Synaptic and cellular endocannabinoid signaling mechanisms regulate stress-induced plasticity of nucleus accumbens somatostatin neurons

Abstract

Interneuron populations within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) orchestrate excitatory-inhibitory balance, undergo experience-dependent plasticity, and gate-motivated behavior, all biobehavioral processes heavily modulated by endogenous cannabinoid (eCB) signaling. While eCBs are well known to regulate synaptic plasticity onto NAc medium spiny neurons and modulate NAc function at the behavioral level, how eCBs regulate NAc interneuron function is less well understood. Here, we show that eCB signaling differentially regulates glutamatergic and feedforward GABAergic transmission onto NAc somatostatin–expressing interneurons (NAc SOM+ ) in an input-specific manner, while simultaneously increasing postsynaptic excitability of NAc SOM+ neurons, ultimately biasing toward vHPC (ventral hippocampal), and away from BLA (basolateral amygdalalar), activation of NAc SOM+ neurons. We further demonstrate that NAc SOM+ are activated by stress in vivo and undergo stress-dependent plasticity, evident as a global increase in intrinsic excitability and an increase in excitation–inhibition balance specifically at vHPC, but not BLA, inputs onto NAc SOM+ neurons. Importantly, both forms of stress-induced plasticity are dependent on eCB signaling at cannabinoid type 1 receptors. These findings reveal eCB-dependent mechanisms that sculpt afferent input and excitability of NAc SOM+ neurons and demonstrate a key role for eCB signaling in stress-induced plasticity of NAc SOM+ -associated circuits.