Sucrose Abstinence and Environmental Enrichment Effects on Mesocorticolimbic DARPP32 in Rats

Dopamine- and cAMP-regulated neuronal phosphoprotein 32 kDa (DARPP32) is a signaling molecule that could serve as a molecular switch, promoting or restraining sucrose seeking. We measured DARPP32 and pThr34 DARPP32 in the brains of male Long-Evans rats with a history of sucrose self-administration f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2018-09, Vol.8 (1), p.13174-15, Article 13174
Main Authors: Grimm, Jeffrey W., Glueck, Edwin, Ginder, Darren, Hyde, Jeff, North, Katherine, Jiganti, Kyle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Abstinence
Amphetamines
Caudate-putamen
Dopamine
Enrichment
Humanities and Social Sciences
multidisciplinary
Neostriatum
Nucleus accumbens
Phosphorylation
Prefrontal cortex
Rodents
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Self-administration
Sucrose
Ventral tegmentum
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Summary:Dopamine- and cAMP-regulated neuronal phosphoprotein 32 kDa (DARPP32) is a signaling molecule that could serve as a molecular switch, promoting or restraining sucrose seeking. We measured DARPP32 and pThr34 DARPP32 in the brains of male Long-Evans rats with a history of sucrose self-administration followed by 1 or 30 days of abstinence and exposure to either overnight (acute) or one month (chronic) environmental enrichment (EE). Brains were extracted following a 1 h cue reactivity test or no exposure to the test environment. Micropunches (prelimbic, infralimbic, and anterior cingulate areas of the medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, dorsal striatum, nucleus accumbens, and ventral tegmental area) were then processed using Western blot. Abstinence increased, while EE decreased, sucrose seeking. DARPP32 and pThr34 DARPP32 levels were affected by testing, abstinence, and/or EE in most regions. Especially salient results were observed in the nucleus accumbens core, a region associated with relapse behaviors. Both acute and chronic EE reduced DARPP32 in the nucleus accumbens core and acute EE increased the ratio of phosphorylated to total DARPP32. Degree of DARPP32 phosphorylation negatively correlated with sucrose seeking. These findings demonstrate a potential role for DARPP32 in mediating the “anti-craving” effect of EE.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-29625-x