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Nicosia N, Giovenzana M, Misztak P, Mingardi J, Musazzi L. Glutamate-Mediated Excitotoxicity in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Neurodevelopmental and Adult Mental Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6521. [PMID: 38928227 PMCID: PMC11203689 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25126521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2024] [Revised: 06/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Glutamate is the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain wherein it controls cognitive functional domains and mood. Indeed, brain areas involved in memory formation and consolidation as well as in fear and emotional processing, such as the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala, are predominantly glutamatergic. To ensure the physiological activity of the brain, glutamatergic transmission is finely tuned at synaptic sites. Disruption of the mechanisms responsible for glutamate homeostasis may result in the accumulation of excessive glutamate levels, which in turn leads to increased calcium levels, mitochondrial abnormalities, oxidative stress, and eventually cell atrophy and death. This condition is known as glutamate-induced excitotoxicity and is considered as a pathogenic mechanism in several diseases of the central nervous system, including neurodevelopmental, substance abuse, and psychiatric disorders. On the other hand, these disorders share neuroplasticity impairments in glutamatergic brain areas, which are accompanied by structural remodeling of glutamatergic neurons. In the current narrative review, we will summarize the role of glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in both the pathophysiology and therapeutic interventions of neurodevelopmental and adult mental diseases with a focus on autism spectrum disorders, substance abuse, and psychiatric disorders. Indeed, glutamatergic drugs are under preclinical and clinical development for the treatment of different mental diseases that share glutamatergic neuroplasticity dysfunctions. Although clinical evidence is still limited and more studies are required, the regulation of glutamate homeostasis is attracting attention as a potential crucial target for the control of brain diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemi Nicosia
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (N.N.); (M.G.); (P.M.)
- PhD Program in Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy
| | - Mattia Giovenzana
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (N.N.); (M.G.); (P.M.)
- PhD Program in Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy
| | - Paulina Misztak
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (N.N.); (M.G.); (P.M.)
| | - Jessica Mingardi
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (N.N.); (M.G.); (P.M.)
| | - Laura Musazzi
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (N.N.); (M.G.); (P.M.)
- Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, 20900 Monza, Italy
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Chapp AD, Behnke JE, Driscoll KM, Fan Y, Hoban E, Shan Z, Zhang L, Chen QH. Acetate Mediates Alcohol Excitotoxicity in Dopaminergic-like PC12 Cells. ACS Chem Neurosci 2019; 10:235-245. [PMID: 30247872 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuronal excitotoxicity is the major cause of alcohol-related brain damage, yet the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Using dopaminergic-like PC12 cells, we evaluated the effect of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) on acetate-induced changes in PC12 cells: cell death, cytosolic calcium, and expression levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα). Treatment of PC12 cells with increasing concentrations of acetate for 4 h caused a dose-dependent increase in the percentage of cells staining positive for cell death using propidium iodide (PI) exclusion and cytosolic reactive oxygen species (ROS) using cell ROX detection analyzed via flow cytometry. The EC50 value for acetate was calculated and found to be 4.40 mM for PI and 1.81 mM for ROS. Ethanol up to 100 mM had no apparent changes in the percent of cells staining positive for PI or ROS. Acetate (6 mM) treatment caused an increase in cytosolic calcium measured in real-time with Fluo-4AM, which was abolished by coapplication with the NMDAR blocker memantine (10 μM). Furthermore, cells treated with acetate (6 mM) for 4 h had increased expression levels of TNFα relative to control, which was abolished by coapplication of memantine (10 μM). Co-application of acetate (6 mM) and memantine had no apparent reduction in acetate-induced cell death. These findings suggest that acetate is capable of increasing cytosolic calcium concentrations and expression levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNFα through an NMDAR-dependent mechanism. Cell death from acetate was not reduced through NMDAR blockade, suggesting alternative pathways independent of NMDAR activation for excitotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D. Chapp
- Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
| | - Jessica E. Behnke
- Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
| | - Kyle M. Driscoll
- Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
| | - Yuanyuan Fan
- Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
| | - Eileen Hoban
- Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
| | - Zhiying Shan
- Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
| | - Li Zhang
- Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland 20852, United States
| | - Qing-Hui Chen
- Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States
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Jung ME, Mallet RT. Intermittent hypoxia training: Powerful, non-invasive cerebroprotection against ethanol withdrawal excitotoxicity. Respir Physiol Neurobiol 2018; 256:67-78. [PMID: 28811138 PMCID: PMC5825251 DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2017.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Ethanol intoxication and withdrawal exact a devastating toll on the central nervous system. Abrupt ethanol withdrawal provokes massive release of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, which over-activates its postsynaptic receptors, causing intense Ca2+ loading, p38 mitogen activated protein kinase activation and oxidative stress, culminating in ATP depletion, mitochondrial injury, amyloid β deposition and neuronal death. Collectively, these mechanisms produce neurocognitive and sensorimotor dysfunction that discourages continued abstinence. Although the brain is heavily dependent on blood-borne O2 to sustain its aerobic ATP production, brief, cyclic episodes of moderate hypoxia and reoxygenation, when judiciously applied over the course of days or weeks, evoke adaptations that protect the brain from ethanol withdrawal-induced glutamate excitotoxicity, mitochondrial damage, oxidative stress and amyloid β accumulation. This review summarizes evidence from ongoing preclinical research that demonstrates intermittent hypoxia training to be a potentially powerful yet non-invasive intervention capable of affording robust, sustained neuroprotection during ethanol withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna E Jung
- Center for Neuroscience Discovery, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Fort Worth, TX 76107-2699, USA.
| | - Robert T Mallet
- Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Fort Worth, TX 76107-2699, USA.
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Boschen KE, Ruggiero MJ, Klintsova AY. Neonatal binge alcohol exposure increases microglial activation in the developing rat hippocampus. Neuroscience 2016; 324:355-66. [PMID: 26996510 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.03.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2015] [Revised: 03/11/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Aberrant activation of the developing immune system can have long-term negative consequences on cognition and behavior. Teratogens, such as alcohol, activate microglia, the brain's resident immune cells, which could contribute to the lifelong deficits in learning and memory observed in humans with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and in rodent models of FASD. The current study investigates the microglial response of the brain 24 h following neonatal alcohol exposure (postnatal days (PDs) 4-9, 5.25 g/kg/day). On PD10, microglial cell counts and area of cell territory were assessed using unbiased stereology in the hippocampal subfields CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG), and hippocampal expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory genes was analyzed. A significant decrease in microglial cell counts in CA1 and DG was found in alcohol-exposed and sham-intubated (SI) animals compared to undisturbed suckle controls (SCs), suggesting overlapping effects of alcohol exposure and intubation alone on the neuroimmune response. Cell territory was decreased in alcohol-exposed animals in CA1, CA3, and DG compared to controls, suggesting the microglia have shifted to a more activated state following alcohol treatment. Furthermore, both alcohol-exposed and SI animals had increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α, CD11b, and CCL4; in addition, CCL4 was significantly increased in alcohol-exposed animals compared to SI as well. Alcohol-exposed animals also showed increased levels of anti-inflammatory cytokine TGF-β compared to both SI and SCs. In summary, the number and activation of microglia in the neonatal hippocampus are both affected in a rat model of FASD, along with increased gene expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. This study shows that alcohol exposure during development induces a neuroimmune response, potentially contributing to long-term alcohol-related changes to cognition, behavior and immune function.
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Affiliation(s)
- K E Boschen
- University of Delaware, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, 108 Wolf Hall, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
| | - M J Ruggiero
- University of Delaware, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, 108 Wolf Hall, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
| | - A Y Klintsova
- University of Delaware, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, 108 Wolf Hall, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
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Boschen KE, Criss KJ, Palamarchouk V, Roth TL, Klintsova AY. Effects of developmental alcohol exposure vs. intubation stress on BDNF and TrkB expression in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of neonatal rats. Int J Dev Neurosci 2015; 43:16-24. [PMID: 25805052 PMCID: PMC4442714 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2015.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2015] [Revised: 03/13/2015] [Accepted: 03/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Third trimester-equivalent alcohol exposure causes significant deficits in hippocampal and cortical neuroplasticity, resulting in alterations to dendritic arborization, hippocampal adult neurogenesis, and performance on learning tasks. The current study investigated the impact of neonatal alcohol exposure (postnatal days 4-9, 5.25 g/kg/day) on expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) receptor in the hippocampal and frontal cortex of infant Long-Evans rats. Levels of BDNF protein were increased in the hippocampus, but not frontal cortex, of alcohol-exposed rats 24h after the last dose, when compared with undisturbed (but not sham-intubated) control animals. BDNF protein levels showed a trend toward increase in hippocampus of sham-intubated animals as well, suggesting an effect of the intubation procedure. TrkB protein was increased in the hippocampus of alcohol-exposed animals compared to sham-intubated pups, indicating an alcohol-specific effect on receptor expression. In addition, expression of bdnf total mRNA in alcohol-exposed and sham-intubated pups was enhanced in the hippocampus; however, there was a differential effect of alcohol and intubation stress on exon I- and IV-specific mRNA transcripts. Further, plasma corticosterone was found to be increased in both alcohol-exposed and sham-intubated pups compared to undisturbed animals. Upregulation of BDNF could potentially represent a neuroprotective mechanism activated following alcohol exposure or stress. The results suggest that alcohol exposure and stress have both overlapping and unique effects on BDNF, and highlight the need for the stress of intubation to be taken into consideration in studies that implement this route of drug delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- K E Boschen
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States
| | - K J Criss
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States
| | - V Palamarchouk
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States
| | - T L Roth
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States
| | - A Y Klintsova
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States.
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Cheng DT, Jacobson SW, Jacobson JL, Molteno CD, Stanton ME, Desmond JE. Eyeblink Classical Conditioning in Alcoholism and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Front Psychiatry 2015; 6:155. [PMID: 26578987 PMCID: PMC4629452 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 10/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcoholism is a debilitating disorder that can take a significant toll on health and professional and personal relationships. Excessive alcohol consumption can have a serious impact on both drinkers and developing fetuses, leading to long-term learning impairments. Decades of research in laboratory animals and humans have demonstrated the value of eyeblink classical conditioning (EBC) as a well-characterized model system to study the neural mechanisms underlying associative learning. Behavioral EBC studies in adults with alcohol use disorders and in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders report a clear learning deficit in these two patient populations, suggesting alcohol-related damage to the cerebellum and associated structures. Insight into the neural mechanisms underlying these learning impairments has largely stemmed from laboratory animal studies. In this mini-review, we present and discuss exemplary animal findings and data from patient and neuroimaging studies. An improved understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying learning deficits in EBC related to alcoholism and prenatal alcohol exposure has the potential to advance the diagnoses, treatment, and prevention of these and other pediatric and adult disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic T Cheng
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD , USA
| | - Sandra W Jacobson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine , Detroit, MI , USA ; Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town , Cape Town , South Africa ; Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town , Cape Town , South Africa
| | - Joseph L Jacobson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine , Detroit, MI , USA ; Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town , Cape Town , South Africa ; Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town , Cape Town , South Africa
| | - Christopher D Molteno
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town , Cape Town , South Africa
| | - Mark E Stanton
- Department of Psychology, University of Delaware , Newark, DE , USA
| | - John E Desmond
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD , USA
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Patten AR, Fontaine CJ, Christie BR. A comparison of the different animal models of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and their use in studying complex behaviors. Front Pediatr 2014; 2:93. [PMID: 25232537 PMCID: PMC4153370 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2014.00093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2014] [Accepted: 08/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal ethanol exposure (PNEE) has been linked to widespread impairments in brain structure and function. There are a number of animal models that are used to study the structural and functional deficits caused by PNEE, including, but not limited to invertebrates, fish, rodents, and non-human primates. Animal models enable a researcher to control important variables such as the route of ethanol administration, as well as the timing, frequency and amount of ethanol exposure. Each animal model and system of exposure has its place, depending on the research question being undertaken. In this review, we will examine the different routes of ethanol administration and the various animal models of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) that are commonly used in research, emphasizing their strengths and limitations. We will also present an up-to-date summary on the effects of prenatal/neonatal ethanol exposure on behavior across the lifespan, focusing on learning and memory, olfaction, social, executive, and motor functions. Special emphasis will be placed where the various animal models best represent deficits observed in the human condition and offer a viable test bed to examine potential therapeutics for human beings with FASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna R Patten
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria , Victoria, BC , Canada
| | | | - Brian R Christie
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria , Victoria, BC , Canada ; Department of Biology, University of Victoria , Victoria, BC , Canada ; Program in Neuroscience, The Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia , Vancouver, BC , Canada ; Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia , Vancouver, BC , Canada
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Lindquist DH, Sokoloff G, Milner E, Steinmetz JE. Neonatal ethanol exposure results in dose-dependent impairments in the acquisition and timing of the conditioned eyeblink response and altered cerebellar interpositus nucleus and hippocampal CA1 unit activity in adult rats. Alcohol 2013; 47:447-57. [PMID: 23871534 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2013.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2012] [Revised: 03/24/2013] [Accepted: 05/15/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to ethanol in neonatal rats results in reduced neuronal numbers in the cerebellar cortex and deep nuclei of juvenile and adult animals. This reduction in cell numbers is correlated with impaired delay eyeblink conditioning (EBC), a simple motor learning task in which a neutral conditioned stimulus (CS; tone) is repeatedly paired with a co-terminating unconditioned stimulus (US; periorbital shock). Across training, cell populations in the interpositus (IP) nucleus model the temporal form of the eyeblink-conditioned response (CR). The hippocampus, though not required for delay EBC, also shows learning-dependent increases in CA1 and CA3 unit activity. In the present study, rat pups were exposed to 0, 3, 4, or 5 mg/kg/day of ethanol during postnatal days (PD) 4-9. As adults, CR acquisition and timing were assessed during 6 training sessions of delay EBC with a short (280 ms) interstimulus interval (ISI; time from CS onset to US onset) followed by another 6 sessions with a long (880 ms) ISI. Neuronal activity was recorded in the IP and area CA1 during all 12 sessions. The high-dose rats learned the most slowly and, with the moderate-dose rats, produced the longest CR peak latencies over training to the short ISI. The low dose of alcohol impaired CR performance to the long ISI only. The 3E (3 mg/kg/day of ethanol) and 5E (5 mg/kg/day of ethanol) rats also showed slower-than-normal increases in learning-dependent excitatory unit activity in the IP and CA1. The 4E (4 mg/kg/day of ethanol) rats showed a higher rate of CR production to the long ISI and enhanced IP and CA1 activation when compared to the 3E and 5E rats. The results indicate that binge-like ethanol exposure in neonatal rats induces long-lasting, dose-dependent deficits in CR acquisition and timing and diminishes conditioning-related neuronal excitation in both the cerebellum and hippocampus.
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Effects of neonatal alcohol dose and exposure window on long delay and trace eyeblink conditioning in juvenile rats. Behav Brain Res 2013; 236:307-318. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.08.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2011] [Revised: 08/13/2012] [Accepted: 08/16/2012] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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Hippocampal-dependent Pavlovian conditioning in adult rats exposed to binge-like doses of ethanol as neonates. Behav Brain Res 2012; 242:191-9. [PMID: 23274841 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.12.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2012] [Revised: 12/12/2012] [Accepted: 12/13/2012] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Binge-like postnatal ethanol exposure produces significant damage throughout the brain in rats, including the cerebellum and hippocampus. In the current study, cue- and context-mediated Pavlovian conditioning were assessed in adult rats exposed to moderately low (3E; 3g/kg/day) or high (5E; 5g/kg/day) doses of ethanol across postnatal days 4-9. Ethanol-exposed and control groups were presented with 8 sessions of trace eyeblink conditioning followed by another 8 sessions of delay eyeblink conditioning, with an altered context presented over the last two sessions. Both forms of conditioning rely on the brainstem and cerebellum, while the more difficult trace conditioning also requires the hippocampus. The hippocampus is also needed to gate or modulate expression of the eyeblink conditioned response (CR) based on contextual cues. Results indicate that the ethanol-exposed rats were not significantly impaired in trace EBC relative to control subjects. In terms of CR topography, peak amplitude was significantly reduced by both doses of alcohol, whereas onset latency but not peak latency was significantly lengthened in the 5E rats across the latter half of delay EBC in the original training context. Neither dosage resulted in significant impairment in the contextual gating of the behavioral response, as revealed by similar decreases in CR production across all four treatment groups following introduction of the novel context. Results suggest ethanol-induced brainstem-cerebellar damage can account for the present results, independent of the putative disruption in hippocampal development and function proposed to occur following postnatal ethanol exposure.
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Prendergast MA, Mulholland PJ. Glucocorticoid and polyamine interactions in the plasticity of glutamatergic synapses that contribute to ethanol-associated dependence and neuronal injury. Addict Biol 2012; 17:209-23. [PMID: 21967628 PMCID: PMC3254017 DOI: 10.1111/j.1369-1600.2011.00375.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Stress contributes to the development of ethanol dependence and is also a consequence of dependence. However, the complexity of physiological interactions between activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and ethanol itself is not well delineated. Emerging evidence derived from examination of corticotropin-releasing factor systems and glucocorticoid receptor systems in ethanol dependence suggests a role for pharmacological manipulation of the HPA axis in attenuating ethanol intake, though it is not clear how activation of the HPA axis may promote ethanol dependence or contribute to the neuroadaptative changes that accompany the development of dependence and the severity of ethanol withdrawal. This review examines the role that glucocorticoids, in particular, have in promoting ethanol-associated plasticity of glutamatergic synapses by influencing expression of endogenous linear polyamines and polyamine-sensitive polypeptide subunits of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptors. We provide evidence that interactions among glucocorticoid systems, polyamines and NMDA receptors are highly relevant to both the development of ethanol dependence and to behavioral and neuropathological sequelae associated with ethanol withdrawal. Examination of these issues is likely to be of critical importance not only in further elucidating the neurobiology of HPA axis dysregulation in ethanol dependence, but also with regard to identification of novel therapeutic targets that may be exploited in the treatment of ethanol dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A. Prendergast
- University of Kentucky, Department of Psychology, 741 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536, U.S.A
- Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, B449 Biomedical and Biological Sciences Research Building, 741 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536, U.S.A
| | - Patrick J. Mulholland
- Departments of Neurosciences and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 67 President Street, IOP 462 North Charleston, South Carolina 29425, U.S.A
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