Essay
Neuron
Report
Relapse Induced by Cues Predicting Cocaine Depends on Rapid, Transient Synaptic Potentiation Cassandra D. Gipson,1,3,* Yonatan M. Kupchik,1,3 Haowei Shen,2,3 Kathryn J. Reissner,1 Charles A. Thomas,1
and Peter W. Kalivas1,* 1Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA 2National Institute on Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China 3These authors contributed equally to this work
*Correspondence: [email protected] (C.D.G.), [email protected] (P.W.K.)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2013.01.005
SUMMARY
Cocaine addiction is characterized by long-lasting vulnerability to relapse arising because neutral envi- ronmental stimuli become associated with drug use and then act as cues that induce relapse. It is not known how cues elicit cocaine seeking, and why cocaine seeking is more difficult to regulate than seeking a natural reward. We found that cocaine- associated cues initiate cocaine seeking by inducing a rapid, transient increase in dendritic spine size and synaptic strength in the nucleus accumbens. These changes required neural activity in the prefrontal cortex. This is not the case when identical cues were associated with obtaining sucrose, which did not elicit changes in spine size or synaptic strength. The marked cue-induced synaptic changes in the ac- cumbens were correlated with the intensity of cocaine, but not sucrose seeking, and may explain the difficulty addicts experience in managing relapse to cocaine use.
INTRODUCTION
Understanding the neurobiology of relapse to drug use will facil-
itate the development of pharmacotherapies to treat addiction
(Kalivas and Volkow, 2011; Vocci and Ling, 2005). An important
feature of the enduring vulnerability to relapse is that neutral
environmental stimuli become associated with drug use and
act as cues that initiate relapse (Goldstein and Volkow, 2002;
See, 2002; Wilson et al., 2004). Presenting cues previously
paired with cocaine use initiates craving and drug seeking, which
are associated with activating the glutamatergic projection from
the prefrontal cortex to the nucleus accumbens (Kalivas, 2009;
Koob and Volkow, 2010; Wilson et al., 2004). Given the well-
established role of the corticostriatal projection in regulating
motivated behavior (Balleine et al., 2007; Lüscher and Malenka,
2011; Miller and Marshall, 2004), it is thought that cocaine-
induced changes in this glutamatergic projection enable environ-
mental stimuli associated with cocaine use to act as conditioned
cues that elicit uncontrollable motivation to relapse to drug use
compared with the more manageable motivation to obtain
natural reward (Garavan et al., 2000; Levy et al., 2007).
The neurobiology of relapse to cocaine use is most frequently
studied in animal models by measuring long-lasting changes in
brain structure and function after experimenter-injected or self-
administered cocaine followed by varying periods of withdrawal.
A key observation using this approach is that excitatory
synapses on medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the accumbens
show evidence of long-term potentiation (LTP), including
increased dendrite spine head diameter, elevated AMPA gluta-
mate receptor-mediated synaptic currents, and AMPA receptor
surface expression (Boudreau et al., 2007; Conrad et al., 2008;
Kourrich and Thomas, 2009; Moussawi et al., 2009; Shen
et al., 2009; Wolf and Ferrario, 2010). This LTP-like state is sug-
gested to mediate the enhanced motivation underlying relapse
to drug use compared to natural reward (Wolf, 2010). However,
it remains unknown how initiating relapse with cocaine-condi-
tioned cues (i.e., absent the pharmacological effects of the
drug) affects synaptic physiology and morphology, if synaptic
changes are important for initiating relapse, or if cues initiating
cocaine seeking produce distinct synaptic changes compared
with the same cues initiating seeking of a natural reward.
In order to investigate these synaptic mechanisms contrib-
uting to cocaine relapse, we used a ‘‘short-access’’ model of
cocaine self-administration and examined the reinstatement
of cocaine seeking by a light/tone cue previously associated
with cocaine delivery. While this paradigm may not model
compulsive drug self-administration (Koob, 2012), it allows
investigation of cue-induced cocaine seeking after a period
of withdrawal (Epstein et al., 2006; Shaham et al., 2003) and
elicits enduring physiological and neurochemical changes in
the projection from the prefrontal cortex to nucleus accumbens
(Kalivas, 2009; Wolf, 2010). Using this model, we show that
presenting cocaine-associated cues simultaneously initiated
cocaine seeking and a rapid, transient increase in dendritic spine
size and synaptic strength in the nucleus accumbens. The
synaptic changes were positively correlated with the intensity
of reinstated cocaine seeking and required activity in the
prefrontal cortex. Importantly, the increase in spine size and
synaptic response did not occur when the same seeking behavior
was induced by identical cues paired with a natural reward
(sucrose). Our data demonstrate that associating cocaine, but
not a natural reward, with environmental cues confers a capacity
for these cues to transiently potentiate accumbens excitatory
Neuron 77, 867–872, March 6, 2013 ª2013 Elsevier Inc. 867
Figure 1. Cue-Induced Cocaine Seeking Rapidly Enlarges Spine
Head Diameter in NAcore MSNs
(A) Cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking increased active lever
pressing over the 15, 45, or 120 min prior to euthanizing rats for morphological
or A/N measurements (F(7,92) = 39.93, p < 0.0001). (B) Time course of active
lever pressing during the cue reinstatement session. (C) Sample dendrites
from NAcore MSNs in yoked-saline (dh = 0.329 mm) or cocaine-trained rats at
T = 0 (0.422 mm); T = 15 (0.528 mm) min after initiating cue-induced rein-
statement. (D) Cumulative distribution of spine head diameter reveals changes
in dh between treatment groups (group: F(5,1698) = 8769, p < 0.0001; dh F(4,1698) = 115.2, p < 0.0001; interaction: F(20,1698) = 21, p < 0.0001). (E) Cocaine
self-administration increased mean dh (F(6,326) = 43.98, p < 0.0001). Spine dh was elevated at T = 15, decreased below prereinstatement levels at T = 45, and
returned to prereinstatement levels at T = 120. (F) The increase in dh at 15 min
was significantly correlated with active lever pressing. N in (D) is the number of
rats, and N shown as the number in bars corresponds to either the number of
animals (A) or the number of neurons quantified (E). Five to twelve neurons
were measured from each rat. Data are shown as mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05,
compared to yoked-saline or extinction lever presses; #p < 0.05, compared to
T = 0 cocaine.
Neuron
Cued Relapse and Synaptic Plasticity
synaptic transmission. This distinction between cocaine and
sucrose may explain the relatively uncontrollable motivation to
relapse to cocaine use compared with the more manageable
desire for natural reward.
RESULTS
Rats were trained to self-administer cocaine by pressing one of
two levers to receive an intravenous cocaine injection. Rats self-
868 Neuron 77, 867–872, March 6, 2013 ª2013 Elsevier Inc.
administered cocaine for 2 hr a day over 10 days to achieve
stable daily cocaine use, and lever pressing was then extin-
guished over another 14 days of 2 hr sessions (see Figure S1
available online). A light/tone compound stimulus was paired
with cocaine infusions during the self-administration sessions
and lever pressing during extinction training yielded neither
cocaine nor the light/tone stimulus. A parallel yoked-saline
control group was included consisting of rats administered an
intravenous infusion of saline when a paired rat self-administered
cocaine. Once rats achieved a stable extinguished baseline of
lever pressing (Figure S1), the light/tone cue was presented
with each press of the lever that previously provided cocaine
(active lever), but no cocaine was delivered. Returning the
conditioned light/tone cue resulted in a marked reinstatement
of lever pressing (Figures 1A and 1B), which was used to model
cue-induced relapse (Epstein et al., 2006).
As described above, cocaine self-administration causes
stable LTP-like synaptic potentiation in the core subcompart-
ment of the nucleus accumbens (NAcore) that endures for
months after discontinuing cocaine use and is proposed to
contribute to cocaine relapse. To test whether synaptic alter-
ations initiated in the NAcore by presentation of cocaine-condi-
tioned cues contribute to relapse, we examined animals just
prior to beginning cue-induced reinstatement (time [T] = 0) or
at 15, 45, or 120 min after beginning the reinstatement trial for
two measures of synaptic plasticity. To quantify spine density
and dh, we made three-dimensional (3D) confocal images of
neurons in the NAcore that were diolistically labeled with the lipo-
philic dye DiI (Figure 1C) (Shen et al., 2011). Synaptic strength
was also estimated by calculating the ratio of AMPA to NMDA
currents (A/N) (Malenka and Bear, 2004) using whole-cell patch
recordings from MSNs in NAcore tissue slices (Moussawi
et al., 2011; Shen et al., 2011).
Conditioned cues reinstated robust active lever pressing com-
pared to inactive lever pressing or to active lever pressing during
extinction (Figure 1A). The increase in lever pressing was
maximal during the first 10 min of the reinstatement session
and progressively decreased thereafter for the remainder of
the session (Figure 1B). At T = 0, dh was increased in rats extin-
guished from cocaine self-administration (0.415 ± 0.007 mm)
compared to yoked-saline controls (0.327 ± 0.004 mm) (Figures
1C–1E). Cue-induced reinstatement further increased dh at
15 min after the cue was presented (0.491 ± 0.009 mm). By
45 min after initiating reinstatement, dh decreased below the
resting (T = 0) cocaine levels (0.361 ± 0.009 mm) and had returned
to prereinstatement levels by 120 min after initiating the rein-
statement session (0.427 ± 0.011 mm). Importantly, the amount
of reinstated active lever pressing at 15 min was positively corre-
lated with the increase in dh (Figure 1F). No difference in spine
density was found between groups (Figure S2A).
To test whether cue-induced morphological plasticity was
specific for reinstating lever pressing for cocaine and not for
a natural reward, we trained rats to self-administer sucrose
pellets and we paired pellet delivery with the same light/tone
stimulus used for cocaine training. While the sucrose-trained
rats showed robust cue-induced reinstatement of lever pressing
(Figure 2A), no change in mean dh (Figure 2B) or spine density
(Figure S2B) was measured at 15 or 45 min after the cue
Figure 2. Sucrose-Trained Rats Do Not
Show Increased Spine Head Diameter
during Cue-Induced Reinstatement
(A) Sucrose-trained rats show significant cue-
induced reinstatement (F(3,31) = 86.981, p < 0.001).
(B) Lever responding for contingent cues was
maximal during the first 10 min of the session and
decreased thereafter. (C) Sucrose reinstatement
was not accompanied by a change in dh. N is
the number in bars and corresponds to either the
number of animals (A) or the number of neurons
quantified (C). Five to twelve neurons were
measured from each rat. Data are shown as
mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05, compared to extinction
lever presses.
Neuron
Cued Relapse and Synaptic Plasticity
(Figure 2C). To further test that the cue-induced increase in dh depended on a contingent association between the cocaine-
paired lever and the light/tone cue, we exposed rats to the
chamber either without presenting cues or when cues were pre-
sented independent of lever pressing, and these animals also
showed no increase in dh, spine density, or lever pressing at
15 min after beginning the session (Figures S3A–S3C). Taken
together, the morphological measurements show that with-
drawal from daily cocaine self-administration causes a resting
enlargement of dh and that cue-induced reinstatement of
cocaine, not sucrose, seeking is accompanied by a further rapid,
transient enlargement of the spines that is significantly corre-
lated with reinstated behavior.
Whole-cell patch recordings revealed parallel evidence for
rapid synaptic potentiation during cue-induced reinstatement
(Figures 3A and 3B). Withdrawal from self-administered cocaine
increased A/N compared to yoked-saline rats. The A/N was
further increased 15 min after initiating cue-induced reinstate-
ment and returned to prereinstatement levels after 120 min. In
contrast with the decrease in dh (Figure 1F), the A/N remained
elevated at T = 45. Similar to dh, the increase of A/N at 15 min
was significantly correlated with the number of reinstated active
lever presses (Figure 3C), and cue-induced reinstatement of
sucrose did not show a change in A/N at 15 or 45 min after initi-
ating the reinstatement session (Figure 3D).
The NAcore receives glutamatergic input from various sour-
ces, and increased release of glutamate from the prelimbic
cortex (PL) into the NAcore is required for reinstating drug
seeking (LaLumiere and Kalivas, 2008; McFarland et al., 2003).
We found that neural activity in the PL is also critical for the
cue-induced synaptic changes in the NAcore. Inhibiting the PL
by microinjecting GABA agonists (baclofen plus muscimol) prior
to the reinstatement session prevented cue-induced increases in
dh and A/N in NAcore MSNs, as well as blocked reinstated active
lever pressing (Figure 4; Figure S4 for histology).
DISCUSSION
We show here that the reinstatement of cocaine seeking by
conditioned cues, but not the reinstatement of seeking a natural
reward, was accompanied by rapid, transient synaptic potentia-
tion in NAcore MSNs. The rapid potentiation contrasts with
previous reports showing that cocaine use reduces the ability
of prefrontal input to induce classical forms of synaptic plasticity,
such as LTP and LTD (Martin et al., 2006; Moussawi et al.,
2009). Thus, while cocaine use diminishes the capacity of stimuli
not associated with drug use to induce synaptic plasticity,
LTP-like plasticity is readily induced by stimuli paired with
cocaine use. The importance in relapse of synaptic plasticity
selectively coded by cocaine-associated cues was supported
by a significant correlation between the intensity of cocaine
seeking and both morphological and electrophysiological
measures of synaptic potentiation.
Changes in spine density and/or head diameter (dh) are a struc-
tural substrate for synaptic plasticity, with larger dh being asso-
ciated with LTP and reduced dh with LTD (Carlisle and Kennedy,
2005; De Roo et al., 2008; Yang and Zhou, 2009). Consistent with
previous reports (Kourrich et al., 2007; Moussawi et al., 2011;
Shen et al., 2009), withdrawal from investigator- or self-adminis-
tered cocaine increased dh and A/N compared to yoked-saline
rats. The dh and A/N were further increased 15 min after initiating
cue-induced reinstatement and returned to prereinstatement
levels after 120 min. Although there was a decrease in dh at
T = 45, the A/N remained elevated. The slower normalization of
the A/N is consistent with previous in vitro studies indicating
that although both dh and A/N are reliable markers of synaptic
plasticity, they are regulated in part by distinct signaling path-
ways (Fukazawa et al., 2003; Henley et al., 2011). For example,
inhibiting protein phosphatase 1 prevents electrophysiological
measures of LTP without affecting enlargement of dendritic
spines (Zhou et al., 2004). Conversely, inhibiting actin polymeri-
zation reduces spine size in cultured neurons (Gu et al., 2010)
but inhibits only enduring LTP (>1 hr), leaving intact short-term
synaptic potentiation that is akin to what we show here being
initiated by cocaine-conditioned cues (Fukazawa et al., 2003;
Krucker et al., 2000; Ramachandran and Frey, 2009).
A link between reinstated cocaine seeking and the rapid LTP-
like plasticity was also indicated by inactivating the PL and
showing necessary involvement of this region of the PFC in
cue-induced increases in dh and A/N. It is likely that the glutama-
tergic projection from the PL to the NAcore is contributing to the
effects of inactivation since double-dissociation pharmacolog-
ical inactivation and more selective optogenetic inhibition show
that this pathway is necessary for reinstated cocaine seeking
(McFarland and Kalivas, 2001; Stefanik et al., 2013). This mech-
anism is also consistent with in vivo recordings showing
Neuron 77, 867–872, March 6, 2013 ª2013 Elsevier Inc. 869
Figure 3. Synaptic Potentiation Initiated by Cue-Induced Cocaine
Seeking
(A) Sample AMPA and NMDA current traces from each group. (B) AMPA to
NMDA ratios (A/N) were significantly elevated in animals withdrawn with
extinction training from cocaine self-administration (1.423 ± 0.075) compared
to yoked-saline animals (1.064 ± 0.050). In addition, the initiation of cue-
induced reinstatement further elevated A/N at T = 15 (1.780 ± 0.060). Ratios
remained elevated at T = 45 (1.815 ± 0.122) and returned to prereinstatement
levels by T = 120 (1.538 ± 0.103) (F(4,101) = 14.45, p < 0.001). (C) The increase in
A/N at 15 min was significantly correlated with the number of active lever
presses. (D) Cue-induced reinstatement of sucrose seeking did not alter A/N.
Two to five neurons were recorded from each animal. Data are shown as
mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05, compared to yoked-saline animals at T = 0 (white bar);
#p < 0.01, compared to T = 0 (black bar).
Figure 4. Inactivation of the PL Prevents Cue-Induced Reinstate-
ment and the Increase in dh and A/N in NAcore
(A) B/M infusions into PL inhibited cue-induced reinstatement (T = 15; F(5,59) =
11.971, p < 0.001; N is shown in bars). (B) Sample dendrites of animals
receiving either aCSF or B/M into PL prior to initiating cue-induced rein-
statement and sacrificed 15 min later. (C) B/M into PL inhibited the mean
increase in dh (t(82) = 7.504, p < 0.001; see inset) and shifted the cumulative
distribution to the left. (D) B/M into PL inhibited the increase in A/N (t(17) = 2.554,
p = 0.021). Data are shown as mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05, comparing aCSF to B/M.
Neuron
Cued Relapse and Synaptic Plasticity
increased activation of NAcore neurons in response to cocaine-
conditioned cues after a period of extinction training (Hollander
and Carelli, 2007) and with neuron culture studies indicating
that glutamate induces LTP-like synaptic changes (Shepherd
and Huganir, 2007). In addition, the lack of rapid LTP-like
plasticity accompanying reinstated sucrose seeking supports
a role for PL glutamatergic input, since cocaine reinstatement
requires a marked rise in the release of synaptic glutamate
from the PL into the NAcore, but reinstated sucrose seeking
does not induce measurable glutamate release (McFarland
et al., 2003). However, it is possible that PL projections to other
brain regions innervating the NAcore known to regulate rein-
stated behavior may also play a role, such as dopamine projec-
tions from the ventral tegmental area or glutamatergic input from
the basolateral amygdala (Koob and Volkow, 2010). A role for
dopaminergic afferents is supported by the fact that in cocul-
tured prefrontal and accumbens neurons, D1 receptor stimula-
tion facilitates trafficking of AMPA receptors to the surface and
costimulation of NMDA receptors promotes D1 synaptic inser-
tion (Sun et al., 2008). In this regard, it will be of interest in future
studies to determine whether the changes identified here are
selective for D1 or D2 receptor-expressing MSNs.
Cocaine addiction is defined in part by the unmanageable
motivation to take cocaine and differs markedly from relative
870 Neuron 77, 867–872, March 6, 2013 ª2013 Elsevier Inc.
control over engaging natural reward. The lack of change in dh and A/N after cue-induced sucrose seeking indicates that asso-
ciating cues with cocaine delivery is conferring neuroadaptations
that are not occurring when the identical cues are associated
with sucrose delivery. This supports the possibility that the rapid,
transient synaptic potentiation may be a biomarker for a cocaine
seeking neuropathology and poses the possibility that counter-
manding the synaptic potentiation may selectively disrupt the
vulnerability to relapse to cocaine use without affecting the
motivation to seek natural reward.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
Animal Housing and Surgery
Male Sprague-Dawley rats (250 g; Charles River Laboratories) were individ-
ually housed with a 12:12 hr dark/light cycle. All experimentation occurred
in the dark cycle. Rats received food ad libitum until the day prior to
behavioral training, after which food restriction (20 g of rat chow per day)
was implemented and maintained throughout the experiment. Rats were
allowed 1 week to acclimate to the vivarium before inducing anesthesia
and implanting indwelling jugular catheters, and in some experiments,
microinjection guide cannula were also implanted in the PL (surgical details
in Supplemental Experimental Procedures). All procedures were in accor-
dance with the National Institutes of Health Guide for the Care and Use
of Laboratory Animals and the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory
Animal Care.
Neuron
Cued Relapse and Synaptic Plasticity
Cocaine Self-Administration Procedures
Seven days after surgery, rats began daily 2 hr cocaine self-administration
sessions, in which one response on the active lever yielded one intravenous
cocaine infusion (0.2 mg/infusion, followed by a 20 s timeout period), paired
with a white cue light above the active lever and a discrete tone cue. An inac-
tive lever was also available throughout each session. After ten consecutive
sessions of self-administration (greater than or equal to ten infusions a day),
rats were placed into daily extinction training sessions (no cocaine delivery
or cues) for at least 14 sessions or until extinction criteria were met (%25 active
lever responses for a minimum of two sessions). Reinstatement was elicited by
cues (tone plus light delivery after an active lever press).
Microinfusion Procedures and Histology
Rats were stereotaxically implanted immediately after catheterization with
bilateral guide cannulae aimed above PL (see Supplemental Experimental
Procedures for surgical details). Obturators were placed into the guide
cannulae and were removed during bilateral injection of 0.3 ml baclofen/
muscimol cocktail (0.3/0.03 nmol, GABAB/GABAA receptor agonists, respec-
tively) over 1 min (McFarland and Kalivas, 2001). Rats were placed in the
operant chamber 10 min after removal of injection cannulae and replacement
of the obturators. Rats were sacrificed at various times for either dendritic
spine or electrophysiological quantification. When appropriate, coronal slices
(100 mm thick) of PL were mounted and stained via cresyl violet to verify guide
cannulae placement (Figure S4).
Quantification of Dendritic Spines
All dendritic spine quantification procedures have been described previously
(Shen et al., 2009). Briefly, a confocal microscope was used to image
DiI-labeled sections, and DiI was excited using the Helium/Neon 543 nm laser
line. Images of DiI-labeled dendrites (see Figure 1C) were acquired via optical
sectioning using a 633 oil immersion objective (Plan-Apochromat, Zeiss; NA =
1.4, WD = 90 mm) with pixel size 0.07 mm at xy plane and 0.1 mm intervals along
the z axis. Images were deconvoluted prior to analysis, and a 3D perspective
was rendered by the Surpass module of Imaris software package (Bitplane).
Only spines on dendrites beginning at >75 mm and ending at %200 mm distal
to the soma and after the first branch point were quantified from cells localized
to the NA core (see Table S1). The length of quantified dendrites was
45–55 mm. Five to twelve neurons were analyzed from each animal, and the
minimum end segment diameter (spine head) was set at R0.143 mm.
Slice Preparation and Whole-Cell Recordings
Rats were anesthetized with ketamine and decapitated, and coronal accum-
bens brain slices were collected into a vial containing artificial cerebrospinal
fluid (aCSF). All recordings were collected at 32�C in the dorsomedial NAcore, where the prefrontal inputs are most dense (Gorelova and Yang, 1997). Inhib-
itory synaptic transmission was blocked with picrotoxin (50 mM), and AMPA
and NMDA currents were recorded in whole-cell patch-clamp configuration.
Glass microelectrodes (1–2 MU) were filled with cesium-based internal
solution. To evoke postsynaptic currents, we placed a bipolar stimulating
electrode �300 mm dorsomedial of the recorded cell to maximize chances of stimulating PL afferents. The stimulation intensity chosen evoked an
�50% of maximal AMPA current. Recordings were collected every 20 s and begun >10 min after the cell membrane was ruptured to allow diffusion of
the internal solution into the cell. AMPA currents were first measured
at �80 mV to ensure stability of response. Then the membrane potential was gradually increased until +40 mV. Recording of currents was resumed
5 min after reaching +40 mV to allow stabilization of cell parameters. Currents
composed of both AMPA and NMDA components were then obtained. Then
D-AP5 was bath applied (50 mM) to block NMDA currents and recording of
AMPA currents at +40 mV was started after 2 min. NMDA currents were ob-
tained by subtracting the AMPA currents from the total current at +40 mV.
Statistics
All spine density and dh data were statistically analyzed after averaging the
values for all the neurons in each animal. The number of determinations in
each group was established using an analysis of statistical power based on
previous morphological data from our laboratory (Shen et al., 2009). A/N
data were analyzed using ANOVA. Behavioral data were analyzed using
repeated-measures ANOVA, and t tests were used to compare dh and A/N
in animals receiving aCSF or B/M. Additionally, linear regression was used
to determine the association between magnitude of reinstated lever pressing
and dh or A/N. Post hoc comparisons were conducted using Bonferroni-
corrected t tests.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Supplemental Information includes four figures, one table, and Supplemental
Experimental Procedures and can be found with this article online at http://dx.
doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2013.01.005.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank Dr. Rachel Smith, Dr. Joshua Beckmann, Megan Hensley, Brenton
Mahaffey, Rebecca Szer, and Phong Do for technical assistance. This work
was supported by DA007288, DA033690 (C.D.G.), DA003906, DA012513,
and DA015369 (P.W.K.) grants from the National Institutes of Health.
Accepted: January 2, 2013
Published: March 6, 2013
REFERENCES
Balleine, B.W., Delgado, M.R., and Hikosaka, O. (2007). The role of the dorsal
striatum in reward and decision-making. J. Neurosci. 27, 8161–8165.
Boudreau, A.C., Reimers, J.M., Milovanovic, M., and Wolf, M.E. (2007). Cell
surface AMPA receptors in the rat nucleus accumbens increase during
cocaine withdrawal but internalize after cocaine challenge in association
with altered activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases. J. Neurosci. 27,
10621–10635.
Carlisle, H.J., and Kennedy, M.B. (2005). Spine architecture and synaptic
plasticity. Trends Neurosci. 28, 182–187.
Conrad, K.L., Tseng, K.Y., Uejima, J.L., Reimers, J.M., Heng, L.J., Shaham, Y.,
Marinelli, M., and Wolf, M.E. (2008). Formation of accumbens GluR2-lacking
AMPA receptors mediates incubation of cocaine craving. Nature 454, 118–121.
De Roo, M., Klauser, P., Garcia, P.M., Poglia, L., and Muller, D. (2008). Spine
dynamics and synapse remodeling during LTP and memory processes. Prog.
Brain Res. 169, 199–207.
Epstein, D.H., Preston, K.L., Stewart, J., and Shaham, Y. (2006). Toward
a model of drug relapse: an assessment of the validity of the reinstatement
procedure. Psychopharmacology (Berl.) 189, 1–16.
Fukazawa, Y., Saitoh, Y., Ozawa, F., Ohta, Y., Mizuno, K., and Inokuchi, K.
(2003). Hippocampal LTP is accompanied by enhanced F-actin content within
the dendritic spine that is essential for late LTP maintenance in vivo. Neuron
38, 447–460.
Garavan, H., Pankiewicz, J., Bloom, A., Cho, J.K., Sperry, L., Ross, T.J.,
Salmeron, B.J., Risinger, R., Kelley, D., and Stein, E.A. (2000). Cue-induced
cocaine craving: neuroanatomical specificity for drug users and drug stimuli.
Am. J. Psychiatry 157, 1789–1798.
Goldstein, R.Z., and Volkow, N.D. (2002). Drug addiction and its underlying
neurobiological basis: neuroimaging evidence for the involvement of the
frontal cortex. Am. J. Psychiatry 159, 1642–1652.
Gorelova, N., and Yang, C.R. (1997). The course of neural projection from the
prefrontal cortex to the nucleus accumbens in the rat. Neuroscience 76,
689–706.
Gu, J., Lee, C.W., Fan, Y., Komlos, D., Tang, X., Sun, C., Yu, K., Hartzell, H.C.,
Chen, G., Bamburg, J.R., and Zheng, J.Q. (2010). ADF/cofilin-mediated actin
dynamics regulate AMPA receptor trafficking during synaptic plasticity. Nat.
Neurosci. 13, 1208–1215.
Henley, J.M., Barker, E.A., and Glebov, O.O. (2011). Routes, destinations and
delays: recent advances in AMPA receptor trafficking. Trends Neurosci. 34,
258–268.
Neuron 77, 867–872, March 6, 2013 ª2013 Elsevier Inc. 871
Neuron
Cued Relapse and Synaptic Plasticity
Hollander, J.A., and Carelli, R.M. (2007). Cocaine-associated stimuli increase
cocaine seeking and activate accumbens core neurons after abstinence.
J. Neurosci. 27, 3535–3539.
Kalivas, P.W. (2009). The glutamate homeostasis hypothesis of addiction. Nat.
Rev. Neurosci. 10, 561–572.
Kalivas, P.W., and Volkow, N.D. (2011). New medications for drug addiction
hiding in glutamatergic neuroplasticity. Mol. Psychiatry 16, 974–986.
Koob, G.F. (2012). Animal models of psychiatric disorders. Handb. Clin.
Neurol. 106, 137–166.
Koob, G.F., and Volkow, N.D. (2010). Neurocircuitry of addiction.
Neuropsychopharmacology 35, 217–238.
Kourrich, S., and Thomas, M.J. (2009). Similar neurons, opposite adaptations:
psychostimulant experience differentially alters firing properties in accumbens
core versus shell. J. Neurosci. 29, 12275–12283.
Kourrich, S., Rothwell, P.E., Klug, J.R., and Thomas, M.J. (2007). Cocaine
experience controls bidirectional synaptic plasticity in the nucleus accum-
bens. J. Neurosci. 27, 7921–7928.
Krucker, T., Siggins, G.R., and Halpain, S. (2000). Dynamic actin filaments are
required for stable long-term potentiation (LTP) in area CA1 of the hippo-
campus. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97, 6856–6861.
LaLumiere, R.T., and Kalivas, P.W. (2008). Glutamate release in the nucleus
accumbens core is necessary for heroin seeking. J. Neurosci. 28, 3170–3177.
Levy, D., Shabat-Simon, M., Shalev, U., Barnea-Ygael, N., Cooper, A., and
Zangen, A. (2007). Repeated electrical stimulation of reward-related brain
regions affects cocaine but not ‘‘natural’’ reinforcement. J. Neurosci. 27,
14179–14189.
Lüscher, C., and Malenka, R.C. (2011). Drug-evoked synaptic plasticity in
addiction: from molecular changes to circuit remodeling. Neuron 69, 650–663.
Malenka, R.C., and Bear, M.F. (2004). LTP and LTD: an embarrassment of
riches. Neuron 44, 5–21.
Martin, M., Chen, B.T., Hopf, F.W., Bowers, M.S., and Bonci, A. (2006).
Cocaine self-administration selectively abolishes LTD in the core of the
nucleus accumbens. Nat. Neurosci. 9, 868–869.
McFarland, K., and Kalivas, P.W. (2001). The circuitry mediating cocaine-
induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior. J. Neurosci. 21, 8655–8663.
McFarland, K., Lapish, C.C., and Kalivas, P.W. (2003). Prefrontal glutamate
release into the core of the nucleus accumbens mediates cocaine-induced
reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior. J. Neurosci. 23, 3531–3537.
Miller, C.A., and Marshall, J.F. (2004). Altered prelimbic cortex output during
cue-elicited drug seeking. J. Neurosci. 24, 6889–6897.
Moussawi, K., Pacchioni, A., Moran, M., Olive, M.F., Gass, J.T., Lavin, A., and
Kalivas, P.W. (2009). N-Acetylcysteine reverses cocaine-induced meta-
plasticity. Nat. Neurosci. 12, 182–189.
872 Neuron 77, 867–872, March 6, 2013 ª2013 Elsevier Inc.
Moussawi, K., Zhou, W., Shen, H., Reichel, C.M., See, R.E., Carr, D.B., and
Kalivas, P.W. (2011). Reversing cocaine-induced synaptic potentiation
provides enduring protection from relapse. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 108,
385–390.
Ramachandran, B., and Frey, J.U. (2009). Interfering with the actin network
and its effect on long-term potentiation and synaptic tagging in hippocampal
CA1 neurons in slices in vitro. J. Neurosci. 29, 12167–12173.
See, R.E. (2002). Neural substrates of conditioned-cued relapse to drug-
seeking behavior. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 71, 517–529.
Shaham, Y., Shalev, U., Lu, L., De Wit, H., and Stewart, J. (2003). The reinstate-
ment model of drug relapse: history, methodology and major findings.
Psychopharmacology (Berl.) 168, 3–20.
Shen, H.W., Toda, S., Moussawi, K., Bouknight, A., Zahm, D.S., and Kalivas,
P.W. (2009). Altered dendritic spine plasticity in cocaine-withdrawn rats.
J. Neurosci. 29, 2876–2884.
Shen, H., Moussawi, K., Zhou, W., Toda, S., and Kalivas, P.W. (2011). Heroin
relapse requires long-term potentiation-like plasticity mediated by NMDA2b-
containing receptors. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 108, 19407–19412.
Shepherd, J.D., and Huganir, R.L. (2007). The cell biology of synaptic
plasticity: AMPA receptor trafficking. Annu. Rev. Cell Dev. Biol. 23, 613–643.
Stefanik, M.T., Moussawi, K., Kupchik, Y.M., Smith, K.C., Miller, R.L., Huff,
M.L., Deisseroth, K., Kalivas, P.W., and Lalumiere, R.T. (2013). Optogenetic
inhibition of cocaine seeking in rats. Addict. Biol. 18, 50–53.
Sun, X., Milovanovic, M., Zhao, Y., and Wolf, M.E. (2008). Acute and chronic
dopamine receptor stimulation modulates AMPA receptor trafficking in
nucleus accumbens neurons cocultured with prefrontal cortex neurons.
J. Neurosci. 28, 4216–4230.
Vocci, F., and Ling, W. (2005). Medications development: successes and
challenges. Pharmacol. Ther. 108, 94–108.
Wilson, S.J., Sayette, M.A., and Fiez, J.A. (2004). Prefrontal responses to drug
cues: a neurocognitive analysis. Nat. Neurosci. 7, 211–214.
Wolf, M.E. (2010). The Bermuda Triangle of cocaine-induced neuroadapta-
tions. Trends Neurosci. 33, 391–398.
Wolf, M.E., and Ferrario, C.R. (2010). AMPA receptor plasticity in the nucleus
accumbens after repeated exposure to cocaine. Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 35,
185–211.
Yang, Y., and Zhou, Q. (2009). Spine modifications associated with long-term
potentiation. Neuroscientist 15, 464–476.
Zhou, Q., Homma, K.J., and Poo, M.M. (2004). Shrinkage of dendritic spines
associated with long-term depression of hippocampal synapses. Neuron 44,
749–757.
- Relapse Induced by Cues Predicting Cocaine Depends on Rapid, Transient Synaptic Potentiation
- Introduction
- Results
- Discussion
- Experimental Procedures
- Animal Housing and Surgery
- Cocaine Self-Administration Procedures
- Microinfusion Procedures and Histology
- Quantification of Dendritic Spines
- Slice Preparation and Whole-Cell Recordings
- Statistics
- Supplemental Information
- Acknowledgments
- References