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The effects anandamide signaling in the prelimbic cortex and basolateral amygdala on coping with environmental stimuli in rats

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Abstract

Rationale

Several lines of recent evidence suggest that endocannabinoids affect behavior by influencing the general patterns of challenge responding.

Objectives

Here, we investigated the brain mechanisms underlying this phenomenon in rats.

Methods

The anandamide hydrolysis inhibitor URB597 was condensed into the tip of stainless steel cannulae, which were chronically implanted slightly above the prelimbic cortex (PRL) or the basolateral amygdala (BLA), two important regions of coping and endocannabinoid action. Thereafter, we investigated behavioral responsiveness to ambient light level in the elevated plus-maze and conditioned fear tests.

Results

URB597 concentration was ~30 μg/mg protein in target areas; local brain anandamide levels increased threefold, without significant changes in 2-arachidonoylglycerol. High levels of illumination halved the time spent by controls in the open arms of the plus-maze. No similar decrease was observed in rats with URB597 implants in the PRL. High light decreased conditioned fear by 30 % in controls, but not in rats with prelimbic URB597 implants. Unresponsiveness to environmental challenges was not attributable to the anxiolytic effects of anandamide enhancement, as implants induced paradoxical anxiogenic-like effects under low light, which could be explained by effects on stimulus responsiveness rather than by effects on anxiety. URB597 implants targeting the BLA did not affect stimulus responsiveness.

Conclusions

Our findings show that elevated prelimbic anandamide signaling leads to less environment-dependent (more autonomous) behavioral responses to challenges, which is an attribute of active coping styles. These findings are discussed in light of two emerging concepts of endocannabinoid roles, particularly “emotional homeostasis” and “active coping.”

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Acknowledgements

The authors dedicate this paper to the memory of Steven R. Goldberg, an eminent scientist and good friend, who played an important role in shaping the coping concept of endocannabinoid action and in designing the studies presented here. Funding for this study was provided by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH) grants No. PD112787 (to M.A.) and K101645 (to J.H.), János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (M.A.), European Research Council grant No. 294313-SERRACO (to J.H.), and the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, DHHS (to S.R.G.). The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1450, Budapest, P.O. Box 67, Hungary

      Mano Aliczki, Istvan Barna, Ibolya Till & Jozsef Haller

    2. Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary

      Maria Baranyi & Beata Sperlagh

    3. Preclinical Pharmacology Section, Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, Intramural Research Program, Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

      Steven R. Goldberg

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    1. Mano Aliczki
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    Correspondence to Jozsef Haller.

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    Mano Aliczki and Istvan Barna contributed equally to this work.

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    Aliczki, M., Barna, I., Till, I. et al. The effects anandamide signaling in the prelimbic cortex and basolateral amygdala on coping with environmental stimuli in rats. Psychopharmacology 233, 1889–1899 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-016-4219-8

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