August 24, 2005

Neurotransmitter Orexin Associated With Pleasure
and Reward Pathways in the Brain, in Addition to Functions in Sleep and Appetite
Newly Discovered Role Could Be Basis for Novel
Drug Addiction Treatments

(Philadelphia, PA) - Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that the recently identified neurotransmitter orexin (also known as hypocretin) influences reward processing by activating neurons in the lateral hypothalamus region of the brain. By identifying the relationship between orexin neurons and behaviors associated with reward seeking, drug relapse, and addiction, researchers hope to find new treatments for drug addiction.

Previous studies have linked orexin activity to sleep and arousal (wakefulness), as well as feeding and appetite. Anatomical studies have shown that orexin neurons extend into the brain regions associated with reward pathways, including the ventral tagmental area and nucleus accumbens. Communication between the lateral hypothalamus and these brain regions suggests that orexin neurons may have a role in motivation and reward-seeking behavior. In order to examine the relationship between orexin and reward seeking, Glenda Harris, PhD, working with Gary Aston-Jones, PhD, in the Department of Psychiatry at Penn, examined orexin function in rats using a behavioral test aimed at mimicking food- and drug-reward seeking and drug relapse. This research appeared online in Nature on August 14.

“The lateral hypothalamus has been tied to reward and pleasure for decades, but the specific circuits and chemicals involved have been elusive,” says Aston-Jones. “This is the first indication that the neuropeptide orexin is a critical element in reward-seeking and drug addiction. These results provide a novel and specific target for developing new approaches to treat addiction, obesity, and other disorders associated with dysfunctional reward processing.”

Harris and Aston-Jones found a strong association between the activation of orexin neurons in the lateral hypothalamus and reward seeking of morphine, cocaine, and food. Using Fos, a chemical marker of neuronal stimulation, the researchers found that the highest levels of activity in the orexin neurons appeared in rats demonstrating the greatest level of reward seeking.

The researchers demonstrated the connection between orexins and the reward pathway in three ways. First, the activation of orexin neurons is related to preferences by the rats for cues associated with drug and food rewards. Second, chemical activation of orexin neurons reinstated an extinguished drug-seeking behavior in the rats. And finally, direct injection of orexin reinstated drug-seeking behavior. In addition, when the researchers administered a specific orexin antagonist, the initial learning of a drug preference and the reinstatement of extinguished drug-seeking behavior were blocked.

Because of the relationship between orexin activation and reinstatement of reward-seeking behavior, these findings may have implications for understanding drug-taking relapse in humans. An animal’s reward seeking can be extinguished over time by repeatedly exposing the animal to the environment possessing drug-related cues without the previous drug rewards. After extinguishing reward seeking, presenting a stimulus that was previously associated with the drug will lead animals to quickly resume reward seeking, similar to what happens when humans have a drug relapse. Using rPP, a neuropeptide that activates orexin neurons in the lateral hypothalamus, the researchers were able to reinstate drug seeking in the rats formerly possessing extinguished drug-seeking behavior.

“These findings indicate a new set of neurons and associated neuronal receptors that are critical in consummatory reward processing,” says Aston-Jones. “This provides a new target for developing drugs to treat disorders of reward processing such as drug and alcohol addiction, smoking, and obesity.”

Mathieu Wimmer, also in the Aston-Jones lab, was a co-author on the study. This research was funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

For a printer friendly version of this release, click here.

###

PENN Medicine is a $2.7 billion enterprise dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and high-quality patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Penn’s School of Medicine is ranked #2 in the nation for receipt of NIH research funds; and ranked #4 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent ranking of top research-oriented medical schools. Supporting 1,400 fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its superior education and training of the next generation of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System includes: its flagship hospital, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, consistently rated one of the nation’s “Honor Roll” hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; a faculty practice plan; a primary-care provider network; two multispecialty satellite facilities; and home health care and hospice.