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Alzheimer s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia worldwide. One of AD s main pathological hallmarks is the cerebral plaque deposits of Beta-amyloid (ABeta). ABeta is generated through sequential enzymatic cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). The Beta-secretase or Beta-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) initiates this cleavage and is thus key to regulate ABeta formation. Both APP and BACE1 transit through the endolysosomal system but the exact nature of the compartment(s) where APP cleavage occurs as well as the molecular mechanisms that govern their endosomal sorting remain poorly known. Here we show that RAB11 not only regulates BACE1 transport from early/sorting endosomes (EEs/SEs) and drives the exocytosis of BACE1-containing recycling carriers. Moreover, recycling endosome-associated KIF13A, as well as its closely related homolog KIF13B, which are known RAB11 effectors involved in the biogenesis of recycling endosome (RE) from EEs/SEs, also participate in BACE1 endosomal sorting. Importantly, depletion of KIF13A or KIF13B leads to an increase in ABeta generation. Depletion of the BLOC-1 complex, previously described as an essential partner for KIF13A-dependent RE biogenesis, also induces increased amount of ABeta. Altogether, our findings support a model where the EEs/SEs represent a major organelle for ABeta formation and identify the recycling endosome biogenesis machinery as a master coordinator of BACE1 endosomal sorting and transport.

The lateral habenula (LHb) supports learning processes enabling the prediction of upcoming rewards. While reward-related stimuli decrease the activity of LHb neurons, whether this anchors on synaptic inhibition to guide reward-driven behaviors remains poorly understood. Here, we combine in vivo two-photon calcium imaging with Pavlovian conditioning in mice and report that anticipatory licking emerges along with decreases in cue-evoked calcium signals in individual LHb neurons. In vivo multiunit recordings and pharmacology reveal that the cue-evoked reduction in LHb neuronal firing relies on GABA

Excitatory synaptic transmission in the lateral habenula (LHb), an evolutionarily ancient subcortical structure, encodes aversive stimuli and affective states. Habenular glutamatergic synapses contribute to these processes partly through the activation of AMPA receptors. Yet, N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are also expressed in the LHb and support the emergence of depressive symptoms. Indeed, local NMDAR blockade in the LHb rescues anhedonia and behavioral despair in rodent models of depression. However, the subunit composition and biophysical properties of habenular NMDARs remain unknown, thereby hindering their study in the context of mental health. Here, we performed electrophysiological recordings and optogenetic-assisted circuit mapping in mice, to study pharmacologically-isolated NMDAR currents in LHb neurons that receive innervation from different brain regions (entopeduncular nucleus, lateral hypothalamic area, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, or ventral tegmental area). This systematic approach revealed that habenular NMDAR currents are sensitive to TCN and ifenprodil - drugs that specifically inhibit GluN2A- and GluN2B-containing NMDARs, respectively. Whilst these pharmacological effects were consistently observed across inputs, we detected region-specific differences in the current-voltage relationship and decay time of NMDAR currents. Finally, inspired by the firing of LHb neurons in vivo, we designed a burst protocol capable of eliciting calcium-dependent long-term potentiation of habenular NMDAR transmission ex vivo. Altogether, we define basic biophysical and synaptic properties of NMDARs in LHb neurons, opening new avenues for studying their plasticity processes in physiological as well as pathological contexts.

The nervous system can associate neutral cues with rewards to promote appetitive adaptive behaviors. The lateral habenula (LHb) contributes to such behaviors as rewards and reward-predictive cues inhibit this structure and engage LHb-to-dopamine circuits. However, the mechanistic understanding of reward encoding within the LHb remains unknown. We report that, in mice, acquisition of anticipatory licking in a reward-conditioning task potentiates postsynaptic GABAergic transmission, leaving excitatory synapses unaffected. Conversely, LHb-targeted manipulations of postsynaptic GABAergic function via pharmacological blockade or impairment of GABAA receptor trafficking decrease anticipatory licking. Hence, inhibitory signaling within LHb enables the expression of appetitive behaviors.

Summary Weighing alternatives during reward pursuit is a vital cognitive computation that, when disrupted by stress, yields aspects of neuropsychiatric disorders. To examine the neural mechanisms underlying these phenomena, we employed a behavioral task in which mice were confronted by a reward and its omission (i.e., error). The experience of error outcomes engaged neuronal dynamics within the lateral habenula (LHb), a subcortical structure that supports appetitive behaviors and is susceptible to stress. A high incidence of errors predicted low strength of habenular excitatory synapses. Accordingly, stressful experiences increased error choices while decreasing glutamatergic neurotransmission onto LHb neurons. This synaptic adaptation required a reduction in postsynaptic AMPA receptors (AMPARs), irrespective of the anatomical source of glutamate. Bidirectional control of habenular AMPAR transmission recapitulated and averted stress-driven cognitive deficits. Thus, a subcortical synaptic mechanism vulnerable to stress underlies behavioral efficiency during cognitive performance., Graphical abstract, Highlights • A specific phase during an appetitive cognitive task engages LHb neuronal dynamics • The strength of excitatory synapses in LHb neurons predicts cognitive performance • Stress triggers cognitive impairments and disrupts LHb neuronal activity • Deficits in reward-guided behaviors require a decrease in LHb AMPAR transmission, Effective evaluation of costs and benefits is fundamental for survival and vulnerable to stress. Nuno-Perez et al. show that the strength of AMPAR transmission within the mouse lateral habenula governs the incidence of non-rewarded choices in a reward-guided task. Stress weakens habenular excitatory synapses and consequently augments non-rewarded decisions.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in many psychiatric diseases. In humans, a lack of 5-HT2B receptors is associated with serotonin-dependent phenotypes, including impulsivity and suicidality. A lack of 5-HT2B receptors in mice eliminates the effects of molecules that directly target serotonergic neurons including amphetamine derivative serotonin releasers, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants. In this work, we tested the hypothesis that 5-HT2B receptors directly and positively regulate raphe serotonin neuron activity. By ex vivo electrophysiological recordings, we report that stimulation by the 5-HT2B receptor agonist, BW723C86, increased the firing frequency of serotonin Pet1-positive neurons. Viral overexpression of 5-HT2B receptors in these neurons increased their excitability. Furthermore, in vivo 5-HT2B-receptor stimulation by BW723C86 counteracted 5-HT1A autoreceptor-dependent reduction in firing rate and hypothermic response in wild-type mice. By a conditional genetic ablation that eliminates 5-HT2B receptor expression specifically and exclusively from Pet1-positive serotonin neurons (Htr2b 5-HTKO mice), we demonstrated that behavioral and sensitizing effects of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine), as well as acute behavioral and chronic neurogenic effects of the antidepressant fluoxetine, require 5-HT2B receptor expression in serotonergic neurons. In Htr2b 5-HTKO mice, dorsal raphe serotonin neurons displayed a lower firing frequency compared to control Htr2b lox/lox mice as assessed by in vivo extracellular recordings and a stronger hypothermic effect of 5-HT1A-autoreceptor stimulation was observed. The increase in head-twitch response to DOI (2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine) further confirmed the lower serotonergic tone resulting from the absence of 5-HT2B receptors in serotonin neurons. Together, these observations indicate that the 5-HT2B receptor acts as a direct positive modulator of serotonin Pet1-positive neurons in an opposite way as the known 5-HT1A-negative autoreceptor. Fil: Belmer, Arnauld. Universite Paris Sorbonne - Paris Iv; Francia. Inserm; Francia. Queensland University of Technology; Australia Fil: Quentin, Emily. Universite Paris Sorbonne - Paris Iv; Francia. Inserm; Francia Fil: Diaz, Silvina Laura. Inserm; Francia. Universidad de Morón; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. Eduardo de Robertis". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia; Argentina Fil: Guiard, Bruno P.. Université Paul Sabatier; Francia Fil: Fernandez, Sebastian P.. Inserm; Francia. Universite Paris Sorbonne - Paris Iv; Francia Fil: Doly, Stéphane. Inserm; Francia. Universite Paris Sorbonne - Paris Iv; Francia Fil: Banas, Sophie M.. Inserm; Francia. Universite Paris Sorbonne - Paris Iv; Francia Fil: Pitychoutis, Pothitos M.. Inserm; Francia. Universite Paris Sorbonne - Paris Iv; Francia Fil: Moutkine, Imane. Inserm; Francia. Universite Paris Sorbonne - Paris Iv; Francia Fil: Muzerelle, Aude. Universite Paris Sorbonne - Paris Iv; Francia. Inserm; Francia Fil: Tchenio, Anna. Universite de Lausanne; Suiza. Inserm; Francia Fil: Roumier, Anne. Inserm; Francia. Universite Paris Sorbonne - Paris Iv; Francia Fil: Mameli, Manuel. Universite de Lausanne; Suiza. Universite Paris Sorbonne - Paris Iv; Francia. Inserm; Francia Fil: Maroteaux, Luc. Inserm; Francia. Universite Paris Sorbonne - Paris Iv; Francia

International audience; The lateral habenula encodes aversive stimuli contributing to negative emotional states during drug withdrawal. Here we report that morphine withdrawal in mice leads to microglia adaptations and diminishes glutamatergic transmission onto raphe-projecting lateral habenula neurons. Chemogenetic inhibition of this circuit promotes morphine withdrawal-like social deficits. Morphine withdrawal-driven synaptic plasticity and reduced sociability require tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) release and neuronal TNF receptor 1 activation. Hence, habenular cytokines control synaptic and behavioral adaptations during drug withdrawal.

Depression is a highly heterogeneous disease characterized by symptoms spanning from anhedonia and behavioral despair to social withdrawal and learning deficit. Such diversity of behavioral phenotypes suggests that discrete neural circuits may underlie precise aspects of the disease, rendering its treatment an unmet challenge for modern neuroscience. Evidence from humans and animal models indicate that the lateral habenula (LHb), an epithalamic center devoted to processing aversive stimuli, is aberrantly affected during depression. This raises the hypothesis that rescuing maladaptations within this nucleus may be a potential way to, at least partially, treat aspects of mood disorders. In this review article, we will discuss pre-clinical and clinical evidence highlighting the role of LHb and its cellular adaptations in depression. We will then describe interventional approaches aiming to rescue LHb dysfunction and ultimately ameliorate depressive symptoms. Altogether, we aim to merge the mechanistic-, circuit-, and behavioral-level knowledge obtained about LHb maladaptations in depression to build a general framework that might prove valuable for potential therapeutic interventions.

The lateral habenula (LHb) encodes aversive signals, and its aberrant activity contributes to depression-like symptoms. However, a limited understanding of the cellular mechanisms underlying LHb hyperactivity has precluded the development of pharmacological strategies to ameliorate depression-like phenotypes. Here we report that an aversive experience in mice, such as foot-shock exposure (FsE), induces LHb neuronal hyperactivity and depression-like symptoms. This occurs along with increased protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity, a known regulator of GABAB receptor (GABABR) and G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channel surface expression. Accordingly, FsE triggers GABAB1 and GIRK2 internalization, leading to rapid and persistent weakening of GABAB-activated GIRK-mediated (GABAB-GIRK) currents. Pharmacological inhibition of PP2A restores both GABAB-GIRK function and neuronal excitability. As a consequence, PP2A inhibition ameliorates depression-like symptoms after FsE and in a learned-helplessness model of depression. Thus, GABAB-GIRK plasticity in the LHb represents a cellular substrate for aversive experience. Furthermore, its reversal by PP2A inhibition may provide a novel therapeutic approach to alleviate symptoms of depression in disorders that are characterized by LHb hyperactivity.

International audience; A sudden aversive event produces escape behaviors, an innate response essential for survival in virtually all-animal species. Nuclei including the lateral habenula (LHb), the lateral hypothalamus (LH), and the midbrain are not only reciprocally connected, but also respond to negative events contributing to goal-directed behaviors. However, whether aversion encoding requires these neural circuits to ultimately prompt escape behaviors remains unclear. We observe that aversive stimuli, including foot-shocks, excite LHb neurons and promote escape behaviors in mice. The foot-shock-driven excitation within the LHb requires glutamatergic signaling from the LH, but not from the midbrain. This hypothalamic excitatory projection predominates over LHb neurons monosynaptically innervating aversion-encoding midbrain GABA cells. Finally, the selective chemogenetic silencing of the LH-to-LHb pathway impairs aversion-driven escape behaviors. These findings unveil a habenular neurocircuitry devoted to encode external threats and the consequent escape; a process that, if disrupted, may compromise the animal’s survival.