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Jenkins BW, Moore CF, Covey D, McDonald JD, Lefever TW, Bonn-Miller MO, Weerts EM. Evaluating Potential Anxiolytic Effects of Minor Cannabinoids and Terpenes After Acute and Chronic Oral Administration in Rats. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res 2023; 8:S11-S24. [PMID: 37721993 DOI: 10.1089/can.2023.0083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Cannabis and its primary psychoactive constituent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (D9-THC) produce biphasic, dose-dependent effects on anxiety. In addition to D9-THC, cannabis contains other "minor" cannabinoids and terpenes with purported therapeutic potential for the treatment of anxiety. Empirical data on potential therapeutic effects of these compounds is limited. The current study evaluated the effects of selected minor cannabinoids and terpenes in a battery of tests sensitive to anxiolytic and anxiogenic drugs. Methods: In Experiment 1, adult male Sprague Dawley rats (N=7-8/group) were administered acute oral doses of one of five minor cannabinoids: delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (D8-THC; 10 mg/kg), tetrahydrocannabivarin (32 mg/kg), cannabidiolic acid (32 mg/kg), cannabidivarin (32 mg/kg), and cannabigerol (100 mg/kg), or one of five terpenes: D-limonene (17 mg/kg), ⍺-pinene (100 mg/kg), ⍺-terpineol (10 mg/kg), bisabolol (100 mg/kg), and β-caryophyllene (17 mg/kg), or vehicle (medium-chain triglycerides [MCT] oil). Ethyl alcohol was tested as an active comparator. Thirty minutes post-administration, the marble burying test, the three-chamber social interaction test, and the novelty-induced hypophagia test were completed; motor activity was assessed throughout testing. Experiment 2 examined the potential anxiolytic effects of minor cannabinoids when administered chronically; rats administered MCT oil or minor cannabinoids in Experiment 1 continued receiving once-daily doses for 21 days and were assessed using the same test battery after 7, 14, and 21 days of administration. Results and Conclusions: When compared to vehicle, acute administration of bisabolol and D-limonene increased the amount of food consumed and bisabolol-, D-limonene-, ⍺-pinene-, and β-caryophyllene decreased percent time spent in the outer zone in the novelty-induced hypophagia test, suggestive of an anxiolytic effect. Only ethanol increased social interaction. After acute administration, anxiogenic effects in the marble burying test were observed for D8-THC, but not for other minor cannabinoids and terpenes. Throughout chronic administration, only D8-THC displayed anxiogenic effects in the novelty-induced hypophagia test. The other cannabinoids did not show anxiolytic or anxiogenic effects in any of the tests at the doses or times tested. The minor cannabinoids and terpenes did not impair or stimulate general motor activity. These data provide a foundation for future studies investigating cannabinoid/terpene interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan W Jenkins
- Division of Behavioral Biology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Catherine F Moore
- Division of Behavioral Biology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Dan Covey
- Lovelace Biomedical, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | | | | | | | - Elise M Weerts
- Division of Behavioral Biology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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2
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Franco D, Zamudio J, Blevins KM, Núñez-Larios EA, Ricoy UM, Iñiguez SD, Zavala AR. Early-life ketamine exposure attenuates the preference for ethanol in adolescent Sprague-Dawley rats. Behav Brain Res 2020; 389:112626. [PMID: 32361040 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Ketamine, a noncompetitive N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, produces quick and effective antidepressant results in depressed juvenile and adult individuals. The long-term consequences of using ketamine in juvenile populations are not well known, particularly as it affects vulnerability to drugs of abuse later in life, given that ketamine is also a drug of abuse. Thus, the current study examined whether early-life ketamine administration produces long-term changes in the sensitivity to the rewarding effects of ethanol, as measured using the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. On postnatal day (PD) 21, juvenile male and female rats were pretreated with ketamine (0.0 or 20 mg/kg) for 10 consecutive days (i.e., PD 21-30) and then evaluated for ethanol-induced CPP (0.0, 0.125, 0.5, or 2.0 g/kg) from PD 32-39. Results revealed that early-life ketamine administration attenuated the rewarding properties of ethanol in male rats, as ketamine pretreated rats failed to exhibit ethanol-induced CPP at any dose compared to saline pretreated rats, which showed an increased preference towards the ethanol-paired compartment in a dose-dependent manner. In females, ethanol-induced CPP was generally less robust compared to males, but ketamine pretreatment resulted in a rightward shift in the dose-response curve, given that ketamine pretreated rats needed a higher dose of ethanol compared to saline pretreated rats to exhibit ethanol-induced CPP. When considered together, the findings suggest that early use of ketamine does not appear to enhance the vulnerability to ethanol later in life, but in contrast, it may attenuate the rewarding effects of ethanol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Franco
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer Zamudio
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, USA
| | - Kennedy M Blevins
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, USA
| | - Eric A Núñez-Larios
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, USA
| | - Ulises M Ricoy
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Sergio D Iñiguez
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Arturo R Zavala
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, USA.
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3
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Raymond JS, Wilson BB, Tan O, Gururajan A, Bowen MT. Acute alcohol exposure dose-dependently alleviates social avoidance in adolescent mice and inhibits social investigation in adult mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:3625-3639. [PMID: 31346653 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-019-05335-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Motivations for alcohol consumption often focus on ethanol's purported prosocial effects: social enhancement and reduction of socially focused anxiety. Despite substantial research supporting prosocial effects, contrary research exists demonstrating alcohol-elicited antisocial and asocial behaviours. Additionally, evidence typically fails to delineate whether alcohol-induced prosocial effects are due to alcohol expectancies or pharmacological actions of ethanol. Studies exploring ethanol's pharmacological effects on social behaviour and factors that modulate apparent contradictory prosocial versus asocial effects are lacking. OBJECTIVES This study investigated whether factors of age, ethanol dose and social fear modulate ethanol-induced pharmacological effects on sociability and social anxiety-like avoidance. METHODS Experiments examined the acute effects of ethanol doses (0, 0.25, 0.8, 1.6 g/kg; i.p.) in adult (10-week-old) and adolescent (PND 31-33) C57BL/6J male mice on social interaction using a social fear conditioning paradigm. Control experiments assessed whether ethanol-induced effects were social-specific. RESULTS In adult mice, no specific effects of ethanol on social avoidance were observed at any dose. However, high-dose ethanol (1.6 g/kg) suppressed social approach in all adult mice. In contrast, low-dose ethanol (0.25 g/kg) alleviated social avoidance in adolescent mice and no social suppression was observed at higher ethanol doses. Thus, higher doses of ethanol impair social behaviour in adult mice, whereas lower doses specifically alleviate social anxiety-like avoidance in adolescent mice. CONCLUSIONS Age, dose and social fear are critical modulators of acute ethanol-induced pharmacological effects on social behaviour. Inconsistencies in ethanol-induced social consequences appear at least partly mediated by pharmacological interactions-not solely alcohol expectancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel S Raymond
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, 2050, NSW, Australia.,Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, 94 Mallett Street, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW, 2050, Australia
| | - Bianca B Wilson
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, 2050, NSW, Australia.,Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, 94 Mallett Street, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW, 2050, Australia
| | - Oliver Tan
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, 2050, NSW, Australia.,Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, 94 Mallett Street, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW, 2050, Australia
| | - Anand Gururajan
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, 2050, NSW, Australia.,Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, 94 Mallett Street, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW, 2050, Australia
| | - Michael T Bowen
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, 2050, NSW, Australia. .,Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, 94 Mallett Street, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW, 2050, Australia.
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4
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Bell RL, Hauser SR, Liang T, Sari Y, Maldonado-Devincci A, Rodd ZA. Rat animal models for screening medications to treat alcohol use disorders. Neuropharmacology 2017; 122:201-243. [PMID: 28215999 PMCID: PMC5659204 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2017] [Revised: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 02/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to present animal research models that can be used to screen and/or repurpose medications for the treatment of alcohol abuse and dependence. The focus will be on rats and in particular selectively bred rats. Brief introductions discuss various aspects of the clinical picture, which provide characteristics of individuals with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) to model in animals. Following this, multiple selectively bred rat lines will be described and evaluated in the context of animal models used to screen medications to treat AUDs. Next, common behavioral tests for drug efficacy will be discussed particularly as they relate to stages in the addiction cycle. Tables highlighting studies that have tested the effects of compounds using the respective techniques are included. Wherever possible the Tables are organized chronologically in ascending order to describe changes in the focus of research on AUDs over time. In general, high ethanol-consuming selectively bred rats have been used to test a wide range of compounds. Older studies usually followed neurobiological findings in the selected lines that supported an association with a propensity for high ethanol intake. Most of these tests evaluated the compound's effects on the maintenance of ethanol drinking. Very few compounds have been tested during ethanol-seeking and/or relapse and fewer still have assessed their effects during the acquisition of AUDs. Overall, while a substantial number of neurotransmitter and neuromodulatory system targets have been assessed; the roles of sex- and age-of-animal, as well as the acquisition of AUDs, ethanol-seeking and relapse continue to be factors and behaviors needing further study. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled "Alcoholism".
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard L Bell
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
| | - Sheketha R Hauser
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Tiebing Liang
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Gastroenterology, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Youssef Sari
- University of Toledo, Department of Pharmacology, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | | | - Zachary A Rodd
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
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5
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Šlamberová R, Mikulecká A, Macúchová E, Hrebíčková I, Ševčíková M, Nohejlová K, Pometlová M. Morphine decreases social interaction of adult male rats, while THC does not affect it. Physiol Res 2017; 65:S547-S555. [PMID: 28006937 DOI: 10.33549/physiolres.933527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to compare effect of three low doses of morphine (MOR) and delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on social behavior tested in Social interaction test (SIT). 45 min prior to testing adult male rats received one of the drugs or solvents: MOR (1; 2.5; 5 mg/kg); saline as a solvent for MOR; THC (0.5; 1; 2 mg/kg); ethanol as a solvent for THC. Occurrence and time spent in specific patterns of social interactions (SI) and non-social activities (locomotion and rearing) was video-recorded for 5 min and then analyzed. MOR in doses of 1 and 2.5 mg/kg displayed decreased SI in total. Detailed analysis of specific patterns of SI revealed decrease in mutual sniffing and allo-grooming after all doses of MOR. The highest dose (5 mg/kg) of MOR decreased following and increased genital investigation. Rearing activity was increased by lower doses of MOR (1 and 2.5 mg/kg). THC, in each of the tested doses, did not induce any specific changes when compared to matching control group (ethanol). However, an additional statistical analysis showed differences between all THC groups and their ethanol control group when compared to saline controls. There was lower SI in total, lower mutual sniffing and allo-grooming, but higher rearing in THC and ethanol groups than in saline control group. Thus, changes seen in THC and ethanol groups are seemed to be attributed mainly to the effect of the ethanol. Based on the present results we can assume that opioids affect SI more than cannabinoid.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Šlamberová
- Department of Normal, Pathological and Clinical Physiology, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
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6
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Carter JM, Landin JD, Gigante ED, Rieger SP, Diaz MR, Werner DF. Inhibitors of Calcium-Activated Anion Channels Modulate Hypnotic Ethanol Responses in Adult Sprague Dawley Rats. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2016; 40:301-8. [PMID: 26842249 DOI: 10.1111/acer.12957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2015] [Accepted: 11/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ethanol is widely known for its depressant effects; however, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are not clear. Calcium-activated anion channels (CAACs) contribute to extracellular chloride levels and thus may be involved in regulating inhibitory mechanisms within the central nervous system. Therefore, we hypothesized that CAACs influence ethanol behavioral sensitivity by altering CAAC expression. METHODS We assessed the role of CAACs in ethanol-induced loss of righting reflex (LORR) and locomotor activity using intracerebroventricular infusions of several nonselective CAAC blockers. CAAC expression was determined after ethanol exposure. RESULTS Ethanol-induced LORR (4.0 g/kg, intraperitoneally [i.p.]) was significantly attenuated by all 4 CAAC blockers. Blocking CAACs did not impact ethanol's low-dose (1.5 g/kg, i.p.) locomotor-impairing effects. Biochemical analysis of CAAC protein expression revealed that cortical Bestrophin1 (Best1) and Tweety1 levels were reduced as early as 30 minutes following a single ethanol injection (3.5 g/kg, intraperitoneally [i.p.]) and remained decreased 24 hours later in P2 fractions. Cortical Best1 levels were also reduced following 1.5 g/kg. However, CAAC expression was unaltered in the striatum following a single ethanol exposure. Ethanol did not affect Tweety2 levels in either brain region. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that CAACs are a major target of ethanol in vivo, and the regulation of these channels contributes to select behavioral actions of ethanol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna M Carter
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University - State University of New York, Binghamton, New York
| | - Justine D Landin
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University - State University of New York, Binghamton, New York
| | - Eduardo D Gigante
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University - State University of New York, Binghamton, New York.,Department of Health and Human Services, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Samuel P Rieger
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University - State University of New York, Binghamton, New York
| | - Marvin R Diaz
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University - State University of New York, Binghamton, New York
| | - David F Werner
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University - State University of New York, Binghamton, New York
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7
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Camarini R, Pautassi RM. Behavioral sensitization to ethanol: Neural basis and factors that influence its acquisition and expression. Brain Res Bull 2016; 125:53-78. [PMID: 27093941 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2016.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2015] [Revised: 04/07/2016] [Accepted: 04/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Ethanol-induced behavioral sensitization (EBS) was first described in 1980, approximately 10 years after the phenomenon was described for psychostimulants. Ethanol acts on γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate receptors as an allosteric agonist and antagonist, respectively, but it also affects many other molecular targets. The multiplicity of factors involved in the behavioral and neurochemical effects of ethanol and the ensuing complexity may explain much of the apparent disparate results, found across different labs, regarding ethanol-induced behavioral sensitization. Although the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system plays an important role in EBS, we provide evidence of the involvement of other neurotransmitter systems, mainly the glutamatergic, GABAergic, and opioidergic systems. This review also analyses the neural underpinnings (e.g., induction of cellular transcription factors such as cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein and growth factors, such as the brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and other factors that influence the phenomenon, including age, sex, dose, and protocols of drug administration. One of the reasons that make EBS an attractive phenomenon is the assumption, firmly based on empirical evidence, that EBS and addiction-related processes have common molecular and neural basis. Therefore, EBS has been used as a model of addiction processes. We discuss the association between different measures of ethanol-induced reward and EBS. Parallels between the pharmacological basis of EBS and acute motor effects of ethanol are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosana Camarini
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Ricardo Marcos Pautassi
- Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas M. y M. Ferreyra, Córdoba (IMMF-CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina
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8
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Bell RL, Hauser S, Rodd ZA, Liang T, Sari Y, McClintick J, Rahman S, Engleman EA. A Genetic Animal Model of Alcoholism for Screening Medications to Treat Addiction. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2016; 126:179-261. [PMID: 27055615 PMCID: PMC4851471 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2016.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to present up-to-date pharmacological, genetic, and behavioral findings from the alcohol-preferring P rat and summarize similar past work. Behaviorally, the focus will be on how the P rat meets criteria put forth for a valid animal model of alcoholism with a highlight on its use as an animal model of polysubstance abuse, including alcohol, nicotine, and psychostimulants. Pharmacologically and genetically, the focus will be on the neurotransmitter and neuropeptide systems that have received the most attention: cholinergic, dopaminergic, GABAergic, glutamatergic, serotonergic, noradrenergic, corticotrophin releasing hormone, opioid, and neuropeptide Y. Herein, we sought to place the P rat's behavioral and neurochemical phenotypes, and to some extent its genotype, in the context of the clinical literature. After reviewing the findings thus far, this chapter discusses future directions for expanding the use of this genetic animal model of alcoholism to identify molecular targets for treating drug addiction in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- R L Bell
- Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States.
| | - S Hauser
- Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Z A Rodd
- Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - T Liang
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Y Sari
- University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - J McClintick
- Center for Medical Genomics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - S Rahman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, United States
| | - E A Engleman
- Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
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9
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Blanco-Gandía MC, Mateos-García A, García-Pardo MP, Montagud-Romero S, Rodríguez-Arias M, Miñarro J, Aguilar MA. Effect of drugs of abuse on social behaviour. Behav Pharmacol 2015. [DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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10
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Spear LP. Adolescents and alcohol: acute sensitivities, enhanced intake, and later consequences. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2014; 41:51-9. [PMID: 24291291 PMCID: PMC3943972 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2013.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2013] [Revised: 11/15/2013] [Accepted: 11/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is an evolutionarily conserved developmental period characterized by notable maturational changes in the brain along with various age-related behavioral characteristics, including the propensity to initiate alcohol and other drug use and consume more alcohol per occasion than adults. After a brief review of adolescent neurobehavioral function from an evolutionary perspective, the paper will turn to assessment of adolescent alcohol sensitivity and consequences, with a focus on work from our laboratory. After summarizing evidence showing that adolescents differ considerably from adults in their sensitivity to various effects of alcohol, potential contributors to these age-typical sensitivities will be discussed, and the degree to which these findings are generalizable to other drugs and to human adolescents will be considered. Recent studies are then reviewed to illustrate that repeated alcohol exposure during adolescence induces behavioral, cognitive, and neural alterations that are highly specific, replicable, persistent and dependent on the timing of the exposure. Research in this area is in its early stages, however, and more work will be necessary to characterize the extent of these neurobehavioral alterations and further determine the degree to which observed effects are specific to alcohol exposure during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Patia Spear
- Department of Psychology, Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States.
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11
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Acevedo MB, Pautassi RM, Spear NE, Spear LP. Age-dependent effects of stress on ethanol-induced motor activity in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2013; 230:389-98. [PMID: 23775530 PMCID: PMC3859917 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-013-3163-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2013] [Accepted: 05/27/2013] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE It is important to study age-related differences that may put adolescents at risk for alcohol-related problems. Adolescents seem less sensitive to the aversive effects of ethanol than adults. Less is known of appetitive effects of ethanol and stress modulation of these effects. OBJECTIVES This study aims to describe the effects of acute social or restraint stress on ethanol-precipitated locomotor activity (LMA), in adolescent and adult rats. Effects of activation of the kappa system on ethanol-induced LMA were also evaluated. METHODS Adolescent or adult rats were restrained for 90 min, exposed to social deprivation stress for 90 or 180 min or administered with the kappa agonist U62,066E before being given ethanol, and assessed for LMA. RESULTS Adolescents were significantly more sensitive to the stimulating, and less sensitive to the sedative, effects of ethanol than adults. Basal locomotion was significantly increased by social deprivation stress in adult, but not in adolescent, rats. U62,066E significantly reduced basal and ethanol-induced locomotion in the adolescents. Corticosterone and progesterone levels were significantly higher in adolescents than in adults. CONCLUSIONS Adolescents exhibit greater sensitivity to ethanol-induced LMA and reduced sensitivity to ethanol-induced motor sedation than adult rats. Ethanol's effects on motor activity were not affected by acute stress. Unlike adults, adolescents were insensitive to acute restraint and social deprivation stress but exhibited motor depression after activation of the endogenous kappa opioid receptor system.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Belén Acevedo
- Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra (CONICET-UNC), Córdoba, C.P 5016, Argentina
| | - Ricardo Marcos Pautassi
- Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra (CONICET-UNC), Córdoba, C.P 5016, Argentina,Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, C.P 5000, Argentina,Corresponding author: Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra (INIMEC – CONICET), Friuli 2434, Córdoba, C.P 5016, T.E. 54-351-4681465, FAX 54-351-4695163, Argentina;
| | - Norman E. Spear
- Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, USA
| | - Linda P. Spear
- Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, USA
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12
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Padmanabhan A, Luna B. Developmental imaging genetics: linking dopamine function to adolescent behavior. Brain Cogn 2013; 89:27-38. [PMID: 24139694 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2013.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2012] [Revised: 08/19/2013] [Accepted: 09/24/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a period of development characterized by numerous neurobiological changes that significantly influence behavior and brain function. Adolescence is of particular interest due to the alarming statistics indicating that mortality rates increase two to three-fold during this time compared to childhood, due largely to a peak in risk-taking behaviors resulting from increased impulsivity and sensation seeking. Furthermore, there exists large unexplained variability in these behaviors that are in part mediated by biological factors. Recent advances in molecular genetics and functional neuroimaging have provided a unique and exciting opportunity to non-invasively study the influence of genetic factors on brain function in humans. While genes do not code for specific behaviors, they do determine the structure and function of proteins that are essential to the neuronal processes that underlie behavior. Therefore, studying the interaction of genotype with measures of brain function over development could shed light on critical time points when biologically mediated individual differences in complex behaviors emerge. Here we review animal and human literature examining the neurobiological basis of adolescent development related to dopamine neurotransmission. Dopamine is of critical importance because of (1) its role in cognitive and affective behaviors, (2) its role in the pathogenesis of major psychopathology, and (3) the protracted development of dopamine signaling pathways over adolescence. We will then focus on current research examining the role of dopamine-related genes on brain function. We propose the use of imaging genetics to examine the influence of genetically mediated dopamine variability on brain function during adolescence, keeping in mind the limitations of this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aarthi Padmanabhan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Beatriz Luna
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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13
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Celio MA, Usala JM, Lisman SA, Johansen GE, Vetter-O'Hagen CS, Spear LP. Are we drunk yet? Motor versus cognitive cues of subjective intoxication. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2013; 38:538-44. [PMID: 24117655 DOI: 10.1111/acer.12276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2013] [Accepted: 07/11/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Perception of alcohol intoxication presumably plays an important role in guiding behavior during a current drinking episode. Yet, there has been surprisingly little investigation of what aspects associated with intoxication are used by individuals to attribute their level of intoxication. METHODS Building on recent laboratory-based findings, this study employed a complex field-based design to explore the relative contributions of motor performance versus cognitive performance-specifically executive control-on self-attributions of intoxication. Individuals recruited outside of bars (N = 280; mean age = 22; range: 18 to 32) completed a structured interview, self-report questionnaire, and neuropsychological testing battery, and provided a breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) sample. RESULTS Results of a multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that current level of subjective intoxication was associated with current alcohol-related stimulant effects, current sedative effects, and current BrAC. After controlling for the unique variance accounted for by these factors, subjective intoxication was better predicted by simple motor speed, as indexed by performance on the Finger Tapping Test, than by executive control, as indexed by performance on the Trail Making Test. CONCLUSIONS These results-generated from data collected in a naturally occurring setting-support previous findings from a more traditional laboratory-based investigation, thus illustrating the iterative process of linking field methodology and controlled laboratory experimentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Celio
- Department of Psychology , Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, New York
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14
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Cohen OS, Varlinskaya EI, Wilson CA, Glatt SJ, Mooney SM. Acute prenatal exposure to a moderate dose of valproic acid increases social behavior and alters gene expression in rats. Int J Dev Neurosci 2013; 31:740-50. [PMID: 24055786 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2013.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2013] [Revised: 09/10/2013] [Accepted: 09/10/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal exposure to moderate doses of valproic acid (VPA) produces brainstem abnormalities, while higher doses of this teratogen elicit social deficits in the rat. In this pilot study, we examined effects of prenatal exposure to a moderate dose of VPA on behavior and on transcriptomic expression in three brain regions that mediate social behavior. Pregnant Long Evans rats were injected with 350 mg/kg VPA or saline on gestational day 13. A modified social interaction test was used to assess social behavior and social preference/avoidance during early and late adolescence and in adulthood. VPA-exposed animals demonstrated more social investigation and play fighting than control animals. Social investigation, play fighting, and contact behavior also differed as a function of age; the frequency of these behaviors increased in late adolescence. Social preference and locomotor activity under social circumstances were unaffected by treatment or age. Thus, a moderate prenatal dose of VPA produces behavioral alterations that are substantially different from the outcomes that occur following exposure to a higher dose. At adulthood, VPA-exposed subjects exhibited transcriptomic abnormalities in three brain regions: anterior amygdala, cerebellar vermis, and orbitofrontal cortex. A common feature among the proteins encoded by the dysregulated genes was their ability to be modulated by acetylation. Analysis of the expression of individual exons also revealed that genes involved in post-translational modification and epigenetic regulation had particular isoforms that were ubiquitously dysregulated across brain regions. The vulnerability of these genes to the epigenetic effects of VPA may highlight potential mechanisms by which prenatal VPA exposure alters the development of social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ori S Cohen
- Psychiatric Genetic Epidemiology & Neurobiology Laboratory (PsychGENe Lab), Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, United States
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15
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Blazina AR, Vianna MR, Lara DR. The spinning task: a new protocol to easily assess motor coordination and resistance in zebrafish. Zebrafish 2013; 10:480-5. [PMID: 24044654 DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2012.0860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The increasing use of adult zebrafish in behavioral studies has created the need for new and improved protocols. Our investigation sought to evaluate the swimming behavior of zebrafish against a water current using the newly developed Spinning Task. Zebrafish were individually placed in a beaker containing a spinning magnetic stirrer and their latency to be swept into the whirlpool was recorded. We characterized that larger fish (>4 cm) and lower rpm decreased the swimming time in the Spinning Task. There was also a dose-related reduction in swimming after acute treatment with haloperidol, valproic acid, clonazepam, and ethanol, which alter coordination. Importantly, at doses that reduced swimming time in the Spinning Task, these drugs influenced absolute turn angle (ethanol increased and the other drugs decreased), but had no effect of distance travelled in a regular water tank. These results suggest that the Spinning Task is a useful protocol to add information to the assessment of zebrafish motor behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana R Blazina
- 1 Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Psicofarmacologia, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Faculdade de Biociências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul , Porto Alegre, Brazil
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16
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Bahi A. Increased anxiety, voluntary alcohol consumption and ethanol-induced place preference in mice following chronic psychosocial stress. Stress 2013. [PMID: 23194312 DOI: 10.3109/10253890.2012.754419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress exposure is known to be a risk factor for alcohol use and anxiety disorders. Comorbid chronic stress and alcohol dependence may lead to a complicated and potentially severe treatment profile. To gain an understanding of the interaction between chronic psychosocial stress and drug exposure, we studied the effects of concomitant chronic stress exposure on alcohol reward using two-bottle choice and ethanol-conditioned place preference (CPP). The study consisted of exposure of the chronic subordinate colony (CSC) mice "intruders" to an aggressive "resident" mouse for 19 consecutive days. Control mice were single housed (SHC). Ethanol consumption using two-bottle choice paradigm and ethanol CPP acquisition was assessed at the end of this time period. As expected, CSC exposure increased anxiety-like behavior and reduced weight gain as compared to SHC controls. Importantly, in the two-bottle choice procedure, CSC mice showed higher alcohol intake than SHC. When testing their response to ethanol-induced CPP, CSC mice achieved higher preference for the ethanol-paired chamber. In fact, CSC exposure increased ethanol-CPP acquisition. Taken together, these data demonstrate the long-term consequences of chronic psychosocial stress on alcohol intake in male mice, suggesting chronic stress as a risk factor for developing alcohol consumption and/or anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amine Bahi
- Department of Anatomy, Tawam Medical Campus, CMHS, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE.
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17
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Morales M, Anderson RI, Spear LP, Varlinskaya EI. Effects of the kappa opioid receptor antagonist, nor-binaltorphimine, on ethanol intake: impact of age and sex. Dev Psychobiol 2013; 56:700-12. [PMID: 23754134 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2012] [Accepted: 04/16/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The kappa opioid receptor (KOR) antagonist, nor-binaltorphimine (nor-BNI), was used to investigate the role of the KOR system in mediating ethanol intake. On P25 (adolescent) or P67 (adult) male and female rats were individually housed and given ad libitum access to food and water. The experimental procedure was initiated on P28 or P70: animals were given 30 min/day access to a 10% ethanol/supersaccharin solution every other day (3 baseline exposures). On the day after the final baseline test, rats were injected with nor-BNI (0, 2.5, 5, 10 mg/kg), with testing initiated 24 hr later (30-min access every other day, 3 test exposures). Nor-BNI (10 mg/kg) increased ethanol intake in adult males, whereas the same dose decreased intake in adult females, suggesting pronounced sex differences in KOR-associated mediation of ethanol intake in adulthood. There was no impact of nor-BNI in adolescent animals of either sex, suggesting that the KOR may play less of a role in modulating ethanol intake during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Morales
- Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, P.O. Box 6000, Binghamton, New York, 13902-6000.
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18
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Morales M, Varlinskaya EI, Spear LP. Anxiolytic effects of the GABA(A) receptor partial agonist, L-838,417: impact of age, test context familiarity, and stress. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2013; 109:31-7. [PMID: 23664899 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2013.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2013] [Revised: 04/24/2013] [Accepted: 05/02/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The partial α2,3,5 GABA(A) receptor agonist, L-838,417 has been reported to have anxiolytic effects in adult rodents. Although maturational differences exist for the GABA(A) receptor subunits, the anxiolytic effects of L-838,417 have not been tested in younger animals. The goal of the present experiments was to determine whether L-838,417 reverses anxiety-like behavior induced by either an unfamiliar environment (Experiment 1) or repeated restraint stress (Experiment 2) differentially in adolescent and adult, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats using a modified social interaction test. In Experiment 1, rats were injected with 0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, or 4.0 mg/kg L-838,417, i.p. and tested 30 min later in an unfamiliar test context for 10 min. In Experiment 2, rats were exposed to restraint stress (90 min daily for 5 days). Immediately after the last restraint session, animals were injected with L-838,417 and placed alone for 30 min in the test apparatus to familiarize them to this context prior to the 10 min social interaction test. In Experiment 1, L-838,417 produced anxiolytic effects in adults at 1.0 mg/kg, as indexed by a transformation of social avoidance into preference and an increase in social investigation. In adolescents, a dose of 2.0 mg/kg eliminated social avoidance, but had no anxiolytic effects on social investigation. Testing under familiar circumstances (Experiment 2) after repeated restraint stress eliminated age differences in sensitivity to L-838,417, with 0.5 mg/kg reversing the anxiogenic effects of prior stress regardless of age, but with doses ≥ 1 mg/kg decreasing social investigation, an effect possibly due in part to locomotor-impairing effects of this compound. Although locomotor activity was suppressed in both experiments, higher doses of L-838,417 were necessary to suppress locomotor activity in Experiment 1. Thus, anxiolytic effects of L-838,417 were found to be context-, age-, and stress-dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Morales
- Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, USA.
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19
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Low doses of the NMDA receptor antagonists, MK-801, PEAQX, and ifenprodil, induces social facilitation in adolescent male rats. Behav Brain Res 2013; 250:18-22. [PMID: 23651880 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.04.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2013] [Revised: 04/25/2013] [Accepted: 04/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Adolescents display high levels of interactions with peers relative to other age groups, with these interactions further enhanced by ethanol under some circumstances. Understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying these high levels of social interactions is important given that alcohol use is initiated during adolescence and adolescents tend to report drinking for social reasons. Given that ethanol's effects are associated in part with functional antagonism of the NMDA receptor system, the current experiment explored the role of NMDA antagonists for facilitating adolescent social behavior. Adolescent male Sprague-Dawley rats were challenged acutely with either the non-competitive NMDA antagonist, MK-801 (0.01, 0.03mg/kg), the NR2A antagonist, PEAQX (1.25, 3.75mg/kg) or the NR2B antagonist, ifenprodil (0.75, 2.25mg/kg) 30min prior to a 10-min social interaction test. All compounds generally increased overall social activity (i.e., sum of social investigation, contact behavior, and play), with ifenprodil also significantly enhancing play and social contact behaviors. Although the frequencies of peer-directed social behaviors were typically greater following administration with these NMDA antagonists, social preference, indexed via the number of crossovers to the side with the partner relative to crossovers away, was significantly reduced in MK-801 and PEAQX-treated rats. None of these changes were associated with concomitant alterations in overall locomotor activity under these test circumstances. These data support the suggestion that the increases in social interactions observed in adolescents following acute ethanol may be driven in part by NMDA receptor antagonism - particularly of the NR2B subunit - given that ifenprodil stimulated social behavior in a manner similar to that produced by low doses of ethanol.
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20
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Willey AR, Spear LP. Effects of acute ethanol administration and chronic stress exposure on social investigation and 50kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in adolescent and adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2013; 105:17-25. [PMID: 23360955 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2013.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2012] [Revised: 01/16/2013] [Accepted: 01/19/2013] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Adolescents drink largely in social situations, likely in an attempt to facilitate social interactions. This study sought to examine alterations in the incentive salience of a social stimulus following repeated stress exposure and acute ethanol administration in adolescent and adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Subjects were either exposed to 5days of restraint stress, chronic variable stress (CVS), which consisted of a different stressor every day, or non-stressed. On test day, the animals were injected with 0, 0.25, 0.5, or 0.75g/kg ethanol and placed in a social approach test in which they could see, hear, and smell a social conspecific, but could not physically interact with it. All the animals showed an interest in the social stimulus, with adolescents engaging in more social investigation than adults. Restraint stressed adults showed ethanol-induced increases in social investigation, while ethanol effects were not seen in any other group. An ethanol-associated increase in 50kHz ultrasonic vocalization (USV) production was only evident in restraint stressed adolescents following 0.75g/kg ethanol. 50kHz USVs were not correlated with time spent investigating the social stimulus in any test condition. These results show that age differences in the facilitatory effects of ethanol on incentive salience of social stimuli are moderated by stress, with the facilitation of social approach by ethanol only evident in restraint stressed adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R Willey
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University (SUNY), PO Box 6000, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA.
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21
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Peters S, Slattery DA, Flor PJ, Neumann ID, Reber SO. Differential effects of baclofen and oxytocin on the increased ethanol consumption following chronic psychosocial stress in mice. Addict Biol 2013; 18:66-77. [PMID: 23126471 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Chronic stress is known to enhance the susceptibility for addiction disorders including alcoholism. While these findings have been recapitulated in animal models, the majority of these studies have utilized non-social rather than social stress paradigms; the latter of which are believed to be more relevant to the human situation. Therefore, the major aim of this study was to investigate, if 14 days of chronic subordinate colony housing (CSC), a pre-clinically validated psychosocial stress paradigm relevant for human psychiatric and somatic disorders, enhances ethanol (EtOH) consumption in male mice. To assess this, we employed the well-established two-bottle free-choice paradigm where mice were given access to water and 2, 4, 6 and 8% EtOH solutions (with the concentrations increasing each fourth day) following termination of the stress procedure. After 14 days of CSC, stressed mice consumed significantly more EtOH at all concentrations tested and displayed increased EtOH preference at concentrations of 6 and 8%. This effect was not due to an altered taste preference in CSC mice as assessed by saccharine- and quinine-preference tests, but was accompanied by increased anxiety-related behavior. Systemic administration of baclofen (2.5 mg/kg) or oxytocin (OXT; 10 mg/kg) reduced the EtOH intake in single housed control (baclofen, OXT) and CSC (baclofen) mice, whereas intracerebroventricular OXT (0.5 μg/2 μl) was ineffective in both groups. Taken together, these results suggest that (i) chronic psychosocial stress enhances EtOH consumption, and (ii) baclofen and OXT differentially affect EtOH intake in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Peters
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology; University of Regensburg; Regensburg; Germany
| | - David A. Slattery
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology; University of Regensburg; Regensburg; Germany
| | - Peter J. Flor
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology; University of Regensburg; Regensburg; Germany
| | - Inga D. Neumann
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology; University of Regensburg; Regensburg; Germany
| | - Stefan O. Reber
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology; University of Regensburg; Regensburg; Germany
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22
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Bell RL, Sable HJ, Colombo G, Hyytia P, Rodd ZA, Lumeng L. Animal models for medications development targeting alcohol abuse using selectively bred rat lines: neurobiological and pharmacological validity. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2012; 103:119-55. [PMID: 22841890 PMCID: PMC3595005 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2012.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2011] [Revised: 07/07/2012] [Accepted: 07/18/2012] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this review paper is to present evidence that rat animal models of alcoholism provide an ideal platform for developing and screening medications that target alcohol abuse and dependence. The focus is on the 5 oldest international rat lines that have been selectively bred for a high alcohol-consumption phenotype. The behavioral and neurochemical phenotypes of these rat lines are reviewed and placed in the context of the clinical literature. The paper presents behavioral models for assessing the efficacy of pharmaceuticals for the treatment of alcohol abuse and dependence in rodents, with particular emphasis on rats. Drugs that have been tested for their effectiveness in reducing alcohol/ethanol consumption and/or self-administration by these rat lines and their putative site of action are summarized. The paper also presents some current and future directions for developing pharmacological treatments targeting alcohol abuse and dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard L. Bell
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Helen J.K. Sable
- Department of Psychology, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Giancarlo Colombo
- Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council of Italy, Section of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy
| | - Petri Hyytia
- Institute of Biomedicine, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Zachary A. Rodd
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Lawrence Lumeng
- Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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23
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Bell RL, Franklin KM, Hauser SR, Zhou FC. Introduction to the special issue "Pharmacotherapies for the treatment of alcohol abuse and dependence" and a summary of patents targeting other neurotransmitter systems. RECENT PATENTS ON CNS DRUG DISCOVERY 2012; 7:93-112. [PMID: 22574678 PMCID: PMC3868366 DOI: 10.2174/157488912800673155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2012] [Revised: 03/02/2012] [Accepted: 03/13/2012] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
This paper introduces the Special Section: Pharmacotherapies for the Treatment of Alcohol Abuse and Dependence and provides a summary of patents targeting neurotransmitter systems not covered in the other four chapters. The World Health Organization notes that alcoholic-type drinking results in 2.5 million deaths per year, and these deaths occur to a disproportionately greater extent among adolescents and young adults. Developing a pharmacological treatment targeting alcohol abuse and dependence is complicated by (a) the heterogeneous nature of the disease(s), (b) alcohol affecting multiple neurotransmitter and neuromodulator systems, and (c) alcohol affecting multiple organ systems which in turn influence the function of the central nervous system. Presently, the USA Federal Drug Administration has approved three pharmacotherapies for alcoholism: disulfiram, naltrexone, and acamprosate. This chapter provides a summary of the following systems, which are not covered in the accompanying chapters; alcohol and acetaldehyde metabolism, opioid, glycinergic, GABA-A, neurosteroid, dopaminergic, serotonergic, and endocannabinoid, as well as patents targeting these systems for the treatment of alcoholism. Finally, an overview is presented on the use of pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics in tailoring treatments for certain subpopulations of alcoholics, which is expected to continue in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard L. Bell
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, 791 Union Drive, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202, USA
| | - Kelle M. Franklin
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, 791 Union Drive, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202, USA
| | - Sheketha R. Hauser
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, 791 Union Drive, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202, USA
| | - Feng C. Zhou
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, 635 Barnhill Drive MS-508, Indian-apolis, Indiana, 46202, USA
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Kozlov AP, Nizhnikov ME, Varlinskaya EI, Spear NE. The role of social isolation in ethanol effects on the preweanling rat. Behav Brain Res 2012; 227:43-57. [PMID: 22051944 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2011] [Accepted: 10/19/2011] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The present experiments investigated the effects of acute ethanol exposure on voluntary intake of 0.1% saccharin or water as well as behavioral and nociceptive reactivity in 12-day-old (P12) rats exposed to differing levels of isolation. The effects of ethanol emerged only during short-term social isolation (STSI) with different patterns observed in males and females and in pups exposed to saccharin or water. The 0.5g/kg ethanol dose selectively increased saccharin intake in females, decreased rearing activity in males and attenuated isolation-induced analgesia (IIA) in all water-exposed pups. Ingestion of saccharin decreased IIA, and the 0.5g/kg ethanol dose further reduced IIA. The 1.0g/kg ethanol dose, administered either intragastrically or intraparentionally, also decreased IIA in P12 females, but not in P9 pups. A significant correlation between voluntary saccharin intake and baseline nociceptive reactivity was revealed in saline injected animals, saccharin intake was inversely correlated with behavioral activation and latency of reaction to noxious heat after 0.5g/kg ethanol in females. The 0.5g/kg ethanol dose did not affect plasma corticosterone (CORT) measured 5h after maternal separation or 20min after ethanol injection. Female pups CORT level was inversely correlated with magnitude of IIA that accompanied the first episode of STSI (pretest isolation) 1.5-2h before CORT measurement. The present findings suggest that the anxiolytic properties of ethanol are responsible for enhancement of saccharin intake during STSI. Furthermore, differential reactivity of P12 males and females to STSI plays an important role in ethanol effects observed at this age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey P Kozlov
- Center for Development & Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States
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25
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Effects of ethanol administration on corticosterone levels in adolescent and adult rats. Alcohol 2012; 46:29-36. [PMID: 21917408 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2011.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2011] [Revised: 08/01/2011] [Accepted: 08/03/2011] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Adolescent humans and rodents have been shown to consume more alcohol than their adult counterparts. Given that corticosterone (CORT) has been shown to be related to the intake of several drugs of abuse, this study assessed the ontogenetic effects of low-moderate doses of ethanol on CORT increases and recovery. Despite no significant differences in baseline (home cage) CORT levels, CORT responses to ethanol were greater in females than in males and in adult females than in adolescent females; males, however, showed less marked age differences in CORT levels after ethanol consumption. Adolescent blood ethanol concentrations (BECs) were lower than those of adults, although these BEC differences appear insufficient to account for the ontogenetic differences in CORT levels. Collectively, these findings suggest that it is unlikely that age differences in CORT elevations provide a major contribution to the ontogenetic differences in alcohol intake seen between adolescents and adults.
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Broadwater M, Varlinskaya EI, Spear LP. Different chronic ethanol exposure regimens in adolescent and adult male rats: effects on tolerance to ethanol-induced motor impairment. Behav Brain Res 2011; 225:358-62. [PMID: 21782854 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2011] [Revised: 06/24/2011] [Accepted: 07/06/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Findings are mixed regarding the expression of tolerance after repeated ethanol exposure, perhaps in part due to dose/frequency variations in exposure regimens. The present study compared age-related differences in tolerance development following 10 days of 1g/kg twice daily, 2g/kg once daily, or intermittent 4g/kg ethanol exposure regimens. To measure expression of chronic tolerance and acute tolerance, ethanol-induced motor impairment was assessed on day 12, with functionally equivalent ethanol doses administered across age (2g/kg - adolescents; 1.5g/kg - adults). Subsequent challenge doses resulted in lower brain ethanol concentrations in both age groups as a function of the chronic ethanol regimens. Expected age-related differences emerged in acute tolerance expression in non-manipulated animals, with adolescents, but not adults showing acute tolerance. Regimens sufficient to induce alterations in ethanol metabolism did not result in chronic functional tolerance at either age, although chronic injections were sufficient to induce acute tolerance in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Broadwater
- Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States
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27
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Morales M, Varlinskaya EI, Spear LP. Age differences in the expression of acute and chronic tolerance to ethanol in male and female rats. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2011; 35:1614-24. [PMID: 21599716 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2011.01508.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ontogenetic differences in response to ethanol (EtOH) challenge have been observed under a variety of circumstances, including varying reports of developmental differences in the expression of tolerance to EtOH. The purpose of the present experiment was to further explore potential differences in acute (AT) and chronic (CT) tolerance expression between adolescent and adult, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats, using the social interaction test. METHODS AT and CT to the social suppressing effects of a moderate dose of EtOH was assessed in adolescent and adult rats following intraperitoneal injections of 2.0 g/kg EtOH or saline daily for 10 days. At test, adults and adolescents were challenged with 1.0 or 1.25 g/kg EtOH, respectively, with AT and CT assessed at 5 and 25 minutes postinjection using ratios of impairment to brain ethanol concentrations (BrECs) at each time period (CT) and within-session declines in impairment relative to BrECs (AT). RESULTS In adolescents, 10 days of EtOH pre-exposure resulted in evidence of CT at 25 minutes postinjection, perhaps associated with an enhanced expression of AT. Among adults, signs of CT were seen at 5 minutes postinjection in adults, and may reflect neuroadaptations unassociated with AT, as with evidence of tolerance emerging only in adult control animals repeatedly exposed to saline injection prior to EtOH challenge on test day. Sex differences in tolerance expression were not observed at either age. CONCLUSIONS Our results show ontogenetic differences between adolescents and adults in the short- and long-term neuroadaptations that they express in response to repeated perturbations with EtOH. Together these findings add age of exposure and time of testing within the intoxication period as critical variables to be considered when exploring the complex relationship between AT and CT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Morales
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902-6000, USA.
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Sherrill LK, Koss WA, Foreman ES, Gulley JM. The effects of pre-pubertal gonadectomy and binge-like ethanol exposure during adolescence on ethanol drinking in adult male and female rats. Behav Brain Res 2010; 216:569-75. [PMID: 20816899 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.08.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2010] [Revised: 08/20/2010] [Accepted: 08/29/2010] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The pubertal surge in gonadal hormones that occurs during adolescence may impact the long-term effects of early alcohol exposure and sex differences in drinking behavior in adulthood. We investigated this hypothesis by performing sham or gonadectomy surgeries in Long-Evans rats around post-natal day (P) 20. From P35-45, males and females were given saline or 3.0 g/kg ethanol using a binge-like model of exposure (8 injections total). As adults (P100), they were trained to self-administer ethanol via a sucrose-fading procedure and then given access to different unsweetened concentrations (5-20%, w/v) for 5 days/concentration. We found that during adolescence, ethanol-induced intoxication was similar in males and females that underwent sham surgery. In gonadectomized males and females, however, the level of intoxication was greater following the last injection compared to the first. During adulthood, females drank more sucrose per body weight than males and binge-like exposure to ethanol reduced sucrose consumption in both sexes. These effects were not seen in gonadectomized rats. Ethanol consumption was higher in saline-exposed females compared to males, with gonadectomy reversing this sex difference by increasing consumption in males and decreasing it in females. Exposure to ethanol during adolescence augmented ethanol consumption in both sexes, but this effect was statistically significant only in gonadectomized females. Together, these results support a role for gonadal hormones during puberty in the short- and long-term effects of ethanol on behavior and in the development of sex differences in consummatory behavior during adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke K Sherrill
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 603 E. Daniel St., Champaign, IL 61820, USA
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