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Shifted pallidal co-release of GABA and glutamate in habenula drives cocaine withdrawal and relapse

Nature Neuroscience volume 19, pages 1019–1024 (2016)Cite this article

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An Author Correction to this article was published on 05 March 2020

Abstract

Cocaine withdrawal produces aversive states and vulnerability to relapse, hallmarks of addiction. The lateral habenula (LHb) encodes negative stimuli and contributes to aversive withdrawal symptoms. However, it remains unclear which inputs to LHb promote this and what the consequences are for relapse susceptibility. We report, using rabies-based retrolabeling and optogenetic mapping, that the entopeduncular nucleus (EPN, the mouse equivalent of the globus pallidus interna) projects to an LHb neuronal subset innervating aversion-encoding midbrain GABA neurons. EPN-to-LHb excitatory signaling is limited by GABAergic cotransmission. This inhibitory component decreases during cocaine withdrawal as a result of reduced presynaptic vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT). This shifts the EPN-to-LHb GABA/glutamate balance, disinhibiting EPN-driven LHb activity. Selective virally mediated VGAT overexpression at EPN-to-LHb terminals during withdrawal normalizes GABAergic neurotransmission. This intervention rescues cocaine-evoked aversive states and prevents stress-induced reinstatement, used to model relapse. This identifies diminished inhibitory transmission at EPN-to-LHb GABA/glutamate synapses as a mechanism contributing to the relapsing feature of addictive behavior.

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Figure 1: EPN-receptive LHb neurons preferentially target midbrain GABA neurons.
Figure 2: GABAergic plasticity at EPN-to-LHb synapses during cocaine withdrawal.
Figure 3: Impaired vesicular filling at EPN-to-LHb GABAergic synapses during withdrawal.
Figure 4: Overexpression of VGAT at EPN-to-LHb synapses rescues cocaine-withdrawal-induced reduction of GABA transmission.
Figure 5: EPN-to-LHb GABA plasticity mediates aversive cocaine withdrawal symptoms and stress-induced reinstatement.

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Acknowledgements

We thank E. Kremer and P. Jegouzo for technical assistance. We thank A. Adamantidis, G. Ramakers, C. Bellone, J.C. Poncer and the Mameli laboratory for feedback on the manuscript and discussions. This work was supported by INSERM Atip-Avenir, the City of Paris, the European Research Council (Starting Grant SalienSy 335333) to M.M., the Fyssen Foundation to F.J.M. and the SFB1089 to M.K.S. The Mameli laboratory is part of the LabEx BioPsy.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut du Fer à Moulin, Paris, France

    Frank J Meye, Mariano Soiza-Reilly, Tamar Smit & Manuel Mameli

  2. Inserm, UMR-S 839, Paris, France

    Frank J Meye, Mariano Soiza-Reilly, Tamar Smit & Manuel Mameli

  3. Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC), Paris, France

    Frank J Meye, Mariano Soiza-Reilly, Tamar Smit & Manuel Mameli

  4. Graduate School of Life Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands

    Tamar Smit

  5. UPMC University Paris 06, UM 119 Neuroscience Paris Seine (NPS), CNRS UMR 8246, Inserm U1130, Paris, France.,

    Marco A Diana

  6. Clinic for Epilepsy Life & Brain Center, University Clinic of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Martin K Schwarz

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  1. Frank J Meye
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  2. Mariano Soiza-Reilly
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  6. Manuel Mameli
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Contributions

F.J.M. performed and analyzed all the in vitro mapping and electrophysiological recordings with the help of T.S. and M.M. M.S.-R. performed and analyzed the array tomography experiments with the help of F.J.M. F.J.M., M.A.D. and M.M. performed and analyzed the behavioral experiments. M.K.S. generated and provided viral tools for rabies-based retrograde labeling. M.M. and F.J.M. designed the study and wrote the manuscript with the help of all authors. M.M. is a member of the Fens-Kavli Network of Excellence.

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Correspondence to Manuel Mameli.

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Integrated supplementary information

Supplementary Figure 1 Topographical distribution of LHb→GABA and LHb→DA neurons.

(a) Schematic illustrating the principle of retrograde labeling of specific LHb neurons projecting to putative RMTg GABAergic neurons in the midbrain with RABVΔG (EnvA)-myrTomato (rabies) in a VGAT-Cre mouse line. (b) Injection sites for EPN and midbrain. (c) Mapping of rabies-retrogradely-labeled LHb neurons from two DAT-Cre mice injected with rabies in the VTA. Three coronal sections show the distribution through the anterior-posterior axis of these LHb→DA neurons. The magenta dotted line demarcates the lateral and medial parts of LHb. (d) Same as c but for LHb→GABA neurons in two VGAT-Cre mice injected with rabies in the putative RMTg. (e) Overlayed schematic representation of the distribution of LHb→GABA and LHb→DA neurons from two example brains.

Supplementary Figure 2 Cocaine withdrawal alters GABA but not glutamate signaling in EPN-to-LHb synapses.

(a) Opto-stimulation of EPN terminals onto LHb neurons reveals postsynaptic currents that are inward and/or outward depending on the holding potential. At -20 mV a biphasic inward (AMPAR-mediated, I-AMPAR) and outward (GABAaR-mediated, I-GABAaR) current is typically observed. (b) Evaluation of the extent of outward GABAaR-mediated current with respect to the total absolute response elicited at -20 mV in cocaine and saline-treated animals (Saline, 33.13± 6.95%, ncells = 28, nanimals = 7; Cocaine withdrawal, 3.30 ± 2.13%, ncells = 12, nanimals = 4; Cocaine no withdrawal, 25.86 ± 9.43%, ncells = 12, nanimals = 2; F(2,49) = 3.762, p=0.03). (c) AMPAR/NMDAR ratios for the EPN-to-LHb synapse in cocaine-withdrawal and in saline controls (Saline, 1.06 ± 0.30, ncells = 6, nanimals = 4; Cocaine, 0.94 ± 0.22, ncells = 5, nanimals = 5; F(1,9) = 0.94, p=0.767). (d) Current-voltage relationship for AMPAR and NMDAR currents in saline and cocaine conditions (I-AMPAR at +40 mV, ncells = 11-18, nanimals = 6-7; F(1,27) = 0.278, p=0.603; I-NMDAR at -20 mV, ncells = 7-10, nanimals = 4-6; F(1,15) = 0.578, p=0.459). (e) GABAR/NMDAR ratios obtained by electrical stimulation in the LHb in cocaine withdrawal and in saline control mice (Saline, 8.72 ± 1.90, ncells = 7, nanimals = 3; Cocaine, 7.91 ± 2.65, ncells = 7, nanimals = 4; F(1,12) = 0.70, p=0.796). (f) Samples of the effect of I-GABAaR on I-AMPAR decay kinetics (exponential fit indicated by red dotted line) and charge transfer (blue area) at -50 mV in saline and cocaine conditions. Bar graph quantifying the extent of I-GABA masking of I-AMPAR decay kinetics (Saline, 51.93 ± 9.47%, ncells = 7, nanimals = 5; Cocaine, 20.38 ± 5.30%, ncells = 7, nanimals = 5; F(1,14) = 5.96, p=0.031). *p<0.05 refers to the specific statistical test employed in panels indicated in parentheses. One-way ANOVA (b, c, d, e, f).

Supplementary Figure 3 Effects of cocaine withdrawal on EPN-to-LHb synaptic markers and function.

(a) Immunolabeling for VGAT, gephyrin and PSD-95 throughout adjacent ultrathin (100 nm) serial sections (dorsal-ventral plane). Asterisks indicate examples of puncta appositions between VGAT-positive axon terminals and postsynaptic sites containing gephyrin. Arrows show a nearby postsynaptic site for glutamatergic synapses containing PSD-95.

(b) Averaged puncta/µm3 obtained after array tomography for markers at EPN-to-LHb synapses in saline and cocaine-treated animals (Number of puncta per µm3; for total alpha1, F(1,6) = 0.473, p=0.517; total Vglut2, F(1,6) = 0.281, p=0.615; DsRed+/alpha1+, F(1,6) = 0.253, p=0.163; DsRed+/Vglut2+, F(1,6) = 2.72, p=0.15). (c) Sample, average time course and bar graph of EPN-to-LHb glutamatergic responses at baseline and after the 3rd train (Saline, 71.05 ± 12.02%, ncells = 6, nanimals =3; Cocaine, 71.05 ± 13.20%, ncells = 5, nanimals =3; F(1,9) = 0.128, p=0.728).

(d) Paired-pulse experiments for both EPN-driven IPSCs and EPSCs in saline and cocaine treated mice (Saline, ncells = 5-7, nanimals = 2-3; Cocaine, ncells = 5-7, nanimals = 3; F(1,7) = 1.12, p=0.325. Shown traces represent overlay of 9 sweeps with different interpulse intervals. (e) Paired-pulse ratio for the depletion experiments during 0.1 Hz stimulation obtained at baseline and after the 3rd train of 500 pulses at 4 Hz (For IPSCs: Saline, ncells = 4, nanimals = 2; Cocaine, ncells = 4, nanimals = 2. F(1,6) = 1.79, p=0.23; For EPSCs: Saline, ncells = 6, nanimals = 3; Cocaine, ncells = 5, nanimals = 3. F(1,9) = 0.476, p=0.51). (f) Representative image indicating an LHb neuron filled with Alexa-488 and the uncaging location. Rubi-GABA was uncaged (405 nm laser) at the soma (1), proximal (2) and distal (3) dendrites of LHb neurons, F(2,38) = 1.068, p=0.354. Representative traces, bar graph and scatter plot representing the effect of cocaine withdrawal on IPSC amplitudes. One-way ANOVA (b, c, e), Two-Way Repeated Measures ANOVA I.P. Treatment Main Effect and interaction (d, f).

Supplementary Figure 4 VGAT overexpression rescues GABAergic control over EPN-driven LHb spike fidelity.

(a-d) Spike fidelity of LHb neurons as a consequence of EPN stimulation with a 10 pulse train delivered at 5 Hz in all experimental groups prior (solid line) and after picrotoxin (dotted line). Quantification is represented in Fig. 3d.

Supplementary Figure 5 Anxiety during cocaine withdrawal, histology of VGAT overexpression, and cocaine-driven locomotor activity.

(a) Representative tracking plots (red line) of individual mice in the closed (grey) and open (white) arm of the EPM. Analysis of anxiety behavior in the elevated plus maze during cocaine withdrawal (% of time in open arm: Saline: 9.52 ± 1.74%, Cocaine: 4.23 ± 1.22%; F(1,18) = 6.16, p=0.023; For Entries in open arm: Saline: 20.8 ± 4.92, Cocaine: 14.3 ± 2.73; F(1,18) = 1.34, p=0.263; For Head dips: Saline: 36.1 ± 2.09, Cocaine: 29.1 ± 2.24; F(1,18) = 5.214, p=0.035; nanimals = 10 for both groups). (b) Histological verification for behavioral experiments. Examples of successful (required criterion for experimental inclusion) Cav2-Cre-driven VGAT overexpression at EPN-to-LHb terminals as indicated by mCherry fluorescence is represented in 4 sample slices of animals injected with either saline or cocaine. (c) Cocaine-driven locomotion (measured over 15 min) during CPPacq (nanimals = 8 for all groups, F(4, 112) = 6.459, p=0.001). *p<0.05; **p<0.01; ***p<0.001 refers to the specific statistical test employed in panels indicated in parentheses. One-way ANOVA (a). Two-Way Repeated Measures ANOVA, Experimental Phase * I.P. Treatment Interaction (c).

Supplementary Figure 6 VGAT deletion at LHb synapses.

(a) Timeline of experiment. (b) Histological verification of injection site. Examples of Cav2-Cre with Green fluorobeads (as a marker for injection site) infused in the lateral LHb. (c) GABAaR/AMPAR ratios for the EPN-to-LHb synapse obtained by optical stimulation in PBS-control and Cav2-Cre injected VGATfl/fl mice (PBS-control, 0.83 ± 0.20, ncells = 6, nanimals = 2; Cav2-Cre, 0.05 ± 0.02, ncells = 8, nanimals = 4; F(1,12) = 20.9, p=0.0006). (d) GABAaR/AMPAR ratios obtained by electrical stimulation and recordings in the medial LHb in PBS-control and Cav2-Cre injected VGATfl/fl mice (PBS-control, 0.52 ± 0.06, ncells = 7, nanimals = 2; Cav2-Cre, 0.59 ± 0.07, ncells = 8, nanimals = 4; F(1,13) = 0.528, p=0.48). (e) Total immobility during swim stress (nanimals = 10/group; F(1,18) = 8.365, p=0.0097). (f) Total distance during open field test (nanimals = 10/group; F(1,18) = 1.143, p=0.299). **p<0.01, ***p<0.001 refers to the specific statistical test employed in panels indicated in parentheses. One-Way ANOVA (c-f).

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Meye, F., Soiza-Reilly, M., Smit, T. et al. Shifted pallidal co-release of GABA and glutamate in habenula drives cocaine withdrawal and relapse. Nat Neurosci 19, 1019–1024 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.4334

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