Transcranial direct current stimulation produces long-lasting attenuation of cocaine-induced behavioral responses and gene regulation in corticostriatal circuits.
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive method to modulate cortical excitability. This technique is a promising emerging tool to treat several neuropathologies, including addiction. We have previously shown in mice that repeated tDCS normalizes pathological behaviors associated with chronic nicotine exposure. Here, we evaluated, in adult female mice, the impact of tDCS on cocaine-induced behavior and gene regulation in corticostriatal circuits implicated in psychostimulant addiction. Anodal tDCS was applied transcranially over the frontal cortex. Three weeks after repeated tDCS, we investigated the induction of a gene expression marker (Zif268) by cocaine (25 mg/kg) in 26 cortical and 23 striatal regions using in situ hybridization histochemistry. We also assessed place preference conditioning by cocaine (5, 10 and 25 mg/kg). tDCS pretreatment increased basal expression and attenuated cocaine (25 mg/kg)-induced expression of Zif268 in specific corticostriatal circuits. Cocaine-induced locomotor activation (25 mg/kg) and place preference conditioning (5 and 25 mg/kg) were also reduced. These results demonstrate that tDCS can attenuate molecular and behavioral responses to cocaine for several weeks. Together, our findings provide pre-clinical evidence that such electrical brain stimulation may be useful to modify the psychostimulant addiction risk.
EA 481 Laboratory of Integrative and Clinical Neuroscience, University of Franche-Comté/SFR FED 4234, COMUE Bourgogne/Franche-Comté, France.
Solène
S
Pedron
Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA.
Joel
J
Beverley
EA 481 Laboratory of Integrative and Clinical Neuroscience, University of Franche-Comté/SFR FED 4234, COMUE Bourgogne/Franche-Comté, France.|INSERM CIC-IT 808 Clinical Investigation Centre for Innovative Technology, University Hospital of Besançon, France.
Emmanuel
E
Haffen
EA 481 Laboratory of Integrative and Clinical Neuroscience, University of Franche-Comté/SFR FED 4234, COMUE Bourgogne/Franche-Comté, France.
Patrice
P
Andrieu
Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA.
Heinz
H
Steiner
EA 481 Laboratory of Integrative and Clinical Neuroscience, University of Franche-Comté/SFR FED 4234, COMUE Bourgogne/Franche-Comté, France.
Vincent
V
Van Waes
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051766:Early Growth Response Protein 1 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D065908:Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D051766:Early Growth Response Protein 1; C486109:Egr1 protein, mouse; D003042:Cocaine
Cocaine; conditioned place preference; corticostriatal circuits; gene expression; neuromodulation; tDCS