The Deep Brain Stimulation in Mesolimbic and Mesocortical Pathways

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Deep Brain Stimulation in Mesolimbic and Mesocortical Pathways Acta Medica Mediterranea, 2020, 36: 1901 NEW THERAPEUTIC OPTION IN SEVERE AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS: THE DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION IN MESOLIMBIC AND MESOCORTICAL PATHWAYS ROSA MAROTTA Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro ABSTRACT Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is currently considered a complex neurodevelopmental disorder resulting in impaired social and language skills and behavioral disorders. Motor stereotypies and self-injurious behavior of low-functioning autism are often resistant to medical therapy. Deep brain stimulation in mesolimbic and mesocortical circuits seems to be significantly effective in controlling these symptoms but very few cases are treated with this approach. The targets proposed are globus pallidus internus (GPi), anterior limb of internal capsule (ALIC), basolateral amygdala (BLA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). Studies conducted on greater number of patients are therefore necessary to verify the effectiveness of DBS in ASD and to explore other potential targets. Keywords: Autistic spectrum disorder, self-injurious behavior, deep brain stimulation, globus pallidus internus, basolateral amygdala, nucleus accumbens. DOI: 10.19193/0393-6384_2020_3_297 Received November 30, 2019; Accepted January 20, 2020 Introduction can be life threatening for patients themselves. In ad- dition, medical therapy of hyperkinetic movements Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is currently can often lead to the onset of tardive dystonia which considered a complex neuropsychiatric disorder, on- further complicates the clinical picture. set in developmental age, characterized by a clinical On the basis of the results of Deep Brain Stim- expression that varies between subject and subject ulation (DBS) in movement disorders and psychiat- and over time within the same subject. This disorder ric disease, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder results in impaired social and language skills and var- (OCD) and Tourette’s syndrome (TS), a potential ious behavioral disorders. Different manifestations therapeutic effect of DBS in autistic spectrum disor- of the autistic spectrum are divided into high-func- der symptoms, stereotyped movements and self-mu- tioning autism (subjects capable of communicating tilation symptoms has been hypothesized. verbally and endowed with normal or even superior ASD seems to have abnormalities of structural intelligence) and low-functioning autism (subjects and functional networks of the brain as its substrate with intellectual disability, impaired social commu- (connectivity disturbance affecting frontal, fron- nications or interactions, repetitive and stereotyped to-temporal, fronto-limbic, fronto-parietal and in- behaviour, lack of social or emotional reciprocity, ter-hemispheric connection)(1). A diminished neural aggressiveness and self-injurious behavior). Repet- response to social reward has been demonstrated in itive behavior with motor stereotypies and self-inju- children with ASD. The reward system is generally rious behavior are resistant to medical therapy in a considered to be composed of the major dopamine substantial percentage of cases and potentially they pathways that begin in the ventral tegmental area 1902 Rosa Marotta (VTA) and connect the nucleus accumbens, amyg- bilaterally in order to obtain a simultaneous stimu- dala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. When lation of GPi and ALIC which proved to be progres- exposed to a rewarding stimulus, brain responds by sively effective (improvement of 71.6%) in the first 3 increasing release of dopamine and thus the struc- months and then lost effectiveness in the following tures associated with the reward system are found months. Stimulation parameters used were for ALIC: along the major dopamine pathways in the brain, the bipolar configuration, 210 microseconds. pulse mesolimbic pathway and the mesocortical pathway. width, 100 Hz Frequency and 2.0 V amplitude, while Mesolimbic dopamine pathway connects the ventral for GPi: bipolar configuration, 120 microseconds tegmental area (VTA), one of the principal dopa- pulse width, 100 Hz Frequency and 2.5 V amplitude. mine-producing areas, with the nucleus accumbens, an area of the ventral striatum strongly associated Basolateral amygdala with motivation and reward, and it is a part of com- The “amygdala complex” is a small al- plex circuits involving the amygdala, anterior limb mond-shaped group of 13 nuclei in the medial tem- of internal capsula, hippocampus and the bed nu- poral lobe that is considered a center of integration of cleus of the stria terminalis. Mesocortical dopamine higher neurological processes regulating anxiety and pathway travels from the VTA to the ventromedial social interactions. Amygdala dysfunction has been prefrontal cortex (VMPFC). Mesolimbic pathway linked to many psychiatric disorders such as schiz- is considered important for mediating pleasure and ophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression and neu- rewarding experiences while mesocortical pathway rodevelopmental disorders including ASD. The nu- for a wide range of functions, such as motivation, clei of the “amygdala complex” do not have a specific emotion, and executive functions. name and they are generally referred to as lateral nu- With so many physiological and anatomical clei (L), basolateral nuclei (BL), centromedial nuclei sites implicated in the pathophysiology of ASD, (Ce) and corticalmedial nuclei (Co). The “extended more different targets for DBS have been proposed amygdala” or “dorsal amygdala” includes the centro- in treatment of symptoms of autism spectrum refrac- medial nuclei (CM), the sublenticular substantia in- tory to medical therapy, particularly for stereotypies nominate (SSI), the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcs) and self-injurious behavior. Few cases are report- and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). ed in literature with several stimulation targets ex- The BL nuclei are the main nuclear ‘receiving’ plored: globus pallidus internus (GPi), anterior limb group and receives inputs from the temporal cortex, of internal capsule (ALIC), basolateral amygdala the orbital and medial prefrontal cortex (OMPFC), (BLA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). and the hippocampus. The Co nuclei receive olfac- tory and hippocampal inputs while the centromedial Globus pallidus internus (GPi), anterior limb nuclei have a connection function among the various of internal capsule (ALIC) nuclei of the amygdala complex. Sturm et al. report- Neuromodulation of cortico-basal circuits has ed a case of BLA DBS in a ASD 13 years-old patient been successfully proposed for treatment of invol- with refractory SIB, mental retardation and cerebral untary movements, such as tics, dystonic/dyskinetic palsy obtaining an improvement in SIB and in emo- syndromes and very disabling repetitive actions. On tional, social and cognitive symptoms on 24-month the basis of these findings, Stocco et al. used bilat - followup (3). The quadripolar electrode implant was eral stimulation of GPi and ALIC for the control of bilateral with contacts in lateral, basolateral and cen- self-injurious stereotypies in two patients with au- tromedial nuclei on one site and in extended amyg- tism and mental retardation, one of whom developed dala on the other site. Stimulation parameters were: tardive orolingual and cervical dystonia following 130 Hz frequency, 120 microsecond pulse width and treatment with risperidone (2). 2-6.5 V amplitude with monopolar configuration. In the first patient the electrodes were implant - Only stimulation of contacts in basolateral nuclei ed in GPi and stimulation was performed with bi- produced stable improvement while stimulation of polar configuration, 120 microseconds pulse width, contacts in paraliminar and central amygdaloid nu- 80 Hz Frequency and 3.3 V amplitude. Result was cleus and supra-amygdaloid efferents had no effect. impressive (improvement of 91.3%) starting from the first stimulation period remaining constant at the Nucleus accumbens 13-month followup, also affecting tardive dystonia. The Nucleus accumbens (NAc) can be divided In the second patient, the electrodes were implanted into a central “core” surrounded by a “shell”. Core is New therapeutic option in severe autism spectrum disorders: the deep brain stimulation in mesolimbic and... 1903 considered to be part of ventral striatum while shell this neuromodulation approach for OCD and for TS. is referred to as a part of dorsal amygdala. NAc is The number of patients treated is extremely small: the main input nucleus of the basal ganglia and it re- studies conducted on a greater number of patients ceives both indirect input via the mesolimbic dopa- are therefore necessary to verify its real short and minergic projections from the ventral tegmental area long term effectiveness and to explore other poten- (VTA) and substantia nigra as well as direct input tial targets. via the glutamatergic projections from the subiculum and amygdala, thalamus, hippocampus, prefrontal and prelimbic cortex. Efferent projections are fibers to the hypothalamus, the nuclei of the brainstem and the globus pallidus. Fibers to the Gpi are the connec- tion point between the limbic system and the motor References system. The globus pallidus, in turn, sends output fibers to the medial dorsal nucleus of the thalamus 1) Zikopoulos B, Barbas H. Altered neural connectivity which then project to striatum as well as to the ven- in excitatory and inhibitory cortical circuits in autism. tromedial prefrontal cortex. The NAc plays an im- Front Hum
Recommended publications
  • Addiction, Opioids, and Beyond
    Addiction, Opioids and Beyond Chronic Pain Mental Illness Substance Dep Medical Illness Genetics/Env Objectives Understanding Definitions in Substance Dependency and Addiction. Review of Basic Epidemiology in Opioids Understanding Basic Addiction Physiology and how it relates to Schizophrenia Knowledge the General Overview of SUD Treatment Knowledge of non-pharmacological treatments of SUD. Understanding of Prescription Opioids, Side Effects and Dangers Understanding Prescription Opioids in the setting of Chronic Pain Understand MAT for Opioids (Tip43) with Naltrexone, Methadone and Buprenorphine Naloxone WHAT DOES ADDICTION MEAN? In 2016 11.5 million people 12 years and older misused opioid pain medications 1.8 million had substance use disorder involving prescription pain medications Between 2000 to 2015, more then 500,000 person died from opioid overdoses Opioid and 2012 clinicians wrote 259 million prescription for opioids Overdose 2.5 million people with Opioid Addiction (JAMA) US deaths from drug overdoses hit record high in 2014, propelled by abuse of prescription painkillers and heroin. (CDC) Heroin related deaths tripled since 2010. Only 2.2% of US Physician have waiver to prescribe Buprenorphine (JAMA) Statistically, nonmedical use of drugs from individuals obtained a majority of their drugs from friends and relatives, however 80% of those “friends and family” obtained from ONE DOCTOR. Addiction Poorly Understood • Regard Addiction as a moral problem • Fail to adequately screen • 1% of medical school curriculum • Believe interventions are ineffective JAMA,2003,290, 1299 Defining the Word "Addiction" The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), American Pain Society (APS), and American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) define addiction as a primary, chronic, neurobiological disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations characterized by one or more of the behaviors listed above (ASAM, 2001).
    [Show full text]
  • Neuroplasticity in the Mesolimbic System Induced by Sexual Experience and Subsequent Reward Abstinence
    Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 6-21-2012 12:00 AM Neuroplasticity in the Mesolimbic System Induced by Sexual Experience and Subsequent Reward Abstinence Kyle Pitchers The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Lique M. Coolen The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Anatomy and Cell Biology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Kyle Pitchers 2012 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Recommended Citation Pitchers, Kyle, "Neuroplasticity in the Mesolimbic System Induced by Sexual Experience and Subsequent Reward Abstinence" (2012). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 592. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/592 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. NEUROPLASTICITY IN THE MESOLIMBIC SYSTEM INDUCED BY SEXUAL EXPERIENCE AND SUBSEQUENT REWARD ABSTINENCE (Spine Title: Sex, Drugs and Neuroplasticity) (Thesis Format: Integrated Article) By Kyle Kevin Pitchers Graduate Program in Anatomy and Cell Biology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Kyle K. Pitchers, 2012 THE UNIVERSITY
    [Show full text]
  • The Effects of Alcohol and Nicotine Pretreatment During Adolescence on Adulthood Responsivity to Alcohol Antoniette M
    University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2007 The effects of alcohol and nicotine pretreatment during adolescence on adulthood responsivity to alcohol Antoniette M. Maldonado University of South Florida Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons Scholar Commons Citation Maldonado, Antoniette M., "The effects of alcohol and nicotine pretreatment during adolescence on adulthood responsivity to alcohol" (2007). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/2272 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Effects of Alcohol and Nicotine Pretreatment During Adolescence on Adulthood Responsivity to Alcohol by Antoniette M. Maldonado A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts Department of Psychology College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Cheryl L. Kirstein, Ph.D. Mark Goldman, Ph.D. Toru Shimizu, Ph.D. David J. Drobes, Ph.D. Date of Approval: 18 October, 2007 Keywords: addiction, adolescent, alcohol-nicotine interactions, conditioned place preference, novelty preference © Copyright 2007, Antoniette M. Maldonado Dedication To my mom, Sylvia Ann Valdez. Mom, you are my very best friend and I do not know what I would have done without all of the support you gave me through every single step of this journey. You make such a difference in my life and I cannot even begin to describe how grateful I am to have you still here with me.
    [Show full text]
  • Optogenetic Activation of Dopamine Neurons in the Ventral Tegmental Area Induces Reanimation from General Anesthesia
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by DSpace@MIT Optogenetic activation of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area induces reanimation from general anesthesia Norman E. Taylora,b,c, Christa J. Van Dorta,b,c, Jonathan D. Kennya,c, JunZhu Peia,c, Jennifer A. Guideraa,c, Ksenia Y. Vlasova,c, Justin T. Leea,c, Edward S. Boydenc,d,e,f, Emery N. Browna,b,c,g,h,1,2, and Ken Solta,b,c,1 aDepartment of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114; bDepartment of Anaesthesia, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114; cDepartment of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139; dMedia Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139; eMcGovern Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139; fDepartment of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139; gThe Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139; and hInstitute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 Contributed by Emery N. Brown, September 14, 2016 (sent for review February 29, 2016; reviewed by Loren M. Frank, Robert W. Gereau, and Andrew Jenkins) Dopamine (DA) promotes wakefulness, and DA transporter inhibi- There are currently no clinically approved pharmacologic or cir- tors such as dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate are effective cuit-level interventions that can induce active emergence or for increasing arousal and inducing reanimation, or active emer- reanimation from general anesthesia (10). Dopamine (DA) is a gence from general anesthesia. DA neurons in the ventral tegmental neurotransmitter that is well-known to elicit wakefulness (11).
    [Show full text]
  • Ventral Tegmental Area Dopamine Cell Activation During Male Rat
    The Journal of Neuroscience, September 21, 2016 • 36(38):9949–9961 • 9949 Behavioral/Cognitive Ventral Tegmental Area Dopamine Cell Activation during Male Rat Sexual Behavior Regulates Neuroplasticity and D-Amphetamine Cross-Sensitization following Sex Abstinence Lauren N. Beloate,1,2 XAzar Omrani,4 Roger A. Adan,4 Ian C. Webb,1 and XLique M. Coolen1,3 1Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, 2Graduate Program in Neuroscience, and 3Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi 39216, and 4Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands Experience with sexual behavior causes cross-sensitization of amphetamine reward, an effect dependent on a period of sexual reward abstinence. We previously showed that ⌬FosB in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key mediator of this cross-sensitization, potentially via dopamine receptor activation. However, the role of mesolimbic dopamine for sexual behavior or cross-sensitization between natural and drug reward is unknown. This was tested using inhibitory designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs in ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine cells. rAAV5/hSvn-DIO-hm4D-mCherry was injected into the VTA of TH::Cre adult male rats. Males received clozapine N-oxide (CNO) or vehicle injections before each of 5 consecutive days of mating or handling. Following an abstinence period of 7 d, males were tested for amphetamine conditioned place preference (CPP). Next, males were injected with CNO or vehicle before mating or handling for analysis of mating-induced cFos, sex experience-induced ⌬FosB, and reduction of VTA dopamine soma size. Results showed that CNO did not affect mating behavior.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Mesolimbic Reward Neurocircuitry in Prevention and Rescue of the Activity-Based Anorexia (ABA) Phenotype in Rats
    Neuropsychopharmacology (2017) 42, 2292–2300 © 2017 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. All rights reserved 0893-133X/17 www.neuropsychopharmacology.org The Role of Mesolimbic Reward Neurocircuitry in Prevention and Rescue of the Activity-Based Anorexia (ABA) Phenotype in Rats 1 1 ,1 Claire J Foldi , Laura K Milton and Brian J Oldfield* 1 Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia Patients suffering from anorexia nervosa (AN) become anhedonic; unable or unwilling to derive normal pleasures and avoid rewarding outcomes, most profoundly in food intake. The activity-based anorexia (ABA) model recapitulates many of the characteristics of the human condition, including anhedonia, and allows investigation of the underlying neurobiology of AN. The potential for increased neuronal activity in reward/hedonic circuits to prevent and rescue weight loss is investigated in this model. The mesolimbic pathway extending from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) was activated using a dual viral strategy, involving retrograde transport of Cre (CAV-2-Cre) to the VTA and coincident injection of DREADD receptors (AAV-hSyn-DIO-hM3D(Gq)-mCherry). Systemic clozapine-n-oxide (CNO; 0.3 mg/kg) successfully recruited a large proportion of the VTA-NAc dopaminergic projections, with activity evidenced by colocalization with elevated levels of Fos protein. The effects of reward circuit activation on energy balance and predicted survival was investigated in female Sprague-Dawley rats, where free access to running wheels was paired with time-limited (90 min) access to food, a paradigm (ABA) which will cause anorexia and death if unchecked. Excitation of the reward pathway substantially increased food intake and food anticipatory activity (FAA) to prevent ABA-associated weight loss, while overall locomotor activity was unchanged.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Life Stress, Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors and Alcohol Use Disorders
    Brain Sci. 2015, 5, 258-274; doi:10.3390/brainsci5030258 OPEN ACCESS brain sciences ISSN 2076-3425 www.mdpi.com/journal/brainsci/ Review Early Life Stress, Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors and Alcohol Use Disorders Joan Y. Holgate * and Selena E. Bartlett Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, 37 Kent St, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia; E-Mail: [email protected] * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected]; Tel.: +61-7-3443-7285; Fax: +61-7-3443-7779. Academic Editor: Marcelo Febo Received: 15 April 2015 / Accepted: 18 June 2015 / Published: 30 June 2015 Abstract: Stress is a major driving force in alcohol use disorders (AUDs). It influences how much one consumes, craving intensity and whether an abstinent individual will return to harmful alcohol consumption. We are most vulnerable to the effects of stress during early development, and exposure to multiple traumatic early life events dramatically increases the risk for AUDs. However, not everyone exposed to early life stress will develop an AUD. The mechanisms determining whether an individual’s brain adapts and becomes resilient to the effects of stress or succumbs and is unable to cope with stress remain elusive. Emerging evidence suggests that neuroplastic changes in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) following early life stress underlie the development of AUDs. This review discusses the impact of early life stress on NAc structure and function, how these changes affect cholinergic signaling within the mesolimbic reward pathway and the role nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) play in this process.
    [Show full text]
  • Volatile Solvents As Drugs of Abuse: Focus on the Cortico-Mesolimbic Circuitry
    Neuropsychopharmacology (2013) 38, 2555–2567 & 2013 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. All rights reserved 0893-133X/13 www.neuropsychopharmacology.org Review Volatile Solvents as Drugs of Abuse: Focus on the Cortico-Mesolimbic Circuitry 1,2 ,1,2 Jacob T Beckley and John J Woodward* 1 2 Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA; Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs, Department of Psychiatry/Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA Volatile solvents such as those found in fuels, paints, and thinners are found throughout the world and are used in a variety of industrial applications. However, these compounds are also often intentionally inhaled at high concentrations to produce intoxication. While solvent use has been recognized as a potential drug problem for many years, research on the sites and mechanisms of action of these compounds lags behind that of other drugs of abuse. In this review, we first discuss the epidemiology of voluntary solvent use throughout the world and then consider what is known about their basic pharmacology and how this may explain their use as drugs of abuse. We next present data from preclinical and clinical studies indicating that these substances induce common addiction sequelae such as dependence, withdrawal, and cognitive impairments. We describe how toluene, the most commonly studied psychoactive volatile solvent, alters synaptic transmission in key brain circuits such as the mesolimbic dopamine system and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) that are thought to underlie addiction pathology. Finally, we make the case that activity in mPFC circuits is a critical regulator of the mesolimbic dopamine system’s ability to respond to volatile solvents like toluene.
    [Show full text]
  • Heroin Abuse Is Characterized by Discrete Mesolimbic Dopamine and Opioid Abnormalities and Exaggerated Nuclear Receptor-Related 1 Transcriptional Decline with Age
    The Journal of Neuroscience, December 5, 2007 • 27(49):13371–13375 • 13371 Brief Communications Heroin Abuse Is Characterized by Discrete Mesolimbic Dopamine and Opioid Abnormalities and Exaggerated Nuclear Receptor-Related 1 Transcriptional Decline with Age Monika Cs. Horvath,1 Gabor G. Kovacs,2 Viktor Kovari,2 Katalin Majtenyi,2 Yasmin L. Hurd,3* and Eva Keller1* 1Department of Forensic Medicine, Semmelweis University, H-1085, Budapest, Hungary, 2National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, H-1021, Budapest, Hungary, and 3Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029 Dysfunction of mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic neurons is considered a common feature of all drugs of abuse, yet few investigations have evaluated the dopamine (DA) system in nonstimulant human abusers. We examined mRNA expression levels of DA transporter ␣ (DAT), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine D2 receptor, -synuclein, and nuclear receptor-related 1 (Nurr1) in discrete mesocorti- colimbic and nigrostriatal subpopulations of heroin users and control subjects. The chronic use of heroin was significantly associated with decreased DAT mRNA expression localized to the paranigral nucleus (PN) and the mesolimbic division of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) with no alterations in nigrostriatal populations. Consistently, the density of DAT immunoreactivity was significantly reduced in the nucleus accumbens but not in dorsal striatum, mesolimbic and nigrostriatal efferent targets, respectively. Significant alteration of the mRNA expression of Nurr1, a transcription factor that regulates DAT expression, was also confined to the PN. Moreover, the results revealed an exaggerated reduction of Nurr1 expression with age in heroin users (r ϭϪ0.8268, p Ͻ 0.001 vs controls, r ϭϪ0.6204, p ϭ ␣ 0.0746).
    [Show full text]
  • Non-Pharmacological Factors That Determine Drug Use and Addiction Aldo Badiani, Klaus Miczek, Christian Müller, Serge Ahmed H
    Non-pharmacological factors that determine drug use and addiction Aldo Badiani, Klaus Miczek, Christian Müller, Serge Ahmed H. To cite this version: Aldo Badiani, Klaus Miczek, Christian Müller, Serge Ahmed H.. Non-pharmacological factors that determine drug use and addiction. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, Oxford: Elsevier Ltd., 2020, 110, pp.3-27. 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.08.015. hal-03005497 HAL Id: hal-03005497 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03005497 Submitted on 25 Nov 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Special Issue – IBNS Non-pharmacological factors that determine drug use and addiction Serge Ahmed 1*, Aldo Badiani 2,3*, Klaus A. Miczek 4,5*, Christian P. Müller 6* 1 Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; CNRS, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, UMR 5293, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, F-33000 Bordeaux, France. 2 Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy. 3 Sussex Addiction Research and Intervention Centre (SARIC), School of Psychology, University of Sussex, BN1 9RH, Brighton, UK. 4 Psychology Department, Tufts University, Bacon Hall, 530 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA, 02155, USA.
    [Show full text]
  • Neurobiological Basis of Vulnerability in Adolescence to Drug
    REVIEW ARTICLE Neurobiological Basis of Vulnerability in Adolescence to Drug Use SUNITA MANCHANDA1 From 1Max Hospital Gurugram, Haryana Correspondence to: Dr Sunita Manchanda, Max Hospital, Gurugram,122001, Haryana, India [email protected] In adolescence, there is heightened susceptibility to drugs. Neurobiology of addiction is based on the working of four neural networks: (a) reward (b) memory and learning (c) motivation/drive (d) control. Knowledge of neurobiological vulnerabilities is essential for prevention and treatment interventions. Key words : Substance abuse, Neurobiological basis, Drug addiction Adolescence is a critical period of life in which the developing [4]. The progression from initial drug use to addiction may brain is highly vulnerable to the impact of life experiences. It is involve repeated activation of the mesolimbic pathway which also a time of heightened susceptibility to the effects of addictive increases the motivational salience (a form of attention that drugs.Various factors have been associated with increased risk of motivates toward a behavior) of the drug. As contextual cues substance use during this period. Epidemiological evidence become associated and strengthened with repetitive drug suggests that substance use disorders (SUDs) are more likely to administration, a process initially under the purview of the develop in people who begin experimenting with drugs early mesolimbic dopaminergic system progressively incorporates the during their adolescence, but this correlation does not guarantee neurocircuitory involved in emotional, memory, obsessive causation.The neurobiological mechanisms underlying thoughts, stress response, decision making, and behavioral vulnerability to drug addiction are poorly understood and are inhibition, into the drug experience [4]. Even in the absence of likely to involve a balance between factors that confer ongoing drug use these neuro-adaptive responses remain vulnerability and those that protect against it.
    [Show full text]
  • Ventral Tegmental Area Glutamate Neurons: Electrophysiological Properties and Projections
    15076 • The Journal of Neuroscience, October 24, 2012 • 32(43):15076–15085 Cellular/Molecular Ventral Tegmental Area Glutamate Neurons: Electrophysiological Properties and Projections Thomas S. Hnasko,1,2,3,4 Gregory O. Hjelmstad,2,3 Howard L. Fields,2,3 and Robert H. Edwards1,2 Departments of 1Physiology and 2Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, 3Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, Emeryville, California 94608, and 4Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 The ventral tegmental area (VTA) has a central role in the neural processes that underlie motivation and behavioral reinforcement. Although thought to contain only dopamine and GABA neurons, the VTA also includes a recently discovered population of glutamate neurons identified through the expression of the vesicular glutamate transporter VGLUT2. A subset of VGLUT2 ϩ VTA neurons corelease dopamine with glutamate at terminals in the NAc, but others do not express dopaminergic markers and remain poorly characterized. Using transgenic mice that express fluorescent proteins in distinct cell populations, we now find that both dopamine and glutamate neurons in the medial VTA exhibit a smaller hyperpolarization-activated current (Ih ) than more lateral dopamine neurons and less ϩ consistent inhibition by dopamine D2 receptor agonists. In addition, VGLUT2 VTA neurons project to the nucleus accumbens (NAc), lateral habenula, ventral pallidum (VP), and amygdala. Optical stimulation of VGLUT2 ϩ projections expressing channelrhodopsin-2 further reveals functional excitatory synapses in the VP as well as the NAc. Thus, glutamate neurons form a physiologically and anatom- ically distinct subpopulation of VTA projection neurons. Introduction well as to the amygdala, septum, hippocampus, and prefrontal Dopamine neurons of the ventral midbrain are classically divided cortex (PFC) (Fields et al., 2007; Ikemoto, 2007).
    [Show full text]