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Nippert KE, Rowland CP, Vazey EM, Moorman DE. Alcohol, flexible behavior, and the prefrontal cortex: Functional changes underlying impaired cognitive flexibility. Neuropharmacology 2024; 260:110114. [PMID: 39134298 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.110114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 08/08/2024] [Accepted: 08/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/22/2024]
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility enables individuals to alter their behavior in response to changing environmental demands, facilitating optimal behavior in a dynamic world. The inability to do this, called behavioral inflexibility, is a pervasive behavioral phenotype in alcohol use disorder (AUD), driven by disruptions in cognitive flexibility. Research has repeatedly shown that behavioral inflexibility not only results from alcohol exposure across species but can itself be predictive of future drinking. Like many high-level executive functions, flexible behavior requires healthy functioning of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The scope of this review addresses two primary themes: first, we outline tasks that have been used to investigate flexibility in the context of AUD or AUD models. We characterize these based on the task features and underlying cognitive processes that differentiate them from one another. We highlight the neural basis of flexibility measures, focusing on the PFC, and how acute or chronic alcohol in humans and non-human animal models impacts flexibility. Second, we consolidate findings on the molecular, physiological and functional changes in the PFC elicited by alcohol, that may contribute to cognitive flexibility deficits seen in AUD. Collectively, this approach identifies several key avenues for future research that will facilitate effective treatments to promote flexible behavior in the context of AUD, to reduce the risk of alcohol related harm, and to improve outcomes following AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn E Nippert
- Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Courtney P Rowland
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Elena M Vazey
- Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA; Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA.
| | - David E Moorman
- Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA.
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2
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Sullivan ED, Dannenhoffer CA, Sutherland EB, Vidrascu EM, Gómez-A A, Boettiger CA, Robinson DL. Effects of adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure on cortical perineuronal net and parvalbumin expression in adulthood mediate behavioral inflexibility. ALCOHOL, CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 48:1507-1518. [PMID: 39073296 PMCID: PMC11305908 DOI: 10.1111/acer.15395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol is commonly consumed by adolescents in a binge-like pattern, which can lead to long-lasting cognitive deficits, including reduced behavioral flexibility. We and others have determined that adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure leads to increased number of perineuronal net (PNN) numbers in brain regions that are important for behavioral flexibility. However, whether altered neurochemistry stemming from AIE exposure plays a significant role in reduced behavioral flexibility is unknown. METHODS We measured the number and size of parvalbumin expressing (PV+) interneurons and associated PNNs within the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), prelimbic cortex (PrL), infralimbic cortex (IL), and anterior insular cortex (AIC) of female and male rats following AIE or control exposure and subsequent training on an attentional set-shift task (ASST). We then ran analyses to determine whether AIE-induced changes in PV and PNN measures statistically mediated the AIE-induced behavioral deficit in reversal learning. RESULTS We demonstrate that AIE exposure impaired behavioral flexibility on reversal two of the ASST (i.e., recalling the initial learned associations), and led to smaller PV+ cells and increased PNN numbers in the AIC. Interestingly, PNN size and number were not altered in the PrL or IL following AIE exposure, in contrast to prior reports. Mediation analyses suggest that AIE alters behavioral flexibility, at least in part through changes in PV and PNN fluorescent measures in the AIC. CONCLUSIONS This study reveals a significant link between AIE exposure, neural alterations, and diminished behavioral flexibility in rats, and highlights a potential novel mechanism comprising changes in PV and PNN measures within the AIC. Future studies should explore the impact of PNN degradation within the AIC on behavioral flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily D.K. Sullivan
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Psychiatry, Chapel Hill, NC, 27278, USA
| | - Carol A. Dannenhoffer
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Psychiatry, Chapel Hill, NC, 27278, USA
| | - Elizabeth B. Sutherland
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Psychology & Neuroscience, Chapel Hill, NC, 27278, USA
| | - Elena M. Vidrascu
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Psychology & Neuroscience, Chapel Hill, NC, 27278, USA
| | - Alexander Gómez-A
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Psychiatry, Chapel Hill, NC, 27278, USA
| | - Charlotte A. Boettiger
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Psychology & Neuroscience, Chapel Hill, NC, 27278, USA
| | - Donita L. Robinson
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Psychiatry, Chapel Hill, NC, 27278, USA
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3
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McDonald KM, Schantell M, Horne LK, John JA, Rempe MP, Glesinger R, Okelberry HJ, Coutant AT, Springer SD, Mansouri A, Embury CM, Arif Y, Wilson TW. The neural oscillations serving task switching are altered in cannabis users. J Psychopharmacol 2024; 38:471-480. [PMID: 38418434 DOI: 10.1177/02698811241235204] [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] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Regular cannabis is known to impact higher-order cognitive processes such as attention, but far less is known regarding cognitive flexibility, a component of executive function. Moreover, whether such changes are related to aberrations in the neural oscillatory dynamics serving flexibility remains poorly understood. AIMS Quantify the neural oscillatory dynamics serving cognitive flexibility by having participants complete a task-switching paradigm during magnetoencephalography (MEG). Probe whole-brain maps to identify alterations in chronic cannabis users relative to nonusers and determine how these alterations relate to the degree of cannabis use involvement. METHODS In all, 25 chronic cannabis users and 30 demographically matched nonuser controls completed neuropsychological testing, an interview regarding their substance use, a urinalysis, and a task switch paradigm during MEG. Time-frequency windows of interest were identified using a data-driven statistical approach and these were imaged using a beamformer. Whole-brain neural switch cost maps were computed by subtracting the oscillatory maps of the no-switch condition from the switch condition per participant. These were examined for group differences. RESULTS Cannabis users had weaker theta switch cost responses in the dorsolateral and dorsomedial prefrontal cortices, while nonusers showed the typical pattern of greater recruitment during switch relative to no switch trials. In addition, theta activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex was significantly correlated with cannabis use involvement. CONCLUSIONS Cannabis users exhibited altered theta switch cost activity compared to nonusers in prefrontal cortical regions, which are critical for cognitive flexibility. This activity scaled with cannabis use involvement, indicating a link between cannabis use and aberrant oscillatory activity underlying cognitive flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kellen M McDonald
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Mikki Schantell
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
- College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Lucy K Horne
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Jason A John
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Maggie P Rempe
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
- College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Ryan Glesinger
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Hannah J Okelberry
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Anna T Coutant
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Seth D Springer
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
- College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Amirsalar Mansouri
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Christine M Embury
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Yasra Arif
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Tony W Wilson
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
- College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
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Cheng Y, Magnard R, Langdon AJ, Lee D, Janak PH. Chronic Ethanol Exposure Produces Persistent Impairment in Cognitive Flexibility and Decision Signals in the Striatum. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.10.584332. [PMID: 38585868 PMCID: PMC10996555 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.10.584332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Lack of cognitive flexibility is a hallmark of substance use disorders and has been associated with drug-induced synaptic plasticity in the dorsomedial striatum (DMS). Yet the possible impact of altered plasticity on real-time striatal neural dynamics during decision-making is unclear. Here, we identified persistent impairments induced by chronic ethanol (EtOH) exposure on cognitive flexibility and striatal decision signals. After a substantial withdrawal period from prior EtOH vapor exposure, male, but not female, rats exhibited reduced adaptability and exploratory behavior during a dynamic decision-making task. Reinforcement learning models showed that prior EtOH exposure enhanced learning from rewards over omissions. Notably, neural signals in the DMS related to the decision outcome were enhanced, while those related to choice and choice-outcome conjunction were reduced, in EtOH-treated rats compared to the controls. These findings highlight the profound impact of chronic EtOH exposure on adaptive decision-making, pinpointing specific changes in striatal representations of actions and outcomes as underlying mechanisms for cognitive deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifeng Cheng
- Department Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Robin Magnard
- Department Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Angela J. Langdon
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Daeyeol Lee
- Department Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Patricia H. Janak
- Department Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
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Thompson SM, Rakoczy RJ, Duffy MA, Kiss AJ, McMurray MS. Differential consumption of alcohol, caffeine, and caffeinated alcohol by adolescent rats, and effects on post-adolescent gene expression signatures in the nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal cortex. Drug Alcohol Depend 2023; 251:110921. [PMID: 37604013 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.110921] [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: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Caffeinated alcoholic beverages (CABs) are widely consumed despite little known about their behavioral and biological effects. Furthermore, CABs are also popular among adolescents, a particularly vulnerable and maturing demographic. In this preliminary study, we compared levels of daily adolescent voluntary consumption of caffeine (0.03%), alcohol (10%), caffeinated alcohol (0.03% + 10%), or vehicle and evaluated the effects of this on mRNA expression in brain regions associated with addiction and known to be affected by each drug. Beginning on postnatal day 30, rats were allowed unrestricted access to gelatin combined with one, both, or neither drug for twenty days. Compared to vehicle-consuming animals, consumption of gelatin was significantly attenuated when alcohol was included. The addition of caffeine to alcohol increased alcohol consumption in the early days of access compared to alcohol alone; however, after two weeks, alcohol consumption between these groups reached comparable levels. Compared to animals consuming caffeine alone, combining caffeine with alcohol significantly reduced caffeine intake. Targeted mRNA analysis of tissue collected from the nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal cortex after the consumption period identified unique patterns of differentially expressed genes between treatment groups, across a broad array of neurotransmitter systems. Of particular note were genes related to a number of solute transporters and serotonergic functions. This preliminary work suggests unique pharmacological and behavioral effects from consuming caffeinated alcohol during adolescence. Since CABs are widely consumed by adolescents, these results suggest that more research into the pharmacological and behavioral effects elicited by CABs is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon M Thompson
- Department of Psychology, Miami University, 90 N. Patterson Ave, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Ryan J Rakoczy
- Department of Psychology, Miami University, 90 N. Patterson Ave, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Margot A Duffy
- Department of Psychology, Miami University, 90 N. Patterson Ave, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Andor J Kiss
- Center for Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics, Miami University, 700 E. High St, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Matthew S McMurray
- Department of Psychology, Miami University, 90 N. Patterson Ave, Oxford, OH 45056, USA.
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Suhaimi FW, Aznal ANZ, Nor Hazalin NAM, Teh LK, Hassan Z, Salleh MZ. Kratom (M. speciosa) exposure during adolescence caused long-lasting cognitive behavioural deficits associated with perturbated brain metabolism pathways in adult rats. Behav Brain Res 2023; 446:114411. [PMID: 36997094 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Kratom (M. speciosa Korth) is an herbal plant native to Southeast Asia. The leaves have been widely used to alleviate pain and opioid withdrawal symptoms. However, the increasing trend of recreational use of kratom among youth is concerning because substance abuse may render the adolescent brain more susceptible to neuropathological processes, causing dramatic consequences that persist into adulthood. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of mitragynine, the main alkaloid and lyophilized kratom decoction (LKD) exposure during adolescence on cognitive behaviours and brain metabolite profiles in adult rats. Adolescent male Sprague-Dawley rats were given mitragynine (3, 10 or 30mg/kg) or LKD orally for 15 consecutive days during postnatal days 31-45 (PND31-45). Behavioural testing was performed during adulthood (PND70-84) and the brains were subjected to metabolomic analysis. The results show that a high dose of mitragynine impaired long-term object recognition memory. Social behaviour and spatial learning were not affected, but both mitragynine and LKD impaired reference memory. Brain metabolomic study revealed several altered metabolic pathways that may be involved in the cognitive behavioural effects of LKD and mitragynine exposure. These pathways include arachidonic acid, taurine and hypotaurine, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, and tryptophan metabolism, while the N-isovalerylglycine was identified as the potential biomarker. In summary, adolescent kratom exposure can cause long-lasting cognitive behavioural deficits and alter brain metabolite profiles that are still evident in adulthood. This finding also indicates that the adolescent brain is vulnerable to the impact of early kratom use.
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Obray JD, Landin JD, Vaughan DT, Scofield MD, Chandler LJ. Adolescent alcohol exposure reduces dopamine 1 receptor modulation of prelimbic neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens and basolateral amygdala. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 4:100044. [PMID: 36643604 PMCID: PMC9836047 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2022.100044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Binge drinking during adolescence is highly prevalent despite increasing evidence of its long-term impact on behaviors associated with modulation of behavioral flexibility by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). In the present study, male and female rats underwent adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure by vapor inhalation. After aging to adulthood, retrograde bead labelling and viral tagging were used to identify populations of neurons in the prelimbic region (PrL) of the mPFC that project to specific subcortical targets. Electrophysiological recording from bead-labelled neurons in PrL slices revealed that AIE did not alter the intrinsic excitability of PrL neurons that projected to either the NAc or the BLA. Similarly, recordings of spontaneous inhibitory and excitatory post-synaptic currents revealed no AIE-induced changes in synaptic drive onto either population of projection neurons. In contrast, AIE exposure was associated with a loss of dopamine receptor 1 (D1), but no change in dopamine receptor 2 (D2), modulation of evoked firing of both populations of projection neurons. Lastly, confocal imaging of proximal and apical dendritic tufts of viral-labelled PrL neurons that projected to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) revealed AIE did not alter the density of dendritic spines. Together, these observations provide evidence that AIE exposure results in disruption of D1 receptor modulation of PrL inputs to at least two major subcortical target regions that have been implicated in AIE-induced long-term changes in behavioral control.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Daniel Obray
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA
| | - Justine D. Landin
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA
| | - Dylan T. Vaughan
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA
| | - Michael D. Scofield
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA,Department of Anesthesiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston SC, USA
| | - L. Judson Chandler
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA,Corresponding author. (L.J. Chandler)
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Dannenhoffer CA, Gómez-A A, Macht VA, Jawad R, Sutherland EB, Vetreno RP, Crews FT, Boettiger CA, Robinson DL. Impact of adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure on interneurons and their surrounding perineuronal nets in adulthood. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2022; 46:759-769. [PMID: 35307830 PMCID: PMC9117471 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Binge alcohol exposure during adolescence results in long-lasting alterations in the brain and behavior. For example, adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure in rodents results in long-term loss of functional connectivity among prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatal regions as well as a variety of neurochemical, molecular, and epigenetic alterations. Interneurons in the PFC and striatum play critical roles in behavioral flexibility and functional connectivity. For example, parvalbumin (PV) interneurons are known to contribute to neural synchrony and cholinergic interneurons contribute to strategy selection. Furthermore, extracellular perineuronal nets (PNNs) that surround some interneurons, particularly PV+ interneurons, further regulate cellular plasticity. The effect of AIE exposure on the expression of these markers within the PFC is not well understood. METHODS The present study tested the hypothesis that AIE exposure reduces the expression of PV+ and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)+ interneurons in the adult PFC and striatum and increases the related expression of PNNs (marked by binding of Wisteria floribunda agglutinin lectin) in adulthood. Male rats were exposed to AIE (5 g/kg/day, 2-days-on/2-days-off, i.e., P25 to P54) or water (CON), and brain tissue was harvested in adulthood (>P80). Immunohistochemistry and co-immunofluorescence were used to assess the expression of ChAT, PV, and PNNs within the adult PFC and striatum following AIE exposure. RESULTS ChAT and PV interneuron densities in the striatum and PFC were unchanged after AIE exposure. However, PNN density in the PFC of AIE-exposed rats was greater than in CON rats. Moreover, significantly more PV neurons were surrounded by PNNs in AIE-exposed subjects than controls in both PFC subregions assessed: orbitofrontal cortex (CON = 34%; AIE = 40%) and medial PFC (CON = 10%; AIE = 14%). CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that, following AIE exposure, PV interneuron expression in the adult PFC and striatum is unaltered, while PNNs surrounding these neurons are increased. This increase in PNNs may restrict the plasticity of the ensheathed neurons, thereby contributing to impaired microcircuitry in frontostriatal connectivity and related behavioral impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol A Dannenhoffer
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Alexander Gómez-A
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Victoria A Macht
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Rayyanoor Jawad
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Elizabeth Blake Sutherland
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ryan P Vetreno
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Fulton T Crews
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Charlotte A Boettiger
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Donita L Robinson
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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9
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Gómez-A A, Dannenhoffer CA, Elton A, Lee SH, Ban W, Shih YYI, Boettiger CA, Robinson DL. Altered Cortico-Subcortical Network After Adolescent Alcohol Exposure Mediates Behavioral Deficits in Flexible Decision-Making. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:778884. [PMID: 34912227 PMCID: PMC8666507 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.778884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral flexibility, the ability to modify behavior according to changing conditions, is essential to optimize decision-making. Deficits in behavioral flexibility that persist into adulthood are one consequence of adolescent alcohol exposure, and another is decreased functional connectivity in brain structures involved in decision-making; however, a link between these two outcomes has not been established. We assessed effects of adolescent alcohol and sex on both Pavlovian and instrumental behaviors and resting-state functional connectivity MRI in adult animals to determine associations between behavioral flexibility and resting-state functional connectivity. Alcohol exposure impaired attentional set reversals and decreased functional connectivity among cortical and subcortical regions-of-interest that underlie flexible behavior. Moreover, mediation analyses indicated that adolescent alcohol-induced reductions in functional connectivity within a subnetwork of affected brain regions statistically mediated errors committed during reversal learning. These results provide a novel link between persistent reductions in brain functional connectivity and deficits in behavioral flexibility resulting from adolescent alcohol exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Gómez-A
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Carol A. Dannenhoffer
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Amanda Elton
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Sung-Ho Lee
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Woomi Ban
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Yen-Yu Ian Shih
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Charlotte A. Boettiger
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Donita L. Robinson
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
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