Project description:Neuroadaptations in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) underlie cue-induced cocaine craving that intensifies (“incubates”) during withdrawal and contributes to persistent relapse vulnerability. Long-lasting gene changes govern perpetual behavioral abnormalities but the role of epigenetic plasticity in cocaine craving during prolonged withdrawal is poorly understood. Here we show that chromatin remodeler INO80 in the NAc mediates cocaine-induced, withdrawal-dependent plasticity and incubated cocaine craving.
Project description:In the ‘incubation of cocaine craving’ model of relapse, rats self-administer cocaine and then experience a prolonged abstinence period. After this prolonged abstinence period, rats exhibit a progressive intensification (incubation) of cue-induced craving, and the expression of incubated craving depends on plasticity of excitatory synaptic transmission in nucleus accumbens (NAc) core medium spiny neurons (MSN). Previously, we found that the maintenance of this plasticity depends on ongoing protein translation, and that regulation of translation is altered after incubation of cocaine craving. Here we used male and female rats that express Cre recombinase in either dopamine D1 receptor- or adenosine 2a (A2a) receptor-expressing MSN to express a GFP-tagged ribosomal protein in a cell-type specific manner, enabling us to use Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification (TRAP) to isolate actively translating mRNAs from both MSN subtypes for analysis by RNA-Seq. We compared rats that self-administered saline or cocaine. Saline rats were assessed on abstinence day (AD) 1, while cocaine rats were assessed on AD1 or AD40-50. For both D1 and A2a MSN, there were few differentially translated (DT) genes between saline and cocaine AD1 groups. In contrast, a pronounced divergence was observed between cocaine rats on AD1 and AD40, and this was far more robust in D1 MSN. Finally, all comparisons revealed sex differences in translating mRNAs. This study, the first to combine TRAP-seq, transgenic rats, and a cocaine self-administration paradigm, identifies translating mRNAs specifically linked to incubation of cocaine craving in D1 and A2a MSN of the NAc core.
Project description:DNA methylation profiling of nucleus Accumbens of rats that self administered cocaine, were subjected to 30 withdrawal days, were treated with aCSF, RG108 or SAM and were subjected to extinction tests. The groups consist of: 1. Rats that self-administered cocaine for 10 days and that were subjected to a withdrawal period of 30 days, were injected in the nucleus accumbens with aCSF and were subjected to an extinction test for assessment of cue-induced cocaine-seeking behavior (aCSF) 2. Rats that self-administered cocaine for 10 days and that were subjected to a withdrawal period of 30 days, were injected in the nucleus accumbens with RG108 and were subjected to an extinction test for assessment of cue-induced cocaine-seeking behavior (RG108) 3. Rats that self-administered cocaine for 10 days and that were subjected to a withdrawal period of 30 days, were injected in the nucleus accumbens with SAM and were subjected to an extinction test for assessment of cue-induced cocaine-seeking behavior (SAM)
Project description:Previous studies in animal models of cocaine craving have delineated broad changes in DNA methylation profiles in the nucleus accumbens. A crucial factor for progress in behavioral and mental health epigenetics is the discovery of epigenetic markers in peripheral tissues. Several studies in primates and humans have associated differences in behavioral phenotypes with changes in DNA methylation in T cells and brain. Herein, we present a pilot study (n=27) showing that the T cell DNA methylation profile differentiates persons with a substance use disorder from controls. Intervention with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), previously shown to have a long-term therapeutic effect on human addicts herein resulted in reversal of DNA methylation changes in behavioral pathways associated with the addictive state.
Project description:DNA methylation profiling of nucleus Accumbens of rats that self administered cocaine and were subjected to 1 or 30 withdrawal days with or without extinction tests.
Project description:The aim of the study was to investigate whether environmental factors like S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) via affecting epigenome could alter cocaine-induced gene expression and locomotor sensitization in mice. Using mouse nucleus accumbens (NAc) tissue, whole-genome gene expression profiling revealed that repeated SAM treatment affected a limited number of genes, but significantly modified cocaine-induced gene expression by blunting nonspecifically the cocaine response. At the gene level, we discovered that SAM modulated cocaine-induced DNA methylation by inhibiting both promoter-associated CpG-island hyper- and hypomethylation in the NAc but not in the reference tissue cerebellum. Total RNA was extracted from the mouse nucleus accumbens (NAc) tissue. Two tissues were combined to a sample, 4 samples per group used. RNA quality and quantity were assessed using the Nano-Drop -1000 spectrophotometer and the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer.