Role of Lateral Hypothalamus in Acupuncture Inhibition of Cocaine Psychomotor Activity

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 22; no. 11; p. 5994
• Main Authors: Ahn, DanBi, Jang, Han Byeol, Chang, Suchan, Kim, Hyung Kyu, Ryu, Yeonhee, Lee, Bong Hyo, Kim, Sang Chan, Bills, Kyle B., Steffensen, Scott C., Fan, Yu, Kim, Hee Young
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI 01.06.2021; MDPI AG
• Subjects: acupuncture; cocaine; lateral hypothalamus; spinohypothalamic neurons
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115994

Acupuncture modulates the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system; an area implicated in drug abuse. However, the mechanism by which peripheral sensory afferents, during acupuncture stimulation, modulate this system needs further investigation. The lateral hypothalamus (LH) has been implicated in reward processing and addictive behaviors. To investigate the role of the LH in mediating acupuncture effects, we evaluated the role of LH and spinohypothalamic neurons on cocaine-induced psychomotor activity and NAc DA release. Systemic injection of cocaine increased locomotor activity and 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), which were attenuated by mechanical stimulation of needles inserted into HT7 but neither ST36 nor LI5. The acupuncture effects were blocked by chemical lesions of the LH or mimicked by activation of LH neurons. Single-unit extracellular recordings showed excitation of LH and spinohypothalamic neurons following acupuncture. Our results suggest that acupuncture recruits the LH to suppress the mesolimbic DA system and psychomotor responses following cocaine injection.