Biology subjects

Busquets-Garcia, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Busquets-Garcia, A..

10 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Endocannabinoid-dopamine interactions mediate incidental associations in the hippocampus

Reinforced conditioning allows individuals predicting future events with high confidence. However, many daily behaviours rely on unreinforced connections of neutral stimuli, called Incidental Associations (IAs), which enhance predictive capacity in unstable environments and are observed across species. IAs can be studied through sensory preconditioning paradigms, where two neutral stimuli (S1/S2) are presented together in a preconditioning phase, followed by classical conditioning of S1 with a potent reinforcer. As a result, subjects present a direct response to the S1 stimulus, but also display mediated responses to the S2 stimulus never explicitly reinforced, indicating IA formation during preconditioning. Our previous work demonstrated that type-1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1 receptors) in the hippocampus are essential for this IA formation. As dopamine signaling is also important for this process, we investigate the role of interactions between these dopamine-cannabinoid systems in IA memory formation in the hippocampus. Extending our previous work on odor-taste association, using light-sound association we showed that global CB1 receptor knock-out or specific hippocampal CB1 receptor deletion also blocked mediated responses to sound (S2) while direct response to light (S1) was unaltered. Focusing on dopamine, we then found hippocampal dopaminergic activity is enhanced during paired presentations of S1 and S2 and that blockade of dopamine D1 receptor during preconditioning S1-S2 associations abolished mediated response to S2. Interestingly, mice lacking CB1 receptors specifically in D1-receptor-expressing cells (D1-CB1-KO) failed to show mediated responses for either light-sound or odor-taste associations, identifying this CB1 receptor population as critical for IA formation. Enhanced activation of CB1 receptors, through either increase of endocannabinoids (using degradation enzyme inhibition) or exogenous stimulation by cannabis-derived Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), was able to promote the formation of IAs under insufficient conditions. The effect of endogenous CB1 activation, but not THC, was blocked in D1-CB1-KO mice indicating that IA-facilitation by endogenous and exogenous receptor activation rely on different mechanisms. Overall, these data uncover new mechanisms underlying unreinforced associative learning.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Obesogenic diet impairs memory consolidation via the hippocampal endocannabinoid system

Although obesogenic high-fat/high-sugar diets impair memory function in humans and rodents, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Given that the brain endocannabinoid system and type-1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1R) control memory processes and are overactive under obesogenic conditions, we studied whether the effects of obesogenic diet consumption on memory function are dependent on this system. Using an object recognition memory (ORM) task in male mice, we showed that CB1R activity is required for obesogenic diet-induced impairment of long-term memory performance. This impairment was prevented by post-training systemic blockade of CB1R, which also normalized training-induced hippocampal cellular and synaptic overactivation. Consistently, obesogenic diet potentiated the increase of hippocampal endocannabinoid levels and enhanced CB1R expression induced by ORM, and genetic CB1R deletion from hippocampal glutamatergic neurons abolished diet-induced memory deficits. Strikingly, obesogenic diet enhanced the hippocampal mTOR pathway in a CB1R-dependent manner, and pharmacological mTOR inhibition after training rescued diet-induced ORM consolidation deficits. Together, these results establish how an obesogenic environment can lead to hippocampal overactivation of the endocannabinoid system and of the mTOR pathway to eventually impair memory consolidation. Thus, these results shed light on the mechanisms of diet-induced cognitive alterations and may pave the way to novel therapeutic strategies. HighlightsO_LIObesogenic diet induces long-term memory deficits, which are rescued by CB1R blockade C_LIO_LICB1R blockade rescues diet-induced aberrant hippocampal activity/plasticity after training C_LIO_LIObesogenic diet enhances hippocampal endocannabinoid levels and CB1R after training C_LIO_LIDeletion of hippocampal CB1R rescues diet-induced long-term memory deficits C_LIO_LIObesogenic diet enhances hippocampal mTOR phosphorylation after training C_LIO_LImTOR inhibition rescues diet-induced memory consolidation deficits C_LI

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Pregnenolone and AEF0117 block cannabinoid-induced hyperlocomotion through GSK3β signaling at striatopallidal neurons

Administration of {Delta}9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of the plant Cannabis sativa, can induce psychotic symptomatology in humans and a large spectrum of acute psychotic-like behaviors in mice, including hyperlocomotion observed at low dose of THC (0.3 mg/kg). The cellular and molecular substrates of this effect have not been fully identified yet. Here we demonstrate that THC-induced hyperlocomotion depends on plasma membrane CB1R, which regulate the {beta}-arrestin 1/Akt/GSK3{beta} signaling pathway in D2R-positive neurons of the dorsal striatum forming the striatopallidal pathway of the basal ganglia. Pregnenolone (PREG) and its clinically developed analog, AEF0117, which are signaling specific inhibitors of CB1R (CB1-SSi), prevented GSK3{beta}-dependent psychomotor stimulation induced by THC. Overall, this work highlights a novel intracellular mechanism of CB1R, thereby revealing a neuronal pathway underlying an important but still underexplored effect of THC and cannabis consumption, which could help the development of innovative therapeutic concepts against psychotic conditions.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Dorsal hippocampus mediates light-tone sensory preconditioning task in mice

Daily choices are often influenced by environmental cues that are not directly associated with reinforcers. This phenomenon, known as higher-order conditioning, can be studied using sensory preconditioning tasks in rodents. This behavioral paradigm involves the repeated pairing of two innocuous stimuli, such as a light and a tone, followed by a devaluation phase in which one stimulus is associated with an unconditioned stimulus, such as a mild foot-shock. The result is a conditioned response (e.g., freezing) to both the conditioned stimulus (direct learning) and the non-conditioned stimulus (mediated learning). In our study, we successfully established a light-tone sensory preconditioning task specifically in male mice, as sex differences were observed in both control experimental groups and in sensory preconditioning responses. We employed in vivo, freely moving fiber photometry to monitor neural activity in the dorsal and ventral subregions of the hippocampus in male mice during the formation of associations between innocuous stimuli and reinforcers. Additionally, we combined our sensory preconditioning task with chemogenetic approaches to investigate the roles of these hippocampal subregions in sensory preconditioning. Our results indicate that dorsal, but not ventral, CaMKII-positive neurons are involved in encoding innocuous stimuli during the preconditioning phase. Overall, we developed a novel light-tone sensory preconditioning protocol in male mice, enabling the detection of sex differences and furthering our understanding of how specific hippocampal subregions and cell types regulate complex cognitive processes.

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bioRxiv2024

Sex-specific maladaptive responses to acute stress upon in utero THC exposure are mediated by dopamine

Cannabis remains by far the most consumed illicit drug in Europe. The availability of more potent cannabis has raised concerns regarding the enhanced health risks associated with its use, particularly among pregnant women. Growing evidence shows that cannabis use during pregnancy increases the risks of child psychopathology. We have previously shown that male rat offspring prenatally exposed to {Delta}9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a rat model of prenatal cannabinoid exposure (PCE), display a hyperdopaminergic phenotype associated with a differential susceptibility to acute THC- and stress-mediated effects on sensorimotor gating functions. Here, we explore the contribution of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, key regulator of body adaptive stress responses, to the detrimental effects of acute stress on ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons and sensorimotor gating function of PCE rats. We report a sex-dependent compromised balance in mRNA levels of genes encoding mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors in the VTA, alongside with stress-induced pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) deficits. Notably, VTA dopamine neuronal activity is required for the manifestation of stress-dependent deterioration of PPI. Finally, pharmacological manipulations targeting glycogen-synthase-kinase-3-{beta} signaling during postnatal development correct these stress-induced, sex-specific and dopamine-dependent deficits of PPI. Collectively, these results highlight the critical sex-dependent interplay between HPA axis and dopamine system in the regulation of sensorimotor gating functions in rats.

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bioRxiv2024

Mitochondrial Ca2+ efflux controls neuronal metabolism and long-term memory across species

While impairing neuronal metabolism limits brain performance, it remains poorly understood whether enhancing metabolism in neurons, in contrast, could boost brain function. We find that reducing the expression of the mitochondrial H+/Ca2+ exchanger Letm1 results in increased Ca2+ retention in the mitochondrial matrix of firing neurons, which overactivates neuronal metabolism in flies and rodents. We find that upscaled metabolic states in active neurons of central memory circuits of flies and mice enable storing long-term memories in training paradigms in which wild-type counterparts of both species fail to remember. Our findings unveil an evolutionarily conserved mechanism that controls mitochondrial metabolism in active neurons and prove its crucial role in governing higher brain functions, such as long-term memory formation. Highlights- Letm1 controls activity-driven mitochondrial Ca2+ efflux in neurons - Increased mitochondrial Ca2+ retention during activity overactivates neuronal metabolism - Activity-driven upscaling of neuronal metabolism facilitates long-term olfactory memory in flies and mice

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

A low repeated dose of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol affects memory performance through serotonergic signalling in mice

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug worldwide. Its principal psychoactive component, {Delta}9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), acts as a partial agonist of the main cannabinoid receptor in the brain, the cannabinoid type-1 receptor (CB1R), that is responsible for the central effects of THC including memory impairment. CB1Rs may form heterodimers with the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor (5-HT2AR) which were found responsible for the memory impairment produced by acute high dose of THC in mice. In this study we investigated whether a repeated low dose of THC (1 mg/kg), with no acute consequence on memory performance, could eventually have deleterious cognitive effects. We found that this dose of THC impaired novel object-recognition memory and fear conditioning memory 24 h after the last of 7 consecutive daily treatments. At that time, a general enhancement of c-Fos expression was also observed in several brain regions of THC-exposed animals, as well as a decreased dendritic spine density on hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons that was accompanied by reduced long-term potentiation (LTP) at Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses. Interestingly, an up-regulation in the expression of CB1R/5-HT2AR heterodimers was observed in the hippocampus after THC exposure and pre-treatment with the 5-HT2AR antagonist MDL 100,907 (0.01 mg/kg) prevented the enhanced heterodimerization and the THC-associated memory impairment. Together, these results reveal the significance of serotonergic signalling through 5-HT2ARs in the memory-impairing effects of repeated low doses of THC.

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bioRxiv2020

Astroglial calcium transfer from endoplasmic reticulum to mitochondria determines synaptic integration

Intracellular calcium signaling underlies the astroglial control of synaptic transmission and plasticity. Mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum contacts (MERCs) are key determinants of calcium dynamics, but their functional impact on astroglial regulation of brain information processing is currently unexplored. We found that the activation of astrocyte mitochondrial-associated CB1 receptors (mtCB1) determines MERCs-dependent intracellular calcium signaling and synaptic integration. The stimulation of mtCB1 receptors promotes calcium transfer from the endoplasmic reticulum to mitochondria through specific mechanisms regulating the activity of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) channel. Physiologically, mtCB1-dependent mitochondrial calcium uptake determines the precise dynamics of cytosolic calcium events in astrocytes upon endocannabinoid mobilization. Accordingly, electrophysiological recordings in hippocampal slices showed that genetic exclusion of mtCB1 receptors or specific astroglial MCU inhibition blocks lateral synaptic potentiation, a key example of astrocyte-dependent integration of distant synapses activity. Altogether, these data reveal an unforeseen link between astroglial MERCs and the regulation of brain network functions.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Specific hippocampal interneurons shape consolidation of recognition memory

A complex array of different inhibitory interneurons tightly controls hippocampal activity, but how such diversity specifically impacts on memory processes is scantly known. We found that a small subclass of type-1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1)-expressing hippocampal interneurons determines episodic-like memory consolidation by linking dopamine D1 receptor signaling to GABAergic transmission. Mice lacking CB1 in D1-positive cells (D1-CB1-KO) displayed impaired long-term, but not short-term, object recognition memory. Re-expression of CB1 in hippocampal, but not striatal, D1-positive cells rescued this memory impairment. Learning induced a facilitation of in vivo hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), which was abolished in mutant mice. Chemogenetic and pharmacological experiments revealed that both CB1-mediated memory and associated LTP facilitation involves the local control of GABAergic inhibition in a D1-dependent manner. This study reveals that CB1-/D1-expressing interneurons shape hippocampal circuits to sustain recognition memory, thereby identifying a mechanism linking the diversity of hippocampal interneurons to specific behavioral and cognitive outcomes.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Top-down control of water intake by the endocannabinoid system

Water intake is regulated by neocortical top-down circuits, but their identity and the cellular mechanisms involved are scantly known. Here, we show that endogenous activation of type-1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1) promotes water intake and that endocannabinoid modulation of excitatory projections from the anterior cingulate cortex to the basolateral amygdala is sufficient to guarantee physiological drinking. These data reveal a new circuit involved in the homeostatic control of water intake.

neuroscience↗