The activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc) functions in a cell type- and sex-specific manner in the adult nucleus accumbens to regulate non-contingent cocaine behaviors.
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Repeated cocaine use produces adaptations in brain function that contribute to long-lasting behaviors associated with cocaine use disorder (CUD). In rodents, the activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc) can regulate glutamatergic synaptic transmission, and cocaine regulates Arc expression and subcellular localization in multiple brain regions, including the nucleus accumbens (NAc)-a brain region linked to CUD-related behavior. We show here that repeated, non-contingent cocaine administration in global Arc KO male mice produced a dramatic hypersensitization of cocaine locomotor responses and drug experience-dependent sensitization of conditioned place preference (CPP). In contrast to the global Arc KO mice, viral-mediated reduction of Arc in the adult male, but not female, NAc (shArcNAc) reduced both CPP and cocaine-induced locomotor activity, but without altering basal miniature or evoked glutamatergic synaptic transmission. Interestingly, cell type-specific knockdown of Arc in D1 dopamine receptor-expressing NAc neurons reduced cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization, but not cocaine CPP; whereas, Arc knockdown in D2 dopamine receptor-expressing NAc neurons reduced cocaine CPP, but not cocaine-induced locomotion. Taken together, our findings reveal that global, developmental loss of Arc produces hypersensitized cocaine responses; however, these effects cannot be explained by Arc's function in the adult mouse NAc since Arc is required in a cell type- and sex-specific manner to support cocaine-context associations and locomotor responses.
Wood, D. J., Huebschman, J. L., Martinez, D., Tsvetkov, E., Snyder, K., Tjhia, R., ... Penrod, R. D.
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Wood, Daniel J||Huebschman, Jessica L||Martinez, Dalia||Tsvetkov, Evgeny||Snyder, Kirsten||Tjhia, Raymond||Kumar, Jaswinder||Hughes, Brandon W||Taniguchi, Makoto||Smith, Laura N||Cowan, Christopher W||Penrod, Rachel D
