1. |
- Bilbao, Ainhoa, et al.
(author)
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Loss of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type IV in dopaminoceptive neurons enhances behavioral effects of cocaine
- 2008
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : National Academy of Sciences; 1999. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 105:45, s. 17549-17554
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The persistent nature of addiction has been associated with activity-induced plasticity of neurons within the striatum and nucleus accumbens (NAc). To identify the molecular processes leading to these adaptations, we performed Cre/loxP-mediated genetic ablations of two key regulators of gene expression in response to activity, the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV) and its postulated main target, the cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB). We found that acute cocaine-induced gene expression in the striatum was largely unaffected by the loss of CaMKIV. On the behavioral level, mice lacking CaMKIV in dopaminoceptive neurons displayed increased sensitivity to cocaine as evidenced by augmented expression of locomotor sensitization and enhanced conditioned place preference and reinstatement after extinction. However, the loss of CREB in the forebrain had no effect on either of these behaviors, even though it robustly blunted acute cocaine-induced transcription. To test the relevance of these observations for addiction in humans, we performed an association study of CAMK4 and CREB promoter polymorphisms with cocaine addiction in a large sample of addicts. We found that a single nucleotide polymorphism in the CAMK4 promoter was significantly associated with cocaine addiction, whereas variations in the CREB promoter regions did not correlate with drug abuse. These findings reveal a critical role for CaMKIV in the development and persistence of cocaine-induced behaviors, through mechanisms dissociated from acute effects on gene expression and CREB-dependent transcription.
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2. |
- Engblom, David, et al.
(author)
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Glutamate receptors on dopamine neurons control the persistence of cocaine seeking
- 2008
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In: Neuron. - : Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam.. - 0896-6273 .- 1097-4199. ; 59:3, s. 497-508
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cocaine strengthens excitatory synapses onto midbrain dopamine neurons through the synaptic delivery of GluR1-containing AMPA receptors. This cocaine-evoked plasticity depends on NMDA receptor activation, but its behavioral significance in the context of addiction remains elusive. Here, we generated mice lacking the GluR1, GluR2, or NR1 receptor subunits selectively in dopamine neurons. We report that in midbrain slices of cocaine-treated mice, synaptic transmission was no longer strengthened when GluR1 or NR1 was abolished, while in the respective mice the drug still induced normal conditioned place preference and locomotor sensitization. In contrast, extinction of drug-seeking behavior was absent in mice lacking GluR1, while in the NR1 mutant mice reinstatement was abolished. In conclusion, cocaine-evoked synaptic plasticity does not mediate concurrent short-term behavioral effects of the drug but may initiate adaptive changes eventually leading to the persistence of drug-seeking behavior.
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3. |
- Fritz, Michael, et al.
(author)
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Prostaglandin-dependent modulation of dopaminergic neurotransmission elicits inflammation-induced aversion in mice
- 2016
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In: Journal of Clinical Investigation. - : AMER SOC CLINICAL INVESTIGATION INC. - 0021-9738 .- 1558-8238. ; 126:2, s. 695-705
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Systemic inflammation causes malaise and general feelings of discomfort. This fundamental aspect of the sickness response reduces the quality of life for people suffering from chronic inflammatory diseases and is a nuisance during mild infections like common colds or the flu. To investigate how inflammation is perceived as unpleasant and causes negative affect, we used a behavioral test in which mice avoid an environment that they have learned to associate with inflammation-induced discomfort. Using a combination of cell-type-specific gene deletions, pharmacology, and chemogenetics, we found that systemic inflammation triggered aversion through MyD88-dependent activation of the brain endothelium followed by COX1-mediated cerebral prostaglandin E-2 (PGE(2)) synthesis. Further, we showed that inflammation-induced PGE(2) targeted EP1 receptors on striatal dopamine D1 receptor-expressing neurons and that this signaling sequence induced aversion through GABA-mediated inhibition of dopaminergic cells. Finally, we demonstrated that inflammation-induced aversion was not an indirect consequence of fever or anorexia but that it constituted an independent inflammatory symptom triggered by a unique molecular mechanism. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that PGE(2)-mediated modulation of the dopaminergic motivational circuitry is a key mechanism underlying the negative affect induced by inflammation.
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4. |
- Jastrzebska, Kamila, et al.
(author)
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Loss of NMDA receptors in dopamine neurons leads to the development of affective disorder-like symptoms in mice
- 2016
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In: Scientific Reports. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2045-2322. ; 6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The role of changes in dopamine neuronal activity during the development of symptoms in affective disorders remains controversial. Here, we show that inactivation of NMDA receptors on dopaminergic neurons in adult mice led to the development of affective disorder-like symptoms. The loss of NMDA receptors altered activity and caused complete NMDA-insensitivity in dopamine-like neurons. Mutant mice exhibited increased immobility in the forced swim test and a decrease in social interactions. Mutation also led to reduced saccharin intake, however the preference of sweet taste was not significantly decreased. Additionally, we found that while mutant mice were slower to learn instrumental tasks, they were able to reach the same performance levels, had normal sensitivity to feedback and showed similar motivation to exert effort as control animals. Taken together these results show that inducing the loss of NMDA receptor-dependent activity in dopamine neurons is associated with development of affective disorder-like symptoms.
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5. |
- Mameli, Manuel, et al.
(author)
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Cocaine-evoked synaptic plasticity: persistence in the VTA triggers adaptations in the NAc
- 2009
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In: Nature Neuroscience. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 1097-6256 .- 1546-1726. ; 12:8, s. 1036-U108
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Addictive drugs hijack mechanisms of learning and memory that normally underlie reinforcement of natural rewards and induce synaptic plasticity of glutamatergic transmission in the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system. In the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a single exposure to cocaine efficiently triggers NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity in DA neurons, whereas plasticity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) occurs only after repeated injections. Whether these two forms of plasticity are independent or hierarchically organized remains unknown. We combined ex vivo electrophysiology in acute brain slices with behavioral assays modeling drug relapse in mice and found that the duration of the cocaine-evoked synaptic plasticity in the VTA is gated by mGluR1. Overriding mGluR1 in vivo made the potentiation in the VTA persistent. This led to synaptic plasticity in the NAc, which contributes to cocaine-seeking behavior after protracted withdrawal. Impaired mGluR1 function in vulnerable individuals could represent a first step in the recruitment of the neuronal network that underlies drug addiction.
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6. |
- Novak, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Incentive Learning Underlying Cocaine-Seeking Requires mGluR5 Receptors Located on Dopamine D1 Receptor-Expressing Neurons
- 2010
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In: JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE. - : Society for Neuroscience. - 0270-6474. ; 30:36, s. 11973-11982
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Understanding the psychobiological basis of relapse remains a challenge in developing therapies for drug addiction. Relapse in cocaine addiction often occurs following exposure to environmental stimuli previously associated with drug taking. The metabotropic glutamate receptor, mGluR5, is potentially important in this respect; it plays a central role in several forms of striatal synaptic plasticity proposed to underpin associative learning and memory processes that enable drug-paired stimuli to acquire incentive motivational properties and trigger relapse. Using cell type-specific RNA interference, we have generated a novel mouse line with a selective knock-down of mGluR5 in dopamine D1 receptor-expressing neurons. Although mutant mice self-administer cocaine, we show that reinstatement of cocaine-seeking induced by a cocaine-paired stimulus is impaired. By examining different aspects of associative learning in the mutant mice, we identify deficits in specific incentive learning processes that enable a reward-paired stimulus to directly reinforce behavior and to become attractive, thus eliciting approach toward it. Our findings show that glutamate signaling through mGluR5 located on dopamine D1 receptor-expressing neurons is necessary for incentive learning processes that contribute to cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking and which may underpin relapse in drug addiction.
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7. |
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8. |
- Rodriguez Parkitna, Jan, et al.
(author)
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Novelty-Seeking Behaviors and the Escalation of Alcohol Drinking After Abstinence in Mice Are Controlled by Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5 on Neurons Expressing Dopamine D1 Receptors
- 2013
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In: Biological Psychiatry. - : Elsevier. - 0006-3223 .- 1873-2402. ; 73:3, s. 263-270
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Novel experiences activate the brains reward system in a manner similar to drugs of abuse, and high levels of novelty-seeking and sensation-seeking behavior have been associated with increased susceptibility to alcohol and drug abuse. Here, we show that metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) signaling on dopaminoceptive neurons is necessary for both novelty-seeking behavior and the abstinence-induced escalation of alcohol drinking. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMethods: Mice harboring a transgene expressing microRNA hairpins against mGluR5 messenger RNA under the control of the D1 dopamine receptor gene promoter (mGluR5KD-D1) were tested in a battery of behavioral tests measuring learning abilities, anxiety levels, reactions to novelty, operant sensation seeking, and alcohol sensitivity. In addition, we have developed a method to assess long-term patterns of alcohol drinking in mice housed in groups using the IntelliCage system. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanResults: mGluR5KD-D1 mice showed no behavioral deficits and exhibited normal anxiety-like behaviors and learning abilities. However, mGluR5KD-D1 animals showed reduced locomotor activity when placed in a novel environment, and exhibited decreased interaction with a novel object. Moreover, unlike control animals, mutant mice did not perform instrumental responses under the operant sensation-seeking paradigm, although they learned to respond for food normally. When mGluR5KD-D1 mice were provided access to alcohol, they showed similar patterns of consumption as wild-type animals. However, mutant mice did not escalate their alcohol consumption after a period of forced abstinence, but control mice almost doubled their intake. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanConclusions: These data identify mGluR5 receptors on D1-expressing neurons as a common molecular substrate of novelty-seeking behaviors and behaviors associated with alcohol abuse.
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9. |
- Sikora, Magdalena, et al.
(author)
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NMDA Receptors on Dopaminoceptive Neurons Are Essential for Drug-Induced Conditioned Place Preference.
- 2016
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In: eNeuro. - 2373-2822. ; 3:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Plasticity of the brain's dopamine system plays a crucial role in adaptive behavior by regulating appetitive motivation and the control of reinforcement learning. In this study, we investigated drug- and natural-reward conditioned behaviors in a mouse model in which the NMDA receptor-dependent plasticity of dopaminoceptive neurons was disrupted. We generated a transgenic mouse line with inducible selective inactivation of the NR1 subunit in neurons expressing dopamine D1 receptors (the NR1(D1CreERT2) mice). Whole-cell recordings of spontaneous EPSCs on neurons in the nucleus accumbens confirmed that a population of neurons lacked the NMDA receptor-dependent component of the current. This effect was accompanied by impaired long-term potentiation in the nucleus accumbens and in the CA1 area of the ventral, but not the dorsal, hippocampus. Mutant mice did not differ from control animals when tested for pavlovian or instrumental conditioning. However, NR1(D1CreERT2) mice acquired no preference for a context associated with administration of drugs of abuse. In the conditioned place preference paradigm, mutant mice did not spend more time in the context paired with cocaine, morphine, or ethanol, although these mice acquired a preference for sucrose jelly and an aversion to naloxone injections, as normal. Thus, we observed that the selective inducible ablation of the NMDA receptors specifically blocks drug-associated context memory with no effect on positive reinforcement in general.
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10. |
- Stojakovic, Andrea, et al.
(author)
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Several behavioral traits relevant for alcoholism are controlled by gamma 2 subunit containing GABA(A) receptors on dopamine neurons in mice
- 2018
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In: Neuropsychopharmacology. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 0893-133X .- 1740-634X. ; 43:7, s. 1548-1556
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The risk factors for developing alcohol addiction include impulsivity, high sensitivity to the rewarding action of ethanol, and low sensitivity to its sedative and intoxicating effects. Genetic variation in GABA(A) receptor subunits, including the gamma 2 subunit (Gabrg2), affects the risk for developing alcoholism. Alcohol directly potentiates GABA(A) receptors and activates the mesolimbic dopamine system. Here, we deleted Gabrg2 selectively in dopamine cells of adult mice. The deletion resulted in elevated firing of dopamine neurons and made them less sensitive to drugs acting at GABA(A) receptors. At the behavioral level, the deletion increased exploratory behavior and augmented both correct and incorrect responding in the go/no-go task, a test often used to assay the response inhibition component of impulsivity. In addition, conditioned place preference to alcohol, but not to cocaine or morphine, was increased. Ethanol-induced locomotor activation was enhanced in the mice lacking Gabrg2 on dopaminergic cells, whereas the sedative effect of alcohol was reduced. Finally, the alcohol drinking, but not the alcohol preference, at a high concentration was increased in the mutant mice. In summary, deletion of Gabrg2 on dopamine cells induced several behavioral traits associated with high risk of developing alcoholism. The findings suggest that mice lacking Gabrg2 on dopaminergic cells could be used as models for individuals at high risk for developing alcoholism and that GABA(A) receptors on dopamine cells are protective against the development of excessive alcohol drinking.
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