When amphetamine is repeatedly associated with the same environmental context, the environment becomes a powerful stimulus to elicit memories of the drug experience. These memories bring out a strong, physiological response, even in the absence of drug. Such associative learning is maladaptive and contributes to the poor judgment of individuals who crave the drug. However, we know surprisingly little of the synaptic modifications that shape drug-related memories, even though memory retrieval appears critical for the persistence of drug-seeking behavior. Conditioned place preference (CPP) is a model of cue-elicited drug seeking. When amphetamine is repeatedly paired with the same environment, rats learn to associate the rewarding effects of the drug with the cues provided by the environment. Our work has shown that the neural circuitry underlying this behavior could involve synaptic interactions between the hippocampal formation and basolateral amygdala (BLA). We have shown that amphetamine-induced CPP (AM PH CPP) is accompanied by increased synapses and a significant elevation in synaptic drive from the hippocampal formation. We believe that drug-seeking behavior therefore requires both structural and functional plasticity of BLA pyramidal cells to consolidate the learned association of drug and environment. We hypothesize further that this plasticity is mediated by the hippocampal formation. Through experiments outlined herein, we have set 2 specific aims: (1) The first will determine how AMPH CPP rewires BLA pyramidal neurons. The goal is to examine how CPP alters the eXCitatory and inhibitory synaptic complements of pyramidal neurons, using light and electron microscopy, immunocytochemistry and stereology. (2) In the scond, we will determine if AM PH CPP causes enhanced eXCitatory synaptic drive of BLA pyramidal neurons. The goals are to determine, using in vivo intracellular electrophysiological recordings, if BLA pyramidal neurons are subjected to abnormal excitatory drive, and if the hippocampal formation contributes to the excitation. The neuronal structure (dendrites and spines) of recorded BLA neurons will be studied to establish whether morphogenesis (increased spines, dendritic length and branching) is indicative of the strong increases in synaptic drive.

Public Health Relevance

The environment in which humans take elicit drugs evokes memories of the drug experience. These associations are learned and that learning is maladaptive. The proposed studies will identify the structural and functional bases that mediate druginduced learning. Results will fill gaps in our knowledge of the biological basis of drug craving and open avenues to novel therapeutic strategies for its treatment.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01DA016662-06A2
Application #
7741980
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-IFCN-H (02))
Program Officer
Pilotte, Nancy S
Project Start
2003-08-01
Project End
2011-07-31
Budget Start
2009-08-01
Budget End
2010-07-31
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$308,000
Indirect Cost
Name
Rosalind Franklin University
Department
Pharmacology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
069501252
City
North Chicago
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
60064
Rademacher, David J; Mendoza-Elias, Nasya; Meredith, Gloria E (2015) Effects of context-drug learning on synaptic connectivity in the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala in rats. Eur J Neurosci 41:205-15
Hetzel, A; Meredith, G E; Rademacher, D J et al. (2012) Effect of amphetamine place conditioning on excitatory synaptic events in the basolateral amygdala ex vivo. Neuroscience 206:7-16
Zahm, Daniel S; Becker, Mary L; Freiman, Alexander J et al. (2010) Fos after single and repeated self-administration of cocaine and saline in the rat: emphasis on the Basal forebrain and recalibration of expression. Neuropsychopharmacology 35:445-63
Rademacher, David J; Rosenkranz, J Amiel; Morshedi, Maud M et al. (2010) Amphetamine-associated contextual learning is accompanied by structural and functional plasticity in the basolateral amygdala. J Neurosci 30:4676-86
Morshedi, Maud M; Rademacher, David J; Meredith, Gloria E (2009) Increased synapses in the medial prefrontal cortex are associated with repeated amphetamine administration. Synapse 63:126-35
Morshedi, Maud M; Meredith, Gloria E (2008) Repeated amphetamine administration induces Fos in prefrontal cortical neurons that project to the lateral hypothalamus but not the nucleus accumbens or basolateral amygdala. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 197:179-89
Geisler, Stefanie; Marinelli, Michela; Degarmo, Beth et al. (2008) Prominent activation of brainstem and pallidal afferents of the ventral tegmental area by cocaine. Neuropsychopharmacology 33:2688-700
Meredith, Gloria E; Baldo, Brian A; Andrezjewski, Matthew E et al. (2008) The structural basis for mapping behavior onto the ventral striatum and its subdivisions. Brain Struct Funct 213:17-27
Rademacher, David J; Napier, T Celeste; Meredith, Gloria E (2007) Context modulates the expression of conditioned motor sensitization, cellular activation and synaptophysin immunoreactivity. Eur J Neurosci 26:2661-8
Morshedi, M M; Meredith, Gloria E (2007) Differential laminar effects of amphetamine on prefrontal parvalbumin interneurons. Neuroscience 149:617-24

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