052.e7. [PMID: 31029403 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.03.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [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: 01/27/2017] [Revised: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Food palatability is one of many factors that drives food consumption, and the hedonic drive to feed is a key contributor to obesity and binge eating. In this study, we identified a population of prepronociceptin-expressing cells in the central amygdala (PnocCeA) that are activated by palatable food consumption. Ablation or chemogenetic inhibition of these cells reduces palatable food consumption. Additionally, ablation of PnocCeA cells reduces high-fat-diet-driven increases in bodyweight and adiposity. PnocCeA neurons project to the ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (vBNST), parabrachial nucleus (PBN), and nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), and activation of cell bodies in the central amygdala (CeA) or axons in the vBNST, PBN, and NTS produces reward behavior but did not promote feeding of palatable food. These data suggest that the PnocCeA network is necessary for promoting the reinforcing and rewarding properties of palatable food, but activation of this network itself is not sufficient to promote feeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Andrew Hardaway
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
| | - Lindsay R Halladay
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA; Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA 95053, USA
| | - Christopher M Mazzone
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Neurobiology Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Dipanwita Pati
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Daniel W Bloodgood
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Neurobiology Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Michelle Kim
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jennifer Jensen
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jeffrey F DiBerto
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Kristen M Boyt
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Ami Shiddapur
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Ava Erfani
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Olivia J Hon
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Neurobiology Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Sofia Neira
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Neurobiology Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Christina M Stanhope
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jonathan A Sugam
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Michael P Saddoris
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Greg Tipton
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Zoe McElligott
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Garret D Stuber
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Michael R Bruchas
- Division of Basic Research, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Cynthia M Bulik
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Thomas L Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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Abstract
Lateral habenula (LHb) neurons are activated by negative motivational stimuli and play key roles in the pathophysiology of depression. Prior reports suggested that rostral entopeduncular nucleus (rEPN) neurons drive these responses in the LHb and rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), but these influences remain untested. Using rabies viral tracers, we demonstrate disynaptic projections from the rEPN to RMTg, but not VTA, via the LHb in rats. Using in vivo electrophysiology, we find that rEPN or LHb subpopulations exhibit activation/inhibition patterns after negative/positive motivational stimuli, similar to the RMTg, while temporary inactivation of a region centered on the rEPN decreases LHb basal and burst firing, and reduces valence-related signals in LHb neurons. Additionally, excitotoxic rEPN lesions partly diminish footshock-induced cFos in the LHb and RMTg. Together, our findings indicate an important role of the rEPN, and possibly immediately adjacent hypothalamus, in driving basal activities and valence processing in LHb and RMTg neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Li
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
| | - Dominika Pullmann
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
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Li H, Pullmann D, Cho JY, Eid M, Jhou TC. Generality and opponency of rostromedial tegmental (RMTg) roles in valence processing. eLife 2019; 8:41542. [PMID: 30667358 PMCID: PMC6361585 DOI: 10.7554/elife.41542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), a GABAergic afferent to midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons, has been hypothesized to be broadly activated by aversive stimuli. However, this encoding pattern has only been demonstrated for a limited number of stimuli, and the RMTg influence on ventral tegmental (VTA) responses to aversive stimuli is untested. Here, we found that RMTg neurons are broadly excited by aversive stimuli of different sensory modalities and inhibited by reward-related stimuli. These stimuli include visual, auditory, somatosensory and chemical aversive stimuli, as well as “opponent” motivational states induced by removal of sustained rewarding or aversive stimuli. These patterns are consistent with broad encoding of negative valence in a subset of RMTg neurons. We further found that valence-encoding RMTg neurons preferentially project to the DA-rich VTA versus other targets, and excitotoxic RMTg lesions greatly reduce aversive stimulus-induced inhibitions in VTA neurons, particularly putative DA neurons, while also impairing conditioned place aversion to multiple aversive stimuli. Together, our findings indicate a broad RMTg role in encoding aversion and driving VTA responses and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Li
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
| | - Dominika Pullmann
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
| | - Jennifer Y Cho
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
| | - Maya Eid
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, United States
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21
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Elmer GI, Palacorolla H, Mayo CL, Brown PL, Jhou TC, Brady D, Shepard PD. The rostromedial tegmental nucleus modulates the development of stress-induced helpless behavior. Behav Brain Res 2018; 359:950-957. [PMID: 29932954 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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: 11/27/2017] [Revised: 06/16/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A growing body of clinical and preclinical research suggests that structural and functional changes in the habenula, a component of the epithalamus, are associated with major depressive disorder. A major excitatory, efferent projection from the habenula targets the rostromedial tegmentum (RMTg), a mesopontine region that provides significant input to the ventral tegmentum and raphe nuclei. While the RMTg contributes to monoaminergic responses to aversive events, its role in stress-based animal models of depression has yet to be determined. In the present study, we test the hypothesis that the RMTg is a component of the circuitry mediating the development of a maladaptive behavior in which rats repeatedly exposed to inescapable footshock, fail to avoid or escape the same stressor when subsequently given the opportunity to do so. Excitotoxic lesions of the RMTg significantly diminished the frequency of these escape failures 24 h after exposure to inescapable footshock. Conversely, electrical stimulation of the Hb during the initial uncontrollable aversive event, a manipulation that enhances excitatory input to the RMTg, increased the number of trials in which subjects failed to escape an aversive stimulus when presented the option 24 h later. These complementary results provide evidence supporting a role for the RMTg in the expression of stress-induced helpless phenotype and are an important step in understanding the contribution made by this region to the development of depression-related maladaptive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- G I Elmer
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21228, United States.
| | - H Palacorolla
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21228, United States
| | - C L Mayo
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21228, United States
| | - P L Brown
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21228, United States
| | - T C Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, United States
| | - D Brady
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21228, United States
| | - P D Shepard
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21228, United States
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22
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Vento PJ, Burnham NW, Rowley CS, Jhou TC. Learning From One's Mistakes: A Dual Role for the Rostromedial Tegmental Nucleus in the Encoding and Expression of Punished Reward Seeking. Biol Psychiatry 2017; 81:1041-1049. [PMID: 27931744 PMCID: PMC5400739 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2016] [Revised: 09/20/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psychiatric disorders such as addiction and mania are marked by persistent reward seeking despite highly negative or aversive outcomes, but the neural mechanisms underlying this aberrant decision making are unknown. The recently identified rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) encodes a wide variety of aversive stimuli and sends robust inhibitory projections to midbrain dopamine neurons, leading to the hypothesis that the RMTg provides a brake to reward signaling in response to aversive costs. METHODS To test the role of the RMTg in punished reward seeking, adult male Sprague Dawley rats were tested in several cost-benefit decision tasks after excitotoxic lesions of the RMTg or temporally specific optogenetic inhibition of RMTg efferents in the ventral tegmental area. RESULTS RMTg lesions drastically impaired the ability of foot shock to suppress operant responding for food. Optogenetic inhibition showed that this resistance to punishment was due in part to RMTg activity at the precise moment of shock delivery and was mediated by projections to the ventral tegmental area, which is consistent with an aversive "teaching signal" role for the RMTg during encoding of the aversive event. We observed a similar resistance to punishment when the RMTg was selectively inhibited immediately prior to the operant lever press, which is consistent with a second distinct role for the RMTg during action selection. These effects were not attributable to RMTg effects on learning rate, locomotion, shock sensitivity, or perseveration. CONCLUSIONS The RMTg has two strong and dissociable roles during both encoding and recall of aversive consequences of behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J. Vento
- Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Neuroscience
| | | | | | - Thomas C. Jhou
- Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Neuroscience
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Glover EJ, Starr EM, McDougle MJ, Jhou TC, Chandler LJ. Inputs from the medial prefrontal cortex to the rostromedial tegmental nucleus are involved in signaling the aversive properties of alcohol. Alcohol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2017.02.268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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24
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Glover EJ, McDougle MJ, Siegel GS, Jhou TC, Chandler LJ. Role for the Rostromedial Tegmental Nucleus in Signaling the Aversive Properties of Alcohol. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2016; 40:1651-61. [PMID: 27388762 DOI: 10.1111/acer.13140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [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: 08/26/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While the rewarding effects of alcohol contribute significantly to its addictive potential, it is becoming increasingly appreciated that alcohol's aversive properties also play an important role in the propensity to drink. Despite this, the neurobiological mechanism for alcohol's aversive actions is not well understood. The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) was recently characterized for its involvement in aversive signaling and has been shown to encode the aversive properties of cocaine, yet its involvement in alcohol's aversive actions have not been elucidated. METHODS Adult male and female Long-Evans rats underwent conditioned taste aversion (CTA) procedures where exposure to a novel saccharin solution was paired with intraperitoneal administration of saline, lithium chloride (LiCl), or ethanol (EtOH). Control rats underwent the same paradigm except that drug and saccharin exposure were explicitly unpaired. Saccharin consumption was measured on test day in the absence of drug administration, and rats were sacrificed 90 to 105 minutes following access to saccharin. Brains were subsequently harvested and processed for cFos immunohistochemistry. The number of cFos-labeled neurons was counted in the RMTg and the lateral habenula (LHb)-a region that sends prominent glutamatergic input to the RMTg. RESULTS In rats that received paired drug and saccharin exposure, EtOH and LiCl induced significant CTA compared to saline to a similar degree in males and females. Both EtOH- and LiCl-induced CTA significantly enhanced cFos expression in the RMTg and LHb but not the hippocampus. Similar to behavioral measures, no significant effect of sex on CTA-induced cFos expression was observed. cFos expression in both the RMTg and LHb was significantly correlated with CTA magnitude with greater cFos being associated with more pronounced CTA. In addition, cFos expression in the RMTg was positively correlated with LHb cFos. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that the RMTg and LHb are involved in the expression of CTA and are consistent with previous work implicating the RMTg in aversive signaling. Furthermore, increased cFos expression in the RMTg following EtOH-induced CTA suggests that this region plays a role in signaling alcohol's aversive properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth J Glover
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina.,Center for Drug & Alcohol Programs, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Molly J McDougle
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina.,Center for Drug & Alcohol Programs, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Griffin S Siegel
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina.,Center for Drug & Alcohol Programs, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - L Judson Chandler
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina.,Center for Drug & Alcohol Programs, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
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25
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Vujovic N, Gooley JJ, Jhou TC, Saper CB. Projections from the subparaventricular zone define four channels of output from the circadian timing system. J Comp Neurol 2015; 523:2714-37. [PMID: 26010698 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [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: 10/29/2014] [Revised: 05/13/2015] [Accepted: 05/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The subparaventricular zone of the hypothalamus (SPZ) is the main efferent target of neural projections from the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and an important relay for the circadian timing system. Although the SPZ is fairly homogeneous cytoarchitecturally and neurochemically, it has been divided into distinct functional and connectional subdivisions. The dorsal subdivision of the SPZ (dSPZ) plays an important role in relaying signals from the SCN controlling body temperature rhythms, while the ventral subdivision (vSPZ) is critical for rhythms of sleep and locomotor activity (Lu et al. [] J Neurosci 21:4864-4874). On the other hand, the medial part of the SPZ receives input mainly from the dorsomedial SCN, whereas the lateral SPZ receives input from the ventrolateral SCN and the retinohypothalamic tract (Leak and Moore [] J Comp Neurol 433:312-334). We therefore investigated whether there are corresponding differences in efferent outputs from these four quadrants of the SPZ (dorsolateral, ventrolateral, dorsomedial, and ventromedial) by a combination of anterograde and retrograde tracing. We found that, while all four subdivisions of the SPZ share a similar backbone of major projection pathways to the septal region, thalamus, hypothalamus, and brainstem, each segment of the SPZ has a specific set of targets where its projections dominate. Furthermore, we observed intra-SPZ projections of varying densities between the four subdivisions. Taken together, this pattern of organization suggests that the circadian timing system may have several parallel neural outflow pathways that provide a road map for understanding how they subserve different functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Vujovic
- Department of Neurology, Program in Neuroscience, and Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215
| | - Joshua J Gooley
- Department of Neurology, Program in Neuroscience, and Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215
| | - Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Neurology, Program in Neuroscience, and Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215
| | - Clifford B Saper
- Department of Neurology, Program in Neuroscience, and Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215
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Quina LA, Tempest L, Ng L, Harris JA, Ferguson S, Jhou TC, Turner EE. Efferent pathways of the mouse lateral habenula. J Comp Neurol 2014; 523:32-60. [PMID: 25099741 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [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: 03/14/2014] [Revised: 08/14/2014] [Accepted: 08/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The lateral habenula (LHb) is part of the habenula complex of the dorsal thalamus. Recent studies of the LHb have focused on its projections to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), which contain γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons that mediate reward prediction error via inhibition of dopaminergic activity. However, older studies in the rat have also identified LHb outputs to the lateral and posterior hypothalamus, median raphe, dorsal raphe, and dorsal tegmentum. Although these studies have shown that the medial and lateral divisions of the LHb have somewhat distinct projections, the topographic specificity of LHb efferents is not completely understood, and the relative extent of these projections to brainstem targets is unknown. Here we have used anterograde tracing with adeno-associated virus-mediated expression of green fluorescent protein, combined with serial two-photon tomography, to map the efferents of the LHb on a standard coordinate system for the entire mouse brain, and reconstruct the efferent pathways of the LHb in three dimensions. Using automated quantitation of fiber density, we show that in addition to the RMTg, the median raphe, caudal dorsal raphe, and pontine central gray are major recipients of LHb efferents. By using retrograde tract tracing with cholera toxin subunit B, we show that LHb neurons projecting to the hypothalamus, VTA, median raphe, caudal dorsal raphe, and pontine central gray reside in characteristic, but sometimes overlapping regions of the LHb. Together these results provide the anatomical basis for systematic studies of LHb function in neural circuits and behavior in mice. J. Comp. Neurol. 523:32-60, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lely A Quina
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, 98101
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Jhou TC. Dopamine and anti‐dopamine systems: polar opposite roles in behavior. FASEB J 2013. [DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.80.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C Jhou
- Dept of NeurosciencesMedical University of South CarolinaCharlestonSC
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Webb SM, Vollrath-Smith FR, Shin R, Jhou TC, Xu S, Ikemoto S. Rewarding and incentive motivational effects of excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists into the median raphe and adjacent regions of the rat. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2012; 224:401-12. [PMID: 22752328 PMCID: PMC3498528 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-012-2759-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2012] [Accepted: 05/31/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The motivational process that regulates approach behavior toward salient distal stimuli (i.e., incentive motivation) plays a key role in voluntary behavior and motivational disorders such as addiction. This process may be mediated by many neurotransmitter systems and a network of many brain structures, including the median and dorsal raphe regions (MR and DR, respectively). OBJECTIVE We sought to examine whether the blockade of excitatory amino acid receptors in the MR and DR is rewarding, using intracranial self-administration, and whether the self-administration effect can be explained by drug's effectiveness to enhance incentive motivation, using a visual sensation seeking procedure. RESULTS Rats learned to self-administer the AMPA receptor antagonist ZK 200775 into the vicinity of the MR, DR, or medial oral pontine reticular regions, but not the ventral tegmental area. The NMDA receptor antagonist AP5 was also self-administered into the MR, while it was not readily self-administered into other regions. When ZK 200775 was noncontingently administered into the MR, rats markedly increased approach responses rewarded by brief illumination of a light stimulus. In addition, contingent administration of ZK 200775 into the MR induced a conditioning effect on approach responses. CONCLUSIONS Rats self-administer excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists into the MR and adjacent regions. Self-administration effect of AMPA receptor antagonists into the MR can be largely explained by the manipulation's properties to invigorate ongoing approach behavior and induces conditioned approach. Glutamatergic afferents to the median raphe and adjacent regions appear to tonically suppress incentive-motivational processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sierra M. Webb
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, 251 Bayview Blvd., Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Fiori R. Vollrath-Smith
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, 251 Bayview Blvd., Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Rick Shin
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, 251 Bayview Blvd., Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Thomas C. Jhou
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, 251 Bayview Blvd., Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Shengping Xu
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, 251 Bayview Blvd., Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Satoshi Ikemoto
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, 251 Bayview Blvd., Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
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Jhou TC, Xu SP, Lee MR, Gallen CL, Ikemoto S. Mapping of reinforcing and analgesic effects of the mu opioid agonist endomorphin-1 in the ventral midbrain of the rat. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2012; 224:303-12. [PMID: 22669129 PMCID: PMC3482303 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-012-2753-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2012] [Accepted: 05/16/2012] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Agonists at the mu opioid receptor (MOR) are widely recognized for their effects on reward and pain. Although prior studies have attributed some of these effects to MORs on GABA neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), recent studies have identified a region of particularly strong MOR immunostaining residing caudal to the VTA, in a region denoted the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg). METHODS Hence, we examined whether rats would self-administer small doses (50-250 pmol) of the selective MOR agonist endomorphin-1 (EM1) into the RMTg and adjacent sites. EM1 was chosen due to its short half-life, thus limiting drug spread, and due to its presence endogenously in brain neurons, including some afferents to the RMTg. RESULTS The highest rates of EM1 self-administration occurred within 0.5 mm of the RMTg center, in a region roughly 0.8-1.6 mm caudal to the majority of VTA DA neurons. In contrast, self-administration rates were much lower in the adjacent VTA, interpeduncular nucleus, central linear nucleus, or median raphe nucleus. Furthermore, EM1 infusions into the RMTg, but not surrounding regions, produced conditioned place preference, while EM1 infusions into the RMTg but not anterior VTA markedly reduced formalin-induced pain behaviors. EM1 effects were mimicked by infusions of the GABA agonist muscimol into the same region, consistent with EM1 having inhibitory actions on its target neurons. CONCLUSION These results implicate a novel brain region in modulating MOR influences on both appetitive and aversive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C. Jhou
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Baltimore, MD, USA,Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Sheng-Ping Xu
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mary R. Lee
- Neuroimaging Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Courtney L. Gallen
- Neuroimaging Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Satoshi Ikemoto
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Jhou TC, Geisler S, Marinelli M, Degarmo BA, Zahm DS. The mesopontine rostromedial tegmental nucleus: A structure targeted by the lateral habenula that projects to the ventral tegmental area of Tsai and substantia nigra compacta. J Comp Neurol 2009; 513:566-96. [PMID: 19235216 DOI: 10.1002/cne.21891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 347] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Prior studies revealed that aversive stimuli and psychostimulant drugs elicit Fos expression in neurons clustered above and behind the interpeduncular nucleus that project strongly to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra (SN) compacta (C). Other reports suggest that these neurons modulate responses to aversive stimuli. We now designate the region containing them as the "mesopontine rostromedial tegmental nucleus" (RMTg) and report herein on its neuroanatomy. Dense micro-opioid receptor and somatostatin immunoreactivity characterize the RMTg, as do neurons projecting to the VTA/SNC that are enriched in GAD67 mRNA. Strong inputs to the RMTg arise in the lateral habenula (LHb) and, to a lesser extent, the SN. Other inputs come from the frontal cortex, ventral striatopallidum, extended amygdala, septum, preoptic region, lateral, paraventricular and posterior hypothalamus, zona incerta, periaqueductal gray, intermediate layers of the contralateral superior colliculus, dorsal raphe, mesencephalic, pontine and medullary reticular formation, and the following nuclei: parafascicular, supramammillary, mammillary, ventral lateral geniculate, deep mesencephalic, red, pedunculopontine and laterodorsal tegmental, cuneiform, parabrachial, and deep cerebellar. The RMTg has meager outputs to the forebrain, mainly to the ventral pallidum, preoptic-lateral hypothalamic continuum, and midline-intralaminar thalamus, but much heavier outputs to the brainstem, including, most prominently, the VTA/SNC, as noted above, and to medial tegmentum, pedunculopontine and laterodorsal tegmental nuclei, dorsal raphe, and locus ceruleus and subceruleus. The RMTg may integrate multiple forebrain and brainstem inputs in relation to a dominant LHb input. Its outputs to neuromodulatory projection systems likely converge with direct LHb projections to those structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C Jhou
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.
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Jhou TC, Fields HL, Baxter MG, Saper CB, Holland PC. The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), a GABAergic afferent to midbrain dopamine neurons, encodes aversive stimuli and inhibits motor responses. Neuron 2009; 61:786-800. [PMID: 19285474 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2009.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 473] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2008] [Revised: 01/27/2009] [Accepted: 02/02/2009] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Separate studies have implicated the lateral habenula (LHb) or amygdala-related regions in processing aversive stimuli, but their relationships to each other and to appetitive motivational systems are poorly understood. We show that neurons in the recently identified GABAergic rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), which receive a major LHb input, project heavily to midbrain dopamine neurons, and show phasic activations and/or Fos induction after aversive stimuli (footshocks, shock-predictive cues, food deprivation, or reward omission) and inhibitions after rewards or reward-predictive stimuli. RMTg lesions markedly reduce passive fear behaviors (freezing, open-arm avoidance) dependent on the extended amygdala, periaqueductal gray, or septum, all regions that project directly to the RMTg. In contrast, RMTg lesions spare or enhance active fear responses (treading, escape) in these same paradigms. These findings suggest that aversive inputs from widespread brain regions and stimulus modalities converge onto the RMTg, which opposes reward and motor-activating functions of midbrain dopamine neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C Jhou
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
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Phillips PEM, Walton ME, Jhou TC. Calculating utility: preclinical evidence for cost-benefit analysis by mesolimbic dopamine. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2007; 191:483-95. [PMID: 17119929 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-006-0626-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2006] [Accepted: 10/27/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Throughout our lives we constantly assess the costs and benefits of the possible future outcomes of our actions and use this information to guide behavior. There is accumulating evidence that dopamine contributes to a fundamental component of this computation-how rewards are compared with the costs incurred when obtaining them. OBJECTIVE We review the evidence for dopamine's role in cost-benefit decision making and outline a simple mathematical framework in which to represent the interactions between rewards, costs, behavioral state and dopamine. CONCLUSIONS Dopamine's effects on cost-benefit decision making can be modeled using simple utility-function curves. This approach provides a useful framework for modeling existing data and generating experimental hypotheses that can be objectively and quantitatively tested by observing choice behavior without the necessity to account for subjective psychological states such as pleasure or desire. We suggest that dopamine plays a key role in overcoming response costs and enabling high-effort behaviors. A particularly important anatomical site of this action is the core of the nucleus accumbens. Here, dopamine is able to modulate activity originating from the frontal cortical systems that also assess costs and rewards. Internal deprivation states (e.g., hunger and thirst) also help to energize goal-seeking behaviors, probably in part by their rich influence on dopamine, which can in turn modify decision making policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul E M Phillips
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, P.O. Box 356560, Seattle, WA, 98195-6560, USA.
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Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that dopamine plays an important role in arousal, but the location of the dopaminergic neurons that may regulate arousal remains unclear. It is sometimes assumed that the dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area that project to the prefrontal cortex and striatum may regulate the state of arousal; however, the firing of these dopaminergic neurons does not correlate with overall levels of behavioral wakefulness. We identified wake-active dopaminergic neurons by combining immunohistochemical staining for Fos and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in awake and sleeping rats. Approximately 50% of the TH-immunoreactive (TH-ir) cells in the ventral periaqueductal gray matter (vPAG) expressed Fos protein during natural wakefulness or wakefulness induced by environmental stimulation, but none expressed Fos during sleep. Fos immunoreactivity was not seen in the substantia nigra TH-immunoreactive cells in either condition. Injections of 6-hydroxydopamine into the vPAG, which killed 55-65% of wake-active TH-ir cells but did not injure nearby serotoninergic cells, increased total daily sleep by approximately 20%. By combining retrograde and anterograde tracing, we showed that these wake-active dopaminergic cells have extensive reciprocal connections with the sleep-wake regulatory system. The vPAG dopaminergic cells may provide the long-sought ascending dopaminergic waking influence. In addition, their close relationship with the dorsal raphe nucleus will require reassessment of previous studies of the role of the dorsal raphe nucleus in sleep, because many of those experiments may have been confounded by the then-unrecognized presence of intermingled wake-active dopaminergic neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Lu
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
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