Neuregulin 3 Signaling Mediates Nicotine-Dependent Synaptic Plasticity in the Orbitofrontal Cortex and Cognition

Luyi Zhou, Miranda L. Fisher, Robert D. Cole, Thomas J. Gould, Vinay Parikh, Pavel I. Ortinski, Jill R. Turner

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

Neuregulin 3 (NRG3) and ErbB4 have been linked to nicotine addiction; however, the neuronal mechanisms and behavioral consequences of NRG3-ErbB4 sensitivity to nicotine remain elusive. Recent literature suggests that relapse to smoking is due to a lack of impulsive control, which is thought to be due to altered functioning within the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Therefore, we examined circuitry changes within this structure following nicotine application. We report that nicotine controls synaptic plasticity in the OFC through NRG3/ErbB4-dependent regulation of GABAergic inhibition. We observed that both nicotine and NRG3 facilitated the conversion of long-term potentiation into long-term depression at cortical layer 3/5 synapses. Induction of long-term depression by nicotine relied on nicotinic receptor activation and key regulators of NRG3 signaling: (1) release of intracellular calcium, (2) activation of the BACE1 beta-secretase, and (3) ErbB4 receptor activation. Nicotine-induced synaptic plasticity was also associated with accumulation of intracellular GABA and was completely blocked by GABA A /GABA B antagonists. To test whether these mechanisms underlie OFC-dependent behavior, we evaluated the effects of nicotine in the go/no-go task. Nicotine-impaired stimulus discrimination in this task was rescued by pharmacologic disruption of the NRG3 receptor, ErbB4. Altogether, our data indicate that nicotine-induced synaptic plasticity in the OFC and cognitive changes depend on NRG3-ErbB4 signaling. We propose that nicotine activation of this pathway may contribute to nicotine addiction, particularly in individuals with genetic variation in NRG3.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1343-1354
Number of pages12
JournalNeuropsychopharmacology
Volume43
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1 2018

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. All rights reserved.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health Grants R00-DA-032681 (JRT), DA031747 (PIO), DA041632 (TJG), and DA037421 (VP). All authors declare no financial and non-financial competing interests. We thank Dr Andres Buonanno at NIH for generously providing of ErbB4 antibody. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

FundersFunder number
National Institutes of Health (NIH)DA041632, R00-DA-032681, DA037421
National Institute on Drug AbuseK01DA031747

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Pharmacology
    • Psychiatry and Mental health

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