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Vázquez-Ágredos A, Valero M, Aparicio-Mescua T, García-Rodríguez R, Gámiz F, Gallo M. Adolescent alcohol exposure modifies adult anxiety-like behavior and amygdala sensitivity to alcohol in rats: Increased c-Fos activity and sex-dependent microRNA-182 expression. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024; 238:173741. [PMID: 38437922 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Adolescent binge alcohol drinking is a serious health concern contributing to adult alcohol abuse often associated with anxiety disorders. We have used adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) administration as a model of binge drinking in rats in order to explore its long-term effect on the basolateral amygdala (BLA) responsiveness to alcohol and anxiety-like behavior. AIE increased the number of BLA c-Fos positive cells in adult Wistar rats and anxiety-like behavior assessed by the open field test (OFT). Additionally, in adult female rats receiving AIE BLA over expression of miR-182 was found. Therefore, our results indicate that alcohol consumption during adolescence can lead to enduring changes in anxiety-like behavior and BLA susceptibility to alcohol that may be mediated by sex-dependent epigenetic changes. These results contribute to understanding the mechanisms involved in the development of alcohol use disorders (AUD) and anxiety-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Vázquez-Ágredos
- Department of Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences (CIBM), University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
| | - Marta Valero
- Department of Psychology, University of Jaén, Jaén, Spain
| | - Teresa Aparicio-Mescua
- Department of Psychobiology and Centre of Investigation of Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CIMCYC), Faculty of Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Raquel García-Rodríguez
- Department of Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences (CIBM), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Fernando Gámiz
- Department of Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences (CIBM), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Milagros Gallo
- Department of Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences (CIBM), University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (IBS), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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DiLeo A, Antonodiou P, Blandino K, Conlin E, Melón L, Maguire JL. Network States in the Basolateral Amygdala Predicts Voluntary Alcohol Consumption. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.06.21.545962. [PMID: 38464012 PMCID: PMC10925084 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.21.545962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Although most adults in the United States will drink alcohol in their life, only about 6% will go on to develop an alcohol use disorder (AUD). While a great deal of work has furthered our understanding of the cycle of addiction, it remains unclear why certain people transition to disordered drinking. Altered activity in regions implicated in AUDs, like the basolateral amygdala (BLA), has been suggested to play a role in the pathophysiology of AUDs, but how these networks contribute to alcohol misuse remains unclear. Our recent work demonstrated that alcohol can modulate BLA network states and that GABAergic parvalbumin (PV) interneurons are crucial modulators of network activity in the BLA. Further, our lab has demonstrated that δ subunit-containing GABA A receptors, which are modulated by alcohol, are highly expressed on PV interneurons in the BLA. These receptors on PV interneurons have also been shown to influence alcohol intake in a voluntary binge drinking paradigm and anxiety-like behavior in withdrawal. Therefore, we hypothesized that alcohol may impact BLA network states via δ subunit-containing GABA A receptors on PV interneurons to impact the extent of alcohol use. To test this hypothesis, we measured the impact of acute alcohol exposure on oscillatory states in the basolateral amygdala and then assessed the relationship to the extent of voluntary ethanol consumption in the Intermittent Access, Drinking-in-the-Dark-Multiple Scheduled Access, and Chronic Intermittent Ethanol exposure paradigms. Remarkably, we demonstrate that the average alcohol intake negatively correlates with δ subunit-containing GABA A receptor expression on PV interneurons and gamma power in the BLA after the first exposure to alcohol. These data implicate δ subunit-containing GABA A receptor expression on PV interneurons in the BLA in voluntary alcohol intake and suggest that BLA network states may serve as a useful biomarker for those at risk for alcohol misuse. Significance Statement Oscillatory states in the BLA have been demonstrated to drive behavioral states involved in emotional processing, including negative valence processing. Given that negative emotional states/hyperkatifeia contribute to the cycle of AUDs, our previous work demonstrating the ability of alcohol to modulate BLA network states and thereby behavioral states suggests that this mechanism may influence alcohol intake. Here we demonstrate a relationship between the ability of alcohol to modulate oscillations in the BLA and future alcohol intake such that the extent to which alcohol influences BLA network states predict the extent of future voluntary alcohol intake. These findings suggest that individual variability in the sensitivity of the BLA network to alcohol influences voluntary alcohol consumption.
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Ardinger CE, Chen Y, Kimbrough A, Grahame NJ, Lapish CC. Sex Differences in Neural Networks Recruited by Frontloaded Binge Alcohol Drinking. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.08.579387. [PMID: 38370732 PMCID: PMC10871329 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.08.579387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Frontloading is an alcohol drinking pattern where intake is skewed toward the onset of access. The goal of the current study was to identify brain regions involved in frontloading. Whole brain imaging was performed in 63 C57Bl/6J (32 female and 31 male) mice that underwent 8 days of binge drinking using the drinking-in-the-dark (DID) model. On days 1-7, three hours into the dark cycle, mice received 20% (v/v) alcohol or water for two hours. Intake was measured in 1-minute bins using volumetric sippers, which facilitated analyses of drinking patterns. On day 8 mice were perfused 80 minutes into the DID session and brains were extracted. Brains were then processed to stain for Fos protein using iDISCO+. Following light sheet imaging, ClearMap2.1 was used to register brains to the Allen Brain Atlas and detect Fos+ cells. For brain network analyses, day 8 drinking patterns were used to characterize mice as frontloaders or non-frontloaders using a recently developed change-point analysis. Based on this analysis the groups were female frontloaders (n = 20), female non-frontloaders (n = 2), male frontloaders (n = 13) and male non-frontloaders (n = 8). There were no differences in total alcohol intake in animals that frontloaded versus those that did not. Only two female mice were characterized as non-frontloaders, thus preventing brain network analysis of this group. Functional correlation matrices were calculated for each group from log10 Fos values. Euclidean distances were calculated from these R values and hierarchical clustering was used to determine modules (highly connected groups of brain regions). In males, alcohol access decreased modularity (3 modules in both frontloaders and non-frontloaders) as compared to water drinkers (7 modules). In females, an opposite effect was observed. Alcohol access (9 modules for frontloaders) increased modularity as compared to water drinkers (5 modules). These results suggest sex differences in how alcohol consumption reorganizes the functional architecture of neural networks. Next, key brain regions in each network were identified. Connector hubs, which primarily facilitate communication between modules, and provincial hubs, which facilitate communication within modules, were of specific interest for their important and differing roles. In males, 4 connector hubs and 17 provincial hubs were uniquely identified in frontloaders (i.e., were brain regions that did not have this status in male non-frontloaders or water drinkers). These represented a group of hindbrain regions (e.g., locus coeruleus and the pontine gray) functionally connected to striatal/cortical regions (e.g., cortical amygdalar area) by the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus. In females, 16 connector and 17 provincial hubs were uniquely identified which were distributed across 8 of the 9 modules in the female frontloader alcohol drinker network. Only one brain region (the nucleus raphe pontis) was a connector hub in both sexes, suggesting that frontloading in males and females may be driven by different brain regions. In conclusion, alcohol consumption led to fewer, but more densely connected, groups of brain regions in males but not females, and recruited different hub brain regions between the sexes. These results suggest that alcohol frontloading leads to a reduction in network efficiency in male mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cherish E Ardinger
- Addiction Neuroscience, Department of Psychology and Indiana Alcohol Research Center, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
| | - Yueyi Chen
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
| | - Adam Kimbrough
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology, and Infectious Disease, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
| | - Nicholas J Grahame
- Addiction Neuroscience, Department of Psychology and Indiana Alcohol Research Center, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
| | - Christopher C Lapish
- Addiction Neuroscience, Department of Psychology and Indiana Alcohol Research Center, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
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Bowes C, Breckons M, Holmes RD, Durham J, Bareham BK. Barriers to Accessing Primary Dental Care in Adults with Alcohol Dependence: A Qualitative Study. JDR Clin Trans Res 2024:23800844231169642. [PMID: 38279706 DOI: 10.1177/23800844231169642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND People with alcohol dependence (AD) frequently experience oral health problems, but their dental attendance is poor, with limited evidence to the reasons why from their perspective. OBJECTIVE To explore perceived barriers, motivators, and facilitators to accessing primary dental care in people with AD. METHODS Qualitative study consisting of remote one-to-one and group semistructured interviews with a convenience sample of adults with lived experience of AD in northern England. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded. A reflexive thematic analysis method was used; use of COM-B model informed data interpretation. RESULTS Twenty adults with lived experience of AD participated in 18 one-to-one interviews and 1 group interview (of 3 participants). Barriers to access were fear and physical, social, and environmental factors (physical effects of AD, financial barriers, nonprioritization of oral health). Motivators to access were pain and prioritization of oral health. Facilitators to access were patterns of alcohol use (i.e., sobriety) and dental service provision within recovery services. CONCLUSIONS Fear of "the dentist" is a major barrier to accessing dental care, and pain is the primary motivator, among people with AD, although neither are unique to this population. Fear and physical, social, and environmental barriers to access contribute to problem-oriented attendance, which negatively affect oral health outcomes. Opportunity to facilitate attendance increases when a person is in remission from AD through their physical capabilities improving. Increasing capability and opportunity can influence attendance beyond the automatic motivation of pain. Provision of dental care within recovery services could facilitate access to care. Understanding the "web of causation" is key to developing any intervention to improve dental access in people with AD. Further research is needed from the perspective of other adult populations with lived experience of AD, as well as of dental professionals, to gain deeper insight into barriers, facilitators, and possible solutions. KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT The results of this study can help dental professionals understand factors affecting access to primary care in people with alcohol dependence to provide knowledge that may reduce stigma surrounding the disease. Results also demonstrate areas for intervention development for public policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Bowes
- School of Dental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
- NIHR In-Practice Fellowship, Newcastle, UK
| | - M Breckons
- Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
- Applied Research Collaboration North East/North Cumbria, Newcastle, UK
| | - R D Holmes
- School of Dental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - J Durham
- School of Dental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - B K Bareham
- Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
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Munshi S, Albrechet-Souza L, Dos-Santos RC, Stelly CE, Secci ME, Gilpin NW, Tasker JG. Acute Ethanol Modulates Synaptic Inhibition in the Basolateral Amygdala via Rapid NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation and Regulates Anxiety-Like Behavior in Rats. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7902-7912. [PMID: 37739795 PMCID: PMC10669756 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1744-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic alcohol exposure leads to a neuroinflammatory response involving activation of the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and proinflammatory cytokine production. Acute ethanol (EtOH) exposure activates GABAergic synapses in the central and basolateral amygdala (BLA) ex vivo, but whether this rapid modulation of synaptic inhibition is because of an acute inflammatory response and alters anxiety-like behavior in male and female animals is not known. Here, we tested the hypotheses that acute EtOH facilitates inhibitory synaptic transmission in the BLA by activating the NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent acute inflammatory response, that the alcohol-induced increase in inhibition is cell type and sex dependent, and that acute EtOH in the BLA reduces anxiety-like behavior. Acute EtOH application at a binge-like concentration (22-44 mm) stimulated synaptic GABA release from putative parvalbumin (PV) interneurons onto BLA principal neurons in ex vivo brain slices from male, but not female, rats. The EtOH facilitation of synaptic inhibition was blocked by antagonists of the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), the NLRP3 inflammasome, and interleukin-1 receptors, suggesting it was mediated by a rapid local neuroinflammatory response in the BLA. In vivo, bilateral injection of EtOH directly into the BLA produced an acute concentration-dependent reduction in anxiety-like behavior in male but not female rats. These findings demonstrate that acute EtOH in the BLA regulates anxiety-like behavior in a sex-dependent manner and suggest that this effect is associated with presynaptic facilitation of parvalbumin-expressing interneuron inputs to BLA principal neurons via a local NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent neuroimmune response.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Chronic alcohol exposure produces a neuroinflammatory response, which contributes to alcohol-associated pathologies. Acute alcohol administration increases inhibitory synaptic signaling in the brain, but the mechanism for the rapid alcohol facilitation of inhibitory circuits is unknown. We found that acute ethanol at binge-like concentrations in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) facilitates GABA release from parvalbumin-expressing (PV) interneuron synapses onto principal neurons in ex vivo brain slices from male rats and that intra-BLA ethanol reduces anxiety-like behavior in vivo in male rats, but not female rats. The ethanol (EtOH) facilitation of inhibition in the BLA is mediated by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation and proinflammatory IL-1β signaling, which suggests a rapid NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent neuroimmune cascade that plays a critical role in acute alcohol intoxication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumyabrata Munshi
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118
| | - Lucas Albrechet-Souza
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
- Alcohol and Drug Center of Excellence, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
| | | | - Claire E Stelly
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118
| | - Maria E Secci
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
- Alcohol and Drug Center of Excellence, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
- Southeast Louisiana Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (SLVHCS), New Orleans, Louisiana 70119
| | - Nicholas W Gilpin
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
- Alcohol and Drug Center of Excellence, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
- Southeast Louisiana Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (SLVHCS), New Orleans, Louisiana 70119
| | - Jeffrey G Tasker
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118
- Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118
- Southeast Louisiana Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (SLVHCS), New Orleans, Louisiana 70119
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Lee HJ, Choi JP, Oh K, Min JY, Min KB. Impact of Physical Activity on the Association Between Unhealthy Adolescent Behaviors and Anxiety Among Korean Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study. J Prev Med Public Health 2023; 56:552-562. [PMID: 37974058 DOI: 10.3961/jpmph.23.313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Adolescents who engage in unhealthy behaviors are particularly vulnerable to anxiety. We hypothesized that participation in physical activity could influence the relationship between anxiety and unhealthy behaviors in adolescents. These behaviors include smoking, alcohol consumption, and unsafe sexual activity. METHODS This study included 50 301 students from the first year of middle school to the third year of high school, all from Korea. The unhealthy adolescent behaviors examined included current alcohol consumption, current smoking, and unsafe sexual behavior. Anxiety levels were assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire (GAD-7). RESULTS The participants had a mean age of 15.19 years and an average GAD-7 score of 4.23. No significant differences were observed in GAD-7 score among exercising participants when categorized by smoking status (p=0.835) or unsafe sexual behavior (p=0.489). In contrast, participants in the non-exercise group who engaged in these behaviors demonstrated significantly higher GAD-7 scores (p<0.001 and 0.016, respectively). The only significant interaction was found between unsafe sexual behavior and exercise (p=0.009). Based on logistic regression analysis, within the non-exercise group, significant positive associations were observed between current smoking and anxiety (odds ratio [OR], 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18 to 1.57), as well as between unsafe sexual behavior and anxiety (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.73). However, within the exercise group, no significant association was found between anxiety and either smoking or unsafe sexual behavior. Furthermore, no significant interaction was observed between unhealthy behaviors and exercise. CONCLUSIONS These findings are insufficient to conclude that physical activity influences the relationship between unhealthy behaviors and anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyo-Jung Lee
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jeong Pil Choi
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Kunhee Oh
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jin-Young Min
- Veterans Medical Research Institute, Veterans Health Service Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
| | - Kyoung-Bok Min
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Institute of Health Policy and Management, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
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Robinson SL, Thiele TE. Somatostatin signaling modulates binge drinking behavior via the central nucleus of the amygdala. Neuropharmacology 2023; 237:109622. [PMID: 37307896 PMCID: PMC10527233 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Somatostatin (SST) is a neuropeptide widely expressed in the central nervous system with dense expression in limbic regions such as the extended amygdala. It has recently gained attention for playing a role in modulating alcohol use disorders and co-morbid neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the role of SST in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), a key region for neuropeptide regulation of alcohol and anxiety related behaviors, in alcohol consumption has not been assessed. In this work we perform an initial examination of the interaction between the CeA SST system and binge ethanol intake. Binge intake is a dangerous pattern of excessive ethanol consumption associated with health complications and the transition into alcohol dependence. We use the Drinking in the Dark (DID) model of binge intake in C57BL/6J male and female mice to examine: 1) the impact of 3 DID cycles on CeA SST expression; 2) the effect of intra-CeA SST injection on binge-like ethanol consumption; and 3) if the SST receptor 2 or 4 (SST2R or SST4R) mediate any effect on consumption. Our results show binge-like ethanol intake decreases SST expression in the CeA, but not neighboring basolateral amygdala. We further found intra-SST CeA administration reduces binge ethanol intake. This decrease was replicated by the administration of an SST4R agonist. These effects were not sex-dependent. Overall, this work lends further support for SST playing a role in alcohol related behaviors and as a potential therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey L Robinson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA; Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Todd E Thiele
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA; Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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Short-Term Consequences of Single Social Defeat on Accumbal Dopamine and Behaviors in Rats. Biomolecules 2022; 13:biom13010035. [PMID: 36671420 PMCID: PMC9855991 DOI: 10.3390/biom13010035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to explore the consequences of a single exposure to a social defeat on dopamine release in the rat nucleus accumbens measured with a fast-scan cyclic voltammetry. We found that 24 h after a social defeat, accumbal dopamine responses, evoked by a high frequency electrical stimulation of the ventral tegmental area, were more profound in socially defeated rats in comparison with non-defeated control animals. The enhanced dopamine release was associated with the prolonged immobility time in the forced swim test. The use of the dopamine depletion protocol revealed no alteration in the reduction and recovery of the amplitude of dopamine release following social defeat stress. However, administration of dopamine D2 receptor antagonist, raclopride (2 mg/kg, i.p.), resulted in significant increase of the electrically evoked dopamine release in both groups of animals, nevertheless exhibiting less manifested effect in the defeated rats comparing to control animals. Taken together, our data demonstrated profound alterations in the dopamine transmission in the association with depressive-like behavior following a single exposure to stressful environment. These voltammetric findings pointed to a promising path for the identification of neurobiological mechanisms underlying stress-promoted behavioral abnormalities.
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Casello SM, Flores RJ, Yarur HE, Wang H, Awanyai M, Arenivar MA, Jaime-Lara RB, Bravo-Rivera H, Tejeda HA. Neuropeptide System Regulation of Prefrontal Cortex Circuitry: Implications for Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:796443. [PMID: 35800635 PMCID: PMC9255232 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.796443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptides, a diverse class of signaling molecules in the nervous system, modulate various biological effects including membrane excitability, synaptic transmission and synaptogenesis, gene expression, and glial cell architecture and function. To date, most of what is known about neuropeptide action is limited to subcortical brain structures and tissue outside of the central nervous system. Thus, there is a knowledge gap in our understanding of neuropeptide function within cortical circuits. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of various families of neuropeptides and their cognate receptors that are expressed in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Specifically, we highlight dynorphin, enkephalin, corticotropin-releasing factor, cholecystokinin, somatostatin, neuropeptide Y, and vasoactive intestinal peptide. Further, we review the implication of neuropeptide signaling in prefrontal cortical circuit function and use as potential therapeutic targets. Together, this review summarizes established knowledge and highlights unknowns of neuropeptide modulation of neural function underlying various biological effects while offering insights for future research. An increased emphasis in this area of study is necessary to elucidate basic principles of the diverse signaling molecules used in cortical circuits beyond fast excitatory and inhibitory transmitters as well as consider components of neuropeptide action in the PFC as a potential therapeutic target for neurological disorders. Therefore, this review not only sheds light on the importance of cortical neuropeptide studies, but also provides a comprehensive overview of neuropeptide action in the PFC to serve as a roadmap for future studies in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanne M. Casello
- Unit on Neuromodulation and Synaptic Integration, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Rodolfo J. Flores
- Unit on Neuromodulation and Synaptic Integration, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Hector E. Yarur
- Unit on Neuromodulation and Synaptic Integration, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Huikun Wang
- Unit on Neuromodulation and Synaptic Integration, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Monique Awanyai
- Unit on Neuromodulation and Synaptic Integration, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Miguel A. Arenivar
- Unit on Neuromodulation and Synaptic Integration, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Rosario B. Jaime-Lara
- Unit on Neuromodulation and Synaptic Integration, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Hector Bravo-Rivera
- Unit on Neuromodulation and Synaptic Integration, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Hugo A. Tejeda
- Unit on Neuromodulation and Synaptic Integration, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Hugo A. Tejeda,
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10
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Farrell MR, Esteban JSD, Faget L, Floresco SB, Hnasko TS, Mahler SV. Ventral Pallidum GABA Neurons Mediate Motivation Underlying Risky Choice. J Neurosci 2021; 41:4500-4513. [PMID: 33837052 PMCID: PMC8152612 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2039-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Pursuing rewards while avoiding danger is an essential function of any nervous system. Here, we examine a new mechanism helping rats negotiate the balance between risk and reward when making high-stakes decisions. Specifically, we focus on GABA neurons within an emerging mesolimbic circuit nexus: the ventral pallidum (VP). These neurons play a distinct role from other VP neurons in simple motivated behaviors in mice, but their role in more complex motivated behaviors is unknown. Here, we interrogate the behavioral functions of VPGABA neurons in male and female transgenic GAD1:Cre rats (and WT littermates), using a reversible chemogenetic inhibition approach. Using a behavioral assay of risky decision-making, and of the food-seeking and shock-avoidance components of this task, we show that engaging inhibitory Gi/o signaling specifically in VPGABA neurons suppresses motivation to pursue highly salient palatable foods, and possibly also motivation to avoid being shocked. In contrast, inhibiting these neurons did not affect seeking of low-value food, free consumption of palatable food, or unconditioned affective responses to shock. Accordingly, when rats considered whether to pursue food despite potential for shock in a risky decision-making task, inhibiting VPGABA neurons caused them to more readily select a small but safe reward over a large but dangerous one, an effect not seen in the absence of shock threat. Together, results indicate that VPGABA neurons are critical for high-stakes adaptive responding that is necessary for survival, but which may also malfunction in psychiatric disorders.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In a dynamic world, it is essential to implement appropriate behaviors under circumstances involving rewards, threats, or both. Here, we demonstrate a crucial role for VPGABA neurons in high-stakes motivated behavior of several types. We show that this VPGABA role in motivation impacts decision-making, as inhibiting these neurons yields a conservative, risk-averse strategy not seen when the task is performed without threat of shock. These new roles for VPGABA neurons in behavior may inform future strategies for treating addiction, and other disorders of maladaptive decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell R Farrell
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, California 92697
| | | | - Lauren Faget
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, California 92093
| | - Stan B Floresco
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Thomas S Hnasko
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, California 92093
- VASDHS Research Service, San Diego, California 92161
| | - Stephen V Mahler
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, California 92697
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11
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Xu H, Li H, Liu D, Wen W, Xu M, Frank JA, Chen J, Zhu H, Grahame NJ, Luo J. Chronic Voluntary Alcohol Drinking Causes Anxiety-like Behavior, Thiamine Deficiency, and Brain Damage of Female Crossed High Alcohol Preferring Mice. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:614396. [PMID: 33767622 PMCID: PMC7985542 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.614396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The central nervous system is vulnerable to chronic alcohol abuse, and alcohol dependence is a chronically relapsing disorder which causes a variety of physical and mental disorders. Appropriate animal models are important for investigating the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. The crossed High Alcohol Preferring mice prefer alcohol to water when given free access. In the present study, we used female cHAP mice as a model of chronic voluntary drinking to evaluate the effects of alcohol on neurobehavioral and neuropathological changes. The female cHAP mice had free-choice access to 10% ethanol and water, while control mice had access to water alone at the age of 60-day-old. The mice were exposed to alcohol for 7 months then subjected to neurobehavioral tests including open field (OF), elevated plus maze (EPM), and Morris water maze (MWM). Results from OF and EPM tests suggested that chronic voluntary drinking caused anxiety-like behaviors. After behavior tests, mice were sacrificed, and brain tissues were processed for biochemical analyses. Alcohol altered the levels of several neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors in the brain including gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), corticotropin-releasing factor, cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Alcohol increased the expression of neuroinflammation markers including interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and C-C chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2). Alcohol also induced cleaved caspase-3 and glial fibrillary acidic protein, indicative of neurodegeneration and gliosis. In addition, alcohol inhibited the expression of thiamine transporters in the brain and reduced thiamine levels in the blood. Alcohol also caused oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and stimulated neurogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Xu
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Dexiang Liu
- Department of Medical Psychology, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Wen Wen
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Mei Xu
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Jacqueline A Frank
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Jing Chen
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Haining Zhu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Nicholas J Grahame
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Jia Luo
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States.,Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA, United States
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12
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The infralimbic cortex and mGlu5 mediate the effects of chronic intermittent ethanol exposure on fear learning and memory. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:3417-3433. [PMID: 32767063 PMCID: PMC7572878 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05622-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often occur comorbidly. While the incidence of these disorders is increasing, there is little investigation into the interacting neural mechanisms between these disorders. These studies aim to identify cognitive deficits that occur as a consequence of fear and ethanol exposure, implement a novel pharmaceutical intervention, and determine relevant underlying neurocircuitry. Additionally, due to clinical sex differences in PTSD prevalence and alcohol abuse, these studies examine the nature of this relationship in rodent models. METHODS Animals were exposed to a model of PTSD+AUD using auditory fear conditioning followed by chronic intermittent ethanol exposure (CIE). Then, rats received extinction training consisting of multiple conditioned stimulus presentations in absence of the shock. Extinction recall and context-induced freezing were measured in subsequent tests. CDPPB, a metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGlu5) positive allosteric modulator, was used to treat these deficits, and region-specific effects were determined using microinjections. RESULTS These studies determined that CIE exposure led to deficits in fear extinction learning and heightened context-induced freezing while sex differences emerged in fear conditioning and extinction cue recall tests. Furthermore, using CDPPB, these studies found that enhancement of infralimbic (IfL) mGlu5 activity was able to recover CIE-induced deficits in both males and females. CONCLUSIONS These studies show that CIE induces deficits in fear-related behaviors and that enhancement of IfL glutamatergic activity can facilitate learning during extinction. Additionally, we identify novel pharmacological targets for the treatment of individuals who suffer from PTSD and AUD.
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13
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Sex differences in incidence and psychiatric comorbidity for alcohol dependence in patients with panic disorder. Drug Alcohol Depend 2020; 207:107814. [PMID: 31887603 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.107814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sex differences in the development of alcohol dependence (AD) among patients with panic disorder (PD) remain unexplored. The study investigated sex as an effect modifier in the incidence of AD among patients with PD. METHOD We included 9480 patients with PD from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. A total of 169 patients (89 men and 80 women) developed incident AD during the follow-up period. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were used to represent the relative risks of incident AD compared with the general population. Based on a nested case-control study design, 10 controls were selected for each case. Medical utilization and psychiatric comorbidity before diagnosing AD were analyzed using conditional logistic regression. RESULTS The SIR of incident AD was 3.36 for men and 6.29 for women. Women with PD and incident AD had more visits to the outpatient department than the controls did, whereas men exhibited no significant differences. Women with incident AD were more likely to comorbid with depressive disorder (adjusted risk ratio [aRR] = 2.94), personality disorder (aRR = 5.03), and sleep disorder (aRR = 1.72), whereas men with incident AD were more likely to comorbid with sleep disorder (aRR = 1.85) and other substance use disorders (aRR = 3.08). CONCLUSION Patients with PD have an additional risk of developing AD compared with the general population, and that risk is higher in women. Women and men exhibited dissimilar patterns of medical utilization and psychiatric comorbidity before developing AD. Sex differences should be taken into consideration when establishing preventive measures.
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14
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Krook JT, Duperreault E, Newton D, Ross MS, Hamilton TJ. Repeated ethanol exposure increases anxiety-like behaviour in zebrafish during withdrawal. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6551. [PMID: 30842911 PMCID: PMC6397752 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are quickly becoming an important model organism in behavioural neuroscience and drug addiction research. Conditioned place preference studies show that drugs of abuse produce responses in zebrafish that are similar to mammalian animal models. Repeated administration of ethanol in zebrafish results in withdrawal-induced behavioural responses that vary with dose and exposure duration, requiring additional investigation. Here, we examine the effects of ethanol withdrawal on anxiety-like behaviours in adult zebrafish after a 21-day ethanol dosing schedule at either 0.4% or 0.8%. Anxiety-like behaviour was measured with the novel object approach test; this test involves placing a fish in a circular arena with a novel object in the centre and observing the amount of exploration of the object. We found increased anxiety-like behaviour during ethanol withdrawal. This study adds to the growing body of literature that validates the zebrafish as a model organism in the field of behavioural neuroscience and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey T Krook
- Department of Psychology, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | - Dustin Newton
- Department of Psychology, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Matthew S Ross
- Department of Physical Sciences, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Trevor J Hamilton
- Department of Psychology, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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15
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Tsang B, Ansari R, Azhar A, Gerlai R. Drinking in the morning versus evening: Time-dependent differential effects of acute alcohol administration on the behavior of zebrafish. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2018; 175:174-185. [PMID: 30153446 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2018.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Revised: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol (ethanol) abuse remains to be a leading cause of medical, including mental, problems throughout the world. Whether alcohol consumption leads to chronic use, and subsequent alcohol dependency and abuse is known to be influenced by the acute effects of this drug. Numerous factors may influence how alcohol administered acutely affects the individual. For example, the mechanisms engaged by drugs of abuse, e.g. cocaine as well as alcohol, have been shown to overlap with those underlying circadian rhythm, and conversely, the effects of these drugs may be dependent upon the time of day of their consumption. To investigate the interaction between circadian rhythm and alcohol, here we employ a simple vertebrate model organism that was previously successfully utilized in other aspects of alcohol research, the zebrafish. We expose zebrafish to alcohol for 20 min in the morning or in the evening, and analyze the effects of this treatment by comparing 1% (vol/vol) alcohol-treated and control (alcohol naive) zebrafish. We record numerous swim path parameters, and report, for the first time, that the time of day of alcohol administration differentially affects certain behavioral parameters, enhancing some while blunting others. Our results suggest a complex interaction between circadian dependent and alcohol engaged mechanisms, findings that represent both practical complications as well as opportunities for understanding how alcohol affects brain function and behavior of vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Tsang
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada
| | - Rida Ansari
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada
| | - Amna Azhar
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada
| | - Robert Gerlai
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada; Cell and Systems Biology Department, University of Toronto, Canada.
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16
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Ornelas LC, Keele NB. Sex Differences in the Physiological Response to Ethanol of Rat Basolateral Amygdala Neurons Following Single-Prolonged Stress. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:219. [PMID: 30108486 PMCID: PMC6079253 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Females are more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than males. Also, symptoms of PTSD frequently precede alcohol abuse in females. Stressful, threat-related stimuli are evaluated by the amygdala, which is critical for establishing the emotional salience of environmental stimuli. Ethanol and stress have been shown to modify amygdala excitability, but effects of acute ethanol on neurons of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in both males and females exposed to stress is unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine stress-induced changes in membrane properties of BLA neurons and to determine how ethanol modulates these changes in male and female rats. Whole-cell recordings were obtained from BLA neurons of both male and female rats exposed to single-prolonged stress (SPS). Neuronal excitability, quantified as the number of action potentials, was determined in current clamp mode by applying a series of depolarizing current steps. Hyperpolarization-activated current (Ih) was elicited in voltage clamp. Excitability and Ih amplitude were determined before and during the superfusion of ethanol (EtOH; 30 mM) in BLA neurons from SPS-treated male and female rats. SPS alone did not alter the firing properties of BLA neurons from either males or females. However, following SPS, BLA neurons from males and females respond differently to ethanol. Superfusion of EtOH (30 mM) inhibited spike firing in BLA neurons from rats exposed to SPS, and EtOH-induced inhibition was greater in females than in males exposed to stress. Also, EtOH (30 mM) selectively decreased Ih amplitude in BLA neurons from SPS-treated male rats from 171 ± 46 pA in (pre-EtOH) control to 53 ± 51 pA in the presence of EtOH (30 mM). EtOH did not reduce Ih in BLA neurons from SPS-treated females. Together, these suggest important sex differences in the physiological responses to EtOH in stress disorders such as PTSD, that have high comorbidity with alcohol use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura C Ornelas
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United States
| | - N B Keele
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United States
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17
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Interest of new alkylsulfonylhydrazide-type compound in the treatment of alcohol use disorders. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2018; 235:1835-1844. [PMID: 29713786 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-4917-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Recent preclinical research suggested that histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) and specifically class I HDAC selective inhibitors might be useful to treat alcohol use disorders (AUDs). OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to find a new inhibitor of the HDAC-1 isoenzyme and to test its efficacy in an animal model of AUDs. METHODS In the present study, we prepared new derivatives bearing sulfonylhydrazide-type zinc-binding group (ZBG) and evaluated these compounds in vitro on HDAC-1 isoenzyme. The most promising compound was tested on ethanol operant self-administration and relapse in rats. RESULTS We showed that the alkylsulfonylhydrazide-type compound (ASH) reduced by more than 55% the total amount of ethanol consumed after one intracerebroventricular microinjection, while no effect was observed on motivation of the animals to consume ethanol. In addition, one ASH injection in the central amygdala reduced relapse. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated that a new compound designed to target HDAC-1 is effective in reducing ethanol intake and relapse in rats and further confirm the interest of pursuing research to study the exact mechanism by which such inhibitor may be useful to treat AUDs.
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18
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de Beaurepaire R. A Review of the Potential Mechanisms of Action of Baclofen in Alcohol Use Disorder. Front Psychiatry 2018; 9:506. [PMID: 30459646 PMCID: PMC6232933 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Baclofen, a GABA-B receptor agonist, is a promising treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Its mechanism of action in this condition is unknown. GABA-B receptors interact with many biological systems potentially involved in AUD, including transduction pathways and neurotransmitter systems. Preclinical studies have shown that GABA-B receptors are involved in memory storage and retrieval, reward, motivation, mood and anxiety; neuroimaging studies in humans show that baclofen produces region-specific alterations in cerebral activity; GABA-B receptor activation may have neuroprotective effects; baclofen also has anti-inflammatory properties that may be of interest in the context of addiction. However, none of these biological effects fully explain the mechanism of action of baclofen in AUD. Data from clinical studies have provided a certain number of elements which may be useful for the comprehension of its mechanism of action: baclofen typically induces a state of indifference toward alcohol; the effective dose of baclofen in AUD is extremely variable from one patient to another; higher treatment doses correlate with the severity of the addiction; many of the side effects of baclofen resemble those of alcohol, raising the possibility that baclofen acts as a substitution drug; usually, however, there is no tolerance to the effects of baclofen during long-term AUD treatment. In the present article, the biological effects of baclofen are reviewed in the light of its clinical effects in AUD, assuming that, in many instances, clinical effects can be reliable indicators of underlying biological processes. In conclusion, it is proposed that baclofen may suppress the Pavlovian association between cues and rewards through an action in a critical part of the dopaminergic network (the amygdala), thereby normalizing the functional connectivity in the reward network. It is also proposed that this action of baclofen is made possible by the fact that baclofen and alcohol act on similar brain systems in certain regions of the brain.
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19
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Abstract
We conducted a cross-sectional study in Tuyen Quang Province, a mountainous province in northern Vietnam, to examine rates of psychological distress among 241 patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Using the Kessler psychological distress Scale, we found that approximately one-fourth (26.8%) of respondents suffered from mental health pathologies. Physical health problems, current drug use, and alcohol abuse were found to be associated with mental health problems among the participants. Our findings highlight the high prevalence of psychological distress among MMT patients in northern Vietnam, and the need to integrate mental and physical health care services, as well as behavioral health counseling, into currently existing MMT clinics in this region.
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20
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Almonte AG, Ewin SE, Mauterer MI, Morgan JW, Carter ES, Weiner JL. Enhanced ventral hippocampal synaptic transmission and impaired synaptic plasticity in a rodent model of alcohol addiction vulnerability. Sci Rep 2017; 7:12300. [PMID: 28951619 PMCID: PMC5615051 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12531-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
It has long been appreciated that adolescence represents a uniquely vulnerable period when chronic exposure to stressors can precipitate the onset of a broad spectrum of psychiatric disorders and addiction in adulthood. However, the neurobiological substrates and the full repertoire of adaptations within these substrates making adolescence a particularly susceptible developmental stage are not well understood. Prior work has demonstrated that a rodent model of adolescent social isolation (aSI) produces robust and persistent increases in phenotypes relevant to anxiety/stressor disorders and alcohol addiction, including anxiogenesis, deficits in fear extinction, and increased ethanol consumption. Here, we used extracellular field recordings in hippocampal slices to investigate adaptations in synaptic function and synaptic plasticity arising from aSI. We demonstrate that this early life stressor leads to enhanced excitatory synaptic transmission and decreased levels of long-term potentiation at hippocampal Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses. Further, these changes were largely confined to the ventral hippocampus. As the ventral hippocampus is integral to neurocircuitry that mediates emotional behaviors, our results add to mounting evidence that aSI has profound effects on brain areas that regulate affective states. These studies also lend additional support to our recent proposal of the aSI model as a valid model of alcohol addiction vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine G Almonte
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA
| | - Sarah E Ewin
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA
| | - Madelyn I Mauterer
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA
| | - James W Morgan
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA
| | - Eugenia S Carter
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA
| | - Jeffrey L Weiner
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA.
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21
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Zipori D, Sadot-Sogrin Y, Goltseker K, Even-Chen O, Rahamim N, Shaham O, Barak S. Re-exposure to nicotine-associated context from adolescence enhances alcohol intake in adulthood. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2479. [PMID: 28559549 PMCID: PMC5449395 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02177-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol and nicotine are the two most commonly-abused substances and are often used together. Nicotine enhances alcohol-drinking behaviors in humans and in animals, and was suggested to enhance the reinforcing properties of other reinforcers. Here, we show that nicotine-associated environment, rather than nicotine itself, enhances alcohol intake in rats. Adolescent rats received repeated intermittent injections of nicotine (0.4 mg/kg, i.p., 5 injections, every 3rd day) or saline. The injection was paired with their home cage, or with the subsequent alcohol self-administration context. Rats were then trained to self-administer 20% alcohol. Nicotine given in the home cage did not alter subsequent alcohol intake. However, pairing nicotine with the operant chamber during adolescence led to a long-lasting increased alcohol self-administration in adulthood, compared to nicotine pre-treatment in other contexts. This effect persisted 3 months after nicotine cessation, in a relapse test after abstinence. Furthermore, re-exposure to the nicotine-associated context in adult rats led to a decrease in glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (Gdnf) mRNA expression in the ventral tegmental area, an effect that leads to increased alcohol consumption, as we have previously reported. Our findings suggest that retrieval of nicotine-associated contextual memories from adolescence may gate alcohol intake in adulthood, with a possible involvement of GDNF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dor Zipori
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | | | - Koral Goltseker
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Oren Even-Chen
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Nofar Rahamim
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ohad Shaham
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Segev Barak
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. .,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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22
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Lovinger DM, Alvarez VA. Alcohol and basal ganglia circuitry: Animal models. Neuropharmacology 2017; 122:46-55. [PMID: 28341206 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Revised: 03/16/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Brain circuits that include the cortex and basal ganglia make up the bulk of the forebrain, and influence behaviors related to almost all aspects of affective, cognitive and sensorimotor functions. The learning of new actions as well as association of existing action repertoires with environmental events are key functions of this circuitry. Unfortunately, the cortico-basal ganglia circuitry is also the target for all drugs of abuse, including alcohol. This makes the circuitry susceptible to the actions of chronic alcohol exposure that impairs circuit function in ways that contribute to cognitive dysfunction and drug use disorders. In the present review, we describe the connectivity and functions of the associative, limbic and sensorimotor cortico-basal ganglia circuits. We then review the effects of acute and chronic alcohol exposure on circuit function. Finally, we review studies examining the roles of the different circuits and circuit elements in alcohol use and abuse. We attempt to synthesize information from a variety of studies in laboratory animals and humans to generate hypotheses about how the three circuits interact with each other and with the other brain circuits during exposure to alcohol and during the development of alcohol use disorders. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled "Alcoholism".
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Lovinger
- Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States.
| | - Veronica A Alvarez
- Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States
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23
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Rosa-Toledo O, Almeida-Chuffa LG, Martinez M, Felipe-Pinheiro PF, Padovani CR, Martinez FE. Maternal separation on the ethanol-preferring adult rat liver structure. Ann Hepatol 2016; 14:910-8. [PMID: 26436364 DOI: 10.5604/16652681.1171783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Background and rationale for the study. We designed to test whether there is interaction of maternal separation (MS) on the ethanol-preferring rats liver structure. The UCh rat pups were separated daily from their mothers during the stress hyporesponsive period (SHRP), between four and 14 days-old, always at the same time for four hours in a cage containing eight subdivisions, one for each pup. Subsequently, rats that presented the highest (UChB) and the lowest (UChA) ethanol (EtOH) consumption were selected to the study. Both UChB and UChA rats received 10% (v/v) EtOH and distilled water ad libitum until the end of the experiment (120 days-old). The liver was collected to histological routine for morphometric and stereological analyses, and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS There was an interaction of MS and EtOH on the liver: increased liver mass, peritubular vessels, stellate cell numbers, steatosis and cell death, decreased necrosis, sinusoidal capillary diameters and cell proliferation. While there was a decrease in FSH, testosterone and 5α-di-hidrotestosterone, and increasing corticosterone and cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS There is interaction of MS and EtOH on the liver structure, dependent on the amount of EtOH intake. Furthermore, the interaction of stress and drugs can increase or decrease their effects on the liver or indirectly via hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marcelo Martinez
- Department of Morphology and Pathology, UFSCar-Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Carlos R Padovani
- Department of Biostatistic, Biosciences Institute, UNESP-Univ. Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
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24
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Belmer A, Patkar OL, Pitman KM, Bartlett SE. Serotonergic Neuroplasticity in Alcohol Addiction. Brain Plast 2016; 1:177-206. [PMID: 29765841 PMCID: PMC5928559 DOI: 10.3233/bpl-150022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Alcohol addiction is a debilitating disorder producing maladaptive changes in the brain, leading drinkers to become more sensitive to stress and anxiety. These changes are key factors contributing to alcohol craving and maintaining a persistent vulnerability to relapse. Serotonin (5-Hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter widely expressed in the central nervous system where it plays an important role in the regulation of mood. The serotonin system has been extensively implicated in the regulation of stress and anxiety, as well as the reinforcing properties of all of the major classes of drugs of abuse, including alcohol. Dysregulation within the 5-HT system has been postulated to underlie the negative mood states associated with alcohol use disorders. This review will describe the serotonergic (5-HTergic) neuroplastic changes observed in animal models throughout the alcohol addiction cycle, from prenatal to adulthood exposure. The first section will focus on alcohol-induced 5-HTergic neuroadaptations in offspring prenatally exposed to alcohol and the consequences on the regulation of stress/anxiety. The second section will compare alterations in 5-HT signalling induced by acute or chronic alcohol exposure during adulthood and following alcohol withdrawal, highlighting the impact on the regulation of stress/anxiety signalling pathways. The third section will outline 5-HTergic neuroadaptations observed in various genetically-selected ethanol preferring rat lines. Finally, we will discuss the pharmacological manipulation of the 5-HTergic system on ethanol- and anxiety/stress-related behaviours demonstrated by clinical trials, with an emphasis on current and potential treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnauld Belmer
- Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.,Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI), Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Omkar L Patkar
- Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.,Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI), Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Kim M Pitman
- Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.,Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI), Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Selena E Bartlett
- Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.,Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI), Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
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Divergent regulation of distinct glucocorticoid systems in alcohol dependence. Alcohol 2015; 49:811-6. [PMID: 26003866 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2015.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2014] [Revised: 04/11/2015] [Accepted: 04/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Chronic alcohol consumption disrupts glucocorticoid signaling at multiple physiological levels to interact with several disease-related processes associated with neuroendocrine and psychiatric disorders. Excessive alcohol use produces stress-related neuroadaptations at the level of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis as well as within central (extra-hypothalamic) neural circuitry, including the central amygdala (CeA) and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Altered glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling in these areas following excessive alcohol exposure is postulated to mediate the transition from recreational drinking to dependence, as well as the manifestation of a host of cognitive and neurological deficits. Specifically, a bidirectional regulation of stress systems by glucocorticoids leads to the development of an HPA axis tolerance and a concomitant sensitization of cortical and subcortical circuitries. A greater understanding of how hypothalamic and extra-hypothalamic glucocorticoid systems interact to mediate excessive drinking and related pathologies will lead to more effective therapeutic strategies for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and closely related comorbidities.
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Phillips TJ, Reed C, Pastor R. Preclinical evidence implicating corticotropin-releasing factor signaling in ethanol consumption and neuroadaptation. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2015; 14:98-135. [PMID: 25565358 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2014] [Revised: 11/22/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The results of many studies support the influence of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system on ethanol (EtOH) consumption and EtOH-induced neuroadaptations that are critical in the addiction process. This review summarizes the preclinical data in this area after first providing an overview of the components of the CRF system. This complex system involves hypothalamic and extra-hypothalamic mechanisms that play a role in the central and peripheral consequences of stressors, including EtOH and other drugs of abuse. In addition, several endogenous ligands and targets make up this system and show differences in their involvement in EtOH drinking and in the effects of chronic or repeated EtOH treatment. In general, genetic and pharmacological approaches paint a consistent picture of the importance of CRF signaling via type 1 CRF receptors (CRF(1)) in EtOH-induced neuroadaptations that result in higher levels of intake, encourage alcohol seeking during abstinence and alter EtOH sensitivity. Furthermore, genetic findings in rodents, non-human primates and humans have provided some evidence of associations of genetic polymorphisms in CRF-related genes with EtOH drinking, although additional data are needed. These results suggest that CRF(1) antagonists have potential as pharmacotherapeutics for alcohol use disorders. However, given the broad and important role of these receptors in adaptation to environmental and other challenges, full antagonist effects may be too profound and consideration should be given to treatments with modulatory effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- T J Phillips
- VA Portland Health Care System, Portland Alcohol Research Center, Methamphetamine Abuse Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA; Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Portland Alcohol Research Center, Methamphetamine Abuse Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
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Increased Basolateral Amygdala Pyramidal Cell Excitability May Contribute to the Anxiogenic Phenotype Induced by Chronic Early-Life Stress. J Neurosci 2015; 35:9730-40. [PMID: 26134655 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0384-15.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Adolescence represents a particularly vulnerable period during which exposure to stressors can precipitate the onset of psychiatric disorders and addiction. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) plays an integral role in the pathophysiology of anxiety and addiction. Acute and chronic stress promote increases in BLA pyramidal cell firing, and decreasing BLA excitability alleviates anxiety measures in humans and rodents. Notably, the impact of early-life stress on the mechanisms that govern BLA excitability is unknown. To address this gap in our knowledge, we used a rodent model of chronic early-life stress that engenders robust and enduring increases in anxiety-like behaviors and ethanol intake and examined the impact of this model on the intrinsic excitability of BLA pyramidal cells. Adolescent social isolation was associated with a significant increase in the intrinsic excitability of BLA pyramidal cells and a blunting of the medium component of the afterhyperpolarization potential, a voltage signature of calcium-activated potassium (Kca) channel activity. Western blot analysis revealed reduced expression of small-conductance Kca (SK) channel protein in the BLA of socially isolated (SI) rats. Bath application of a positive SK channel modulator (1-EBIO) normalized firing in ex vivo recordings from SI rats, and in vivo intra-BLA 1-EBIO infusion reduced anxiety-like behaviors. These findings reveal that chronic adolescent stress impairs SK channel function, which contributes to an increase in BLA pyramidal cell excitability and highlights BLA SK channels as promising targets for the treatment of anxiety disorders and comorbid addiction. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Although anxiety disorders and alcohol addiction frequently co-occur, the mechanisms that contribute to this comorbidity are poorly understood. Here, we used a rodent early-life stress model that leads to robust and longlasting increases in behaviors associated with elevated risk of anxiety disorders and addiction to identify novel neurobiological substrates that may underlie these behaviors. Our studies focused on the primary output neurons of the basolateral amygdala, a brain region that plays a key role in anxiety and addiction. We discovered that early-life stress decreases the activity of a specific class of potassium channels and increases the intrinsic excitability of BLA neurons and present evidence that enhancing the function of these channels normalizes BLA excitability and attenuates anxiety-like behaviors.
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Lee KM, Coehlo M, McGregor HA, Waltermire RS, Szumlinski KK. Binge alcohol drinking elicits persistent negative affect in mice. Behav Brain Res 2015; 291:385-398. [PMID: 26048424 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.05.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2015] [Revised: 05/26/2015] [Accepted: 05/31/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Cessation from chronic alcohol abuse often produces a dysphoric state that can persist into protracted withdrawal. This dysphoric state is theorized to function as a negative reinforcer that maintains excessive alcohol consumption and/or precipitates relapse in those struggling to abstain from alcohol. However, we know relatively little regarding the impact of cessation from binge drinking on behavioral measures of negative affect and related neurobiology. Male C57BL/6J mice were given access to unsweetened 20% alcohol for 6 weeks under modified Drinking-in-the-dark procedures, followed by behavioral testing beginning either 1 or 21 days into withdrawal. Mice were administered a behavioral test battery consisting of: the elevated plus maze, light/dark box, novel object test, marble burying test, Porsolt forced swim test and sucrose preference test to assess anxiogenic and depressive signs. Egr1 immunostaining was used to quantify cellular activity within the central nucleus of the amygdala (CEA), basolateral amygdala (BLA), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), and the nucleus accumbens (Acb) shell (AcbSh) and core (AcbC). Compared to water controls, alcohol-drinking mice exhibited higher indices of emotionality in the majority of behavioral assays. The hyper-emotionality exhibited by binge drinking mice was apparent at both withdrawal time-points and correlated with higher Egr1+ cell counts in the CEA and BNST, compared to controls. These data show that affective symptoms emerge very early after cessation of binge drinking and persist into protracted withdrawal. A history of binge drinking is capable of producing enduring neuroadaptations within brain circuits mediating emotional arousal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaziya M Lee
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Michal Coehlo
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Hadley A McGregor
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Ryan S Waltermire
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Karen K Szumlinski
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
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Harris S, Johnson S, Duncan JW, Udemgba C, Meyer JH, Albert PR, Lomberk G, Urrutia R, Ou XM, Stockmeier CA, Wang JM. Evidence revealing deregulation of the KLF11-MAO A pathway in association with chronic stress and depressive disorders. Neuropsychopharmacology 2015; 40:1373-82. [PMID: 25502632 PMCID: PMC4397395 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2014.321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2014] [Revised: 10/08/2014] [Accepted: 10/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The biochemical pathways underlying major depressive disorder (MDD) and chronic stress are not well understood. However, it has been reported that monoamine oxidase A (MAO A, a major neurotransmitter-degrading enzyme) is significantly increased in the brains of human subjects affected with MDD and rats exposed to chronic social defeat (CSD) stress, which is used to model depression. In the current study, we compared the protein levels of a MAO A-transcriptional activator, Kruppel-like factor 11 (KLF11 , also recognized as transforming growth factor-beta-inducible early gene 2) between the brains of 18 human subjects with MDD and 18 control subjects. We found that, indeed, the expression of KLF11 is increased by 36% (p<0.02) in the postmortem prefrontal cortex of human subjects with MDD compared with controls. We also observed a positive correlation between KLF11 levels and those of its target gene, MAO A, both in association with MDD. KLF11 protein expression was also increased by 44% (p<0.02) in the frontal cortex of KLF11 wild-type mice (Klf11(+/+)) vs Klf11(-/-) when both exposed to CSD stress. In contrast, locomotor activities, central box duration and sucrose preference were significantly reduced in the stressed Klf11(+/+) mice, suggesting that Klf11(+/+) mice are more severely affected by the stress model compared with Klf11(-/-) mice. These results serve to assign an important role of KLF11 in upregulating MAO A in MDD and chronic social stress, suggesting that inhibition of the pathways regulated by this transcription factor may aid in the therapeutics of neuropsychiatric illnesses. Thus, the new knowledge derived from the current study extends our understanding of transcriptional mechanisms that are operational in the pathophysiology of common human diseases and thus bears significant biomedical relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharonda Harris
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Jackson, MS, USA
| | | | - Jeremy W Duncan
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Jackson, MS, USA,Program in Neuroscience, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - Chinelo Udemgba
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - Jeffrey H Meyer
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Paul R Albert
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (Neuroscience), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gwen Lomberk
- Epigenetics and Chromatin Dynamics Laboratory, GI Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Raul Urrutia
- Epigenetics and Chromatin Dynamics Laboratory, GI Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Xiao-Ming Ou
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - Craig A Stockmeier
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Jackson, MS, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Jun Ming Wang
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Jackson, MS, USA,Program in Neuroscience, Jackson, MS, USA,Department of Pathology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA,Department of Pathology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 N. State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, USA, Tel: +1-601-984-4644, Fax: +1-601-984-5899, E-mail:
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Rau AR, Ariwodola OJ, Weiner JL. Postsynaptic adenosine A2A receptors modulate intrinsic excitability of pyramidal cells in the rat basolateral amygdala. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 18:pyv017. [PMID: 25716780 PMCID: PMC4438553 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyv017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The basolateral amygdala plays a critical role in the etiology of anxiety disorders and addiction. Pyramidal neurons, the primary output cells of this region, display increased firing following exposure to stressors, and it is thought that this increase in excitability contributes to stress responsivity and the expression of anxiety-like behaviors. However, much remains unknown about the underlying mechanisms that regulate the intrinsic excitability of basolateral amygdala pyramidal neurons. METHODS Ex vivo gramicidin perforated patch recordings were conducted in current clamp mode where hyper- and depolarizing current steps were applied to basolateral amygdala pyramidal neurons to assess the effects of adenosine A(2A) receptor modulation on intrinsic excitability. RESULTS Activation of adenosine A(2A) receptors with the selective A(2A) receptor agonist CGS-21680 significantly increased the firing rate of basolateral amygdala pyramidal neurons in rat amygdala brain slices, likely via inhibition of the slow afterhyperpolarization potential. Both of these A(2A) receptor-mediated effects were blocked by preapplication of a selective A(2A) receptor antagonist (ZM-241385) or by intra-pipette infusion of a protein kinase A inhibitor, suggesting a postsynaptic locus of A(2A) receptors on basolateral amygdala pyramidal neurons. Interestingly, bath application of the A(2A) receptor antagonist alone significantly attenuated basolateral amygdala pyramidal cell firing, consistent with a role for tonic adenosine in the regulation of the intrinsic excitability of these neurons. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these data suggest that adenosine, via activation of A(2A) receptors, may directly facilitate basolateral amygdala pyramidal cell output, providing a possible balance for the recently described inhibitory effects of adenosine A1 receptor activation on glutamatergic excitation of basolateral amygdala pyramidal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Rau
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine (Mr Rau, Mr Ariwodola, and Dr Weiner), Neuroscience Graduate Program, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Mr Rau), Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Olusegun J Ariwodola
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine (Mr Rau, Mr Ariwodola, and Dr Weiner), Neuroscience Graduate Program, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Mr Rau), Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Jeff L Weiner
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine (Mr Rau, Mr Ariwodola, and Dr Weiner), Neuroscience Graduate Program, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Mr Rau), Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
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Bailey JM, Oliveri AN, Zhang C, Frazier JM, Mackinnon S, Cole GJ, Levin ED. Long-term behavioral impairment following acute embryonic ethanol exposure in zebrafish. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2015; 48:1-8. [PMID: 25599606 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2015.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2014] [Revised: 12/11/2014] [Accepted: 01/12/2015] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Developmental exposure to ethanol has long been known to cause persisting neurobehavioral impairment. However, the neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying these deficits and the importance of exposure timing are not well-characterized. Given the importance of timing and sequence in neurodevelopment it would be expected that alcohol intoxication at different developmental periods would result in distinct neurobehavioral consequences. METHODS Zebrafish embryos were exposed to ethanol (0%, 1%, 3%) at either 8-10 or 24-27 h post-fertilization (hpf) then reared to adolescence and evaluated on several behavioral endpoints. Habituation to a repeated environmental stimulus and overall sensorimotor function were assessed using a tap startle test; measurements of anxiety and exploration behavior were made following introduction to a novel tank; and spatial discrimination learning was assessed using aversive control in a three-chambered apparatus. Overt signs of dysmorphogenesis were also scored (i.e. craniofacial malformations, including eye diameter and midbrain-hindbrain boundary morphology). RESULTS Ethanol treated fish were more active both at baseline and following a tap stimulus compared to the control fish and were hyperactive when placed in a novel tank. These effects were more prominent following exposure at 24-27 hpf than with the earlier exposure window, for both dose groups. Increases in physical malformation were only present in the 3% ethanol group; all malformed fish were excluded from behavioral testing. DISCUSSION These results suggest specific domains of behavior are affected following ethanol exposure, with some but not all of the tests revealing significant impairment. The behavioral phenotypes following distinct exposure windows described here can be used to help link cellular and molecular mechanisms of developmental ethanol exposure to functional neurobehavioral effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Bailey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - A N Oliveri
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - C Zhang
- Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | - J M Frazier
- Department of Biology, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | - S Mackinnon
- Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | - G J Cole
- Department of Biology, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA; Julius L. Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | - E D Levin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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Magrys S, Olmstead M. Acute Stress Increases Voluntary Consumption of Alcohol in Undergraduates. Alcohol Alcohol 2015; 50:213-8. [DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agu101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Bodhinathan K, Slesinger PA. Alcohol modulation of G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium channels: from binding to therapeutics. Front Physiol 2014; 5:76. [PMID: 24611054 PMCID: PMC3933770 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2014.00076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2013] [Accepted: 02/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol (ethanol)-induced behaviors may arise from direct interaction of alcohol with discrete protein cavities within brain proteins. Recent structural and biochemical studies have provided new insights into the mechanism of alcohol-dependent activation of G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels, which regulate neuronal responses in the brain reward circuit. GIRK channels contain an alcohol binding pocket formed at the interface of two adjacent channel subunits. Here, we discuss the physiochemical properties of the alcohol pocket and the roles of G protein βγ subunits and membrane phospholipid PIP2 in regulating the alcohol response of GIRK channels. Some of the features of alcohol modulation of GIRK channels may be common to other alcohol-sensitive brain proteins. We discuss the possibility of alcohol-selective therapeutics that block alcohol access to the pocket. Understanding alcohol recognition and modulation of brain proteins is essential for development of therapeutics for alcohol abuse and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karthik Bodhinathan
- Structural Biology and Peptide Biology Laboratories, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Paul A Slesinger
- Structural Biology and Peptide Biology Laboratories, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies La Jolla, CA, USA ; Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA
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Rau AR, Ariwodola OJ, Weiner JL. Presynaptic adenosine A₁ receptors modulate excitatory transmission in the rat basolateral amygdala. Neuropharmacology 2013; 77:465-74. [PMID: 24212058 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2013.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2013] [Revised: 10/03/2013] [Accepted: 10/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) plays an integral role in the etiology of anxiety disorders and alcoholism. Although much is known about the intrinsic circuitry that governs BLA excitability, our understanding of the neuromodulators that control BLA excitation is incomplete. In many brain regions, adenosine (ADO) regulates neuronal excitability, primarily via A₁ receptor inhibition of glutamate release, and basal adenosinergic tone is high enough to tonically inhibit neuronal excitation. Although ADO signaling modulates many anxiety- and alcohol-related behaviors, little is known about ADO regulation of BLA neurotransmission. To that end, we used patch clamp methods in rodent brain slices to characterize adenosinergic modulation of excitatory neurotransmission onto BLA pyramidal cells. ADO significantly inhibited EPSCs evoked by stimulation of either medial or external glutamatergic inputs into the BLA. This effect was mimicked by an A₁, but not by an A(₂a), agonist. Paired-pulse ratio and miniature EPSC experiments revealed that A₁ receptors reside at a presynaptic locus on BLA glutamatergic synapses. Moreover, bath application of an A1 receptor antagonist significantly enhanced EPSCs, providing evidence of tonic adenosinergic tone at BLA glutamatergic synapses. In addition, tonic ADO was regulated by adenosine kinase, but not adenosine deaminase. Finally, activation of A₁ receptors had no direct effects on the intrinsic excitability of BLA pyramidal cells. Collectively, these data suggest that tonic A₁ receptor signaling may play an important role in regulating BLA excitability and suggest a possible neurobiological substrate through which ADO may contribute to the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders and alcohol addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Rau
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1083, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Wake Forest University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1083, USA.
| | - Olusegun J Ariwodola
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1083, USA.
| | - Jeff L Weiner
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1083, USA.
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Udemgba C, Johnson S, Stockmeier CA, Luo J, Albert PR, Wang J, May WL, Rajkowska G, Harris S, Sittman DB, Ou XM. The expression of KLF11 (TIEG2), a monoamine oxidase B transcriptional activator in the prefrontal cortex of human alcohol dependence. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2013; 38:144-51. [PMID: 23915421 DOI: 10.1111/acer.12229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2013] [Accepted: 05/22/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The biochemical pathways underlying alcohol abuse and dependence are not well understood, although brain cell loss and neurotoxicity have been reported in subjects with alcohol dependence. Monoamine oxidase B (MAO B; an enzyme that catabolizes neurotransmitters such as dopamine) is consistently increased in this psychiatric illness. MAO B has been implicated in the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence and alcohol-induced brain neurotoxicity. Recently, the cell growth inhibitor protein, Kruppel-like factor 11 (KLF11), has been reported to be an MAO transcriptional activator. KLF11 is also known as TIEG2 (transforming growth factor-beta-inducible early gene 2) and mediates apoptotic cell death. This study investigates the protein expression of KLF11 and its relationship with MAO B using human postmortem prefrontal cortex from subjects with alcohol dependence. METHODS Twelve subjects with alcohol dependence and the respective psychiatrically normal control subjects were investigated. Expression of KLF11 and MAO B proteins in the prefrontal cortex was measured by Western blot analysis. Correlation studies involving KLF11 and MAO B protein expression were performed. Localization of KLF11 in the human prefrontal cortex was also determined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Levels of KLF11 protein were significantly increased by 44% (p < 0.03) in the postmortem prefrontal cortex of subjects with alcohol dependence as compared to age- and gender-matched, psychiatrically normal control subjects. Furthermore, KLF11 levels were significantly and positively correlated with both the increased MAO B protein levels and blood alcohol content in alcohol-dependent subjects. In addition, KLF11 protein expression was visualized in both neuronal and glial cells. CONCLUSIONS This novel study shows the important role of KLF11, an MAO transcriptional activator, in human alcohol dependence. It further supports that the KLF11-MAO B cell death cascade may contribute to chronic alcohol-induced brain damage. This argues a case for KLF11-MAO B inhibition as a novel therapeutic strategy that may impact this highly prevalent illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chinelo Udemgba
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior , University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
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Ceballos NA, Giuliano RJ, Wicha NYY, Graham R. Acute stress and event-related potential correlates of attention to alcohol images in social drinkers. J Stud Alcohol Drugs 2013; 73:761-71. [PMID: 22846240 DOI: 10.15288/jsad.2012.73.761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The use of alcohol to cope with stress is a major health concern, yet the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the effects of stress on alcohol-related cognition are not well understood. This study examined changes in event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by alcohol-related images before and after a stressor compared with a control condition. METHOD Social drinkers (N = 75; 38 male) were assigned to one of two target subgroups for completion of an oddball task: (a) to detect alcohol targets while ignoring household object distracters and frequently presented nonsense shapes or (b) to detect object targets while ignoring alcohol distracters and nonsense shapes. ERPs were recorded before and after one of two conditions: a stressor or a nonstressful control task. RESULTS N200 latency and amplitude changes were modulated by stress. Similarly, stress reduced P300 latencies beyond practice effects. For P300 amplitude, the target subgroup interacted with the condition such that the standard "oddball" effect was observed in the control condition but was absent in the stress condition, suggesting that stress may have interfered with the participants' cognitive efficiency, or the ability to ignore task-irrelevant stimuli. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that stress influences the early stages of alcohol-related processing, an effect that may be particularly apparent in ERP latencies. These findings have implications for understanding the neural mechanisms involved with stress and alcohol cue reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie A Ceballos
- Department of Psychology, Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, Texas 78666, USA.
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Alterations in ethanol seeking and self-administration following yohimbine in selectively bred alcohol-preferring (P) and high alcohol drinking (HAD-2) rats. Behav Brain Res 2012; 238:252-8. [PMID: 23103404 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.10.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2012] [Revised: 10/16/2012] [Accepted: 10/18/2012] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Evidence suggests that stress increases alcohol drinking and promotes relapse in humans. Animal models that assess related behaviors include the sipper tube ethanol self-administration and the stress-induced reinstatement paradigms. While selectively bred for the same high-ethanol-drinking behavior, alcohol-preferring P rats appear to show greater sensitivity to ethanol reinforcement than high-alcohol-drinking HAD rats. The present experiment tested the effects of the pharmacological stressor, yohimbine, on the motivation to seek and consume ethanol implementing a combined sipper tube/reinstatement model using male P and HAD-2 rats. Following training to self-administer ethanol using the sipper tube procedure, rats were tested for the effects of yohimbine (0.625-2.5 mg/kg) on ethanol drinking. Subsequently, rats were tested for the effects of 1.25 mg/kg yohimbine on reinstatement of ethanol seeking. Yohimbine (0.625 and 1.25 mg/kg) increased ethanol self-administration, and the latter dose also decreased latency to complete the response requirement. Yohimbine elicited reinstatement of ethanol seeking in both lines. HAD-2 rats drank more ethanol, but showed similar responding on the ethanol-associated lever compared to P rats. These findings extend both the reinstatement and sipper tube models and justify further exploration of this unique combined paradigm. Despite prior evidence suggesting that P rats are more motivated to seek and consume ethanol, differences in these behaviors between P and HAD-2 rats were not systematic in the present experiment. Further investigation may elucidate whether either selected line may be more sensitive than other selectively bred or outbred rats to stress-related changes in ethanol's reinforcing effects.
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Gorsane MA, Kebir O, Hache G, Blecha L, Aubin HJ, Reynaud M, Benyamina A. Is Baclofen a Revolutionary Medication in Alcohol Addiction Management? Review and Recent Updates. Subst Abus 2012; 33:336-49. [DOI: 10.1080/08897077.2012.663326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Haass-Koffler CL, Bartlett SE. Stress and addiction: contribution of the corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) system in neuroplasticity. Front Mol Neurosci 2012; 5:91. [PMID: 22973190 PMCID: PMC3434418 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2012.00091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2012] [Accepted: 08/15/2012] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) has been shown to induce various behavioral changes related to adaptation to stress. Dysregulation of the CRF system at any point can lead to a variety of psychiatric disorders, including substance use disorders (SUDs). CRF has been associated with stress-induced drug reinforcement. Extensive literature has identified CRF to play an important role in the molecular mechanisms that lead to an increase in susceptibility that precipitates relapse to SUDs. The CRF system has a heterogeneous role in SUDs. It enhances the acute effects of drugs of abuse and is also responsible for the potentiation of drug-induced neuroplasticity evoked during the withdrawal period. We present in this review the brain regions and circuitries where CRF is expressed and may participate in stress-induced drug abuse. Finally, we attempt to evaluate the role of modulating the CRF system as a possible therapeutic strategy for treating the dysregulation of emotional behaviors that result from the acute positive reinforcement of substances of abuse as well as the negative reinforcement produced by withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina L Haass-Koffler
- Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California San Francisco Emeryville, CA, USA
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Effects of the combination of metyrapone and oxazepam on intravenous nicotine self-administration in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2012; 223:17-25. [PMID: 22418732 PMCID: PMC3464482 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-012-2682-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2012] [Accepted: 02/23/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Despite increased education regarding its dangers, cigarette smoking remains a significant public health concern due to serious associated health consequences such as cancer and respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Most smokers fail in their attempts to quit smoking, and current pharmacological interventions have relatively low levels of efficacy and are associated with significant adverse events. We have previously reported that combinations of metyrapone and oxazepam, administered at doses that were ineffective when delivered singly, resulted in dose-related decreases in cocaine self-administration in rats while not affecting food-maintained responding during the same sessions. OBJECTIVES The current study was designed to test the effects of the administration of a metyrapone:oxazepam combination on nicotine self-administration in rats. METHODS Several dose combinations of metyrapone (12.5, 25 or 50 mg/kg) and oxazepam (5 or 10 mg/kg) were tested in rats trained to intravenously (IV) self-administer nicotine (0.03 mg/kg/infusion) during 1-h self-administration sessions using both fixed-ratio and progressive-ratio (PR) schedules of reinforcement. RESULTS The administration of low doses of metyrapone and oxazepam in combination significantly decreased IV nicotine self-administration in rats. At the lowest doses of 12.5 mg/kg of metyrapone and 5 mg/kg of oxazepam, the drugs alone did not decrease IV nicotine self-administration, but the combination was effective. Varenicline was also tested using the fixed-ratio schedule, and reductions in nicotine intake were similar to those seen with the moderate dose of the combination. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest a potential utility of the combination of metyrapone and oxazepam for smoking cessation in humans.
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Lovinger DM. Young investigators stress alcohol-induced neuroadaptations in extended amygdala. Alcohol 2012; 46:299-300. [PMID: 22440687 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2011.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2011] [Accepted: 11/28/2011] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Koss WA, Sadowski RN, Sherrill LK, Gulley JM, Juraska JM. Effects of ethanol during adolescence on the number of neurons and glia in the medial prefrontal cortex and basolateral amygdala of adult male and female rats. Brain Res 2012; 1466:24-32. [PMID: 22627163 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2012] [Revised: 04/13/2012] [Accepted: 05/12/2012] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Human adolescents often consume alcohol in a binge-like manner at a time when changes are occurring within specific brain structures, such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLN). In particular, the number of neurons and glia is changing in both of these areas in the rat between adolescence and adulthood (Markham et al., 2007; Rubinow and Juraska, 2009). The current study investigated the effects of ethanol exposure during adolescence on the number of neurons and glia in the adult mPFC and BLN in Long-Evans male and female rats. Saline or 3g/kg ethanol was administered between postnatal days (P) 35-45 in a binge-like pattern, with 2days of injections followed by 1 day without an injection. Stereological analyses of the ventral mPFC (prelimbic and infralimbic areas) and the BLN were performed on brains from rats at 100 days of age. Neuron and glia densities were assessed with the optical disector and then multiplied by the volume to calculate the total number of neurons and glia. In the adult mPFC, ethanol administration during adolescence resulted in a decreased number of glia in males, but not females, and had no effect on the number of neurons. Adolescent ethanol exposure had no effects on glia or neuron number in the BLN. These results suggest that glia cells in the prefrontal cortex are particularly sensitive to binge-like exposure to ethanol during adolescence in male rats only, potentially due to a decrease in proliferation in males or protective mechanisms in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- W A Koss
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
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Freeman K, Staehle MM, Gümüş ZH, Vadigepalli R, Gonye GE, Nichols CN, Ogunnaike BA, Hoek JB, Schwaber JS. Rapid temporal changes in the expression of a set of neuromodulatory genes during alcohol withdrawal in the dorsal vagal complex: molecular evidence of homeostatic disturbance. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2012; 36:1688-700. [PMID: 22486438 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2012.01791.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2011] [Accepted: 01/31/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic alcohol exposure produces neuroadaptation, which increases the risk of cellular excitotoxicity and autonomic dysfunction during withdrawal. The temporal progression and regulation of the gene expression that contributes to this physiologic and behavioral phenotype is poorly understood early in the withdrawal period. Further, it is unexplored in the dorsal vagal complex (DVC), a brainstem autonomic regulatory structure. METHODS We use a quantitative polymerase chain reaction platform to precisely and simultaneously measure the expression of 145 neuromodulatory genes in more than 100 rat DVC samples from control, chronically alcohol-exposed, and withdrawn rats. To gain insight into the dynamic progression and regulation of withdrawal, we focus on the expression of a subset of functionally relevant genes during the first 48 hours, when behavioral symptoms are most severe. RESULTS In the DVC, expression of this gene subset is essentially normal in chronically alcohol-exposed rats. However, withdrawal results in rapid, large-magnitude expression changes in this group. We observed differential regulation in 86 of the 145 genes measured (59%), some as early as 4 hours into withdrawal. Time series measurements (4, 8, 18, 32, and 48 hours after alcohol removal) revealed dynamic expression responses in immediate early genes, γ-aminobutyric acid type A, ionotropic glutamate, and G-protein coupled receptors and the Ras/Raf signaling pathway. Together, these changes elucidate a complex, temporally coordinated response that involves correlated expression of many functionally related groups. In particular, the expression patterns of Gabra1, Grin2a, Grin3a, and Grik3 were tightly correlated. These receptor subunits share overrepresented transcription factor binding sites for Pax-8 and other transcription factors, suggesting a common regulatory mechanism and a role for these transcription factors in the regulation of neurotransmission within the first 48 hours of alcohol withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS Expression in this gene set is essentially normal in the alcohol-adapted DVC, but withdrawal results in immediate, large-magnitude, and dynamic changes. These data support both increased research focus on the biological ramifications of alcohol withdrawal and enable novel insights into the dynamic withdrawal expression response in this understudied homeostatic control center.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Freeman
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Daniel Baugh Institute for Functional Genomics and Computational Biology, Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
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Prendergast MA, Mulholland PJ. Glucocorticoid and polyamine interactions in the plasticity of glutamatergic synapses that contribute to ethanol-associated dependence and neuronal injury. Addict Biol 2012; 17:209-23. [PMID: 21967628 PMCID: PMC3254017 DOI: 10.1111/j.1369-1600.2011.00375.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Stress contributes to the development of ethanol dependence and is also a consequence of dependence. However, the complexity of physiological interactions between activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and ethanol itself is not well delineated. Emerging evidence derived from examination of corticotropin-releasing factor systems and glucocorticoid receptor systems in ethanol dependence suggests a role for pharmacological manipulation of the HPA axis in attenuating ethanol intake, though it is not clear how activation of the HPA axis may promote ethanol dependence or contribute to the neuroadaptative changes that accompany the development of dependence and the severity of ethanol withdrawal. This review examines the role that glucocorticoids, in particular, have in promoting ethanol-associated plasticity of glutamatergic synapses by influencing expression of endogenous linear polyamines and polyamine-sensitive polypeptide subunits of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptors. We provide evidence that interactions among glucocorticoid systems, polyamines and NMDA receptors are highly relevant to both the development of ethanol dependence and to behavioral and neuropathological sequelae associated with ethanol withdrawal. Examination of these issues is likely to be of critical importance not only in further elucidating the neurobiology of HPA axis dysregulation in ethanol dependence, but also with regard to identification of novel therapeutic targets that may be exploited in the treatment of ethanol dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A. Prendergast
- University of Kentucky, Department of Psychology, 741 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536, U.S.A
- Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, B449 Biomedical and Biological Sciences Research Building, 741 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536, U.S.A
| | - Patrick J. Mulholland
- Departments of Neurosciences and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 67 President Street, IOP 462 North Charleston, South Carolina 29425, U.S.A
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Animated bird silhouette above the tank: acute alcohol diminishes fear responses in zebrafish. Behav Brain Res 2012; 229:194-201. [PMID: 22266470 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2011] [Revised: 01/05/2012] [Accepted: 01/09/2012] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse represent major unmet medical needs. The zebrafish is considered to be a promising vertebrate species with which the effects of alcohol on brain function and behavior and the mechanisms underlying these effects may be studied. Alcohol is known to induce alterations in motor function as well as fear and anxiety. Here we utilize a recently developed fear paradigm in which we employ an animated (moving) image of a bird silhouette. We measure the effect of acute alcohol administration (dose range employed: 0.00-0.75 vol/vol percentage, bath exposure for 60 min) on the behavioral responses of zebrafish. We test these responses during a pre-stimulus, stimulus and post-stimulus period of the task using both a video-tracking and an observation based quantification method. The fear inducing stimulus was found to decrease the distance of the zebrafish from the bottom of the tank, to increase number of erratic movements, and to increase the number of jumps in alcohol exposed fish (versus control fish). Alcohol attenuated these fear responses in a dose dependent manner. In addition, alcohol decreased general activity at the highest dose, an effect that was independent of the presentation of the stimulus. We discuss the similarities and differences between observation and video-tracking based results and conclude that fear paradigms will be useful in revealing alcohol induced functional changes in the brain of zebrafish.
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Ethanol withdrawal activates nitric oxide-producing neurons in anxiety-related brain areas. Alcohol 2011; 45:641-52. [PMID: 21194876 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2010.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2010] [Revised: 11/29/2010] [Accepted: 11/29/2010] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigated whether nitric oxide (NO)-producing neurons localized in brain areas related to anxiety are also activated after ethanol withdrawal. Male Wistar rats were subjected to an oral ethanol self-administration procedure, in which they were offered 6-8% (vol/vol) ethanol solution for a period of 21 days followed by abrupt discontinuation of the treatment. Control animals received control dietary fluid for similar periods of time. Twenty-four or 48 h after ethanol discontinuation, the animals were exposed to the open field for 10 min. Two hours later, their brains were removed and processed for Fos immunohistochemistry and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase histochemistry (which is used to detect NO-producing neurons). Decreased exploratory activity was observed in animals subjected to 24-h withdrawal, characterized by a shorter distance traveled in the open field. Additionally, increased Fos expression was detected in brain areas, such as the cingulate and piriform cortices, several hypothalamic nuclei, amygdaloid nuclei, most subdivisions of the periaqueductal gray matter, and dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN). Ethanol withdrawal activated NO-producing neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus, dorsolateral periaqueductal gray matter (DLPAG), and DRN. The results show that ethanol withdrawal activates NO-producing neurons in the PVN, DLPAG, and DRN, which are brain areas implicated in the modulation of emotional, autonomic, and motor expression of anxiety-like behaviors.
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Effects of a stressor and corticotrophin releasing factor on ethanol deprivation-induced ethanol intake and anxiety-like behavior in alcohol-preferring P rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2011; 218:179-89. [PMID: 21643675 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-011-2366-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2010] [Accepted: 05/20/2011] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Stress may elevate ethanol drinking and anxiety associated with ethanol drinking. Studies to identify relevant neurobiological substrates are needed. OBJECTIVE To assess roles of brain regions in corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) effects on stressor-enhanced, ethanol deprivation-induced drinking and anxiety-like behavior. METHODS Ethanol-preferring rats (P rats) were exposed to three cycles of a two-bottle choice paradigm with two 2-day deprivation periods that included 1 h exposure to a restraint stressor. To assess the role of CRF and to identify relevant brain regions, a CRF-1 receptor antagonist (SSR125543; 10 ug) was injected into the nucleus accumbens (NAC), amygdala (Amyg), or dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) prior to exposure to the restraint stressor. In a second study, CRF (0.5 ug) was injected into one of these regions, or the ventral tegmental area (VTA), or paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). RESULTS Applying the restraint stressor during deprivation increased voluntary intake and sensitized anxiety-like behavior. Antagonist injection into the NAC prevented increased drinking without affecting anxiety-like behavior, whereas injection into the Amyg or DRN prevented the anxiety-like behavior without affecting drinking. To confirm CRF actions in the stressor effect, CRF was injected into selected brain regions. NAC injections (but not the VTA, Amyg, DRN, or PVN) facilitated drinking but did not change anxiety-like behavior. Injections into the DRN or Amyg (but not PVN or VTA) enhanced anxiety-like behavior. CONCLUSIONS Results emphasize that a restraint stressor elevates ethanol intake and sensitizes ethanol deprivation-induced anxiety-like behavior through CRF1 receptors in the NAC and Amyg/DRN, respectively.
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Jagoda EM, Lang L, McCullough K, Contoreggi C, Kim BM, Ma Y, Rice KC, Szajek LP, Eckelman WC, Kiesewetter DO. [(76) Br]BMK-152, a nonpeptide analogue, with high affinity and low nonspecific binding for the corticotropin-releasing factor type 1 receptor. Synapse 2011; 65:910-8. [PMID: 21308801 DOI: 10.1002/syn.20919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2010] [Accepted: 01/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), a neuropeptide, regulates endocrine and autonomic responses to stress through G-protein coupled receptors, CRF(1) or CRF(2) . A PET ligand able to monitor changes in CRF(1) receptor occupancy in vivo would aid in understanding the pathophysiology of stress-related diseases as well as in the clinical development of nonpeptide antagonists with therapeutic value. We have radiolabeled the CRF(1) receptor ligand, [8-(4-bromo-2,6-dimethoxyphenyl)-2,7-dimethylpyrazolo[1,5-α][1,3,5]triazin-4-yl]-N,N-bis-(2-methoxyethyl)amine (BMK-152) (ClogP = 2.6), at both the 3 and 4 position with [(76) Br]. Using in vitro autoradiography saturation studies the 4-[(76) Br]BMK-152 exhibited high affinity binding to both rat (K(d) = 0.23 ± 0.07 nM; n = 3) and monkey frontal cortex (K(d) = 0.31 ± 0.08 nM; n = 3) consistent with CRF(1) receptor regional distribution whereas with the 3-[(76) Br]BMK-152, the K(d) s could not be determined due to high nonspecific binding. In vitro autoradiography competition studies using [(125) I]Tyr(0) -o-CRF confirmed that 3-Br-BMK-152 (K(i) = 24.4 ± 4.9 nM; n = 3) had lower affinity (70-fold) than 4-Br-BMK-152 (K(i) = 0.35 ± 0.07 nM; n = 3) in monkey frontal cortex and similiar studies using [(125) I]Sauvagine confirmed CRF(1) receptor selectivity. In vivo studies with P-glycoprotein (PGP) knockout mice (KO) and their wild-type littermates (WT) showed that the brain uptake of 3-[(76) Br]BMK/4-[(76) Br]BMK was increased less than twofold in KO versus WT indicating that 3-[(76) Br]BMK-152/4-[(76) Br]BMK was not a Pgp substrate. Rat brain uptakes of 4-[(76) Br] BMK-152 from ex vivo autoradiography studies showed regional localization consistent with known published CRF(1) receptor distribution and potential as a PET ligand for in vivo imaging of CRF(1) receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine M Jagoda
- PET Radiochemistry Group, NIBIB, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1088, USA.
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Sex differences in synaptic plasticity in stress-responsive brain regions following chronic variable stress. Physiol Behav 2011; 104:242-7. [PMID: 21315096 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.01.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2010] [Revised: 01/10/2011] [Accepted: 01/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Increased stress responsiveness is implicated in the etiology of mood and anxiety disorders, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Additionally, stress-related affective disorders have a higher incidence in women than men. Chronic stress in rodents produces numerous neuromorphological changes in a variety of limbic brain regions. Here, we examined the sex-dependent differences in presynaptic innervation of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), prefrontal cortex (PFC), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), and amygdala in response to chronic variable stress (CVS). Following 14 days of CVS, the presynaptic protein synaptophysin was assessed in male and female rats. Our results demonstrate that synaptophysin staining density was higher in females than males in all brain areas evaluated, indicating sex differences in the organization of presynaptic innervation. After CVS, the PVN, principal nucleus of the BST (BSTpr), and basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) displayed significantly reduced synaptophysin density in females but not males. Furthermore, males showed an increase in synaptophysin in the PVN after CVS, suggesting a sex difference in the modulation of presynaptic inputs to the PVN following chronic stress. Overall, these data suggest marked sex differences in PVN, BSTpr, and BLA presynaptic innervation as a consequence of chronic stress, which may be associated with differential stress responsivity and perhaps susceptibility to pathologies in males and females.
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Mathur P, Guo S. Differences of acute versus chronic ethanol exposure on anxiety-like behavioral responses in zebrafish. Behav Brain Res 2011; 219:234-9. [PMID: 21255611 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2010] [Revised: 01/06/2011] [Accepted: 01/10/2011] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Zebrafish, a vertebrate model organism amenable to high throughput screening, is an attractive system to model and study the mechanisms underlying human diseases. Alcoholism and alcoholic medical disorders are among the most debilitating diseases, yet the mechanisms by which ethanol inflicts the disease states are not well understood. In recent years zebrafish behavior assays have been used to study learning and memory, fear and anxiety, and social behavior. It is important to characterize the effects of ethanol on zebrafish behavioral repertoires in order to successfully harvest the strength of zebrafish for alcohol research. One prominent effect of alcohol in humans is its effect on anxiety, with acute intermediate doses relieving anxiety and withdrawal from chronic exposure increasing anxiety, both of which have significant contributions to alcohol dependence. In this study, we assess the effects of both acute and chronic ethanol exposure on anxiety-like behaviors in zebrafish, using two behavioral paradigms, the Novel Tank Diving Test and the Light/Dark Choice Assay. Acute ethanol exposure exerted significant dose-dependent anxiolytic effects. However, withdrawal from repeated intermittent ethanol exposure disabled recovery from heightened anxiety. These results demonstrate that zebrafish exhibit different anxiety-like behavioral responses to acute and chronic ethanol exposure, which are remarkably similar to these effects of alcohol in humans. Because of the accessibility of zebrafish to high throughput screening, our results suggest that genes and small molecules identified in zebrafish will be of relevance to understand how acute versus chronic alcohol exposure have opposing effects on the state of anxiety in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priya Mathur
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, Programs in Biological Sciences and Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-2811, United States
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