Nicolas Heck
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View article: Nicotine Disrupts Top-Down Habenular Control Over Cholinergic Inputs to the Ventral Tegmental Area to Increase Motivational Valence of Food Rewards
Nicotine Disrupts Top-Down Habenular Control Over Cholinergic Inputs to the Ventral Tegmental Area to Increase Motivational Valence of Food Rewards Open
Chronic nicotine consumption alters motivation for natural rewards by disrupting top-down control of the LHb onto the LDT-VTA cholinergic axis. Our work highlights previously unrecognized contributors to nicotine's impact on mental health.
View article: The gut-brain vagal axis governs mesolimbic dopamine dynamics and reward events
The gut-brain vagal axis governs mesolimbic dopamine dynamics and reward events Open
Reward-related processes have traditionally been ascribed to neural circuits centered on the dopamine (DA) system. While exteroceptive stimuli, such as food and drugs of abuse, are well-established activators of DA-neuron activity, growing…
View article: Cholesterol 24-hydroxylase overexpression in the dorsal striatum reduces relapse to cocaine-seeking
Cholesterol 24-hydroxylase overexpression in the dorsal striatum reduces relapse to cocaine-seeking Open
Sparse but converging evidence suggests that drug addiction is associated with alterations in the metabolism of cerebral cholesterol. Furthermore, in rats, administration of statins, inhibitors of cholesterol synthesis, reduces risks of re…
View article: Genetic liability underlying reward-related comorbidity in psychiatric disorders involves the coincident functions of autism-linked ADGRL1 and hevin
Genetic liability underlying reward-related comorbidity in psychiatric disorders involves the coincident functions of autism-linked ADGRL1 and hevin Open
Comorbidity between psychiatric traits is thought to involve overlapping pleiotropic effects from sets of genes. Notably, substance abuse is a shared comorbid condition among various neurodevelopmental disorders with externalizing symptoms…
View article: The gut-brain vagal axis scales hippocampal memory processes and plasticity
The gut-brain vagal axis scales hippocampal memory processes and plasticity Open
The vagus nerve serves as an interoceptive relay between the body and the brain. Despite its well-established role in feeding behaviors, energy metabolism, and cognitive functions, the intricate functional processes linking the vagus nerve…
View article: Spot Spine, a freely available ImageJ plugin for 3D detection and morphological analysis of dendritic spines
Spot Spine, a freely available ImageJ plugin for 3D detection and morphological analysis of dendritic spines Open
Background Dendritic spines are tiny protrusions found along the dendrites of neurons, and their number is a measure of the density of synaptic connections. Altered density and morphology is observed in several pathologies, and spine forma…
View article: Nicotine in adolescence freezes dopamine circuits in an immature state
Nicotine in adolescence freezes dopamine circuits in an immature state Open
Nicotine use during adolescence is largely associated with negative long-term outcomes, including addiction to nicotine in adulthood. How nicotine acts on developing neurocircuitry in adolescence remains largely unknown, but may hold the k…
View article: Astrocytes control cocaine-induced synaptic plasticity and reward through the matricellular protein hevin
Astrocytes control cocaine-induced synaptic plasticity and reward through the matricellular protein hevin Open
Drug addiction involves profound modifications of neuronal plasticity in the nucleus accumbens, which may engage various cell types. Here, we report prominent effects of cocaine on calcium signals in astrocytes characterized by in vivo fib…
View article: Serotonin sensing by microglia conditions the proper development of neuronal circuits and of social and adaptive skills
Serotonin sensing by microglia conditions the proper development of neuronal circuits and of social and adaptive skills Open
The proper maturation of emotional and sensory circuits requires a fine tuning of serotonin (5-HT) level during early postnatal development. Consistently, dysfunctions of the serotonergic system have been associated with neurodevelopmental…
View article: Can nociception monitors be used to titrate remifentanil with a stable low noxious stimulation response index (NSRI)?
Can nociception monitors be used to titrate remifentanil with a stable low noxious stimulation response index (NSRI)? Open
Purpose: Opioids blunt autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses to noxious stimuli. Nociception monitors analyze the same ANS responses and thus might prove useful to guide opioid dosing. However, concomitantly administered hypnotics also …
View article: Serotonin sensing by microglia conditions the proper development of neuronal circuits and of social and adaptive skills
Serotonin sensing by microglia conditions the proper development of neuronal circuits and of social and adaptive skills Open
The proper maturation of emotional and sensory circuits requires a fine tuning of serotonin (5-HT) level during early postnatal development. Consistently, dysfunctions of the serotonergic system have been associated with neurodevelopmental…
View article: Cell-Type-Specific Adaptions in Striatal Medium-Sized Spiny Neurons and Their Roles in Behavioral Responses to Drugs of Abuse
Cell-Type-Specific Adaptions in Striatal Medium-Sized Spiny Neurons and Their Roles in Behavioral Responses to Drugs of Abuse Open
Drug addiction is defined as a compulsive pattern of drug-seeking- and taking- behavior, with recurrent episodes of abstinence and relapse, and a loss of control despite negative consequences. Addictive drugs promote reinforcement by incre…
View article: Disrupting D1-NMDA or D2-NMDA receptor heteromerization prevents cocaine’s rewarding effects but preserves natural reward processing
Disrupting D1-NMDA or D2-NMDA receptor heteromerization prevents cocaine’s rewarding effects but preserves natural reward processing Open
D2R-NMDAR receptor heteromers are potential therapeutic targets in drug addiction.
View article: Disrupting D2-NMDA receptor heteromerization blocks the rewarding effects of cocaine but preserves natural reward processing
Disrupting D2-NMDA receptor heteromerization blocks the rewarding effects of cocaine but preserves natural reward processing Open
Addictive drugs increase dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), where it persistently shapes excitatory glutamate transmission and hijacks natural reward processing. Herein, we provide evidence, from mice to human, that an underlying mec…
View article: Loss of floor plate Netrin-1 impairs midline crossing of corticospinal axons and leads to mirror movements
Loss of floor plate Netrin-1 impairs midline crossing of corticospinal axons and leads to mirror movements Open
In humans, execution of unimanual movements requires lateralized activation of the primary motor cortex, which then transmits the motor command to the contralateral hand through the crossed corticospinal tract (CST). Mutations in NTN1 alte…
View article: Loss of floor plate Netrin-1 impairs midline crossing of corticospinal axons and leads to mirror movements
Loss of floor plate Netrin-1 impairs midline crossing of corticospinal axons and leads to mirror movements Open
In human, execution of unimanual movements requires lateralized activation of the primary motor cortex, which then transmits the motor command to the contralateral hand through the crossed corticospinal tract (CST). Mutations in NETRIN-1 a…
View article: CYP46A1 gene therapy deciphers the role of brain cholesterol metabolism in Huntington’s disease
CYP46A1 gene therapy deciphers the role of brain cholesterol metabolism in Huntington’s disease Open
Dysfunctions in brain cholesterol homeostasis have been extensively related to brain disorders. The main pathway for brain cholesterol elimination is its hydroxylation into 24S-hydroxycholesterol by the cholesterol 24-hydrolase, CYP46A1. I…