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. 2017 Feb:13:117-123.
doi: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2016.11.013. Epub 2016 Dec 3.

It's only a matter of time: longevity of cocaine-induced changes in dendritic spine density in the nucleus accumbens

Ethan M Anderson  1 , David W Self  1
Affiliations

It's only a matter of time: longevity of cocaine-induced changes in dendritic spine density in the nucleus accumbens

Ethan M Anderson et al. Curr Opin Behav Sci. 2017 Feb.

Abstract

Many reports show that repeated cocaine administration increases dendritic spine density in medium spiny neurons of the nucleus accumbens, but there is less agreement regarding the persistence of these changes. In this review we examine these discrepancies by systematically categorizing papers that measured cocaine-induced changes in accumbal spine density. We compare published reports based on withdrawal time, short versus long duration of cocaine administration, environmental pairing with cocaine, and core/shell subregion specificity. Together, these studies suggest that cocaine exposure induces rapid and dose-dependent increases in spine density in accumbens neurons that may play a role in the maintenance of cocaine use and vulnerability to early relapse, but are not a factor in behavioral changes associated with longer abstinence.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Time course of cocaine-induced increases in spine density in nucleus accumbens
The percentage of studies reporting cocaine-induced spine changes over withdrawal gradually decreases from 100% at early time points (<1 day) to ~ 50% after 1 month. No studies report changes after 3 months of withdrawal. A table reporting the number of positive versus negative reports is given below.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Short- and long-term cocaine administration periods differentially affect the persistence of cocaine-induced spine density increases in nucleus accumbens
Reports of cocaine-induced spine density changes were grouped into short-term (3–11 days, green) and long-term (12–37 days, blue) days of cocaine treatment. A dashed blue line indicates no long-term dosing study examined time points at <24 hours of cocaine withdrawal. A table reporting the number of positive versus negative reports is given below.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Evidence that cocaine-induced changes in spine density in nucleus accumbens is independent of environmental context
Reports of cocaine-induced spine density changes were grouped based on home cage cocaine treatments or treatments in a distinct cocaine-paired environment. There is no relationship between the cocaine treatment environment and the longevity of spine density increases in published reports. A table reporting the number of positive versus negative reports is given below.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Cocaine-induced spine density changes are found more often in the accumbens shell
Changes in the shell (blue line) were reported more often than changes in the core (black line) at all time points, including <24hrs. A table reporting the number of positive versus negative reports is given below.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Robinson TE, Kolb B. Alterations in the morphology of dendrites and dendritic spines in the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex following repeated treatment with amphetamine or cocaine. European Journal of Neuroscience. 1999;11:1598–1604. The first report of cocaine-induced changes in dendritic spines that can last for weeks.

    1. Waselus M, Flagel SB, Jedynak JP, Akil H, Robinson TE, Watson SJ., Jr Long-term effects of cocaine experience on neuroplasticity in the nucleus accumbens core of addiction-prone rats. Neuroscience. 2013;248:571–584. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Toda S, Shen H, Kalivas PW. Inhibition of actin polymerization prevents cocaine-induced changes in spine morphology in the nucleus accumbens. Neurotoxicity Research. 2010;18:410–415. - PubMed

    1. Shen H, Toda S, Moussawi K, Bouknight A, Zahm DS, Kalivas PW. Altered dendritic spine plasticity in cocaine-withdrawn rats. Journal of Neuroscience. 2009;29:2876–2884. The report that demonstrates only a single dose of cocaine is needed for a short-lived, transient change in dendritic spine density.

    1. Dumitriu D, LaPlant Q, Grossman YS, Dias C, Janssen WG, Russo SJ, Morrison JH, Nestler EJ. Subregional, dendritic compartment, and spine subtype specificity in cocaine regulation of dendritic spines in the nucleus accumbens. Journal of Neuroscience. 2012;32:6957–6966. - PMC - PubMed

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