Genetic disruption of dopamine ß-hydroxylase dysregulates innate responses to predator odor in mice.

In rodents, exposure to predator odors such as cat urine acts as a severe stressor that engages innate defensive behaviors critical for survival in the wild. The neurotransmitters norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) modulate anxiety and predator odor responses, and we have shown previously that dopamine ß-hydroxylase knockout (Dbh -/-), which reduces NE and increases DA in mouse noradrenergic neurons, disrupts innate behaviors in response to mild stressors such as novelty. We examined the consequences of Dbh knockout on responses to predator odor (bobcat urine) and compared them to Dbh-competent littermate controls. Over the first 10 min of predator odor exposure, controls exhibited robust defensive burying behavior, whereas Dbh -/- mice showed high levels of grooming. Defensive burying was potently suppressed in controls by drugs that reduce NE transmission, while excessive grooming in Dbh -/- mice was blocked by DA receptor antagonism. In response to a cotton square scented with a novel "neutral" odor (lavender), most control mice shredded the material, built a nest, and fell asleep within 90 min. Dbh -/- mice failed to shred the lavender-scented nestlet, but still fell asleep. In contrast, controls sustained high levels of arousal throughout the predator odor test and did not build nests, while Dbh -/- mice were asleep by the 90-min time point, often in shredded bobcat urine-soaked nesting material. Compared with controls exposed to predator odor, Dbh -/- mice demonstrated decreased c-fos induction in the anterior cingulate cortex, lateral septum, periaqueductal gray, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, but increased c-fos in the locus coeruleus and medial amygdala. These data indicate that relative ratios of central NE and DA signaling coordinate the type and valence of responses to predator odor.

Genetic disruption of dopamine ß-hydroxylase dysregulates innate responses to predator odor in mice.

In rodents, exposure to predator odors such as cat urine acts as a severe stressor that engages innate defensive behaviors critical for survival in the wild. The neurotransmitters norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) modulate anxiety and predator odor responses, and we have shown previously that dopamine ß-hydroxylase knockout (Dbh -/-), which reduces NE and increases DA in mouse noradrenergic neurons, disrupts innate behaviors in response to mild stressors such as novelty. We examined the consequences of Dbh knockout (Dbh -/-) on responses to predator odor (bobcat urine) and compared them to Dbh-competent littermate controls. Over the first 10 min of predator odor exposure, controls exhibited robust defensive burying behavior, whereas Dbh -/- mice showed high levels of grooming. Defensive burying was potently suppressed in controls by drugs that reduce NE transmission, while excessive grooming in Dbh -/- mice was blocked by DA receptor antagonism. In response to a cotton square scented with a novel "neutral" odor (lavender), most control mice shredded the material, built a nest, and fell asleep within 90 min. Dbh -/- mice failed to shred the lavender-scented nestlet, but still fell asleep. In contrast, controls sustained high levels of arousal throughout the predator odor test and did not build nests, while Dbh -/- mice were asleep by the 90-min time point, often in shredded bobcat urine-soaked nesting material. Compared with controls exposed to predator odor, Dbh -/- mice demonstrated decreased c-fos induction in the anterior cingulate cortex, lateral septum, periaqueductal gray, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, but increased c-fos in the locus coeruleus and medial amygdala. These data indicate that relative ratios of central NE and DA signaling coordinate the type and valence of responses to predator odor.

Tyrosinase-induced neuromelanin accumulation triggers rapid dysregulation and degeneration of the mouse locus coeruleus.

Motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) are caused by degeneration of dopamine (DA) neurons of the substantia nigra (SN), while early non-motor symptoms such as anxiety and sleep disturbances are likely mediated by dysfunction of locus coeruleus (LC) norepinephrine (NE) neurons. The LC develops α-synuclein pathology prior to SN DA neurons in PD, and later undergoes degeneration, but the mechanisms responsible for its vulnerability are unknown. The SN and LC are the only structures in the brain that produces appreciable amounts of neuromelanin (NM), a dark cytoplasmic pigment. It has been proposed that NM initially plays a protective role by sequestering toxic catecholamine metabolites and heavy metals, but may become harmful during aging and PD as they overwhelm cellular machinery and are released during neurodegeneration. Rodents do not naturally produce NM, limiting the study of causal relationships between NM and PD-associated LC pathology. Adapting a viral-mediated approach for expression of human tyrosinase, the enzyme responsible for peripheral melanin production, we successfully promoted pigmentation in mouse LC neurons that recapitulates key features of endogenous NM found in primates, including eumelanin and pheomelanin, lipid droplets, and a double-membrane encasement. Pigment expression results in mild neurodegeneration, reduced NE levels, transcriptional changes, and novelty-induced anxiety phenotypes as early as 1-week post-injection. By 6-weeks, NM accumulation is associated with severe LC neurodegeneration and a robust neuroinflammatory response. These phenotypes are reminiscent of LC dysfunction in PD, validating this model for studying the consequences of pigment accumulation in the LC as it relates to neurodegenerative disease.

The Neurotoxin DSP-4 Dysregulates the Locus Coeruleus-Norepinephrine System and Recapitulates Molecular and Behavioral Aspects of Prodromal Neurodegenerative Disease.

The noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) is among the earliest sites of tau and α-synuclein pathology in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), respectively. The onset of these pathologies coincides with loss of noradrenergic fibers in LC target regions and the emergence of prodromal symptoms including sleep disturbances and anxiety. Paradoxically, these prodromal symptoms are indicative of a noradrenergic hyperactivity phenotype, rather than the predicted loss of norepinephrine (NE) transmission following LC damage, suggesting the engagement of complex compensatory mechanisms. Because current therapeutic efforts are targeting early disease, interest in the LC has grown, and it is critical to identify the links between pathology and dysfunction. We employed the LC-specific neurotoxin N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine (DSP-4), which preferentially damages LC axons, to model early changes in the LC-NE system pertinent to AD and PD in male and female mice. DSP-4 (two doses of 50 mg/kg, one week apart) induced LC axon degeneration, triggered neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, and reduced tissue NE levels. There was no LC cell death or changes to LC firing, but transcriptomics revealed reduced expression of genes that define noradrenergic identity and other changes relevant to neurodegenerative disease. Despite the dramatic loss of LC fibers, NE turnover and signaling were elevated in terminal regions and were associated with anxiogenic phenotypes in multiple behavioral tests. These results represent a comprehensive analysis of how the LC-NE system responds to axon/terminal damage reminiscent of early AD and PD at the molecular, cellular, systems, and behavioral levels, and provides potential mechanisms underlying prodromal neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Genetic loss of norepinephrine does not alter adult hippocampal neurogenesis in dopamine beta-hydroxylase deficient mice.

Norepinephrine (NE), and specific adrenoceptors, have been reported to influence distinct aspects of adult hippocampal neurogenesis, including latent stem cell activation, progenitor proliferation, and differentiation. These findings are predominantly based on the use of pharmacological approaches in both in vitro and in vivo systems. Here, we sought to assess the consequences of genetic ablation of NE on adult hippocampal neurogenesis, by examining dopamine ß hydroxylase knockout (Dbh -/-) mice, which lack NE from birth. We find that Dbh -/- mice exhibit no difference in adult hippocampal progenitor proliferation and survival. Further, the number of immature newborn neurons, labeled using stage-specific developmental markers within the hippocampal neurogenic niche, was also unaltered in Dbh -/- mice. In contrast, the noradrenergic neurotoxin DSP-4, which had previously been shown to reduce adult hippocampal neurogenesis in rats, also resulted in a decline in hippocampal progenitor proliferation in C57/Bl6N mice. These findings indicate that pharmacological lesioning of noradrenergic afferents in adulthood, but not the complete genetic loss of NE from birth, impairs adult hippocampal neurogenesis in mice.

Norepinephrine and dopamine contribute to distinct repetitive behaviors induced by novel odorant stress in male and female mice.

Exposure to unfamiliar odorants induces an array of repetitive defensive and non-defensive behaviors in rodents which likely reflect adaptive stress responses to the uncertain valence of novel stimuli. Mice genetically deficient for dopamine ß-hydroxylase (Dbh-/-) lack the enzyme required to convert dopamine (DA) into norepinephrine (NE), resulting in globally undetectable NE and supranormal DA levels. Because catecholamines modulate novelty detection and reactivity, we investigated the effects of novel plant-derived odorants on repetitive behaviors in Dbh-/- mice and Dbh+/- littermate controls, which have catecholamine levels comparable to wild-type mice. Unlike Dbh+/- controls, which exhibited vigorous digging in response to novel odorants, Dbh-/- mice displayed excessive grooming. Drugs that block NE synthesis or neurotransmission suppressed odorant-induced digging in Dbh+/- mice, while a DA receptor antagonist attenuated grooming in Dbh-/- mice. The testing paradigm elicited high circulating levels of corticosterone regardless of Dbh genotype, indicating that NE is dispensable for this systemic stress response. Odorant exposure increased NE and DA abundance in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of Dbh+/- mice, while Dbh-/- animals lacked NE and had elevated PFC DA levels that were unaffected by novel smells. Together, these findings suggest that novel odorant-induced increases in central NE tone contribute to repetitive digging and reflect psychological stress, while central DA signaling contributes to repetitive grooming. Further, we have established a simple method for repeated assessment of stress-induced repetitive behaviors in mice, which may be relevant for modeling neuropsychiatric disorders like Tourette syndrome or obsessive-compulsive disorder that are characterized by stress-induced exacerbation of compulsive symptoms.

Co-released norepinephrine and galanin act on different timescales to promote stress-induced anxiety-like behavior.

Both the noradrenergic and galaninergic systems have been implicated in stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders, and these two neuromodulators are co-released from the stress-responsive locus coeruleus (LC); however, the individual contributions of LC-derived norepinephrine (NE) and galanin to behavioral stress responses are unclear. Here we aimed to disentangle the functional roles of co-released NE and galanin in stress-induced behavior. We used foot shock, optogenetics, and behavioral pharmacology in wild-type (WT) mice and mice lacking either NE (Dbh-/-) or galanin (GalcKO-Dbh) specifically in noradrenergic neurons to isolate the roles of these co-transmitters in regulating anxiety-like behavior in the elevated zero maze (EZM) either immediately or 24 h following stress. Foot shock and optogenetic LC stimulation produced immediate anxiety-like behavior in WT mice, and the effects of foot shock persisted for 24 h. NE-deficient mice were resistant to the anxiogenic effects of acute stress and optogenetic LC stimulation, while mice lacking noradrenergic-derived galanin displayed typical increases in anxiety-like behavior. However, when tested 24 h after foot shock, both Dbh-/- and GalcKO-Dbh mice lacked normal expression of anxiety-like behavior. Pharmacological rescue of NE, but not galanin, in knockout mice during EZM testing was anxiogenic. In contrast, restoring galanin, but not NE, signaling during foot shock normalized stress-induced anxiety-like behavior 24 h later. These results indicate that NE and noradrenergic-derived galanin play complementary, but distinguishable roles in behavioral responses to stress. NE is required for the expression of acute stress-induced anxiety, while noradrenergic-derived galanin mediates the development of more persistent responses following a stressor.

Chronic Environmental or Genetic Elevation of Galanin in Noradrenergic Neurons Confers Stress Resilience in Mice.

The neuropeptide galanin has been implicated in stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders in humans and rodent models. While pharmacological treatments for these disorders are ineffective for many individuals, physical activity is beneficial for stress-related symptoms. Galanin is highly expressed in the noradrenergic system, particularly the locus coeruleus (LC), which is dysregulated in stress-related disorders and activated by exercise. Galanin expression is elevated in the LC by chronic exercise, and blockade of galanin transmission attenuates exercise-induced stress resilience. However, most research on this topic has been done in rats, so it is unclear whether the relationship between exercise and galanin is species specific. Moreover, use of intracerebroventricular (ICV) galanin receptor antagonists in prior studies precluded defining a causal role for LC-derived galanin specifically. Therefore, the goals of this study were twofold. First, we investigated whether physical activity (chronic wheel running) increases stress resilience and galanin expression in the LC of male and female mice. Next, we used transgenic mice that overexpress galanin in noradrenergic neurons (Gal OX) to determine how chronically elevated noradrenergic-derived galanin, alone, alters anxiogenic-like responses to stress. We found that three weeks of ad libitum access to a running wheel in their home cage increased galanin mRNA in the LC of mice, which was correlated with and conferred resilience to stress. The effects of exercise were phenocopied by galanin overexpression in noradrenergic neurons, and Gal OX mice were resistant to the anxiogenic effect of optogenetic LC activation. These findings support a role for chronically increased noradrenergic galanin in mediating resilience to stress.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying behavioral responses to stress is necessary to improve treatments for stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. Increased physical activity is associated with stress resilience in humans, but the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this effect are not clear. Here, we investigate a potential causal mechanism of this effect driven by the neuropeptide galanin from the main noradrenergic nucleus, the locus coeruleus (LC). We show that chronic voluntary wheel running in mice increases stress resilience and increases galanin expression in the LC. Furthermore, we show that genetic overexpression of galanin in noradrenergic neurons causes resilience to a stressor and the anxiogenic effects of optogenetic LC activation. These findings support a role for chronically increased noradrenergic galanin in mediating resilience to stress.

Noradrenergic circuits in the forebrain control affective responses to novelty.

RATIONALE: In rodents, exposure to novel environments elicits initial anxiety-like behavior (neophobia) followed by intense exploration (neophilia) that gradually subsides as the environment becomes familiar. Thus, innate novelty-induced behaviors are useful indices of anxiety and motivation in animal models of psychiatric disease. Noradrenergic neurons are activated by novelty and implicated in exploratory and anxiety-like responses, but the role of norepinephrine (NE) in neophobia has not been clearly delineated. OBJECTIVE: We sought to define the role of central NE transmission in neophilic and neophobic behaviors. METHODS: We assessed dopamine ß-hydroxylase knockout (Dbh -/-) mice lacking NE and their NE-competent (Dbh +/-) littermate controls in neophilic (novelty-induced locomotion; NIL) and neophobic (novelty-suppressed feeding; NSF) behavioral tests with subsequent quantification of brain-wide c-fos induction. We complimented the gene knockout approach with pharmacological interventions. RESULTS: Dbh -/- mice exhibited blunted locomotor responses in the NIL task and completely lacked neophobia in the NSF test. Neophobia was rescued in Dbh -/- mice by acute pharmacological restoration of central NE with the synthetic precursor L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylserine (DOPS), and attenuated in control mice by the inhibitory α2-adrenergic autoreceptor agonist guanfacine. Following either NSF or NIL, Dbh -/- mice demonstrated reduced c-fos in the anterior cingulate cortex, medial septum, ventral hippocampus, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and basolateral amygdala. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that central NE signaling is required for the expression of both neophilic and neophobic behaviors. Further, we describe a putative noradrenergic novelty network as a potential therapeutic target for treating anxiety and substance abuse disorders.

Central norepinephrine transmission is required for stress-induced repetitive behavior in two rodent models of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

RATIONALE: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by repetitive behaviors exacerbated by stress. Many OCD patients do not respond to available pharmacotherapies, but neurosurgical ablation of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) can provide symptomatic relief. Although the ACC receives noradrenergic innervation and expresses adrenergic receptors (ARs), the involvement of norepinephrine (NE) in OCD has not been investigated. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of genetic or pharmacological disruption of NE neurotransmission on marble burying (MB) and nestlet shredding (NS), two animal models of OCD. METHODS: We assessed NE-deficient (Dbh -/-) mice and NE-competent (Dbh +/-) controls in MB and NS tasks. We also measured the effects of anti-adrenergic drugs on NS and MB in control mice and the effects of pharmacological restoration of central NE in Dbh -/- mice. Finally, we compared c-fos induction in the locus coeruleus (LC) and ACC of Dbh -/- and control mice following both tasks. RESULTS: Dbh -/- mice virtually lacked MB and NS behaviors seen in control mice but did not differ in the elevated zero maze (EZM) model of general anxiety-like behavior. Pharmacological restoration of central NE synthesis in Dbh -/- mice completely rescued NS behavior, while NS and MB were suppressed in control mice by anti-adrenergic drugs. Expression of c-fos in the ACC was attenuated in Dbh -/- mice after MB and NS. CONCLUSION: These findings support a role for NE transmission to the ACC in the expression of stress-induced compulsive behaviors and suggest further evaluation of anti-adrenergic drugs for OCD is warranted.

Elimination of galanin synthesis in noradrenergic neurons reduces galanin in select brain areas and promotes active coping behaviors.

Accumulating evidence indicates that disruption of galanin signaling is associated with neuropsychiatric disease, but the precise functions of this neuropeptide remain largely unresolved due to lack of tools for experimentally disrupting its transmission in a cell type-specific manner. To examine the function of galanin in the noradrenergic system, we generated and crossed two novel knock-in mouse lines to create animals lacking galanin specifically in noradrenergic neurons (GalcKO-Dbh). We observed reduced levels of galanin peptide in pons, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex of GalcKO-Dbh mice, indicating that noradrenergic neurons are a significant source of galanin to those brain regions, while midbrain and hypothalamic galanin levels were comparable to littermate controls. In these same brain regions, we observed no change in levels of norepinephrine or its major metabolite at baseline or after an acute stressor, suggesting that loss of galanin does not affect noradrenergic synthesis or turnover. GalcKO-Dbh mice had normal performance in tests of depression, learning, and motor-related behavior, but had an altered response in some anxiety-related tasks. Specifically, GalcKO-Dbh mice showed increased marble and shock probe burying and had a reduced latency to eat in a novel environment, indicative of a more proactive coping strategy. Together, these findings indicate that noradrenergic neurons provide a significant source of galanin to discrete brain areas, and noradrenergic-specific galanin opposes adaptive coping responses.

Loss of ß-arrestin2 in D2 cells alters neuronal excitability in the nucleus accumbens and behavioral responses to psychostimulants and opioids.

Psychostimulants and opioids increase dopamine (DA) neurotransmission, activating D1 and D2 G protein-coupled receptors. ß-arrestin2 (ßarr2) desensitizes and internalizes these receptors and initiates G protein-independent signaling. Previous work revealed that mice with a global or cell-specific knockout of ßarr2 have altered responses to certain drugs; however, the effects of ßarr2 on the excitability of medium spiny neurons (MSNs), and its role in mediating the rewarding effects of drugs of abuse are unknown. D1-Cre and D2-Cre transgenic mice were crossed with floxed ßarr2 mice to eliminate ßarr2 specifically in cells containing either D1 (D1ßarr2-KO ) or D2 (D2ßarr2-KO ) receptors. We used slice electrophysiology to characterize the role of ßarr2 in modulating D1 and D2 nucleus accumbens MSN intrinsic excitability in response to DA and tested the locomotor-activating and rewarding effects of cocaine and morphine in these mice. Eliminating ßarr2 attenuated the ability of DA to inhibit D2-MSNs and altered the DA-induced maximum firing rate in D1-MSNs. While D1ßarr2-KO mice had mostly normal drug responses, D2ßarr2-KO mice showed dose-dependent reductions in acute locomotor responses to cocaine and morphine, attenuated locomotor sensitization to cocaine, and blunted cocaine reward measured with conditioned place preference. Both D2ßarr2-KO and D1ßarr2-KO mice displayed an enhanced conditioned place preference for the highest dose of morphine. These results indicate that D1- and D2-derived ßarr2 functionally contribute to DA-induced changes in MSN intrinsic excitability and behavioral responses to psychostimulants and opioids dose-dependently.

Norepinephrine metabolite DOPEGAL activates AEP and pathological Tau aggregation in locus coeruleus.

Aberrant Tau inclusions in the locus coeruleus (LC) are the earliest detectable Alzheimer's disease-like (AD-like) neuropathology in the human brain. However, why LC neurons are selectively vulnerable to developing early Tau pathology and degenerating later in disease and whether the LC might seed the stereotypical spread of Tau pathology to the rest of the brain remain unclear. Here, we show that 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycolaldehyde, which is produced exclusively in noradrenergic neurons by monoamine oxidase A metabolism of norepinephrine, activated asparagine endopeptidase that cleaved Tau at residue N368 into aggregation- and propagation-prone forms, thus leading to LC degeneration and the spread of Tau pathology. Activation of asparagine endopeptidase-cleaved Tau aggregation in vitro and in intact cells was triggered by 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycolaldehyde, resulting in LC neurotoxicity and propagation of pathology to the forebrain. Thus, our findings reveal that norepinephrine metabolism and Tau cleavage represent the specific molecular mechanism underlying the selective vulnerability of LC neurons in AD.

Locus Coeruleus Ablation Exacerbates Cognitive Deficits, Neuropathology, and Lethality in P301S Tau Transgenic Mice.

The brainstem locus coeruleus (LC) supplies norepinephrine to the forebrain and degenerates in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Loss of LC neurons is correlated with increased severity of other AD hallmarks, including ß-amyloid (Aß) plaques, tau neurofibrillary tangles, and cognitive deficits, suggesting that it contributes to the disease progression. Lesions of the LC in amyloid-based transgenic mouse models of AD exacerbate Aß pathology, neuroinflammation, and cognitive deficits, but it is unknown how the loss of LC neurons affects tau-mediated pathology or behavioral abnormalities. Here we investigate the impact of LC degeneration in a mouse model of tauopathy by lesioning the LC of male and female P301S tau transgenic mice with the neurotoxin N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-bromobenzylamine (DSP-4) starting at 2 months of age. By 6 months, deficits in hippocampal-dependent spatial (Morris water maze) and associative (contextual fear conditioning) memory were observed in lesioned P301S mice while performance remained intact in all other genotype and treatment groups, indicating that tau and LC degeneration act synergistically to impair cognition. By 10 months, the hippocampal neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration typically observed in unlesioned P301S mice were exacerbated by DSP-4, and mortality was also accelerated. These DSP-4-induced changes were accompanied by only a mild aggravation of tau pathology, suggesting that increased tau burden cannot fully account for the effects of LC degeneration. Combined, these experiments demonstrate that loss of LC noradrenergic neurons exacerbates multiple phenotypes caused by pathogenic tau, and provides complementary data to highlight the dual role LC degeneration has on both tau and Aß pathologies in AD.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Elucidating the mechanisms underlying AD is crucial to developing effective diagnostics and therapeutics. The degeneration of the LC and loss of noradrenergic transmission have been recognized as ubiquitous events in AD pathology, and previous studies demonstrated that LC lesions exacerbate pathology and cognitive deficits in amyloid-based mouse models. Here, we reveal a complementary role of LC degeneration on tau-mediated aspects of the disease by using selective lesions of the LC and the noradrenergic system to demonstrate an exacerbation of cognitive deficits, neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration in a transgenic mouse model of tauopathy. Our data support an integral role for the LC in modulating the severity of both canonical AD-associated pathologies, as well as the detrimental consequences of LC degeneration during disease progression.

Noradrenergic regulation of plasticity marker expression in the adult rodent piriform cortex.

The adult rodent piriform cortex has been reported to harbor immature neurons that express markers associated with neurodevelopment and plasticity, namely polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) and doublecortin (DCX). We characterized the expression of PSA-NCAM and DCX across the rostrocaudal axis of the rat piriform cortex and observed higher numbers of PSA-NCAM and DCX positive cells in the posterior subdivision. As observed in the rat piriform cortex, Nestin-GFP reporter mice also revealed a similar gradient of GFP-positive cells with an increasing rostro-caudal gradient of expression. Given the extensive noradrenergic innervation of the piriform cortex and its role in regulating piriform cortex function and synaptic plasticity, we addressed the influence of norepinephrine (NE) on piriform cortex plasticity marker expression. Depletion of NE by treatment with the noradrenergic neurotoxin DSP-4 significantly increased the number of DCX and PSA-NCAM immunopositive cells in the piriform cortex of adult rats. Similarly, DSP-4 treated Nestin-GFP reporter mice revealed a robust induction of GFP-positive cells within the piriform cortex following NE depletion. Genetic loss of NE in dopamine ß-hydroxylase knockout (Dbh -/-) mice phenocopied the effects of DSP-4, with an increase noted in PSA-NCAM and DCX positive cells in the piriform cortex. Further, chronic α2-adrenergic receptor stimulation with the agonist guanabenz increased PSA-NCAM and DCX positive cells in the piriform cortex of adult rats and GFP-positive cells in the piriform cortex of Nestin-GFP mice. By contrast, chronic α2-adrenergic receptor blockade with the antagonist yohimbine reduced PSA-NCAM and DCX positive cells in the piriform cortex of adult rats. Our results provide novel evidence for a role of NE in regulating the expression of plasticity markers, including PSA-NCAM, DCX, and nestin, within the adult mouse and rat piriform cortex.

Human Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) Transgenesis Fully Rescues Noradrenergic Function in Dopamine ß-Hydroxylase Knockout Mice.

Dopamine ß-hydroxylase (DBH) converts dopamine (DA) to norepinephrine (NE) in noradrenergic/adrenergic cells. DBH deficiency prevents NE production and causes sympathetic failure, hypotension and ptosis in humans and mice; DBH knockout (Dbh -/-) mice reveal other NE deficiency phenotypes including embryonic lethality, delayed growth, and behavioral defects. Furthermore, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the human DBH gene promoter (-970C>T; rs1611115) is associated with variation in serum DBH activity and with several neurological- and neuropsychiatric-related disorders, although its impact on DBH expression is controversial. Phenotypes associated with DBH deficiency are typically treated with L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylserine (DOPS), which can be converted to NE by aromatic acid decarboxylase (AADC) in the absence of DBH. In this study, we generated transgenic mice carrying a human bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) encompassing the DBH coding locus as well as ~45 kb of upstream and ~107 kb of downstream sequence to address two issues. First, we characterized the neuroanatomical, neurochemical, physiological, and behavioral transgenic rescue of DBH deficiency by crossing the BAC onto a Dbh -/- background. Second, we compared human DBH mRNA abundance between transgenic lines carrying either a "C" or a "T" at position -970. The BAC transgene drove human DBH mRNA expression in a pattern indistinguishable from the endogenous gene, restored normal catecholamine levels to the peripheral organs and brain of Dbh -/- mice, and fully rescued embryonic lethality, delayed growth, ptosis, reduced exploratory activity, and seizure susceptibility. In some cases, transgenic rescue was superior to DOPS. However, allelic variation at the rs1611115 SNP had no impact on mRNA levels in any tissue. These results indicate that the human BAC contains all of the genetic information required for tissue-specific, functional expression of DBH and can rescue all measured Dbh deficiency phenotypes, but did not reveal an impact of the rs11115 variant on DBH expression in mice.

Norepinephrine is necessary for experience-dependent plasticity in the developing mouse auditory cortex.

Critical periods are developmental windows during which the stimuli an animal encounters can reshape response properties in the affected system to a profound degree. Despite this window's importance, the neural mechanisms that regulate it are not completely understood. Pioneering studies in visual cortex initially indicated that norepinephrine (NE) permits ocular dominance column plasticity during the critical period, but later research has suggested otherwise. More recent work implicating NE in experience-dependent plasticity in the adult auditory cortex led us to re-examine the role of NE in critical period plasticity. Here, we exposed dopamine ß-hydroxylase knock-out (Dbh(-/-)) mice, which lack NE completely from birth, to a biased acoustic environment during the auditory cortical critical period. This manipulation led to a redistribution of best frequencies (BFs) across auditory cortex in our control mice, consistent with prior work. By contrast, Dbh(-/-) mice failed to exhibit the expected redistribution of BFs, even though NE-deficient and NE-competent mice showed comparable auditory cortical organization when reared in a quiet colony environment. These data suggest that while intrinsic tonotopic patterning of auditory cortical circuitry occurs independently from NE, NE is required for critical period plasticity in auditory cortex.

Behavioral responses of dopamine beta-hydroxylase knockout mice to modafinil suggest a dual noradrenergic-dopaminergic mechanism of action.

Modafinil is approved for use in the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness. The precise mechanism of modafinil action has not been elucidated, although both dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) systems have been implicated. To explore the roles of DA and NE in the mechanism of modafinil-induced arousal, dopamine beta-hydroxylase knockout (Dbh -/-) mice were examined in behavioral paradigms of arousal (photobeam breaks and behavioral scoring of sleep latency). Dbh -/- mice completely lack NE but have hypersensitive DA signaling. It was hypothesized that Dbh -/- mice would be unresponsive to modafinil if the compound acts primarily via NE, but would be hypersensitive to modafinil if it acts primarily via DA. Dbh -/- mice had increased sensitivity to the locomotor-activating and wake-promoting effects of modafinil. Paradoxically, the alpha1-adrenergic receptor antagonist, prazosin, attenuated the effects of modafinil in control mice, but not in Dbh -/- mice. Blockade of DA receptors with flupenthixol decreased modafinil-induced locomotion and wake in both control and Dbh -/- mice. These results suggest that both NE and DA are involved in the behavioral effects of modafinil in control mice, but the requirement for NE can be bypassed by hypersensitive DA signaling.

Effects of disulfiram and dopamine beta-hydroxylase knockout on cocaine-induced seizures.

The antialcoholism drug disulfiram has shown recent promise as a pharmacotherapy for treating cocaine dependence, probably via inhibition of dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH), the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of dopamine (DA) to norepinephrine (NE). We previously showed that DBH knockout (Dbh -/-) mice, which lack NE, are susceptible to seizures and are hypersensitive to the psychomotor, rewarding, and aversive effects of cocaine, suggesting that disulfiram might exacerbate cocaine-induced seizures (CIS) by inhibiting DBH. To test this, we examined CIS in wild-type and Dbh -/- mice following administration of disulfiram or the selective DBH inhibitor nepicastat. We found that Dbh genotype had no effect on CIS probability or frequency, whereas disulfiram, but not nepicastat, increased the probability of having CIS in both wild-type and Dbh -/- mice. Both disulfiram and nepicastat increased CIS frequency in wild-type but not Dbh -/- mice. There were no genotype or treatment effects on serum cocaine levels, except for an increase in disulfiram-treated Dbh -/- mice at the highest dose of cocaine. These results suggest that disulfiram enhances CIS via two distinct mechanisms: it both increases CIS frequency by inhibiting DBH and increases CIS frequency in a DBH-independent manner.

Norepinephrine signaling through beta-adrenergic receptors is critical for expression of cocaine-induced anxiety.

BACKGROUND: Cocaine is a widely abused psychostimulant that has both rewarding and aversive properties. While the mechanisms underlying cocaine's rewarding effects have been studied extensively, less attention has been paid to the unpleasant behavioral states induced by cocaine, such as anxiety. METHODS: In this study, we evaluated the performance of dopamine beta-hydroxylase knockout (Dbh -/-) mice, which lack norepinephrine (NE), in the elevated plus maze (EPM) to examine the contribution of noradrenergic signaling to cocaine-induced anxiety. RESULTS: We found that cocaine dose-dependently increased anxiety-like behavior in control (Dbh +/-) mice, as measured by a decrease in open arm exploration. The Dbh -/- mice had normal baseline performance in the EPM but were completely resistant to the anxiogenic effects of cocaine. Cocaine-induced anxiety was also attenuated in Dbh +/- mice following administration of disulfiram, a dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) inhibitor. In experiments using specific adrenergic antagonists, we found that pretreatment with the beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist propranolol blocked cocaine-induced anxiety-like behavior in Dbh +/- and wild-type C57BL6/J mice, while the alpha(1) antagonist prazosin and the alpha(2) antagonist yohimbine had no effect. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that noradrenergic signaling via beta-adrenergic receptors is required for cocaine-induced anxiety in mice.