The hypocretins, also known as orexins, are excitatory neuropeptides produced in the lateral hypothalamus, which have a key role in the regulation of arousal. Hypocretin deficiency in dogs, mice and humans causes narcolepsy, a sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy. Hypocretin-containing neurons project to key structures involved in brain reward, most notably the nucleus accumbens, central amygdala and bed nucleus of stria terminalis. Since stress may represent an overactivation of the body's normal activational system and therefore is linked to the construct of arousal, we hypothesize that hypocretins may mediate at least in part, the activation of stress-induced signals that precipitate addiction and relapse. Under this proposal we will test three hypotheses: 1) that hypocretin neurons activate a """"""""stress-like"""""""" response that results in reinstatement of cocaine seeking behavior;2) that hypocretin signaling is important for stress and cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking behavior, and 3) that hypocretin deficient mice are resistant to drug abuse. In a first specific aim, mice with a history of cocaine self-administration and extinction will be infused with hypocretin and tested for reinstatement of cocaine seeking behavior. To determine whether stress signals are involved in hypocretin-induced reinstatement, mice deficient in corticotrophin release factor (CRF) receptor 1 will be tested for reinstatement of cocaine seeking behavior after hypocretinl infusion. Hypocretin-induced reinstatement will be blocked with hypocretin receptor antagonists and (CRF) receptor antagonists. In a second specific aim, the role of endogenous hypocretin on reinstatement will be tested by using a hypocretin receptor antagonist to block stress or cue- induced reinstatement. Accumulated clinical data has shown that hypocretin-deficient narcoleptic patients rarely abuse psychostimulants that are used to treat excessive daytime sleepiness.
In specific aim 3, we will further examine whether hypocretin-deficient animals are resistant to stimulant abuse by amphetamine conditioned place preference test and by amphetamine and cocaine self administration. Finally, hypocretin-deficient mice will be tested for stress- and cue- induced reinstatement of cocaine or amphetamine seeking behavior. The results from these experiments will give us important clues about the role of the hypocretinergic system in brain reward and may result in new therapeutic tools to prevent drug craving and relapse.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DA021880-05
Application #
7871419
Study Section
Neurobiology of Motivated Behavior Study Section (NMB)
Program Officer
Volman, Susan
Project Start
2006-09-30
Project End
2012-06-30
Budget Start
2010-07-01
Budget End
2012-06-30
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$339,962
Indirect Cost
Name
Stanford University
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
009214214
City
Stanford
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94305
Carter, Matthew E; Brill, Julia; Bonnavion, Patricia et al. (2012) Mechanism for Hypocretin-mediated sleep-to-wake transitions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 109:E2635-44
CaƱellas, Francesca; de Lecea, Luis (2012) [Relationships between sleep and addiction]. Adicciones 24:287-90
Cao, Junran; de Lecea, Luis; Ikemoto, Satoshi (2011) Intraventricular administration of neuropeptide S has reward-like effects. Eur J Pharmacol 658:16-21
Carter, Matthew E; de Lecea, Luis (2011) Optogenetic investigation of neural circuits in vivo. Trends Mol Med 17:197-206
Adamantidis, Antoine R; Tsai, Hsing-Chen; Boutrel, Benjamin et al. (2011) Optogenetic interrogation of dopaminergic modulation of the multiple phases of reward-seeking behavior. J Neurosci 31:10829-35
Carter, Matthew E; Yizhar, Ofer; Chikahisa, Sachiko et al. (2010) Tuning arousal with optogenetic modulation of locus coeruleus neurons. Nat Neurosci 13:1526-33
Tsai, Hsing-Chen; Zhang, Feng; Adamantidis, Antoine et al. (2009) Phasic firing in dopaminergic neurons is sufficient for behavioral conditioning. Science 324:1080-4