Serotonin 2B receptors in mesoaccumbens dopamine pathway regulate cocaine responses

Addiction is a maladaptive pattern of behavior following repeated use of reinforcing drugs in predisposed individuals, and leading to lifelong changes. A common substrate of these changes lies in alterations of neurons releasing dopamine in the ventral and dorsal territories of the striatum. The serotonin 5-HT_2B receptor has been involved in various behaviors including impulsivity, response to antidepressants and to psychostimulants pointing toward putative interactions with the dopamine system. Despite these findings, it remains unknown whether 5-HT_2B receptors directly modulate dopaminergic activity and the possible mechanisms involved. To answer these questions, we investigated the contribution of 5-HT_2B receptors to cocaine-dependent behavioral responses. Male mice permanently lacking 5-HT_2B receptors, even restricted to dopamine neurons, developed heightened cocaine-induced locomotor responses. Retrograde tracing combined with single cell mRNA amplification indicated that 5-HT_2B receptors are expressed by mesolimbic dopamine neurons. In-vivo and ex-vivo electrophysiological recordings showed that 5-HT_2B-receptor inactivation in dopamine neurons affects their neuronal activity and increases AMPA- over NMDA-mediated excitatory synaptic currents. These changes are associated with lower ventral striatum dopamine activity and blunted cocaine self-administration. These data identify the 5-HT_2B receptor as a pharmacological intermediate and provide mechanistic insight into attenuated dopamine tone following exposure to drugs of abuse.