TY - JOUR
T1 - Melanin-concentrating hormone in rat nucleus accumbens or lateral hypothalamus differentially impacts morphine and food seeking behaviors
AU - Wang, Dongmei
AU - Zhang, Jianjun
AU - Bai, Yunjing
AU - Zheng, Xigeng
AU - Alizamini, Mirmohammadali M.
AU - Shang, Wen
AU - Yang, Qingxiong
AU - Li, Ming
AU - Li, Yonghui
AU - Sui, Nan
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors wish to thank Steve Brimijoin for his critical reading and comments on the manuscript. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: this work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFC1310405), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1736124, 31371035), and the CAS Key Lab of Mental Health.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020.
PY - 2020/4/1
Y1 - 2020/4/1
N2 - Background: Identifying neural substrates that are differentially affected by drugs of abuse and natural rewards is key to finding a target for an efficacious treatment for substance abuse. Melanin-concentrating hormone is a polypeptide with an inhibitory effect on the mesolimbic dopamine system. Here we test the hypothesis that melanin-concentrating hormone in the lateral hypothalamus and nucleus accumbens shell is differentially involved in the regulation of morphine and food-rewarded behaviors. Methods: Male Sprague–Dawley rats were trained with morphine (5.0 mg/kg, subcutaneously) or food pellets (standard chow, 10–14 g) to induce a conditioned place preference, immediately followed by extinction training. Melanin-concentrating hormone (1.0 µg/side) or saline was infused into the nucleus accumbens shell or lateral hypothalamus before the reinstatement primed by morphine or food, and locomotor activity was simultaneously monitored. As the comparison, melanin-concentrating hormone was also microinjected into the nucleus accumbens shell or lateral hypothalamus before the expression of food or morphine-induced conditioned place preference. Results: Microinfusion of melanin-concentrating hormone into the nucleus accumbens shell (but not into the lateral hypothalamus) prevented the reinstatement of morphine conditioned place preference but had no effect on the reinstatement of food conditioned place preference. In contrast, microinfusion of melanin-concentrating hormone into the lateral hypothalamus (but not in the nucleus accumbens shell) inhibited the reinstatement of food conditioned place preference but had no effect on the reinstatement of morphine conditioned place preference. Conclusions: These results suggest a clear double dissociation of melanin-concentrating hormone in morphine/food rewarding behaviors and melanin-concentrating hormone in the nucleus accumbens shell. Melanin-concentrating hormone could be a potential target for therapeutic intervention for morphine abuse without affecting natural rewards.
AB - Background: Identifying neural substrates that are differentially affected by drugs of abuse and natural rewards is key to finding a target for an efficacious treatment for substance abuse. Melanin-concentrating hormone is a polypeptide with an inhibitory effect on the mesolimbic dopamine system. Here we test the hypothesis that melanin-concentrating hormone in the lateral hypothalamus and nucleus accumbens shell is differentially involved in the regulation of morphine and food-rewarded behaviors. Methods: Male Sprague–Dawley rats were trained with morphine (5.0 mg/kg, subcutaneously) or food pellets (standard chow, 10–14 g) to induce a conditioned place preference, immediately followed by extinction training. Melanin-concentrating hormone (1.0 µg/side) or saline was infused into the nucleus accumbens shell or lateral hypothalamus before the reinstatement primed by morphine or food, and locomotor activity was simultaneously monitored. As the comparison, melanin-concentrating hormone was also microinjected into the nucleus accumbens shell or lateral hypothalamus before the expression of food or morphine-induced conditioned place preference. Results: Microinfusion of melanin-concentrating hormone into the nucleus accumbens shell (but not into the lateral hypothalamus) prevented the reinstatement of morphine conditioned place preference but had no effect on the reinstatement of food conditioned place preference. In contrast, microinfusion of melanin-concentrating hormone into the lateral hypothalamus (but not in the nucleus accumbens shell) inhibited the reinstatement of food conditioned place preference but had no effect on the reinstatement of morphine conditioned place preference. Conclusions: These results suggest a clear double dissociation of melanin-concentrating hormone in morphine/food rewarding behaviors and melanin-concentrating hormone in the nucleus accumbens shell. Melanin-concentrating hormone could be a potential target for therapeutic intervention for morphine abuse without affecting natural rewards.
KW - Melanin-concentrating hormone
KW - food
KW - lateral hypothalamus
KW - morphine
KW - nucleus accumbens shell
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U2 - 10.1177/0269881119895521
DO - 10.1177/0269881119895521
M3 - Article
C2 - 31909693
AN - SCOPUS:85077590116
SN - 0269-8811
VL - 34
SP - 478
EP - 489
JO - Journal of Psychopharmacology
JF - Journal of Psychopharmacology
IS - 4
ER -