scholarly journals Differential electrophysiological properties of D1 and D2 spiny projection neurons in the mouse nucleus accumbens core

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (13) ◽  
pp. e13784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nour Al-muhtasib ◽  
Patrick A. Forcelli ◽  
Stefano Vicini
Keyword(s):  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Projection Neurons ◽  
Nucleus Accumbens Core ◽  
Electrophysiological Properties ◽  
Accumbens Core

scholarly journals Nucleus accumbens core medium spiny neuron electrophysiological properties and partner preference behavior in the adult male prairie vole, Microtus ochrogaster

2018 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 1576-1588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime A. Willett ◽  
Ashlyn G. Johnson ◽  
Andrea R. Vogel ◽  
Heather B. Patisaul ◽  
Lisa A. McGraw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
Prairie Vole ◽  
Medium Spiny Neuron ◽  
Partner Preference ◽  
Nucleus Accumbens Core ◽  
Electrophysiological Properties ◽  
Preference Behavior ◽  
Accumbens Core

Medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the nucleus accumbens have long been implicated in the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie numerous social and motivated behaviors as studied in rodents such as rats. Recently, the prairie vole has emerged as an important model animal for studying social behaviors, particularly regarding monogamy because of its ability to form pair bonds. However, to our knowledge, no study has assessed intrinsic vole MSN electrophysiological properties or tested how these properties vary with the strength of the pair bond between partnered voles. Here we performed whole cell patch-clamp recordings of MSNs in acute brain slices of the nucleus accumbens core (NAc) of adult male voles exhibiting strong and weak preferences for their respective partnered females. We first document vole MSN electrophysiological properties and provide comparison to rat MSNs. Vole MSNs demonstrated many canonical electrophysiological attributes shared across species but exhibited notable differences in excitability compared with rat MSNs. Second, we assessed male vole partner preference behavior and tested whether MSN electrophysiological properties varied with partner preference strength. Male vole partner preference showed extensive variability. We found that decreases in miniature excitatory postsynaptic current amplitude and the slope of the evoked action potential firing rate to depolarizing current injection weakly associated with increased preference for the partnered female. This suggests that excitatory synaptic strength and neuronal excitability may be decreased in MSNs in males exhibiting stronger preference for a partnered female. Overall, these data provide extensive documentation of MSN electrophysiological characteristics and their relationship to social behavior in the prairie vole. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This research represents the first assessment of prairie vole nucleus accumbens core medium spiny neuron intrinsic electrophysiological properties and probes the relationship between cellular excitability and social behavior.

scholarly journals MMP-1 overexpression selectively alters inhibition in D1 spiny projection neurons in the mouse nucleus accumbens core

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nour Al-muhtasib ◽  
Patrick A. Forcelli ◽  
Katherine E. Conant ◽  
Stefano Vicini
Keyword(s):  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Projection Neurons ◽  
Nucleus Accumbens Core ◽  
Accumbens Core

scholarly journals Electrophysiological properties of medium spiny neurons in the nucleus accumbens core of prepubertal male and female Drd1a-tdTomato line 6 BAC transgenic mice

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 1712-1727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinyan Cao ◽  
David M. Dorris ◽  
John Meitzen
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Transgenic Mice ◽  
Brain Region ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Medium Spiny Neuron ◽  
Nucleus Accumbens Core ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Electrophysiological Properties ◽  
Accumbens Core

The nucleus accumbens core (AcbC) is a striatal brain region essential for integrating motivated behavior and reward processing with premotor function. In humans and rodents, research has identified sex differences and sex steroid hormone sensitivity in AcbC-mediated behaviors, in disorders, and in rats in the electrophysiological properties of the AcbC output neuron type, the medium spiny neuron (MSN). It is unknown whether the sex differences detected in MSN electrophysiological properties extend to mice. Furthermore, MSNs come in distinct subtypes with subtle differences in electrophysiological properties, and it is unknown whether MSN subtype-specific electrophysiology varies by sex. To address these questions, we used male and female Drd1a-tdTomato line 6 bacterial artificial chromosome transgenic mice. We made acute brain slices of the AcbC, and performed whole cell patch-clamp recordings across MSN subtypes to comprehensively assess AcbC MSN subtype electrophysiological properties. We found that ( 1 mice MSNs did not exhibit the sex differences detected in rat MSNs, and 2) electrophysiological properties differed between MSN subtypes in both sexes, including rheobase, resting membrane potential, action potential properties, intrinsic excitability, input resistance in both the linear and rectified ranges, and miniature excitatory postsynaptic current properties. These findings significantly extend previous studies of MSN subtypes performed in males or animals of undetermined sex and indicate that the influence of sex upon AcbC MSN properties varies between rodent species. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This research provides the most comprehensive assessment of medium spiny neuron subtype electrophysiological properties to date in a critical brain region, the nucleus accumbens core. It additionally represents the first evaluation of whether mouse medium spiny neuron subtype electrophysiological properties differ by sex.

The contribution of medium spiny neuron subtypes in the nucleus accumbens core to compulsive-like ethanol drinking

2021 ◽  
Vol 187 ◽  
pp. 108497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Sneddon ◽  
Kristen M. Schuh ◽  
John W. Frankel ◽  
Anna K. Radke
Keyword(s):  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Medium Spiny Neuron ◽  
Nucleus Accumbens Core ◽  
Ethanol Drinking ◽  
Accumbens Core
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