Control of impulsivity by Gi-protein signalling in layer-5 pyramidal neurons of the anterior cingulate cortex

Commun Biol. 2021 Jun 2;4(1):662. doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-02188-w.

Abstract

Pathological impulsivity is a debilitating symptom of multiple psychiatric diseases with few effective treatment options. To identify druggable receptors with anti-impulsive action we developed a systematic target discovery approach combining behavioural chemogenetics and gene expression analysis. Spatially restricted inhibition of three subdivisions of the prefrontal cortex of mice revealed that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) regulates premature responding, a form of motor impulsivity. Probing three G-protein cascades with designer receptors, we found that the activation of Gi-signalling in layer-5 pyramidal cells (L5-PCs) of the ACC strongly, reproducibly, and selectively decreased challenge-induced impulsivity. Differential gene expression analysis across murine ACC cell-types and 402 GPCRs revealed that - among Gi-coupled receptor-encoding genes - Grm2 is the most selectively expressed in L5-PCs while alternative targets were scarce. Validating our approach, we confirmed that mGluR2 activation reduced premature responding. These results suggest Gi-coupled receptors in ACC L5-PCs as therapeutic targets for impulse control disorders.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Clozapine / analogs & derivatives
  • Clozapine / pharmacology
  • Female
  • GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gi-Go / drug effects
  • GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gi-Go / genetics
  • GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gi-Go / physiology*
  • Gene Expression / drug effects
  • Gyrus Cinguli / cytology*
  • Gyrus Cinguli / drug effects
  • Gyrus Cinguli / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Impulsive Behavior / drug effects
  • Impulsive Behavior / physiology
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Pyramidal Cells / cytology
  • Pyramidal Cells / drug effects
  • Pyramidal Cells / physiology*
  • Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate / drug effects
  • Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate / genetics
  • Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate / physiology
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate
  • GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gi-Go
  • Clozapine
  • clozapine N-oxide