Abstract
The brain circuit projecting from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens lateral shell (NAcLat) has a key role in methamphetamine (MA) addiction. As different dopamine (DA) neuron subpopulations in the VTA participate in different neuronal circuits, it is a challenge to isolate these DA neuron subtypes. Using retrograde tracing and Patch-seq, we isolated DA neurons in the VTA-NAcLat circuit in MA-treated mice and performed gene expression profiling. Among the differentially expressed genes, KCNQ genes were dramatically downregulated. KCNQ genes encode Kv7 channel proteins, which modulate neuronal excitability. Injection of both the Kv7.2/3 agonist ICA069673 and the Kv7.4 agonist fasudil into the VTA attenuated MA-induced conditioned place preference and locomotor sensitization and decreased neuronal excitability. Increasing Kv7.2/3 activity decreased neural oscillations, synaptic plasticity and DA release in the VTA-NacLat circuit in MA-treated mice. Furthermore, overexpression of only Kv7.3 channels in the VTA-NacLat circuit was sufficient to attenuate MA-induced reward behavior and decrease VTA neuron excitability. Activation of Kv7 channels in the VTA may become a novel treatment strategy for MA abuse.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the Translational Medicine Core Facility of Shandong University for consultation and instrument availability that supported this work.
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This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant Number: U220011 and 81871044.
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JS and EL designed this experiment and prepared the manuscript. EL also performed experiments and wrote the draft. KP, ML, XT, RS, ZH, SM and WH participated in some of the experiments and analyzed the data. SC provided critical revision for important intellectual content and revised the manuscript draft. All authors reviewed and approved the manuscript.
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Liu, E., Pang, K., Liu, M. et al. Activation of Kv7 channels normalizes hyperactivity of the VTA-NAcLat circuit and attenuates methamphetamine-induced conditioned place preference and sensitization in mice. Mol Psychiatry 28, 5183–5194 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-023-02218-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-023-02218-5