title: Impact of partial dopamine depletion on cognitive flexibility in BDNF heterozygous mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cognitive flexibility is a key component of executive function and is disrupted in major psychiatric disorders. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) exerts neuromodulatory effects on synaptic transmission and cognitive/affective behaviors. However, the causal mechanisms linking BDNF hypofunction with executive deficits are not well understood.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Here, we assessed the consequences of BDNF hemizygosity on cognitive flexibility in mice performing an operant conditioning task. As dopaminergic-glutamatergic interaction in the striatum is important for cognitive processing, and BDNF heterozygous (BDNF(+/-)) mice display a higher dopamine tone in the dorsal striatum, we also assessed the effects of partial striatal dopamine depletion on task performance and glutamate release.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BDNF(+/-) mice acquired discrimination learning as well as new rule learning during set-shifting as efficiently as wild-type mice. However, partial removal of striatal dopaminergic inputs with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) impaired these cognitive processes by impeding the maintenance of a new learning strategy in both genotypes. BDNF mutants exhibited performance impairments during reversal learning, and these deficits were associated with increased perseveration to the previously acquired strategy. Partial dopamine depletion of the striatum reversed these cognitive impairments. Additionally, reduction in depolarization-evoked glutamate release noted in the dorsal striatum of BDNF(+/-) mice was not observed in 6-OHDA-infused BDNF mutants indicating normalization of glutamatergic transmission in these animals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data illustrate that BDNF signaling regulates cognitive control processes presumably by maintaining striatal dopamine-glutamate balance. Moreover, aberrations in BDNF signaling may act as a common neurobiological substrate that accounts for executive dysfunction observed in multiple psychiatric conditions.
authors: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA. parikh10@temple.edu.
authors: Vinay
authors: V
authors: Parikh
authors: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA.
authors: Sean X
authors: SX
authors: Naughton
authors: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA.
authors: Brittney
authors: B
authors: Yegla
authors: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA.
authors: Dawn M
authors: DM
authors: Guzman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004298:Dopamine / Q000172:deficiency*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006579:Heterozygote; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D016627:Oxidopamine / Q000633:toxicity; D012193:Reversal Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D016627:Oxidopamine; D004298:Dopamine
keywords: BDNF; Cognitive flexibility; Dopamine; Glutamate; Mice