d-amphetamine stimulates unconditioned exploration/approach behaviors in crayfish: Towards a conserved evolutionary function of ancestral drug reward

The nature of mother–child interaction in autism and the maternal approach characteristics that elicit social response in children with autism were examined in two studies. Mother–child play sessions of 24 preschool children with autism and 24 typically developing preschoolers were compared in Study 1, and play sessions of 9 mothers with their autistic child and with their nonautistic child were compared in Study 2. Mother–child interactions were coded using the Approach Withdrawal Interaction Coding System to quantify maternal approach behaviors and child responses. Results of Study 1 indicate that, although the quantity of approaches did not differ between mothers with their autistic children and mothers with their nonautistic children, there were qualitative differences. Mothers used more physical contact, more high-intensity behaviors, and fewer social verbal approaches with autistic children. Results of Study 2 replicated these findings with mothers showing a similar pattern of approach toward their autistic children but not their nonautistic children. Although autistic children displayed lower contingency to maternal approaches in general, they showed greater responsiveness to approaches involving increased physical proximity and/or containing nonverbal object use. Mothers socially engaged both autistic and nonautistic children. The implications for parent training and intervention are discussed.

Download Full-text

Drugs of Abuse Can Entrain Circadian Rhythms

The Scientific World JOURNAL ◽

10.1100/tsw.2007.234 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. 203-212 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Ann E. K. Kosobud ◽

Andrea G. Gillman ◽

Joseph K. Leffel ◽

Norman C. Pecoraro ◽

G. V. Rebec ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Locomotor Activity ◽

Circadian Rhythms ◽

Drug Metabolism ◽

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus ◽

Drugs Of Abuse ◽

Social Cues ◽

Dark Cycle ◽

Drug Reward ◽

Locomotor Stimulation ◽

Almost All

Circadian rhythms prepare organisms for predictable events during the Earth's 24-h day. These rhythms are entrained by a variety of stimuli. Light is the most ubiquitous and best known zeitgeber, but a number of others have been identified, including food, social cues, locomotor activity, and, most recently drugs of abuse. Given the diversity of zeitgebers, it is probably not surprising that genes capable of clock functions are located throughout almost all organs and tissues. Recent evidence suggests that drugs of abuse can directly entrain some circadian rhythms. We have report here that entrainment by drugs of abuse is independent of the suprachiasmatic nucleus and the light/dark cycle, is not dependent on direct locomotor stimulation, and is shared by a variety of classes of drugs of abuse. We suggest that drug-entrained rhythms reflect variations in underlying neurophysiological states. This could be the basis for known daily variations in drug metabolism, tolerance, and sensitivity to drug reward. These rhythms could also take the form of daily periods of increased motivation to seek and take drugs, and thus contribute to abuse, addiction and relapse.

Download Full-text

Localization of drug reward mechanisms by intracranial injections

Synapse ◽

10.1002/syn.890100307 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 247-263 ◽

Cited By ~ 192

Author(s):

Roy A. Wise ◽

Diane C. Hoffman

Keyword(s):

Drug Reward ◽

Reward Mechanisms

Download Full-text

Stress decreases serotonin tone in the nucleus accumbens to promote aversion and potentiate cocaine preference via decreased stimulation of 5-HT1B receptors

10.1101/2021.06.27.450100 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Harrison M Fontaine ◽

Phillip R Silva ◽

Carlie Neiswanger ◽

Rachelle Tran ◽

Antony D Abraham ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nucleus Accumbens ◽

Indirect Pathway ◽

Lateral Aspect ◽

Drug Reward ◽

Cholinergic Interneurons ◽

Medial Nucleus ◽

Conditional Deletion ◽

Pharmacological Blockade ◽

Monoaminergic Neurons ◽

Stimulation Of

Stress-induced release of dynorphins (Dyn) activates kappa opioid receptors (KOR) in monoaminergic neurons to produce dysphoria and potentiate drug reward; however, the circuit mechanisms responsible for this effect are not known. We found that conditional deletion of KOR from Slc6a4 (SERT)-expressing neurons blocked stress-induced potentiation of cocaine conditioned place preference (CPP). Within the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), two overlapping populations of KOR-expressing neurons: Slc17a8 (VGluT3) and SERT, were distinguished functionally and anatomically. Optogenetic inhibition of these SERT+ neurons potentiated subsequent cocaine CPP, whereas optical inhibition of the VGluT3+ neurons blocked subsequent cocaine CPP. SERT+/VGluT3- expressing neurons were concentrated in the lateral aspect of the DRN. SERT projections from the DRN were observed in the medial nucleus accumbens (mNAc), but VGluT3 projections were not. Optical inhibition of SERT+ neurons produced place aversion, whereas optical stimulation of SERT+ terminals in the mNAc attenuated stress-induced increases in forced swim immobility and subsequent cocaine CPP. KOR neurons projecting to mNAc were confined to the lateral aspect of the DRN, and the principal source of dynorphinergic (Pdyn) afferents in the mNAc was from local neurons. Excision of Pdyn from the mNAc blocked stress-potentiation of cocaine CPP. Prior studies suggested that stress-induced dynorphin release within the mNAc activates KOR to potentiate cocaine preference by a reduction in 5-HT tone. Consistent with this hypothesis, a transient pharmacological blockade of mNAc 5-HT1B receptors potentiated subsequent cocaine CPP. 5-HT1B is known to be expressed on 5-HT terminals in NAc, and 5-HT1B transcript was also detected in Pdyn+, Adora2a+ and ChAT+ (markers for direct pathway, indirect pathway, and cholinergic interneurons, respectively). Following stress exposure, 5-HT1B transcript was selectively elevated in Pdyn+ cells of the mNAc. These findings suggest that Dyn/KOR regulates serotonin activation of 5HT1B receptors within the mNAc and dynamically controls stress response, affect, and drug reward.

Download Full-text