Animal models of drug addiction. / Modelos animales de adicción a las drogas.

The development of animal models of drug reward and addiction is an essential factor for progress in understanding the biological basis of this disorder and for the identification of new therapeutic targets. Depending on the component of reward to be studied, one type of animal model or another may be used. There are models of reinforcement based on the primary hedonic effect produced by the consumption of the addictive substance, such as the self-administration (SA) and intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) paradigms, and there are models based on the component of reward related to associative learning and cognitive ability to make predictions about obtaining reward in the future, such as the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. In recent years these models have incorporated methodological modifications to study extinction, reinstatement and reconsolidation processes, or to model specific aspects of addictive behavior such as motivation to consume drugs, compulsive consumption or drug seeking under punishment situations. There are also models that link different reinforcement components or model voluntary motivation to consume (two-bottle choice, or drinking in the dark tests). In short, innovations in these models allow progress in scientific knowledge regarding the different aspects that lead individuals to consume a drug and develop compulsive consumption, providing a target for future treatments of addiction.

El desarrollo de modelos animales de refuerzo y adicción a las drogas es imprescindible para el avance en el conocimiento de las bases biológicas de este trastorno y la identificación de nuevas dianas terapéuticas. En función del componente del refuerzo que deseemos estudiar podemos servirnos de un tipo de modelos animales u otros. Podemos utilizar modelos de refuerzo basados en el efecto hedónico primario que produce el consumo de la sustancia adictiva, como los modelos de autoadministración (AA) y autoestimulación eléctrica intracraneal (AEIC), o modelos basados en el componente relacionado con el aprendizaje asociativo y la capacidad cognitiva de realizar predicciones sobre la obtención del refuerzo en el futuro, como el modelo de condicionamiento de preferencia de lugar (CPL). En los últimos años los modelos han incorporado modificaciones metodológicas para incluir el estudio de los procesos de extinción, reinstauración y reconsolidación o para modelar aspectos concretos de la conducta adictiva como puede ser la motivación para consumir la droga, el consumo compulsivo o la búsqueda de la droga bajo situaciones de castigo. Otros modelos interrelacionan diferentes componentes del refuerzo o modelan la motivación voluntaria por consumir (modelos de "two-bottle choice" o "drinking in the dark"). En definitiva, las innovaciones en estos modelos contribuyen al avance en el conocimiento científico de los diferentes factores que llevan a tomar una droga y a desarrollar un consumo compulsivo, ofreciendo una vía para identificar futuros tratamientos para la adicción.

Dopamine D2 receptors mediate the increase in reinstatement of the conditioned rewarding effects of cocaine induced by acute social defeat.

Social stress modifies the activity of brain areas involved in the rewarding effects of psychostimulants, inducing neuroadaptations in the dopaminergic mesolimbic system and modifying the sensitivity of dopamine receptors. In the present study we evaluated the effect of the dopamine D1- and D2-like receptor antagonists (SCH23390 and raclopride, respectively) on the short-time effects of acute social defeat (ASD). Male OF1 mice were socially defeated before each conditioning session of the conditioned place preference (CPP) induced by 1mg/kg or 25mg/kg of cocaine plus the corresponding dopamine antagonist. A final experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of the dopamine antagonists on the CPP induced by 3mg/kg of cocaine with or without a stress experience. Mice exposed to ASD showed an increase in reinstatement of the conditioned reinforcing effects of cocaine that was blocked by all of the dopamine receptor antagonists. Blockade of dopamine D2-like receptors with raclopride specifically prevented the effects of stress without affecting the rewarding properties of cocaine. However, SCH23390 inhibited cocaine-induced preference in the control groups and even induced aversion in defeated mice conditioned with the lower dose of cocaine. Moreover, the lowest dose of SCH23390 blocked the rewarding effects of 3mg/kg of cocaine-induced CPP. Our results confirm that the dopamine D2 receptor is involved in the short-term effects of ASD on the rewarding effects of cocaine. The dopamine D1 receptor is clearly involved in the rewarding effects of cocaine, but its role in the effects of ASD remains to be demonstrated.

Modelos animales de adicción a las drogas / Animal Models of Drug Addiction

El desarrollo de modelos animales de refuerzo y adicción a las drogas es imprescindible para el avance en el conocimiento de las bases biológicas de este trastorno y la identificación de nuevas dianas terapéuticas. En función del componente del refuerzo que deseemos estudiar podemos servirnos de un tipo de modelos animales u otros. Podemos utilizar modelos de refuerzo basados en el efecto hedónico primario que produce el consumo de la sustancia adictiva, como los modelos de autoadministración (AA) y autoestimulación eléctrica intracraneal (AEIC), o modelos basados en el componente relacionado con el aprendizaje asociativo y la capacidad cognitiva de realizar predicciones sobre la obtención del refuerzo en el futuro, como el modelo de condicionamiento de preferencia de lugar (CPL). En los últimos años los modelos han incorporado modificaciones metodológicas para incluir el estudio de los procesos de extinción, reinstauración y reconsolidación o para modelar aspectos concretos de la conducta adictiva como puede ser la motivación para consumir la droga, el consumo compulsivo o la búsqueda de la droga bajo situaciones de castigo. Otros modelos interrelacionan diferentes componentes del refuerzo o modelan la motivación voluntaria por consumir (modelos de "two-bottle choice" o "drinking in the dark"). En definitiva, las innovaciones en estos modelos contribuyen al avance en el conocimiento científico de los diferentes factores que llevan a tomar una droga y a desarrollar un consumo compulsivo, ofreciendo una vía para identificar futuros tratamientos para la adicción

The development of animal models of drug reward and addiction is an essential factor for progress in understanding the biological basis of this disorder and for the identification of new therapeutic targets. Depending on the component of reward to be studied, one type of animal model or another may be used. There are models of reinforcement based on the primary hedonic effect produced by the consumption of the addictive substance, such as the self-administration (SA) and intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) paradigms, and there are models based on the component of reward related to associative learning and cognitive ability to make predictions about obtaining reward in the future, such as the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. In recent years these models have incorporated methodological modifications to study extinction, reinstatement and reconsolidation processes, or to model specific aspects of addictive behavior such as motivation to consume drugs, compulsive consumption or drug seeking under punishment situations. There are also models that link different reinforcement components or model voluntary motivation to consume (two-bottle choice, or drinking in the dark tests). In short, innovations in these models allow progress in scientific knowledge regarding the different aspects that lead individuals to consume a drug and develop compulsive consumption, providing a target for future treatments of addiction

Pharmacological modulation of protein kinases as a new approach to treat addiction to cocaine and opiates.

Drug addiction shares brain mechanisms and molecular substrates with learning and memory processes, such as the stimulation of glutamate receptors and their downstream signalling pathways. In the present work we provide an up-to-date review of studies that have demonstrated the implication of the main memory-related calcium-dependent protein kinases in opiate and cocaine addiction. The effects of these drugs of abuse in different animal models of drug reward, dependence and addiction are altered by manipulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family, particularly extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK), calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII), the protein kinase C (PKC) family (including PKMζ), cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA), cGMP-dependent protein kinase G (PKG), the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway and its downstream target mammalian target of Rapamycin (mTOR), cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5), heat-shock proteins (Hsp) and other enzymes and proteins. Research suggests that drugs of abuse induce dependence and addiction by modifying the signalling pathways that involve these memory-related protein kinases, and supports the idea that drug addiction is an excessive aberrant learning disorder in which the maladaptive memory of drug-associated cues maintains compulsive drug use and contributes to relapse. Moreover, the studies we review offer new pharmacological strategies to treat opiate and cocaine dependence based on the manipulation of these protein kinases. In particular, disruption of reconsolidation of drug-related memories may have a high therapeutic value in the treatment of drug addiction.

Neurochemical substrates of the rewarding effects of MDMA: implications for the development of pharmacotherapies to MDMA dependence.

In recent years, studies with animal models of reward, such as the intracranial self-stimulation, self-administration, and conditioned place preference paradigms, have increased our knowledge on the neurochemical substrates of the rewarding effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymetamphetamine (MDMA) in rodents. However, pharmacological and neuroimaging studies with human participants are scarce. Serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)], dopamine (DA), endocannabinoids, and endogenous opiates are the main neurotransmitter systems involved in the rewarding effects of MDMA in rodents, but other neurotransmitters such as glutamate, acetylcholine, adenosine, and neurotensin are also involved. The most important finding of recent research is the demonstration of differential involvement of specific neurotransmitter receptor subtypes (5-HT2, 5-HT3, DA D1, DA D2, CB1, µ and δ opioid, etc.) and extracellular proteins (DA and 5-HT transporters) in the acquisition, expression, extinction, and reinstatement of MDMA self-administration and conditioned place preference. It is important to extend the research on the effects of different compounds acting on these receptors/transporters in animal models of reward, especially in priming-induced, cue-induced, and stress-induced reinstatement. Increase in knowledge of the neurochemical substrates of the rewarding effects of MDMA may contribute to the design of new pharmacological treatments for individuals who develop MDMA dependence.

Involvement of 5-hydroxytryptamine 5-HT3 serotonergic receptors in the acquisition and reinstatement of the conditioned place preference induced by MDMA.

Some MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) users develop dependence as a result of chronic consumption. The present study evaluated the role of 5-hydroxytryptamine 5-HT3 receptors in the acquisition, expression and reinstatement of the conditioned place preference (CPP) induced by MDMA. Adolescent male mice were conditioned with 10 mg/kg of MDMA and then treated with 1 or 3mg/kg of the 5-hydroxytryptamine 5-HT3 antagonist MDL72222 during acquisition of conditioning (experiment 1), before expression of CPP in a post-conditioning test (experiment 2) or before a reinstatement test (experiment 3). MDL72222 was devoid of motivational effects but blocked acquisition of the MDMA-induced CPP. Moreover, following extinction, the low dose of MDL72222 blocked reinstatement of the CPP induced by priming with MDMA. Acute MDMA reduced levels of dihydroxypheylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the striatum and levels of acid 5-hydroxyindoleacetic (5-HIAA) in the cortex. Acute MDMA+MDL72222 also reduced striatal DOPAC. The repeated co-administration of MDMA plus MDL72222 (on PND 32-34-36-38) increased dopamine and decreased DOPAC in the striatum, and increased cortical serotonin and enhanced transporters of dopamine and serotonin. The acute administration (on PND ±55) of MDMA or MDL72222 increased levels of dopamine and reduced those of DOPAC in the striatum and co-administration of MDMA plus MDL72222 increased striatal serotonin. Our results confirm that 5-hydroxytryptamine 5-HT3 receptors are involved in the acquisition of conditioned rewarding effects of MDMA and demonstrate that these receptors are also involved in reinstatement after extinction.

Role of the dopaminergic system in the acquisition, expression and reinstatement of MDMA-induced conditioned place preference in adolescent mice.

BACKGROUND: The rewarding effects of 3,4-methylenedioxy-metamphetamine (MDMA) have been demonstrated in conditioned place preference (CPP) procedures, but the involvement of the dopaminergic system in MDMA-induced CPP and reinstatement is poorly understood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, the effects of the DA D1 antagonist SCH 23390 (0.125 and 0.250 mg/kg), the DA D2 antagonist Haloperidol (0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg), the D2 antagonist Raclopride (0.3 and 0.6 mg/kg) and the dopamine release inhibitor CGS 10746B (3 and 10 mg/kg) on the acquisition, expression and reinstatement of a CPP induced by 10 mg/kg of MDMA were evaluated in adolescent mice. As expected, MDMA significantly increased the time spent in the drug-paired compartment during the post-conditioning (Post-C) test, and a priming dose of 5 mg/kg reinstated the extinguished preference. The higher doses of Haloperidol, Raclopride and CGS 10746B and both doses of SCH 23390 blocked acquisition of the MDMA-induced CPP. However, only Haloperidol blocked expression of the CPP. Reinstatement of the extinguished preference was not affected by any of the drugs studied. Analysis of brain monoamines revealed that the blockade of CPP acquisition was accompanied by an increase in DA concentration in the striatum, with a concomitant decrease in DOPAC and HVA levels. Administration of haloperidol during the Post-C test produced increases in striatal serotonin, DOPAC and HVA concentrations. In mice treated with the higher doses of haloperidol and CGS an increase in SERT concentration in the striatum was detected during acquisition of the CPP, but no changes in DAT were observed. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results demonstrate that, in adolescent mice, the dopaminergic system is involved in the acquisition and expression of MDMA-induced CPP, but not in its reinstatement.

Discrimination between cocaine-associated context and cue in a modified conditioned place preference paradigm: role of the nNOS gene in cue conditioning.

The conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm entails appetitive learning and is utilized to investigate the motivational effects of drug and natural reward in rodents. However, a typical CPP design does not allow dissociation between cue- and context-dependent appetitive learning. In humans, context and cues that had been associated with drug reward can elicit conditioned response and drug craving. Therefore, we investigated (a) methods by which to discriminate between cue- and context-dependent appetitive learning, and (b) the role of the neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) gene in appetitive learning. Wild-type (WT) and nNOS knockout (KO) mice were trained by cocaine (20 mg/kg) in a discrete context paired with a light cue (a compound context-cue stimulus). In test 1, approach behaviour to either the training context or to the cue in a novel context was determined. WT mice showed robust preference for both cocaine-associated context and cue. nNOS KO mice acquired approach behaviour for the cocaine-associated context but not cue. This finding suggests that the nNOS gene is required for cue-dependent appetitive learning. On the following day (test 2), mice were tested for approach behaviour to the compound context-cue stimulus. Context but not cue exposure in test 1 reduced approach behaviour to the compound context-cue stimulus in test 2, suggesting that repeated context but not cue exposures diminished the conditioned response. Hence, this modified CPP paradigm is useful for the investigation of approach behaviour for both drug-associated context and cue, and allows further investigation of mechanisms underlying cue- and context-dependent appetitive learning.

Effect of adolescent exposure to WIN 55212-2 on the acquisition and reinstatement of MDMA-induced conditioned place preference.

The present study employs a conditioned place preference procedure (CPP) to examine the effects of exposure to the cannabinoid agonist WIN 55212-2 (WIN) (0.1 and 0.5mg/kg) during adolescence on the reinforcing properties of +/-3,4-methylenedioxymetamphetamine hydrochloride (MDMA) (1.25 and 2.5mg/kg) in mice. On postnatal day (PD) 27, animals received a daily injection of the assigned treatment on 5 consecutive days, and three days later the place conditioning procedure was initiated (PD 35). The results suggest that pre-exposure to cannabinoids strengthens the properties of MDMA and favors reinstatement of the craving for the drug, which endorses the gateway hypothesis.

Role of the nNOS gene in ethanol-induced conditioned place preference in mice.

Nitric oxide (NO) produced by neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) has a role in synaptic plasticity, and evidence suggests its role in a range of effects produced by alcohol in the central nervous system. The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of the nNOS gene in the development of ethanol-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in mice. The CPP paradigm is designed to investigate the reinforcing properties of drugs of abuse and the development of maladaptive behaviors, such as conditioned response to drug-associated stimuli, after repeated drug exposure. Adult male and female wild type (WT) and nNOS knockout (KO) mice on a mixed B6;129S genetic background were trained by a morning saline session and afternoon ethanol (1, 2, and 3 g/kg; intraperitoneally) session for 4 days. Place preference in a drug-free state was recorded on the following day. Results show that WT males and females developed robust CPP, whereas nNOS KO mice did not (with the exception of female nNOS KO mice conditioned by 2 g/kg ethanol). The differential response of WT and nNOS KO mice was not due to genotypic differences in motor behavior. To investigate if the absence of the nNOS gene causes specific impairment in processing the motivational effect of ethanol or an overall impairment in associative learning, WT and nNOS KO mice were trained by LiCl (150 mg/kg) which causes conditioned place aversion (CPA). Results show that both WT and nNOS KO mice developed significant CPA. The findings that the absence of the nNOS gene impaired ethanol-induced CPP but not LiCl-induced CPA suggest that NO signaling has a specific role in processing the motivational effect of ethanol. Hence, inhibition of nNOS may attenuate the development of maladaptive behaviors associated with alcohol exposure.