Effects of long-term ketamine self-administration on the glutamate synapse

AbstractMajor depression and alcohol-related disorders frequently co-occur. Depression severity weighs on the magnitude and persistence of comorbid alcohol use disorder (AUD), with severe implications for disease prognosis. Here, we investigated whether depression vulnerability drives propensity to AUD at the preclinical level. We used the social defeat-induced persistent stress (SDPS) model of chronic depression in combination with operant alcohol self-administration (SA). Male Wistar rats were subjected to social defeat (5 episodes) and prolonged social isolation (~12 weeks) and subsequently classified as SDPS-prone or SDPS-resilient based on their affective and cognitive performance. Using an operant alcohol SA paradigm, acquisition, motivation, extinction and cue-induced reinstatement of alcohol-seeking were examined in the two subpopulations. SDPS-prone animals showed increased alcohol SA, excessive motivation to acquire alcohol, persistent alcohol-seeking despite alcohol unavailability, extinction resistance and increased cue-induced relapse; the latter could be blocked by the α2 adrenoreceptor agonist guanfacine. In SDPS-resilient rats, prior exposure to social defeat increased alcohol SA without affecting any other measures of alcohol-seeking and -taking. Our data revealed that depression proneness confers vulnerability to alcohol, emulating patterns of alcohol dependence seen in human addicts, and that depression resilience to a large extent protects from the development of AUD-like phenotypes. Furthermore, our data suggest that stress exposure alone, independently of depressive symptoms, alters alcohol intake in the long-term.

Download Full-text

Effects of long-term cocaine self-administration on brain resting-state functional connectivity in nonhuman primates

Translational Psychiatry ◽

10.1038/s41398-020-01101-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Stephen J. Kohut ◽

Dionyssios Mintzopoulos ◽

Brian D. Kangas ◽

Hannah Shields ◽

Kelly Brown ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Cognitive Processing ◽

Resting State ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Self Administration ◽

Chronic Cocaine

AbstractLong-term cocaine use is associated with a variety of neural and behavioral deficits that impact daily function. This study was conducted to examine the effects of chronic cocaine self-administration on resting-state functional connectivity of the dorsal anterior cingulate (dACC) and putamen—two brain regions involved in cognitive function and motoric behavior—identified in a whole brain analysis. Six adult male squirrel monkeys self-administered cocaine (0.32 mg/kg/inj) over 140 sessions. Six additional monkeys that had not received any drug treatment for ~1.5 years served as drug-free controls. Resting-state fMRI imaging sessions at 9.4 Tesla were conducted under isoflurane anesthesia. Functional connectivity maps were derived using seed regions placed in the left dACC or putamen. Results show that cocaine maintained robust self-administration with an average total intake of 367 mg/kg (range: 299–424 mg/kg). In the cocaine group, functional connectivity between the dACC seed and regions primarily involved in motoric behavior was weaker, whereas connectivity between the dACC seed and areas implicated in reward and cognitive processing was stronger. In the putamen seed, weaker widespread connectivity was found between the putamen and other motor regions as well as with prefrontal areas that regulate higher-order executive function; stronger connectivity was found with reward-related regions. dACC connectivity was associated with total cocaine intake. These data indicate that functional connectivity between regions involved in motor, reward, and cognitive processing differed between subjects with recent histories of cocaine self-administration and controls; in dACC, connectivity appears to be related to cumulative cocaine dosage during chronic exposure.

Download Full-text

Sex-Specific Role for Egr3 in Nucleus Accumbens D2-Medium Spiny Neurons Following Long-Term Abstinence From Cocaine Self-administration

Biological Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.10.019 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 87 (11) ◽

pp. 992-1000 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Michel Engeln ◽

Swarup Mitra ◽

Ramesh Chandra ◽

Utsav Gyawali ◽

Megan E. Fox ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nucleus Accumbens ◽

Specific Role ◽

Medium Spiny Neurons ◽

Self Administration ◽

Spiny Neurons

Download Full-text

Systematic review of textile-based electrodes for long-term and continuous surface electromyography recording

Textile Research Journal ◽

10.1177/0040517519858768 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 90 (2) ◽

pp. 227-244

Author(s):

Li Guo ◽

Leif Sandsjö ◽

Max Ortiz-Catalan ◽

Mikael Skrifvars

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Health Monitoring ◽

Surface Electromyography ◽

Electrode Materials ◽

Myoelectric Activity ◽

Self Administration ◽

Smart Textile ◽

Textile Electrode ◽

Future Work

This systematic review concerns the use of smart textiles enabled applications based on myoelectric activity. Electromyography (EMG) is the technique for recording and evaluating electric signals related to muscle activity (myoelectric). EMG is a well-established technique that provides a wealth of information for clinical diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment. Introducing sensor systems that allow for ubiquitous monitoring of health conditions using textile integrated solutions not only opens possibilities for ambulatory, long-term, and continuous health monitoring outside the hospital, but also for autonomous self-administration. Textile-based electrodes have demonstrated potential as a fully operational alternative to ‘standard’ Ag/AgCl electrodes for recording surface electromyography (sEMG) signals. As a substitute for Ag/AgCl electrodes fastened to the skin by taping or pre-gluing adhesive, textile-based electrodes have the advantages of being soft, flexible, and air permeable; thus, they have advantages in medicine and health monitoring, especially when self-administration, real-time, and long-term monitoring is required. Such advances have been achieved through various smart textile techniques; for instance, adding functions in textiles, including fibers, yarns, and fabrics, and various methods for incorporating functionality into textiles, such as knitting, weaving, embroidery, and coating. In this work, we reviewed articles from a textile perspective to provide an overview of sEMG applications enabled by smart textile strategies. The overview is based on a literature evaluation of 41 articles published in both peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings focusing on electrode materials, fabrication methods, construction, and sEMG applications. We introduce four textile integration levels to further describe the various textile electrode sEMG applications reported in the reviewed literature. We conclude with suggestions for future work along with recommendations for the reporting of essential benchmarking information in current and future textile electrode applications.

Download Full-text

Initiating Self-Administration of Medicines for inpatients with cystic fibrosis

Archives of Disease in Childhood ◽

10.1136/archdischild-2019-318368 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 105 (10) ◽

pp. 986-990

Author(s):

Ian M Balfour-Lynn ◽

Khola Khan ◽

Nimla Pentayya ◽

Clare Pheasant ◽

Sian Bentley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cystic Fibrosis ◽

Reporting System ◽

Cost Savings ◽

Parent Satisfaction ◽

Self Administration ◽

Nurse Satisfaction ◽

Electronic Reporting ◽

Cost Implications ◽

Drug Errors

IntroductionChildren with cystic fibrosis (CF) take a multitude of therapies at home. Self-Administration of Medicines (SAM) is a scheme whereby the parent/carer and/or older child keep control of their own medicines in hospital. We initiated a scheme and assessed drug errors, cost implications, and parent and nurse satisfaction.MethodsFollowing a pilot stage, the SAM protocol was initiated and amended as necessary. Drug errors were analysed from the Datix hospital electronic reporting system. Cost analysis of use of the patents own drugs was carried out. Questionnaires were given to parents and nursing staff.ResultsIn the initial 10 months, 97 children had 159 admissions, and 60% were deemed suitable for SAM. Drug errors still occurred—33 in 5 years. Cost savings for the hospital over 1 year were £20 022 for 123 admissions. Patient/parent satisfaction was high, and all wished to partake in SAM for further admissions.ConclusionsThe scheme was a success although it took 3 years to bring to fruition. Drug errors still occurred but we were able to amend the protocol appropriately to react to these. Cost savings are an incidental benefit from use of patient’s own medication. The SAM scheme is applicable to all children with chronic disease on long term medications when they are in hospital.

Download Full-text

Long-term Changes in the Central Amygdala Proteome in Rats with a History of Chronic Cocaine Self-administration

Neuroscience ◽

10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.06.011 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 443 ◽

pp. 93-109

Author(s):

Peter U. Hámor ◽

Mariola J. Edelmann ◽

Christina Gobin ◽

Marek Schwendt

Keyword(s):

Central Amygdala ◽

Self Administration ◽

Chronic Cocaine ◽

Long Term Changes ◽

History Of

Download Full-text

Accidental Administration of Auto-Injectable Adrenaline into a Digit

Dental Update ◽

10.12968/denu.2020.47.1.51 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 51-53

Author(s):

Christine Wanis ◽

Huda Jawad ◽

Richard J Moore ◽

Julie Burke

Keyword(s):

Training Session ◽

Medical Emergency ◽

Self Administration ◽

Long Term Outcomes ◽

Dental Practitioners ◽

Safety Incident ◽

Medical Emergencies ◽

Dental Setting ◽

Auto Injector

General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) and Dental Care Professionals (DCPs) have a duty of care to ensure that patient safety is at the forefront of their clinical practice. Medical emergencies, although rare, can occur in the dental setting, and early, effective management of these emergencies can, not only save lives, but also improve long-term outcomes. A case is reported which highlights a safety incident involving accidental self-administration of an adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) into a digit during a medical emergencies training session. Consequently, the aim is to raise awareness of these unexpected safety incidences and propose a protocol for the treatment of such injuries. CPD/Clinical Relevance: This paper highlights the importance of vigilance when undertaking a medical emergency training course, and the introduction of a new protocol to be used in cases of accidental AAI injury.

Download Full-text