Acupuncture reduces relapse to cocaine-seeking behavior via activation of GABA neurons in the ventral tegmental area.

Author: Jin W1, Kim MS2, Jang EY1,3, Lee JY1, Lee JG1, Kim HY1, Yoon SS4, Lee BH1, Chang S1, Kim JH5, Choi KH6, Koo H2, Gwak YS1,3, Steffensen SC7, Ryu YH8, Kim HY1, Yang CH1,3
Affiliation:
1 College of Korean Medicine, Daegu Haany University, Daegu, South Korea.
2 Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, South Korea.
3 Convergence Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Daegu Haany University, Daegu, South Korea.
4 Research Center of Safety Pharmacology, Korea Institute of Toxicity, Daejeon, South Korea.
5 Department of Meridian & Acupoint, College of Korean Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, South Korea.
6 Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA.
7 Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA.
8 Acupuncture, Moxibustion & Meridian Research Center, Division of Standard Research, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea.
Conference/Journal: Addict Biol.
Date published: 2017 Mar 7
Other: Special Notes: doi: 10.1111/adb.12499. [Epub ahead of print] , Word Count: 270

There is growing public interest in alternative approaches to addiction treatment and scientific interest in elucidating the neurobiological underpinnings of acupuncture. Our previous studies showed that acupuncture at a specific Shenmen (HT7) points reduced dopamine (DA) release in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) induced by drugs of abuse. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effects of HT7 acupuncture on γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neuronal activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior. Using microdialysis and in vivo single-unit electrophysiology, we evaluated the effects of HT7 acupuncture on VTA GABA and NAc DA release and VTA GABA neuronal activity in rats. Using a within-session reinstatement paradigm in rats self-administering cocaine, we evaluated the effects of HT7 stimulation on cocaine-primed reinstatement. Acupuncture at HT7 significantly reduced cocaine suppression of GABA release and GABA neuron firing rates in the VTA. HT7 acupuncture attenuated cocaine-primed reinstatement, which was blocked by VTA infusions of the selective GABAB receptor antagonist 2-hydroxysaclofen. HT7 stimulation significantly decreased acute cocaine-induced DA release in the NAc, which was also blocked by 2-hydroxysaclofen. HT7 acupuncture also attenuated cocaine-induced sensitization of extracellular DA levels in the NAc. Moreover, HT7 acupuncture reduced both locomotor activity and neuronal activation in the NAc induced by acute cocaine in a needle-penetration depth-dependent fashion. These results suggest that acupuncture may suppress cocaine-induced DA release in the NAc and cocaine-seeking behavior through activation of VTA GABA neurons. Acupuncture may be an effective therapy to reduce cocaine relapse by enhancing GABAergic inhibition in the VTA.

© 2017 Society for the Study of Addiction.

KEYWORDS: Acupuncture; GABA; cocaine-seeking behavior; dopamine; ventral tegmental area

PMID: 28271626 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12499

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