1
|
Salazar AL, Centanni SW. Sex Differences in Mouse Models of Voluntary Alcohol Drinking and Abstinence-Induced Negative Emotion. Alcohol 2024:S0741-8329(24)00098-3. [PMID: 39053705 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a growing problem worldwide, causing an incredible burden on health and the economy. Though AUD impacts people of all backgrounds and demographics, increasing evidence has suggested robust sex differences in alcohol drinking patterns and AUD-induced negative emotionality or hyperkatifeia. Rates of problematic drinking have significantly risen among women, and women face more severe negative emotional consequences in abstinence such as increased risk of comorbidity with an anxiety or mood disorder and more severe symptoms of depression. As such, a bevy of preclinical literature using contingent methods of alcohol (ethanol) consumption has amassed in recent years to better understand sex as a biological variable in alcohol drinking and abstinence-induced negative emotionality. Mice are widely used to model alcohol drinking, as they are conducive to genetic manipulation strategies, and many strains will voluntarily consume alcohol. Sex-specific results from these mouse studies, however, have been inconsistent. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the current knowledge on sex differences in AUD-related contingent ethanol drinking and abstinence-induced negative emotionality in mice. Various contingent mouse drinking models and negative emotional-based behavioral paradigms are introduced and subsequently discussed in the context of sex differences to show increasing indications of sex specificity in mouse preclinical studies of AUD. With this review, we hope to inform future research on potential sex differences in preclinical mouse models of AUD and provide mounting evidence supporting the need for more widespread inclusion of preclinical female subjects in future studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda L Salazar
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Samuel W Centanni
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Parks BJ, Salazar P, Morrison L, McGraw MK, Gunnell M, Tobacyk J, Brents LK, Berquist MD. Limited bedding and nesting increases ethanol drinking in female rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024; 239:173756. [PMID: 38555037 PMCID: PMC11088506 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Prenatal opioid exposure (POE) and postnatal adverse experiences are early life adversities (ELA) that often co-occur and increase problematic alcohol (EtOH) drinking during adolescence. We investigated the relationship between POE, postnatal adversity, and adolescent EtOH drinking in rats. We also sought to determine whether ELAs affect alpha-adrenoceptor density in the brain because the noradrenergic system is involved in problematic alcohol drinking and its treatment. We hypothesized that the combination of POE and postnatal adversity will increase alcohol drinking in rats compared to rats with exposure to either adversity alone or to control. We also predicted that POE and postnatal adversity would increase α1-adrenoceptor density and decrease α2-adrenoceptor density in brain to confer a stress-responsive phenotype. Pregnant rats received morphine (15 mg/kg/day) or saline via subcutaneous minipumps from gestational day 9 until birth. Limited bedding and nesting (LBN) procedures were introduced from postnatal day (PD) 3-11 to mimic early life adversity-scarcity. Offspring rats (PD 31-33) were given opportunities to drink EtOH (20 %, v/v) using intermittent-access, two-bottle choice (with water) procedures. Rats given access to EtOH were assigned into sub-groups that were injected with either yohimbine (1 mg/kg, ip) or vehicle (2 % DMSO, ip) 30 min prior to each EtOH access session to determine the effects of α2-adrenoceptor inhibition on alcohol drinking. We harvested cortices, brainstems, and hypothalami from EtOH-naïve littermates on either PD 30 or PD 70 and conducted radioligand receptor binding assays to quantify α1- and α2-adrenoceptor densities. Contrary to our hypothesis, only LBN alone increased EtOH intake in female adolescent rats compared to female rats with POE. Neither POE nor LBN affected α1- or α2-adrenoceptor densities in the cortex, brainstem, or hypothalamus of early- or late-aged adolescent rats. These results suggest a complex interaction between ELA type and sex on alcohol drinking.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- B J Parks
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham Street, Mail Slot 611, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States of America
| | - P Salazar
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham Street, Mail Slot 611, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States of America
| | - L Morrison
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham Street, Mail Slot 611, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States of America
| | - M K McGraw
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham Street, Mail Slot 611, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States of America
| | - M Gunnell
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham Street, Mail Slot 611, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States of America
| | - J Tobacyk
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham Street, Mail Slot 611, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States of America
| | - L K Brents
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham Street, Mail Slot 611, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States of America
| | - M D Berquist
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham Street, Mail Slot 611, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States of America.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
García-Jácome D, Martínez-Mota L, Páez-Martínez N. Effects of housing condition on the development and persistence of addictive-like behavior induced by toluene. Neurotoxicology 2024; 103:9-15. [PMID: 38801998 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2024.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Environmental factors can modify addictive responses induced by drugs of abuse; however, little is known about the impact of environmental conditions on behavioral responses induced by inhalants. In this study, we analyzed the effects of housing conditions, considering environmental enrichment (EE; n = 10), social isolation (SI; n = 10), and standard housing (STD; n = 10), as positive, negative, and control environments, respectively, on the development and persistence of behavioral sensitization induced by toluene. Mice exposed to air were used as a comparative control groups for each housing condition (EE: n = 11, SI: n = 10 and STD: n = 11). Results showed that a history of toluene exposure induced the development of locomotor sensitization in mice, independent of their housing conditions. However, SI increased the expression of behavioral sensitization to toluene after a drug-free period.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David García-Jácome
- Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Plan de San Luis y Salvador Díaz Mirón, Casco de Santo Tomas, Miguel Hidalgo, 11340, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Lucía Martínez-Mota
- Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz. Calzada México-Xochimilco 101, Colonia San Lorenzo Huipulco, Tlalpan, 14370, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Nayeli Páez-Martínez
- Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Plan de San Luis y Salvador Díaz Mirón, Casco de Santo Tomas, Miguel Hidalgo, 11340, Ciudad de México, México; Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz. Calzada México-Xochimilco 101, Colonia San Lorenzo Huipulco, Tlalpan, 14370, Ciudad de México, México.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Petersen N, Adank DN, Quan Y, Edwards CM, Taylor A, Winder DG, Doyle MA. A novel mouse home cage lickometer system reveals sex- and housing-based influences on alcohol drinking. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.22.595186. [PMID: 38826244 PMCID: PMC11142211 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.22.595186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a significant global health issue. Despite historically higher rates among men, AUD prevalence and negative alcohol-related outcomes in women are rising. Loneliness in humans has been associated with increased alcohol use, and traditional rodent drinking models involve single housing, presenting challenges for studying social enrichment. We developed LIQ PARTI (Lick Instance Quantifier with Poly-Animal RFID Tracking Integration), an open-source tool to examine home cage continuous access two-bottle choice drinking behavior in a group-housed setting, investigating the influence of sex and social isolation on ethanol consumption and bout microstructure in C57Bl/6J mice. LIQ PARTI, based on our previously developed single-housed LIQ HD system, accurately tracks drinking behavior using capacitive-based sensors and RFID technology. Group-housed female mice exhibited higher ethanol preference than males, while males displayed a unique undulating pattern of ethanol preference linked to cage changes, suggesting a potential stress-related response. Chronic ethanol intake distinctly altered bout microstructure between male and female mice, highlighting sex and social environmental influences on drinking behavior. Social isolation with the LIQ HD system amplified fluid intake and ethanol preference in both sexes, accompanied by sex- and fluid-dependent changes in bout microstructure. However, these effects largely reversed upon resocialization, indicating the plasticity of these behaviors in response to social context. Utilizing a novel group-housed home cage lickometer device, our findings illustrate the critical interplay of sex and housing conditions in voluntary alcohol drinking behaviors in C57Bl/6J mice, facilitating nuanced insights into the potential contributions to AUD etiology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Petersen
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
| | - Danielle N. Adank
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
- Department of Neurobiology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655
| | - Yizhen Quan
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
| | - Caitlyn M. Edwards
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
- Department of Neurobiology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655
| | - Anne Taylor
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
| | - Danny G. Winder
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
- Department of Neurobiology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655
| | - Marie A. Doyle
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 37232
- Department of Neurobiology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Johnson MC, Zweig JA, Zhang Y, Ryabinin AE. Effects of social housing on alcohol intake in mice depend on the non-social environment. Front Behav Neurosci 2024; 18:1380031. [PMID: 38817806 PMCID: PMC11137225 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1380031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Excessive alcohol consumption leads to serious health problems. Mechanisms regulating the consumption of alcohol are insufficiently understood. Previous preclinical studies suggested that non-social environmental and social environmental complexities can regulate alcohol consumption in opposite directions. However, previous studies did not include all conditions and/or did not include female rodents. Therefore, in this study, we examined the effects of social versus single housing in standard versus non-standard housing conditions in male and female mice. Methods Adult C57BL/6 J mice were housed in either standard shoebox cages or in automated Herdsman 2 (HM2) cages and exposed to a two-bottle choice procedure with 3% or 6% ethanol versus water for 5 days. The HM2 cages use radiotracking devices to measure the fluid consumption of individual mice in an undisturbed and automated manner. In both housing conditions, mice were housed either at one or at four per cage. Results In standard cages, group housing of animals decreased alcohol consumption and water consumption. In HM2 cages, group housing significantly increased ethanol preference and decreased water intake. There were no significant differences in these effects between male and female animals. These observations were similar for 3 and 6% ethanol solutions but were more pronounced for the latter. The effects of social environment on ethanol preference in HM2 cages were accompanied by an increase in the number of approaches to the ethanol solution and a decrease in the number of approaches to water. The differences in ethanol intake could not be explained by differences in locomotor or exploratory activity as socially housed mice showed fewer non-consummatory visits to the ethanol solutions than single-housed animals. In addition, we observed that significant changes in behaviors measuring the approach to the fluid were not always accompanied by significant changes in fluid consumption, and vice versa, suggesting that it is important to assess both measures of motivation to consume alcohol. Conclusion Our results indicate that the direction of the effects of social environment on alcohol intake in mice depends on the non-social housing environment. Understanding mechanisms by which social and non-social housing conditions modulate alcohol intake could suggest approaches to counteract environmental factors enhancing hazardous alcohol consumption.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Andrey E. Ryabinin
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Flanigan ME, Gianessi C, Castle M, Dorlean W, Sides T, Kash TL. Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis (BNST) neurons containing the serotonin 5HT 2c receptor modulate operant alcohol self-administration behavior in mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:709-719. [PMID: 37884740 PMCID: PMC10876660 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01753-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
The serotonin 5HT2c receptor has been widely implicated in the pathophysiology of alcohol use disorder (AUD), particularly alcohol seeking and the affective consequences of chronic alcohol consumption. However, little is known about the brain sites in which 5HT2c exerts its effects on specific alcohol-related behaviors, especially in females. Here, we investigated the effects of site-specific manipulation of the 5HT2c receptor system in the BNST on operant alcohol self-administration behaviors in adult mice of both sexes, including the acquisition and maintenance of fixed-ratio responding, motivation for alcohol (progressive ratio), and quinine-adulterated responding for alcohol on a fixed-ratio schedule (punished alcohol seeking). Knockdown of 5HT2c in the BNST did not affect the acquisition or maintenance of operant alcohol self-administration, nor did it affect progressive ratio responding for alcohol. This manipulation had only a subtle effect on responding for quinine alcohol selectively in females. On the other hand, chemogenetic inhibition of BNST 5HT2c-containing neurons (BNST5HT2c) increased operant alcohol self-administration behavior in both sexes on day 2, but not day 9, of testing. It also increased operant responding for 1000 μM quinine-adulterated alcohol selectively in males. Importantly, chemogenetic inhibition of BNST5HT2c did not alter operant sucrose responding or motivation for sucrose in either sex. We then performed cell-type specific anterograde tracing, which revealed that BNST5HT2c project to similar regions in males and females, many of which have been previously implicated in AUD. We next used chemogenetics and quantification of the immediate early gene cFos to characterize the functional influence of BNST5HT2c inhibition on vlPAG activity. We show that chemogenetic inhibition of BNST5HT2c reduces vlPAG cFos in both sexes, but that this reduction is more robust in males. Together these findings suggest that BNST5HT2c neurons, and to a small extent the BNST 5HT2c receptor, serve to promote aversive responses to alcohol consumption, potentially through sex-dependent disinhibition of vlPAG neurons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meghan E Flanigan
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Carol Gianessi
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Megan Castle
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Winifred Dorlean
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Tori Sides
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Thomas L Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Cullins EC, Chester JA. Adolescent social isolation increases binge-like alcohol drinking in male but not female high-alcohol-preferring mice. Alcohol Alcohol 2024; 59:agae006. [PMID: 38364318 PMCID: PMC10873267 DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agae006] [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: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
AIMS This study examined how adolescent social isolation affects adult binge-like alcohol drinking and stress-axis function, via basal levels of circulating corticosterone (CORT), in male and female mice with a genetic predisposition toward high alcohol preference (HAP). METHODS Male and female HAP2 mice were randomly assigned to a group-housed or social isolation (ISO) group. Social isolation began at postnatal Days 40-42 and lasted for 21 days prior to assessment of binge-like alcohol drinking using a 4-day drinking-in-the-dark (DID) procedure. Blood samples to assess basal CORT were taken 6 days after social isolation ended and 24 h before DID started, and again 60 h after DID ended, during the light portion of the light cycle. RESULTS Adolescent social isolation increased adult binge-like alcohol drinking in male but not female mice. All groups showed significantly lower CORT after DID compared to before DID. Pearson bivariate correlation coefficients between the first 2 h of grams-per-kilogram alcohol intake on Day 4 and CORT levels indicated a significant positive correlation in ISO males only after DID and negative correlations in ISO females before and after DID. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate that adolescent social isolation increased binge-like alcohol drinking in male but not female adult HAP2 mice. Stress-axis adaptations in male HAP2 mice may be associated with the social-isolation-induced increase in binge-like alcohol drinking.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva C Cullins
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, 703 Third St., West Lafayette, IN 47907-2081, United States
| | - Julia A Chester
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, 703 Third St., West Lafayette, IN 47907-2081, United States
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Gyles TM, Nestler EJ, Parise EM. Advancing preclinical chronic stress models to promote therapeutic discovery for human stress disorders. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:215-226. [PMID: 37349475 PMCID: PMC10700361 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01625-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
There is an urgent need to develop more effective treatments for stress-related illnesses, which include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety. We view animal models as playing an essential role in this effort, but to date, such approaches have generally not succeeded in developing therapeutics with new mechanisms of action. This is partly due to the complexity of the brain and its disorders, but also to inherent difficulties in modeling human disorders in rodents and to the incorrect use of animal models: namely, trying to recapitulate a human syndrome in a rodent which is likely not possible as opposed to using animals to understand underlying mechanisms and evaluating potential therapeutic paths. Recent transcriptomic research has established the ability of several different chronic stress procedures in rodents to recapitulate large portions of the molecular pathology seen in postmortem brain tissue of individuals with depression. These findings provide crucial validation for the clear relevance of rodent stress models to better understand the pathophysiology of human stress disorders and help guide therapeutic discovery. In this review, we first discuss the current limitations of preclinical chronic stress models as well as traditional behavioral phenotyping approaches. We then explore opportunities to dramatically enhance the translational use of rodent stress models through the application of new experimental technologies. The goal of this review is to promote the synthesis of these novel approaches in rodents with human cell-based approaches and ultimately with early-phase proof-of-concept studies in humans to develop more effective treatments for human stress disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Trevonn M Gyles
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Eric J Nestler
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Eric M Parise
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience & Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Lodha J, Brocato ER, Nash M, Marcus MM, Pais AC, Pais AB, Miles MF, Wolstenholme JT. Adolescent social housing protects against adult emotional and cognitive deficits and alters the PFC and NAc transcriptome in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1287584. [PMID: 38130694 PMCID: PMC10733512 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1287584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Adolescence is a critical period in cognitive and emotional development, characterized by high levels of social interaction and increases in risk-taking behavior including binge drinking. Adolescent exposure to social stress and binge ethanol have individually been associated with the development of social, emotional, and cognitive deficits, as well as increased risk for alcohol use disorder. Disruption of cortical development by early life social stress and/or binge drinking may partly underlie these enduring emotional, cognitive, and behavioral effects. The study goal is to implement a novel neighbor housing environment to identify the effects of adolescent neighbor housing and/or binge ethanol drinking on (1) a battery of emotional and cognitive tasks (2) adult ethanol drinking behavior, and (3) the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex transcriptome. Methods Adolescent male and female C57BL/6J mice were single or neighbor housed with or without access to intermittent ethanol. One cohort underwent behavioral testing during adulthood to determine social preference, expression of anxiety-like behavior, cognitive performance, and patterns of ethanol intake. The second cohort was sacrificed in late adolescence and brain tissue was used for transcriptomics analysis. Results As adults, single housed mice displayed decreased social interaction, deficits in the novel object recognition task, and increased anxiety-like behavior, relative to neighbor-housed mice. There was no effect of housing condition on adolescent or adult ethanol consumption. Adolescent ethanol exposure did not alter adult ethanol intake. Transcriptomics analysis revealed that adolescent housing condition and ethanol exposure resulted in differential expression of genes related to synaptic plasticity in the nucleus accumbens and genes related to methylation, the extracellular matrix and inflammation in the prefrontal cortex. Discussion The behavioral results indicate that social interaction during adolescence via the neighbor housing model may protect against emotional, social, and cognitive deficits. In addition, the transcriptomics results suggest that these behavioral alterations may be mediated in part by dysregulation of transcription in the frontal cortex or the nucleus accumbens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jyoti Lodha
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Emily R. Brocato
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - McKenzie Nash
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Madison M. Marcus
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - A. Chris Pais
- VCU Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Alex B. Pais
- VCU Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Michael F. Miles
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
- VCU Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Jennifer Theresa Wolstenholme
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
- VCU Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Guimarães DM, Valério-Gomes B, Vianna-Barbosa RJ, Oliveira W, Neves GÂ, Tovar-Moll F, Lent R. Social isolation leads to mild social recognition impairment and losses in brain cellularity. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:2051-2066. [PMID: 37690044 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02705-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Chronic social stress is a significant risk factor for several neuropsychiatric disorders, mainly major depressive disorder (MDD). In this way, patients with clinical depression may display many symptoms, including disrupted social behavior and anxiety. However, like many other psychiatric diseases, MDD has a very complex etiology and pathophysiology. Because social isolation is one of the multiple depression-inducing factors in humans, this study aims to understand better the link between social stress and MDD using an animal model based on social isolation after weaning, which is known to produce social stress in mice. We focused on cellular composition and white matter integrity to establish possible links with the abnormal social behavior that rodents isolated after weaning displayed in the three-chamber social approach and recognition tests. We used the isotropic fractionator method to assess brain cellularity, which allows us to robustly estimate the number of oligodendrocytes and neurons in dissected brain regions. In addition, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was employed to analyze white matter microstructure. Results have shown that post-weaning social isolation impairs social recognition and reduces the number of neurons and oligodendrocytes in important brain regions involved in social behavior, such as the anterior neocortex and the olfactory bulb. Despite the limitations of animal models of psychological traits, evidence suggests that behavioral impairments observed in patients might have similar biological underpinnings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Menezes Guimarães
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
| | - Bruna Valério-Gomes
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Washington Oliveira
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Gilda Ângela Neves
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Roberto Lent
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- D'Or Institute of Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Balraj M, Sarvepalli A, Chatterjee B, Ekambaram G, Rajapandian N, Nisha K, Mani V. Linking stress with urocortin in rats. Bioinformation 2023; 19:1057-1062. [PMID: 38046515 PMCID: PMC10692987 DOI: 10.6026/973206300191057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The corticotropin-releasing factor neuropeptides (CRH and UCN-1,2,3), as well as spexin, contribute to the control of energy balance and limit food intake in mammals. However, the role of these neuropeptides in chronic variable stress remains unknown. The effect of chronic varied stress on circulating corticosterone levels and urocortin expression levels in the brains of experimental rats was studied in this study. Rats were subjected with 28 days long term stress protocol, end of stress protocol experimental and control animal organs isolated, brain urocorcortin-1,2,3 expression by RT-PCR and serum corticosterone by ELISA method. UCN levels in the brain were altered in rats subjected to prolonged varied stress. Furthermore, corticosterone levels were elevated as a result of the same urocortin expression pattern, indicating that urocortin expression is controlled by glucocorticoids via a glucocorticoid-responsive element (GRE). Thus, data shows that hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, also known as the LHPA axis, and limbic system are both stimulated by stress, which is reflected in the form of elevated corticosterone levels, according to the genes UCN1, 2, and 3.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manikandan Balraj
- Department of Physiology, Konaseema Institute Medical Science and Research Foundation, Amalapuram, East Gothawri - 533201, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Ankamma Sarvepalli
- Department of Anatomy, Konaseema Institute Medical Science and Research Foundation, Amalapuram, East Gothawri - 533201, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Bijoya Chatterjee
- Department of Biochemistry, M. P Shah Government Medical College , Jamnagar - 361008 Gujarat, India
| | - Gnanadesigan Ekambaram
- Department of Physiology, Nootan Medical College and Research Center, Sankalchand Patel University, Visnagar - 384315, Gujarat, India
| | - Nithya Rajapandian
- Medical physiology, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Puducherry - 607402, India
| | - K Nisha
- Department of Community Health Nursing, KIMS Nursing College, KIMS&RF Amalapuram, East Gothwari - 533201, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Vadivel Mani
- Department of Biochemistry, Konaseema Institute Medical Science and Research Foundation, Amalapuram, East Gothawri - 533201, Andhra Pradesh, India
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Wooden JI, Peacoe LE, Anasooya Shaji C, Melbourne JK, Chandler CM, Bardo MT, Nixon K. Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol Drives Modest Neuroinflammation but Does Not Escalate Drinking in Male Rats. Cells 2023; 12:2572. [PMID: 37947650 PMCID: PMC10649200 DOI: 10.3390/cells12212572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
During adolescence, the brain is highly susceptible to alcohol-induced damage and subsequent neuroimmune responses, effects which may enhance development of an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Neuroimmune reactions are implicated in adolescent alcohol exposure escalating adulthood drinking. Therefore, we investigated whether intermittent alcohol exposure in male, adolescent rats (AIE) escalated adult drinking via two-bottle choice (2BC). We also examined the influence of housing environment across three groups: standard (group-housed with enrichment during 2BC), impoverished (group-housed without enrichment during 2BC), or isolation (single-housed without bedding or enrichment throughout). In the standard group immediately after AIE/saline and after 2BC, we also examined the expression of microglial marker, Iba1, reactive astrocyte marker, vimentin, and neuronal cell death dye, FluoroJade B (FJB). We did not observe an escalation of adulthood drinking following AIE, regardless of housing condition. Further, only a modest neuroimmune response occurred after AIE in the standard group: no significant microglial reactivity or neuronal cell death was apparent using this model, although some astrocyte reactivity was detected in adolescence following AIE that resolved by adulthood. These data suggest that the lack of neuroimmune response in adolescence in this model may underlie the lack of escalation of alcohol drinking, which could not be modified through isolation stress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica I. Wooden
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Lauren E. Peacoe
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Chinchusha Anasooya Shaji
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Jennifer K. Melbourne
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Cassie M. Chandler
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA (M.T.B.)
| | - Michael T. Bardo
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA (M.T.B.)
| | - Kimberly Nixon
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
McElroy BD, Li C, McCloskey NS, Kirby LG. Sex differences in ethanol consumption and drinking despite negative consequences following adolescent social isolation stress in male and female rats. Physiol Behav 2023; 271:114322. [PMID: 37573960 PMCID: PMC10592127 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder characterized by drinking despite negative social and biological consequences. AUDs make up 71% of substance use disorders, with relapse rates as high as 80%. Current treatments stem from data conducted largely in males and fail to target the psychological distress motivating drinking in stress-vulnerable and at-risk populations. Here we employed a rat model and hypothesized that early life stress would reveal sex differences in ethanol intake and drinking despite negative consequences in adulthood. Rats were group housed or isolated postweaning to evaluate sex and stress effects on ethanol consumption in homecage drinking, self-administration (SA), and punished SA (drinking despite negative consequences) in adulthood. Stressed rats showed elevated homecage ethanol intake, an effect more pronounced in females. During SA, males were more sensitive to stress-induced elevations of drinking over time, but females drank more overall. Stressed rats, regardless of sex, responded more for ethanol than their non-stressed counterparts. Stressed females showed greater resistance to punishment-suppressed SA than stressed males, indicating a more stress-resistant drinking phenotype. Results support our hypothesis that adolescent social isolation stress enhances adult ethanol intake in a sex- and model-dependent manner with females being especially sensitive to early life stress-induced elevations in ethanol intake and punished SA in adulthood. Our findings echo the clinical literature which indicates that stress-vulnerable populations are more likely to 'self-medicate' with substances. Elucidating a potential mechanism that underlies why vulnerable populations 'self-medicate' with alcohol can lead towards developing catered pharmacotherapeutics that could reduce punishment-resistant drinking and relapse.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bryan D McElroy
- Center for Substance Abuse Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University Philadelphia, PA, 19140, United States of America.
| | - Chen Li
- Center for Substance Abuse Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University Philadelphia, PA, 19140, United States of America
| | - Nicholas S McCloskey
- Center for Substance Abuse Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University Philadelphia, PA, 19140, United States of America
| | - Lynn G Kirby
- Center for Substance Abuse Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University Philadelphia, PA, 19140, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Salguero A, Barey A, Virgolini RG, Mujica V, Fabio MC, Miranda-Morales RS, Marengo L, Camarini R, Pautassi RM. Juvenile variable stress modulates, in female but not in male Wistar rats, ethanol intake in adulthood. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2023; 100:107306. [PMID: 37802400 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2023.107306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Early stress can increase vulnerability to psychopathological disorders, including substance use disorders. The effects of stress in the juvenile period of the rat, that extends between weaning and the onset of adolescence (equivalent to late human childhood), have received little attention. This study assessed short and long-term behavioral effects of juvenile stress, with a focus on effects on ethanol intake. Male and female Wistar rats were exposed to variable stress (restraint, elevated platform, forced swimming, and social instability) or to restraint stress only, between postnatal days 26 to 29 (PDs 26-29). During adolescence, patterns of anxiety (PD 31) and depression (PD 33), ethanol intake (PDs 36-45) and behavioral sensitivity to the effects of acute stress (PD 47) were evaluated. In adulthood, alcohol ingestion was assessed through two-bottle ethanol intake tests (PDs 75-85). An additional experiment measured blood ethanol levels after a limited access intake session in adolescence. Exposure to juvenile variable stress exerted very mild effects in adolescence, but reduced ethanol ingestion in adulthood, in females only. Ethanol intake during the limited access session was significantly correlated to blood alcohol levels. The results indicate that a schedule of juvenile variable stress that did not significantly alter anxiety-related behaviors induced, nonetheless, sexually dimorphic effects on ethanol intake in adulthood. Early stress exposure that reduced alcohol intake in Wistar rats has been associated with changes on brain opioid and dopamine receptors. These results highlight the impact of early stress exposure on adult female ethanol consumption and its possible underlying neurobiological changes, involving opioid and dopamine receptors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Agustín Salguero
- Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra (INIMEC - CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba 5000, Argentina
| | - Agostina Barey
- Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra (INIMEC - CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba 5000, Argentina
| | - Rodrigo García Virgolini
- Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra (INIMEC - CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba 5000, Argentina
| | - Victoria Mujica
- Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra (INIMEC - CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba 5000, Argentina; Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - María Carolina Fabio
- Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra (INIMEC - CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba 5000, Argentina; Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Roberto Sebastián Miranda-Morales
- Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra (INIMEC - CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba 5000, Argentina; Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Leonardo Marengo
- Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra (INIMEC - CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba 5000, Argentina
| | - Rosana Camarini
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-900, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Marcos Pautassi
- Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra (INIMEC - CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba 5000, Argentina; Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Flanigan ME, Gianessi C, Castle M, Dorlean W, Sides T, Kash TL. Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis (BNST) neurons containing the serotonin 5HT 2c receptor modulate operant alcohol self-administration behavior in mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.26.559653. [PMID: 37808816 PMCID: PMC10557639 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.26.559653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
The serotonin 5HT2c receptor has been widely implicated in the pathophysiology of alcohol use disorder (AUD), particularly alcohol seeking and the affective consequences of chronic alcohol consumption. However, little is known about the brain sites in which 5HT2c exerts its effects on specific alcohol-related behaviors, especially in females. Here, we investigated the effects of site-specific manipulation of the 5HT2c receptor system in the BNST on operant alcohol self-administration behaviors in adult mice of both sexes, including the acquisition and maintenance of fixed-ratio responding, motivation for alcohol (progressive ratio), and quinine-adulterated responding for alcohol on a fixed-ratio schedule (punished alcohol seeking). Knockdown of 5HT2c in the BNST did not affect the acquisition or maintenance of operant alcohol self-administration, nor did it affect progressive ratio responding for alcohol. This manipulation had only a subtle effect on responding for quinine alcohol selectively in females. On the other hand, chemogenetic inhibition of BNST 5HT2c-containing neurons (BNST5HT2c) increased operant alcohol self-administration behavior in both sexes on day 2, but not day 9, of testing. It also increased operant responding for 1000 μM quinine-adulterated alcohol selectively in males. Importantly, chemogenetic inhibition of BNST5HT2c did not alter operant sucrose responding or motivation for sucrose in either sex. We then performed cell-type specific anterograde tracing, which revealed that BNST5HT2c project to similar regions in males and females, many of which have been previously implicated in AUD. We next used chemogenetics and quantification of the immediate early gene cFos to characterize the functional influence of BNST5HT2c inhibition on vlPAG activity. We show that chemogenetic inhibition of BNST5HT2c reduces vlPAG cFos in both sexes, but that this reduction is more robust in males. Together these findings suggest that BNST5HT2c neurons, and to a small extent the BNST 5HT2c receptor, serve to promote aversive responses to alcohol consumption, potentially through sex-dependent disinhibition of vlPAG neurons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meghan E. Flanigan
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Carol Gianessi
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Megan Castle
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Winifred Dorlean
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Tori Sides
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Thomas L. Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Chandler CM, Shaykin JD, Peng H, Pauly JR, Nixon K, Bardo MT. Effects of voluntary adolescent intermittent alcohol exposure and social isolation on adult alcohol intake in male rats. Alcohol 2022; 104:13-21. [PMID: 35981637 PMCID: PMC10806401 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2022.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Initiating alcohol use in adolescence significantly increases the likelihood of developing adult alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, it has been difficult to replicate adolescent alcohol exposure leading to increased adult alcohol intake across differing preclinical models. In the present study, differentially housed male rats (group vs. single cages) were used to determine the effects of voluntary intermittent exposure of saccharin-sweetened ethanol during adolescence on adult intake of unsweetened 20% ethanol. Adolescent male rats were assigned to group- or isolated-housing conditions and underwent an intermittent 2-bottle choice in adolescence (water only or water vs. 0.2% saccharin/20% ethanol), and again in adulthood (water vs. 20% ethanol). Intermittent 2-bottle choice sessions lasted for 24 h, and occurred three days per week, for five weeks. Rats were moved from group or isolated housing to single-housing cages for 2-bottle choice tests and returned to their original housing condition on off days. During adolescence, rats raised in isolated-housing conditions consumed significantly more sweetened ethanol than rats raised in group-housing conditions, an effect that was enhanced across repeated exposures. In adulthood, rats raised in isolated-housing conditions and exposed to sweetened ethanol during adolescence also consumed significantly higher levels of unsweetened 20% ethanol compared to group-housed rats. The effect was most pronounced over the first five re-exposure sessions. Housing conditions alone had little effect on adult ethanol intake. These preclinical results suggest that social isolation stress, combined with adolescent ethanol exposure, may play a key role in adult AUD risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cassie M Chandler
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States.
| | - Jakob D Shaykin
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States.
| | - Hui Peng
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States.
| | - James R Pauly
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States.
| | - Kimberly Nixon
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, United States.
| | - Michael T Bardo
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Sleep Modulates Alcohol Toxicity in Drosophila. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232012091. [PMID: 36292943 PMCID: PMC9603330 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol abuse is a significant public health problem. While considerable research has shown that alcohol use affects sleep, little is known about the role of sleep deprivation in alcohol toxicity. We investigated sleep as a factor modulating alcohol toxicity using Drosophila melanogaster, a model for studies of sleep, alcohol, and aging. Following 24 h of sleep deprivation using a paradigm that similarly affects males and females and induces rebound sleep, flies were given binge-like alcohol exposures. Sleep deprivation increased mortality, with no sex-dependent differences. Sleep deprivation also abolished functional tolerance measured at 24 h after the initial alcohol exposure, although there was no effect on alcohol absorbance or clearance. We investigated the effect of chronic sleep deprivation using mutants with decreased sleep, insomniac and insulin-like peptide 2, finding increased alcohol mortality. Furthermore, we investigated whether pharmacologically inducing sleep prior to alcohol exposure using the GABAA-receptor agonist 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo(5,4-c)pyridin-3-ol (THIP) mitigated the effects of alcohol toxicity on middle-aged flies, flies with environmentally disrupted circadian clocks, and flies with short sleep. Pharmacologically increasing sleep prior to alcohol exposure decreased alcohol-induced mortality. Thus, sleep prior to binge-like alcohol exposure affects alcohol-induced mortality, even in vulnerable groups such as aging flies and those with circadian dysfunction.
Collapse
|
18
|
McCarthy W, Huq SN, Allen K, Scally L, Petri A, Wujek M, Sachs BD. Chronic, but not sub-chronic, stress increases binge-like alcohol consumption in male and female c57BL6 mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:958342. [PMID: 36204485 PMCID: PMC9530781 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.958342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress is known to contribute to mental illness and alcohol use disorders, which are highly prevalent and lead to considerable disability. These stress-related disorders are characterized by significant sex differences, which remain poorly understood. Preclinical research comparing the effects of stress in males and females has the potential to provide new insights into the neurobiology of these conditions. The current study compared the effects of chronic and sub-chronic exposure to variable environmental stressors on binge-like alcohol consumption using the drinking-in-the-dark model in male and female c57BL6 mice. The results reveal that chronic, but not sub-chronic, exposure to variable stress increases alcohol intake in both sexes. Stress-induced alterations in gene expression were also compared in the nucleus accumbens, a brain region widely known to play a key role in stress susceptibility and reward processing. Real-time PCR data indicate that chronic, but not sub-chronic, environmental stress leads to downregulation of adenosine 2A (A2A) receptor mRNA. By contrast, sub-chronic stress increased CREB expression, while chronic stress did not. Several sex differences in the effects of stress on gene expression were also noted. Our results demonstrate that reductions in A2A receptor mRNA in the nucleus accumbens are associated with the increased binge drinking of chronically stressed animals, but future work will be required to determine the functional importance of this gene expression change. Continuing to define the molecular alterations associated with stress-induced increases in alcohol intake has the potential to provide insights into the development and progression of stress-related disorders.
Collapse
|
19
|
Sicher AR, Duerr A, Starnes WD, Crowley NA. Adolescent Alcohol and Stress Exposure Rewires Key Cortical Neurocircuitry. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:896880. [PMID: 35655755 PMCID: PMC9152326 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.896880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Human adolescence is a period of development characterized by wide ranging emotions and behavioral risk taking, including binge drinking (Konrad et al., 2013). These behavioral manifestations of adolescence are complemented by growth in the neuroarchitecture of the brain, including synaptic pruning (Spear, 2013) and increases in overall white matter volume (Perrin et al., 2008). During this period of profound physiological maturation, the adolescent brain has a unique vulnerability to negative perturbations. Alcohol consumption and stress exposure, both of which are heightened during adolescence, can individually and synergistically alter these neurodevelopmental trajectories in positive and negative ways (conferring both resiliency and susceptibility) and influence already changing neurotransmitter systems and circuits. Importantly, the literature is rapidly changing and evolving in our understanding of basal sex differences in the brain, as well as the interaction between biological sex and life experiences. The animal literature provides the distinctive opportunity to explore sex-specific stress- and alcohol- induced changes in neurocircuits on a relatively rapid time scale. In addition, animal models allow for the investigation of individual neurons and signaling molecules otherwise inaccessible in the human brain. Here, we review the human and rodent literature with a focus on cortical development, neurotransmitters, peptides, and steroids, to characterize the field’s current understanding of the interaction between adolescence, biological sex, and exposure to stress and alcohol.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Avery R. Sicher
- The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Arielle Duerr
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - William D. Starnes
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Nicole A. Crowley
- The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Nicole A. Crowley,
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Lodha J, Brocato E, Wolstenholme JT. Areas of Convergence and Divergence in Adolescent Social Isolation and Binge Drinking: A Review. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:859239. [PMID: 35431830 PMCID: PMC9009335 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.859239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a critical developmental period characterized by enhanced social interactions, ongoing development of the frontal cortex and maturation of synaptic connections throughout the brain. Adolescents spend more time interacting with peers than any other age group and display heightened reward sensitivity, impulsivity and diminished inhibitory self-control, which contribute to increased risky behaviors, including the initiation and progression of alcohol use. Compared to adults, adolescents are less susceptible to the negative effects of ethanol, but are more susceptible to the negative effects of stress, particularly social stress. Juvenile exposure to social isolation or binge ethanol disrupts synaptic connections, dendritic spine morphology, and myelin remodeling in the frontal cortex. These structural effects may underlie the behavioral and cognitive deficits seen later in life, including social and memory deficits, increased anxiety-like behavior and risk for alcohol use disorders (AUD). Although the alcohol and social stress fields are actively investigating the mechanisms through which these effects occur, significant gaps in our understanding exist, particularly in the intersection of the two fields. This review will highlight the areas of convergence and divergence in the fields of adolescent social stress and ethanol exposure. We will focus on how ethanol exposure or social isolation stress can impact the development of the frontal cortex and lead to lasting behavioral changes in adulthood. We call attention to the need for more mechanistic studies and the inclusion of the evaluation of sex differences in these molecular, structural, and behavioral responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jyoti Lodha
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Emily Brocato
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Jennifer T. Wolstenholme
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
- VCU Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Grecco GG, Haggerty DL, Reeves KC, Gao Y, Maulucci D, Atwood BK. Prenatal opioid exposure reprograms the behavioural response to future alcohol reward. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13136. [PMID: 35229956 PMCID: PMC8896285 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
As the opioid crisis has continued to grow, so has the number of infants exposed to opioids during the prenatal period. A growing concern is that prenatal exposure to opioids may induce persistent neurological changes that increase the propensity for future addictions. Although alcohol represents the most likely addictive substance that the growing population of prenatal opioid exposed will encounter as they mature, no studies to date have examined the effect of prenatal opioid exposure on future sensitivity to alcohol reward. Using a recently developed mouse model of prenatal methadone exposure (PME), we investigated the rewarding properties of alcohol and alcohol consumption in male and female adolescent PME and prenatal saline exposed (PSE) control animals. Conditioned place preference to alcohol was disrupted in PME offspring in a sex-dependent manner with PME males exhibiting resistance to the rewarding properties of alcohol. Repeated injections of alcohol revealed enhanced sensitivity to the locomotor-stimulating effects of alcohol specific to PME females. PME males consumed significantly more alcohol over 4 weeks of alcohol access relative to PSE males and exhibited increased resistance to quinine-adulterated alcohol. Further, a novel machine learning model was developed to employ measured differences in alcohol consumption and drinking microstructure to reliably predict prenatal exposure. These findings indicate that PME alters the sensitivity to alcohol reward in adolescent mice in a sex-specific manner and suggests prenatal opioid exposure may induce persistent effects on reward neurocircuitry that can reprogram offspring behavioural response to alcohol later in life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory G. Grecco
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.,Indiana University School of Medicine, Medical Scientist Training Program, Indianapolis, IN 46202
| | - David L. Haggerty
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Kaitlin C. Reeves
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Yong Gao
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Danielle Maulucci
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Brady K. Atwood
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.,Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.,Corresponding Author: Brady K. Atwood, Ph.D. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Contact: 320 W. 15th St, Indianapolis, IN 46202, NB 400-C. phone: 317-274-8917.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Bowen MT, George O, Muskiewicz DE, Hall FS. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ESCALATION OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 132:730-756. [PMID: 34839930 PMCID: PMC8892842 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Understanding factors that contribute to the escalation of alcohol consumption is key to understanding how an individual transitions from non/social drinking to AUD and to providing better treatment. In this review, we discuss how the way ethanol is consumed as well as individual and environmental factors contribute to the escalation of ethanol consumption from intermittent low levels to consistently high levels. Moreover, we discuss how these factors are modelled in animals. It is clear a vast array of complex, interacting factors influence changes in alcohol consumption. Some of these factors act early in the acquisition of ethanol consumption and initial escalation, while others contribute to escalation of ethanol consumption at a later stage and are involved in the development of alcohol dependence. There is considerable need for more studies examining escalation associated with the formation of dependence and other hallmark features of AUD, especially studies examining mechanisms, as it is of considerable relevance to understanding and treating AUD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael T. Bowen
- The University of Sydney, Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney, NSW, 2050, Australia,The University of Sydney, Faculty of Science, School of Psychology, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia,Corresponding Author: Michael T. Bowen, Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, 94 Mallett Street, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW, 2050, Australia,
| | - Olivier George
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Dawn E. Muskiewicz
- Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacology and Pharmacological Science, University of Toledo, OH, USA
| | - F. Scott Hall
- Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacology and Pharmacological Science, University of Toledo, OH, USA
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Reguilón MD, Ferrer-Pérez C, Manzanedo C, Miñarro J, Rodríguez-Arias M. Ethanol intake in male mice exposed to social defeat: Environmental enrichment potentiates resilience. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 15:100413. [PMID: 34815986 PMCID: PMC8591477 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Large preclinical evidence shows that exposure to social defeat (SD) increases vulnerability to drug abuse, increasing the consumption of ethanol. However, not all subjects are equally affected by the changes induced by stress. Previous reports have evidenced that the resilient phenotype to depressive-like behaviors after SD is associated with the resistant phenotype to cocaine-increased rewarding effects and the smaller neuroinflammatory response. The aim of the present study was to further clarify whether the resilient profile to depressive-like behavior also predicts a protection against the increase in ethanol intake induced by SD. The neuroinflammatory profile was studied after the end of the oral ethanol self-administration (SA) procedure, measuring levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 and the chemokine CX3CL1 or fractalkine in the striatum and prefrontal cortex. Previous studies have shown that environmental enrichment (EE) is an effective mechanism to dimish the detrimental effects of social stress. In a second study, we aimed to evaluate if EE housing before exposure to SD could potentiate resilience. Our results showed that mice with a phenotype susceptible to SD-induced depressive-like behaviors showed increased ethanol consumption and increased neuroinflammatory signaling. In contrast, despite the lack of effect on depressive-like behaviors, defeated mice previously housed under EE conditions did not show an increase in ethanol SA or an increase in immune response. To sum up, the resilient phenotype to SD develops at different levels, such as depressive-like behaviors, ethanol consumption and the neuroinflammatory response. Our results also point to the protective role of EE in potentiating resilience to SD effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marina D Reguilón
- Unit of Research Psychobiology of Drug Dependence, Department of Psychobiology, Facultad de Psicología, Universitat de València, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010, Valencia, Spain
| | - Carmen Ferrer-Pérez
- Department of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, C/ Ciudad Escolar s/n, 44003, Teruel, Spain
| | - Carmen Manzanedo
- Unit of Research Psychobiology of Drug Dependence, Department of Psychobiology, Facultad de Psicología, Universitat de València, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010, Valencia, Spain
| | - José Miñarro
- Unit of Research Psychobiology of Drug Dependence, Department of Psychobiology, Facultad de Psicología, Universitat de València, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010, Valencia, Spain
| | - Marta Rodríguez-Arias
- Unit of Research Psychobiology of Drug Dependence, Department of Psychobiology, Facultad de Psicología, Universitat de València, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010, Valencia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Mieske P, Diederich K, Lewejohann L. Roaming in a Land of Milk and Honey: Life Trajectories and Metabolic Rate of Female Inbred Mice Living in a Semi Naturalistic Environment. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11103002. [PMID: 34680021 PMCID: PMC8532919 DOI: 10.3390/ani11103002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite tremendous efforts at standardization, the results of scientific studies can vary greatly, especially when considering animal research. It is important to emphasize that consistent different personality-like traits emerge and accumulate over time in laboratory mice despite genetic and environmental standardization. To understand to what extent variability can unfold over time, we conducted a long-term study using inbred mice living in an exceptionally complex environment comprising an area of 4.6 m2 spread over five levels. In this semi-naturalistic environment (SNE) the activity and spatial distribution of 20 female C57Bl/6J was recorded by radio-frequency identification (RFID). All individuals were monitored from an age of 11 months to 22 months and their individual pattern of spatial movement in time is described as roaming entropy. Overall, we detected an increase of diversification in roaming behavior over time with stabilizing activity patterns at the individual level. However, spontaneous behavior of the animals as well as physiological parameters did not correlate with cumulative roaming entropy. Moreover, the amount of variability did not exceed the literature data derived from mice living in restricted conventional laboratory conditions. We conclude that even taking quantum leaps towards improving animal welfare does not inevitably mean a setback in terms of data quality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul Mieske
- German Center for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany; (K.D.); (L.L.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Kai Diederich
- German Center for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany; (K.D.); (L.L.)
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- German Center for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany; (K.D.); (L.L.)
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Institute of Animal Welfare, Freie Universität Berlin, Königsweg 67, 14163 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Social context shapes cognitive abilities: associative memories are modulated by fight outcome and social isolation in the crab Neohelice granulata. Anim Cogn 2021; 24:1007-1026. [PMID: 33788037 PMCID: PMC8009927 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01492-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive abilities of an animal can be influenced by distinct social experiences. However, the extent of this modulation has not been addressed in different learning scenarios: are all tasks similarly affected by social experiences? In the present study, we analyzed the effect of social dominance in aversive and appetitive memory processes in the crab Neohelice granulata. In addition, we studied the influence of social isolation on memory ability. Social dominance experiments consisted of an agonistic phase immediately followed by a memory phase. During the agonistic phase, matched pairs of male crabs were staged in 10-min encounters and the dominant or subordinate condition of each member of the dyad was determined. During the memory phase, crabs were trained to acquire aversive or appetitive memory and tested 24 h later. Results showed that the agonistic encounter can modulate long-term memory according to the dominance condition in such a way that memory retention of subordinates results higher than their respective dominant. Remarkably, this result was found for both aversive and appetitive memory tasks. In addition, we found that isolated animals showed no memory retention when compared with animals that remained grouped. Altogether this work emphasizes the importance of social context as a modulator of cognitive abilities.
Collapse
|
26
|
Deal A, Cooper N, Kirse HA, Uneri A, Raab-Graham K, Weiner JL, Solberg Woods LC. Early life stress induces hyperactivity but not increased anxiety-like behavior or ethanol drinking in outbred heterogeneous stock rats. Alcohol 2021; 91:41-51. [PMID: 33321179 PMCID: PMC8767639 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2020.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Early life stress is known to impact vulnerability to psychopathological disorders in adulthood, including anxiety and alcohol use disorder (AUD), but the mechanisms underlying susceptibility to these outcomes are not fully understood. In the current study, we used adolescent social isolation (ASI) to determine whether Heterogeneous Stock (HS) rats, an outbred model used for genetic fine-mapping, could be used to study the genetics contributing to ASI-induced anxiety- and AUD-like behavior. We isolated (ASI) or group-housed (adolescent group-housed; AGH) 64 male HS rats at 4 weeks of age. After 5 weeks in these housing conditions, multiple anxiety and coping/despair-like behaviors were measured. All rats were then individually housed and assessed for voluntary ethanol self-administration. At euthanasia, synaptoneurosomes were isolated from a subset of brains to examine the expression of two proteins associated with alcohol drinking-related behaviors, GluA1 and SK2, in the dorsal (dHC) and ventral hippocampus (vHC). We found that ASI increased hyperactivity in the open field test relative to AGH, with no changes in other anxiety-like behaviors. Surprisingly, ASI rats demonstrated decreased immobility and increased climbing in the forced swim test relative to AGH. In contrast to prior studies by us and others, we found no difference in self-administration of 20% ethanol, with decreased ethanol self-administration in ASI relative to AGH rats at higher ethanol concentrations. Furthermore, while ASI in Long-Evans rats resulted in decreased SK2 expression in vHC synaptosomes, no differences were seen in vHC synaptosomes for SK2 or GluA1 in HS rats. These results demonstrate that HS rats are protected against many of the negative effects previously seen in response to ASI, namely anxiety-like behavior and increased ethanol self-administration. The current work suggests that a lack of change in SK2 and GluA1 expression levels in the vHC may play a role in conferring this protection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Deal
- Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, United States.
| | - Nicholas Cooper
- Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, United States.
| | - Haley Ann Kirse
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, United States.
| | - Ayse Uneri
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, United States.
| | - Kimberly Raab-Graham
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, United States.
| | - Jeffrey L Weiner
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, United States.
| | - Leah C Solberg Woods
- Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Fontana BD, Müller TE, Cleal M, de Abreu MS, Norton WHJ, Demin KA, Amstislavskaya TG, Petersen EV, Kalueff AV, Parker MO, Rosemberg DB. Using zebrafish (Danio rerio) models to understand the critical role of social interactions in mental health and wellbeing. Prog Neurobiol 2021; 208:101993. [PMID: 33440208 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2021.101993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Social behavior represents a beneficial interaction between conspecifics that is critical for maintaining health and wellbeing. Dysfunctional or poor social interaction are associated with increased risk of physical (e.g., vascular) and psychiatric disorders (e.g., anxiety, depression, and substance abuse). Although the impact of negative and positive social interactions is well-studied, their underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Zebrafish have well-characterized social behavior phenotypes, high genetic homology with humans, relative experimental simplicity and the potential for high-throughput screens. Here, we discuss the use of zebrafish as a candidate model organism for studying the fundamental mechanisms underlying social interactions, as well as potential impacts of social isolation on human health and wellbeing. Overall, the growing utility of zebrafish models may improve our understanding of how the presence and absence of social interactions can differentially modulate various molecular and physiological biomarkers, as well as a wide range of other behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara D Fontana
- Brain and Behaviour Laboratory, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, UK.
| | - Talise E Müller
- Graduate Program in Biological Sciences: Toxicological Biochemistry, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil; Laboratory of Experimental Neuropscychobiology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
| | - Madeleine Cleal
- Brain and Behaviour Laboratory, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, UK
| | - Murilo S de Abreu
- Bioscience Institute, University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Brazil
| | - William H J Norton
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour, College of Medicine, Biological Sciences and Psychology, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK; The International Zebrafish Neuroscience Research Consortium (ZNRC), Slidell, LA, USA
| | - Konstantin A Demin
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Almazov National Medical Research Center, St. Petersburg, Russia; Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia; Scientific Research Center of Radiology and Surgical Technologies, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | | | - Elena V Petersen
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Neuroscience and Bioscreening, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Allan V Kalueff
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing, China; Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia
| | - Matthew O Parker
- Brain and Behaviour Laboratory, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, UK; The International Zebrafish Neuroscience Research Consortium (ZNRC), Slidell, LA, USA
| | - Denis B Rosemberg
- Graduate Program in Biological Sciences: Toxicological Biochemistry, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil; Laboratory of Experimental Neuropscychobiology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil; The International Zebrafish Neuroscience Research Consortium (ZNRC), Slidell, LA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Wolstenholme JT, Younis RM, Toma W, Damaj MI. Adolescent low-dose ethanol drinking in the dark increases ethanol intake later in life in C57BL/6J, but not DBA/2J mice. Alcohol 2020; 89:85-91. [PMID: 32860857 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2020.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol is the most widely used and abused drug among youth in the United States. Youths aged 12-20 years old drink almost 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States, and typically these young people are consuming alcohol in the form of binge drinking. Particularly concerning is that the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder over their lifetime increases the younger one begins to drink. Here we investigated the impact of ethanol drinking in early adolescence on adult ethanol intake using C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. We modeled low-dose drinking in adolescent mice using a modified Drinking in the Dark (DID) model where the total ethanol intake during adolescence was similar between the strains to specifically ask whether low-dose ethanol exposure in the high-alcohol preferring C57BL/6J strain will also lead to increased ethanol intake in adulthood. Our results show that low-dose ethanol drinking in early adolescence dramatically increases adult intake, but only in the alcohol-preferring C57BL/6J strain. Early adolescent ethanol exposure had no effect on ethanol intake in the alcohol-nonpreferring DBA/2J mice. These data add to the growing evidence that low-dose ethanol exposures, below the pharmacologically relevant dose, can also contribute to increased drinking in adulthood, but the effect may be influenced by genetic background.
Collapse
|
29
|
A novel mouse model for vulnerability to alcohol dependence induced by early-life adversity. Neurobiol Stress 2020; 13:100269. [PMID: 33344722 PMCID: PMC7739069 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2020.100269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Childhood adversity increases vulnerability to alcohol use disorders and preclinical models are needed to investigate the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. The present study modeled early-life adversity by rearing male and female C57BL/6J mouse pups in a limited bedding and nesting (LBN) environment, which induces erratic maternal care. As adults, mice were given limited access to two-bottle choice (2BC) alcohol drinking, combined or not with chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) vapor inhalation to induce alcohol dependence. We tested the hypothesis that LBN rearing might exacerbate or facilitate the emergence of the motivational and affective effects of CIE. Consistent with our hypothesis, although LBN-reared males consumed the same baseline levels of alcohol as controls, they escalated their ethanol intake at an earlier stage of CIE exposure, i.e., after 4 rounds vs. 5 rounds for controls. In contrast, females were insensitive to both LBN rearing and CIE exposure. Males were further subjected to a behavioral test battery. Withdrawal from CIE-2BC increased digging activity and lowered mechanical nociceptive thresholds regardless of early-life conditions. On the other hand, LBN-reared CIE-2BC males showed reduced open arm exploration in the elevated plus maze and increased immobility in the tail suspension test compared to alcohol-naïve counterparts, while no group differences were detected among control-reared males. Finally, LBN rearing and alcohol exposure did not affect grooming in response to a sucrose spray (splash test), novel object recognition, or corticosterone levels. In summary, the LBN experience accelerates the transition from moderate to excessive alcohol drinking and produces additional indices of affective dysfunction during alcohol withdrawal in C57BL/6J male mice. Early-life adversity was generated by rearing C57BL/6J mouse pups in a limited bedding and nesting (LBN) environment. Alcohol dependence was induced in adulthood via chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) inhalation. The LBN experience accelerated alcohol intake escalation in males. LBN exacerbated affective disturbances upon CIE withdrawal in males. Alcohol intake in females was insensitive to both LBN and CIE.
Collapse
|
30
|
Wu SJ, Chang CY, Lai YT, Shyu YT. Increasing γ-Aminobutyric Acid Content in Vegetable Soybeans via High-Pressure Processing and Efficacy of Their Antidepressant-Like Activity in Mice. Foods 2020; 9:E1673. [PMID: 33207592 PMCID: PMC7696959 DOI: 10.3390/foods9111673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
This study applied high-pressure processing (HPP) technology to enrich the gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) content in vegetable soybeans and evaluated its antidepressant efficacy on mice, with depression induced by the unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) model. The optimal conditions for HPP, storage time, and storage temperature, as well as antidepressant-like effects of vegetable soybeans, were evaluated and discussed. HPP could effectively and significantly increase GABA content in soybean, with optimum conditions at 200 MPa. The GABA content in the whole vegetable soybean was 436.05 mg/100 g. In mice animal tests, the tail suspension test (TST) showed that the immobility time of the GABA group was significantly shorter than that of the control group. The total travel distance in the open field test (OFT) showed that depressed mice fed with the GABA feed exhibited exploratory behavior. The GABA group showed a significantly higher degree of sucrose preference than the control group. Both results indicate that the GABA feed could effectively alleviate depressive symptomatology. Regarding biochemical parameters, the fecal and serum corticosterone (CORT) levels in the control group increased to 104.86 pg/mg after the onset of depression. In contrast, the fecal CORT level in the GABA group was significantly reduced to 23.98 pg/mg and was comparable to that in the control group (33.38 pg/mg). Reduced serum CORT level in the GABA group suggests an improvement in depressive symptomatology. The serotonin concentration was maintained in the GABA group after the induction of depression, suggesting its preventive activity. The HPP GABA-enriched soybeans exerted modulatory effects on the behaviors of depressed mice and displayed a potential for commercialization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Yuan-Tay Shyu
- Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan; (S.-J.W.); (C.-Y.C.); (Y.-T.L.)
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Carlson HN, Weiner JL. The neural, behavioral, and epidemiological underpinnings of comorbid alcohol use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2020; 157:69-142. [PMID: 33648676 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2020.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and (PTSD) frequently co-occur and individuals suffering from this dual diagnosis often exhibit increased symptom severity and poorer treatment outcomes than those with only one of these diseases. Although there have been significant advances in our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying each of these disorders, the neural underpinnings of the comorbid condition remain poorly understood. This chapter summarizes recent epidemiological findings on comorbid AUD and PTSD, with a focus on vulnerable populations, the temporal relationship between these disorders, and the clinical consequences associated with the dual diagnosis. We then review animal models of the comorbid condition and emerging human and non-human animal research that is beginning to identify maladaptive neural changes common to both disorders, primarily involving functional changes in brain reward and stress networks. We end by proposing a neural framework, based on the emerging field of affective valence encoding, that may better explain the epidemiological and neural findings on AUD and PTSD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah N Carlson
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States
| | - Jeff L Weiner
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Ruiz-Leyva L, Salguero A, Morón I, Portillo-Salido E, Cendán CM, Pautassi RM. Sigma-1 antagonism inhibits binge ethanol drinking at adolescence. Drug Alcohol Depend 2020; 215:108214. [PMID: 32791285 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ethanol use during adolescence is a significant health problem, yet the pharmacological treatments to reduce adolescent binge drinking are scarce. The present study assessed, in male and female adolescent Wistar rats, if the sigma-1 receptor (S1-R) antagonists S1RA or BD-1063 disrupted ethanol drinking. METHODS Three times a week, for two weeks, the rats received the S1-R antagonists. Thirty min later they were exposed, for 2 h, to a bottle of 8% or 10 % v/v ethanol. A 24 h, two-bottle, ethanol intake test was conducted after termination of these procedures. A subset of these rats was tested for recognition memory via the novel object recognition test. RESULTS The rats given 64 mg/kg S1RA drank, in each binge session, significantly less than vehicle counterparts. Male rats given 4 or 16 mg/kg S1RA drank significantly less than those given 0 mg/kg in session 3 or in session 1 and 2, respectively; whereas female rats given 4 or 16 mg/kg drank significantly less than females given 0 mg/kg in session 2-5 or in sessions 2-6, respectively. Administration of 32 mg/kg, but not of 2 or 8 mg/kg, BD-1063 suppressed, across sessions, ethanol drinking. S1-R antagonism reduced absolute ethanol drinking at the two-bottle choice post-test. Recognition memory was not affected by the ethanol exposure. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that S1-R antagonists may be promising targets to prevent increases in ethanol intake at adolescence. The persistent effect of S1-R antagonism in free-choice drinking suggests that modulation of the S1-R is altering plastic effects associated with ethanol exposure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leandro Ruiz-Leyva
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Spain; Institute of Neuroscience, Biomedical Research Center (CIBM), University of Granada, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (IBS), Granada, Spain
| | - Agustín Salguero
- Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra (INIMEC-CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba, C.P. 5000, Argentina; Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, C.P. 5000, Argentina
| | - Ignacio Morón
- Department of Psychobiology and Centre of Investigation of Mind, Brain, and Behaviour (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Spain
| | - Enrique Portillo-Salido
- Drug Discovery and Preclinical Development, Esteve Pharmaceuticals, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cruz Miguel Cendán
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Spain; Institute of Neuroscience, Biomedical Research Center (CIBM), University of Granada, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (IBS), Granada, Spain.
| | - Ricardo Marcos Pautassi
- Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra (INIMEC-CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba, C.P. 5000, Argentina; Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, C.P. 5000, Argentina.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Jones CE, Wickham PT, Lim MM. Early life sleep disruption is a risk factor for increased ethanol drinking after acute footshock stress in prairie voles. Behav Neurosci 2020; 134:424-434. [PMID: 32700922 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Early postnatal experiences are important for shaping the development of the stress response and may contribute to the later emergence of alcohol use disorders. We have previously found that early life sleep disruption impairs social development and alters GABA neurons in the brain of adult prairie voles, a socially monogamous rodent that displays natural ethanol preference in the laboratory. However, it is unclear whether these effects on social behavior are due, in part, to overall anhedonia and/or altered behavioral response to stress. To address this question, litters containing prairie vole pups were sleep disrupted by gentle cage agitation for 7 consecutive days from postnatal days (P) 14 to 21 (early life sleep disruption, or ELSD group) or allowed to sleep undisturbed (Control). Adult voles underwent a 2-bottle choice ethanol drinking procedure integrated with a single session of footshocks. Ethanol intake after footshock was measured as well as c-Fos immunoreactivity in the lateral and central amygdala. ELSD animals showed increased ethanol consumption and increased neural activity in these amygdala regions after footshock compared to control animals. There were no differences in baseline ethanol drinking prior to exposure to a stressor. These results suggest that early life sleep disruption in prairie voles does not produce anhedonia but can have long-lasting effects on stress reactivity. In addition to shaping species-typical social behavior, early life sleep may be important in the development of stress induced ethanol consumption and the activation of limbic pathways associated with stress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Collapse
|
34
|
Rivera-Irizarry JK, Skelly MJ, Pleil KE. Social Isolation Stress in Adolescence, but not Adulthood, Produces Hypersocial Behavior in Adult Male and Female C57BL/6J Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:129. [PMID: 32792924 PMCID: PMC7394086 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic stress during the developmental period of adolescence increases susceptibility to many neuropsychiatric diseases in adulthood, including anxiety, affective, and alcohol/substance use disorders. Preclinical rodent models of adolescent stress have produced varying results that are species, strain, sex, and laboratory-dependent. However, adolescent social isolation is a potent stressor in humans that has been reliably modeled in male rats, increasing adult anxiety-like and alcohol drinking behaviors, among others. In this study, we examined the generalizability and sex-dependence of this model in C57BL/6J mice, the most commonly used rodent strain in neuroscience research. We also performed a parallel study using social isolation in adulthood to understand the impact of adult social isolation on basal behavioral phenotypes. We found that 6 weeks of social isolation with minimal handling in adolescence through early adulthood [postnatal day (PD) 28-70] produced a hypersocial phenotype in both male and female mice and an anxiolytic phenotype in the elevated plus-maze in female mice. However, it had no effects in other assays for avoidance behavior or on fear conditioning, alcohol drinking, reward or aversion sensitivity, or novel object exploration in either sex. In contrast, 6 weeks of social isolation in adulthood beginning at PD77 produced an anxiogenic phenotype in the light/dark box but had no effects on any other assays. Altogether, our results suggest that: (1) adolescence is a critical period for social stress in C57BL/6J mice, producing aberrant social behavior in a sex-independent manner; and (2) chronic individual housing in adulthood does not alter basal behavioral phenotypes that may confound interpretation of behavior following other laboratory manipulations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jean K. Rivera-Irizarry
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Mary Jane Skelly
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kristen E. Pleil
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
- Graduate Program in Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Ferreyra E, Pasquetta L, Ramirez A, Wille-Bille A, Molina JC, Miranda-Morales RS. Biparental care in C57BL/6J mice: effects on adolescent behavior and alcohol consumption. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:1841-1850. [PMID: 32173769 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05501-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Social attachment plays an important role in offspring development. Different parenting experiences during lactation may shape offspring behavior and later alcohol use. OBJECTIVES We tested the hypothesis that differential rearing conditions (single mother, SM or biparental, BP) in the non-monogamous C57BL/6J mice may affect (1) parental behavior during lactation, (2) adolescent behavior, and (3) adolescent initiation of alcohol drinking. METHODS Mice were reared in SM or BP (cohabitation of father-mother since copulation) condition until weaning (postnatal day, PND, 21). Litters from both conditions were filmed during PNDs 6, 9, and 12 and an ethogram was made taking into account nest-, pup-, or self-directed behaviors. At PNDs, 28-29 adolescent animals were evaluated in a modified version of the concentric square field for measurement of behavioral patterns. Other groups of adolescents were tested in a 4-h daily, two-bottle choice alcohol consumption test (10% alcohol vs. water) during 3 weeks (4 days per week). RESULTS Single mothers spent less time in the nest, left unattended the nest more times, displayed more self-directed and less pup-directed behaviors than BP parents. SM-reared adolescents displayed more anxiogenic-like and less risk-associated behaviors than BP counterparts. The alcohol consumption test indicated a strong effect of rearing condition. Since the fifth day of test, SM adolescents consumed more quantities of alcohol than BP adolescents. CONCLUSIONS During single-mother parenting, pups are left unattended more often, and during adolescence, these organisms exhibited increased anxiety responses. This behavioral phenotype may act as a risk factor for alcohol initiation during adolescence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eliana Ferreyra
- Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra (INIMEC-CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Friuli 2434, 5016, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Lucila Pasquetta
- Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra (INIMEC-CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Friuli 2434, 5016, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Abraham Ramirez
- Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra (INIMEC-CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Friuli 2434, 5016, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Aranza Wille-Bille
- Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra (INIMEC-CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Friuli 2434, 5016, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Juan Carlos Molina
- Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra (INIMEC-CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Friuli 2434, 5016, Córdoba, Argentina.,Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, 5000, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Roberto Sebastián Miranda-Morales
- Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra (INIMEC-CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Friuli 2434, 5016, Córdoba, Argentina. .,Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, 5000, Córdoba, Argentina.
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Shaw GA, Bent MAM, Council KR, Pais AC, Amstadter A, Wolstenholme JT, Miles MF, Neigh GN. Chronic repeated predatory stress induces resistance to quinine adulteration of ethanol in male mice. Behav Brain Res 2020; 382:112500. [PMID: 31978491 PMCID: PMC7035990 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Trauma related psychiatric disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are highly comorbid illnesses that separately present an opposing, sex-specific pattern, with increased prevalence of PTSD in females and increased prevalence of AUD diagnoses in males. Likewise, PTSD is a risk factor in the development of AUD, with conflicting data on the impact of sex in the comorbid development of both disorders. Because the likelihood of experiencing more than one traumatic event is high, we aim to utilize chronic repeated predatory stress (CRPS) to query the extent to which sex interacts with CRPS to influence alcohol consumption, or cessation of consumption. METHODS Male (n = 16) and female (n = 15) C57BL/6 J mice underwent CRPS or daily handling for two weeks during adolescence (P35-P49) and two weeks during adulthood (P65-P79). Following the conclusion of two rounds of repeated stress, behavior was assessed in the open field. Mice subsequently underwent a two-bottle choice intermittent ethanol access (IEA) assessment (P90-131) with the options of 20 % ethanol or water. After establishing drinking behavior, increasing concentrations of quinine were added to the ethanol to assess the drinking response to adulteration of the alcohol. RESULTS CRPS increased fecal corticosterone concentrations and anxiety-like behaviors in the open field in both male and female mice as compared to control mice that had not been exposed to CRPS. Consistent with previous reports, we observed a sex difference in alcohol consumption such that females consumed more ethanol per gram of body mass than males. In addition, CRPS reduced alcohol aversion in male mice such that higher concentrations of quinine were necessary to reduce alcohol intake as compared to control mice. CRPS did not alter alcohol-related behaviors in female mice. CONCLUSION Collectively, we demonstrate that repeated CRPS can induce anxiety-like behavior in both sexes but selectively influences the response to ethanol adulteration in males.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gladys A Shaw
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Maria Alexis M Bent
- VCU-Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States
| | - Kimaya R Council
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - A Christian Pais
- VCU-Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States
| | - Ananda Amstadter
- Virginia Institute of Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Jennifer T Wolstenholme
- VCU-Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Michael F Miles
- VCU-Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States; Department of Neurology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Gretchen N Neigh
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Biological intersection of sex, age, and environment in the corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) system and alcohol. Neuropharmacology 2020; 170:108045. [PMID: 32217364 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Revised: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is critical in neural circuit function and behavior, particularly in the context of stress, anxiety, and addiction. Despite a wealth of preclinical evidence for the efficacy of CRF receptor 1 antagonists in reducing behavioral pathology associated with alcohol exposure, several clinical trials have had disappointing outcomes, possibly due to an underappreciation of the role of biological variables. Although he National Institutes of Health (NIH) now mandate the inclusion of sex as a biological variable in all clinical and preclinical research, the current state of knowledge in this area is based almost entirely on evidence from male subjects. Additionally, the influence of biological variables other than sex has received even less attention in the context of neuropeptide signaling. Age (particularly adolescent development) and housing conditions have been shown to affect CRF signaling and voluntary alcohol intake, and the interaction between these biological variables is particularly relevant to the role of the CRF system in the vulnerability or resilience to the development of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Going forward, it will be important to include careful consideration of biological variables in experimental design, reporting, and interpretation. As new research uncovers conditions in which sex, age, and environment play major roles in physiological and/or pathological processes, our understanding of the complex interaction between relevant biological variables and critical signaling pathways like the CRF system in the cellular and behavioral consequences of alcohol exposure will continue to expand ultimately improving the ability of preclinical research to translate to the clinic. This article is part of the special issue on Neuropeptides.
Collapse
|
38
|
Gaztañaga M, Angulo-Alcalde A, Chotro MG. Prenatal Alcohol Exposure as a Case of Involuntary Early Onset of Alcohol Use: Consequences and Proposed Mechanisms From Animal Studies. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:26. [PMID: 32210773 PMCID: PMC7066994 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure has been found to be an important factor determining later consumption of this drug. In humans, despite the considerable diversity of variables that might influence alcohol consumption, longitudinal studies show that maternal alcohol intake during gestation is one of the best predictors of later alcohol use from adolescence to young adulthood. Experimental studies with animals also provide abundant evidence of the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on later alcohol intake. In addition to increased consumption, other effects include enhanced palatability and attractiveness of alcohol flavor as well as sensitization to its sensory and reinforcing effects. Most of these outcomes have been obtained after exposing rats to binge-like administrations of moderate alcohol doses during the last gestational period when the fetus is already capable of detecting flavors in the amniotic fluid and learning associations with aversive or appetitive consequences. On this basis, it has been proposed that one of the mechanisms underlying the increased acceptance of alcohol after its prenatal exposure is the acquisition (by the fetus) of appetitive learning via an association between the sensory properties of alcohol and its reinforcing pharmacological effects. It also appears that this prenatal appetitive learning is mediated by the activation of the opioid system, with fetal brain acetaldehyde playing an important role, possibly as the main chemical responsible for its activation. Here, we review and analyze together the results of all animal studies testing these hypotheses through experimental manipulation of the behavioral and neurochemical elements of the assumed prenatal association. Understanding the mechanisms by which prenatal alcohol exposure favors the early initiation of alcohol consumption, along with its role in the causal pathway to alcohol disorders, may allow us to find strategies to mitigate the behavioral effects of this early experience with the drug. We propose that prenatal alcohol exposure is regarded as a case of involuntary early onset of alcohol use when designing prevention policies. This is particularly important, given the notion that the sooner alcohol intake begins, the greater the possibility of a continued history of alcohol consumption that may lead to the development of alcohol use disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mirari Gaztañaga
- Departamento de Procesos Psicológicos Básicos y su Desarrollo, Facultad de Psicología, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU-Donostia-San Sebastián, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Asier Angulo-Alcalde
- Departamento de Procesos Psicológicos Básicos y su Desarrollo, Facultad de Psicología, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU-Donostia-San Sebastián, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - M Gabriela Chotro
- Departamento de Procesos Psicológicos Básicos y su Desarrollo, Facultad de Psicología, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU-Donostia-San Sebastián, San Sebastian, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Leichtweis KS, Carvalho M, Morais-Silva G, Marin MT, Amaral VCS. Short and prolonged maternal separation impacts on ethanol-related behaviors in rats: sex and age differences. Stress 2020; 23:162-173. [PMID: 31429361 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2019.1653847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal separation (MS) is an animal model widely used to evaluate the influence of early-life stress exposure on ethanol consumption and dependence. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of brief and prolonged MS on the pattern of consumption and ethanol conditioned place preference (CPP) in male and female rats during adolescence and adulthood. Wistar rat pups were separated daily from their dams for 15 or 180 minutes during the 2 to 10 postnatal days (PND). In adolescence, half of the litter from each group was evaluated in the ethanol consumption test using the three-bottle test choice paradigm. In addition, using biased procedure, ethanol-conditioned place preference was also evaluated. In adulthood, the other half of the litter was evaluated on the same tests. Our results showed that there are differences in consumption pattern and in alcohol reinforcement between males and females, adolescents and adults. While prolonged MS had no effect on total ethanol consumption in adolescents of both sexes, it induced CPP in these animals. In turn, in adults, previous exposure to prolonged MS increased ethanol consumption without altering ethanol-CPP.Lay summaryGiving the importance of the mother-children (dam-pups when talking about rodents) relationship to proper brain development, the separation of pups from their dam is broadly used as an animal model to study the impact of early-life stress exposure. Here, we used a protocol of brief or prolonged maternal separation to study the impact of early-life stress exposure in the alcohol consumption and conditioned place preference in rats, and how age and sex influence it. We showed that, overall, the prolonged maternal separation increased alcohol consumption in both males and females, but only when animals were tested during the adulthood. In the other hand, prolonged maternal separation increased ethanol conditioned place preference in adolescent rats, both male and female.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kamila Souto Leichtweis
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Stricto Sensu em Ciências Aplicadas a Produtos para Saúde (PPGCAPS), Universidade Estadual de Goiás, Anápolis, Brasil
| | - Marielly Carvalho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Stricto Sensu em Ciências Aplicadas a Produtos para Saúde (PPGCAPS), Universidade Estadual de Goiás, Anápolis, Brasil
| | - Gessynger Morais-Silva
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Araraquara, Brasil
- Programa Interinstitucional de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Universidade Federal de São Carlos/Universidade Estadual Paulista (UFSCar/UNESP), São Carlos, Brasil
| | - Marcelo Tadeu Marin
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Araraquara, Brasil
- Programa Interinstitucional de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Universidade Federal de São Carlos/Universidade Estadual Paulista (UFSCar/UNESP), São Carlos, Brasil
| | - Vanessa Cristiane Santana Amaral
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Stricto Sensu em Ciências Aplicadas a Produtos para Saúde (PPGCAPS), Universidade Estadual de Goiás, Anápolis, Brasil
- Campus Anápolis de Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas Henrique Santillo (CCET), Universidade Estadual de Goiás, Anápolis, Brasil
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Carlton CN, Sullivan-Toole H, Ghane M, Richey JA. Reward Circuitry and Motivational Deficits in Social Anxiety Disorder: What Can Be Learned From Mouse Models? Front Neurosci 2020; 14:154. [PMID: 32174811 PMCID: PMC7054462 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common and serious psychiatric condition that typically emerges during adolescence and persists into adulthood if left untreated. Prevailing interventions focus on modulating threat and arousal systems but produce only modest rates of remission. This gap in efficacy suggests that most mainstream treatment concepts do not sufficiently target core processes involved in the onset and maintenance of SAD. This idea has further driven the development of new theoretical models that target dopamine (DA)-driven reward circuitry and motivational deficits that appear to be systematically altered in SAD. Most of the available data linking systemic alterations in DA neurobiology to SAD in humans, although abundant, remains at the level of correlational evidence. Accordingly, the purpose of this brief review is to critically evaluate the relevance of experimental work in rodent models that link details of DA function to symptoms of social anxiety. We conclude that, despite certain systematic limitations inherent in animal models, these approaches provide useful insights into human biomarkers of social anxiety including that (1) adolescence may serve as a critical period for the convergence of neurobiological and environmental factors that modify future expectations about social reward through experience dependent changes in DA-ergic circuitry, (2) females may show unique susceptibility to social anxiety symptoms when encountering relational instability that influences DA-related neural processes, and (3) separate from fear and arousal systems, the functional neurobiology of central DA systems contribute uniquely to susceptibility and maintenance of anhedonic factors relevant to human models of SAD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Corinne N Carlton
- Clinical Science Program, Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Holly Sullivan-Toole
- Graduate Program in Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Merage Ghane
- Clinical Science Program, Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - John A Richey
- Clinical Science Program, Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Evans O, Rodríguez-Borillo O, Font L, Currie PJ, Pastor R. Alcohol Binge Drinking and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Socialized Versus Isolated C57BL/6J Mice. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2019; 44:244-254. [PMID: 31713874 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Binge alcohol drinking has been characterized as a key feature of alcoholism. The drinking-in-the-dark (DID) preclinical model, a procedure that promotes high levels of ethanol (EtOH) intake in short periods of time, has been extensively used to investigate neuropharmacological and genetic determinants of binge-like EtOH consumption. Using DID methodology, alcohol-preferring strains of mice such as C57BL/6J (B6) mice consume enough EtOH to achieve blood concentrations (≥1.0 mg/ml) associated with behavioral intoxication (i.e., motor incoordination). DID procedures typically involve the use of socially isolated animals (single-housed prior to and during the experiment). Previous research indicates that stress associated with social isolation can induce anxiety-like behavior and promote increases in EtOH intake. The present study investigates the role of housing conditions in anxiety-like behavior and binge-like EtOH intake using a DID procedure. METHODS Male and female B6 mice were isolated or pair-housed for a period of 6 weeks prior to evaluation of anxiety-like (elevated plus maze, light and dark box, open field) and drinking (water, 10% sucrose, 10 to 30% EtOH) behavior. In order to measure intake, a variation of the standard DID procedure using a removable, transparent, and perforated plastic barrier strip (designed to temporarily divide the cage in 2) was introduced. This allowed for individual intake records (2-hour test) of isolated and socially housed animals. RESULTS Increased anxiety-like behavior and reduced sucrose consumption were found in isolated mice. The effects of housing conditions on EtOH intake were sex- and concentration-dependent. In male mice, isolation increased 20 and 30% EtOH intake. In females, however, an increased intake of EtOH (30%) was found in socialized animals. No effects of housing or sex were found at EtOH 10%. CONCLUSIONS Together with previous literature, the present study suggests that social isolation can promote anxiety-associated behavior and produce sex-dependent changes in binge-like EtOH consumption.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ophelia Evans
- Department of Psychology, Reed College, Portland, Oregon
| | | | - Laura Font
- Area de Psicobiología, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
| | - Paul J Currie
- Department of Psychology, Reed College, Portland, Oregon
| | - Raúl Pastor
- Department of Psychology, Reed College, Portland, Oregon.,Area de Psicobiología, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Pais AB, Pais AC, Elmisurati G, Park SH, Miles MF, Wolstenholme JT. A Novel Neighbor Housing Environment Enhances Social Interaction and Rescues Cognitive Deficits from Social Isolation in Adolescence. Brain Sci 2019; 9:E336. [PMID: 31766669 PMCID: PMC6956193 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9120336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is characterized by high levels of playful social interaction, cognitive development, and increased risk-taking behavior. Juvenile exposure to social isolation or social stress can reduce myelin content in the frontal cortex, alter neuronal excitability, and disrupt hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis function. As compared to group housed animals, social isolation increases anxiety-like phenotypes and reduces social and cognitive performance in adulthood. We designed a neighbor housing environment to alleviate issues related to social isolation that still allowed individual homecages. Neighbor housing consists of four standard mouse cages fused together with semi-permeable ports that allow visual, olfactory, and limited social contact between mice. Adolescent C57BL/6J males and females were group housed (4/cage), single housed (1/cage), or neighbor housed (4/complex). As adults, mice were tested for social, anxiety-like, and cognitive behaviors. Living in this neighbor environment reduced anxiety-like behavior in the social interaction task and in the light-dark task. It also rescued cognitive deficits from single housing in the novel object recognition task. These data suggest that neighbor housing may partially ameliorate the social anxiety and cognitive deficits induced by social isolation. These neighbor cage environments may serve as a conduit by which researchers can house mice in individual cages while still enabling limited social interactions to better model typical adolescent development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander B. Pais
- VCU-Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0613, USA; (A.B.P.); (A.C.P.); (G.E.); (M.F.M.)
| | - Anthony C. Pais
- VCU-Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0613, USA; (A.B.P.); (A.C.P.); (G.E.); (M.F.M.)
| | - Gabriel Elmisurati
- VCU-Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0613, USA; (A.B.P.); (A.C.P.); (G.E.); (M.F.M.)
| | - So Hyun Park
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0613, USA;
| | - Michael F. Miles
- VCU-Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0613, USA; (A.B.P.); (A.C.P.); (G.E.); (M.F.M.)
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0613, USA;
| | - Jennifer T. Wolstenholme
- VCU-Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0613, USA; (A.B.P.); (A.C.P.); (G.E.); (M.F.M.)
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0613, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Reséndiz‐Flores M, Escobar C. Circadian disruption favors alcohol consumption and differential ΔFosB accumulation in Corticolimbic structures. Addict Biol 2019; 24:1179-1190. [PMID: 30295391 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Shift-work and exposure to light at night lead to circadian disruption, which favors the use of alcohol and may be a risk factor for development of addictive behavior. This study evaluated in two experimental models of circadian disruption behavioral indicators of elevated alcohol intake and looked for ΔFosB, which is a transcription factor for neuronal plasticity in corticolimbic structures. Male Wistar rats were exposed to experimental shift-work (AR) or to constant light (LL) and were compared with a control group (LD). After 4 weeks in their corresponding conditions, control LD rats remained rhythmic, AR rats exhibited a loss of day-night patterns in the brain and the LL rats showed arrhythmicity in general activity and day-night PER1 patterns in corticolimbic structures. During 12 days of exposure to 10 percent alcohol solution, the AR group showed daily increased alcohol intake while LD and LL rats ingested similar amounts. After 72 h of alcohol deprivation, AR and LL rats increased alcohol intake in a binge-like test; this could be due not only to circadian disruption but also to stress and/or anxiety developed from the AR and LL manipulations. Associated to the increased alcohol intake, the AR and LL rats had significant accumulation of ΔFosB in the nucleus accumbens shell and decreased ΔFosB in the infralimbic cortex. Data here reported confirm that the disruption of temporal patterns favors the increased alcohol consumption and that this is associated with a differential accumulation of ΔFosB which may favor the development of addictive behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Carolina Escobar
- Departamento de Anatomía, Facultad de MedicinaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Pucci M, Micioni Di Bonaventura MV, Wille-Bille A, Fernández MS, Maccarrone M, Pautassi RM, Cifani C, D’Addario C. Environmental stressors and alcoholism development: Focus on molecular targets and their epigenetic regulation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 106:165-181. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Revised: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
|
45
|
Abstract
Substance and alcohol use disorders impose large health and economic burdens on individuals, families, communities, and society. Neither prevention nor treatment efforts are effective in all individuals. Results are often modest. Advances in neuroscience and addiction research have helped to describe the neurobiological changes that occur when a person transitions from recreational substance use to a substance use disorder or addiction. Understanding both the drivers and consequences of substance use in vulnerable populations, including those whose brains are still maturing, has revealed behavioral and biological characteristics that can increase risks of addiction. These findings are particularly timely, as law- and policymakers are tasked to reverse the ongoing opioid epidemic, as more states legalize marijuana, as new products including electronic cigarettes and newly designed abused substances enter the legal and illegal markets, and as "deaths of despair" from alcohol and drug misuse continue.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- George R. Uhl
- New Mexico VA Healthcare SystemAlbuquerqueNew Mexico
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
46
|
Pinna G. Animal Models of PTSD: The Socially Isolated Mouse and the Biomarker Role of Allopregnanolone. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:114. [PMID: 31244621 PMCID: PMC6579844 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating undertreated condition that affects 8%-13% of the general population and 20%-30% of military personnel. Currently, there are no specific medications that reduce PTSD symptoms or biomarkers that facilitate diagnosis, inform treatment selection or allow monitoring drug efficacy. PTSD animal models rely on stress-induced behavioral deficits that only partially reproduce PTSD neurobiology. PTSD heterogeneity, including comorbidity and symptoms overlap with other mental disorders, makes this attempt even more complicated. Allopregnanolone, a neurosteroid that positively, potently and allosterically modulates GABAA receptors and, by this mechanism, regulates emotional behaviors, is mainly synthesized in brain corticolimbic glutamatergic neurons. In PTSD patients, allopregnanolone down-regulation correlates with increased PTSD re-experiencing and comorbid depressive symptoms, CAPS-IV scores and Simms dysphoria cluster scores. In PTSD rodent models, including the socially isolated mouse, decrease in corticolimbic allopregnanolone biosynthesis is associated with enhanced contextual fear memory and impaired fear extinction. Allopregnanolone, its analogs or agents that stimulate its synthesis offer treatment approaches for facilitating fear extinction and, in general, for neuropsychopathologies characterized by a neurosteroid biosynthesis downregulation. The socially isolated mouse model reproduces several other deficits previously observed in PTSD patients, including altered GABAA receptor subunit subtypes and lack of benzodiazepines pharmacological efficacy. Transdiagnostic behavioral features, including expression of anxiety-like behavior, increased aggression, a behavioral component to reproduce behavioral traits of suicidal behavior in humans, as well as alcohol consumption are heightened in socially isolated rodents. Potentials for assessing novel biomarkers to predict, diagnose, and treat PTSD more efficiently are discussed in view of developing a precision medicine for improved PTSD pharmacological treatments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Graziano Pinna
- The Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Yu W, Hwa LS, Makhijani VH, Besheer J, Kash TL. Chronic inflammatory pain drives alcohol drinking in a sex-dependent manner for C57BL/6J mice. Alcohol 2019; 77:135-145. [PMID: 30300665 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Sex differences in chronic pain and alcohol abuse are not well understood. The development of rodent models is imperative for investigating the underlying changes behind these pathological states. In the present study, we investigated whether hind paw treatment with the inflammatory agent Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) could generate hyperalgesia and alter alcohol consumption in male and female C57BL/6J mice. CFA treatment led to greater nociceptive sensitivity for both sexes in the Hargreaves test, and increased alcohol drinking for males in a continuous-access two-bottle choice (CA2BC) paradigm. Regardless of treatment, female mice exhibited greater alcohol drinking than males. Following a 2-h terminal drinking session, CFA treatment failed to produce changes in alcohol drinking, blood ethanol concentration (BEC), and plasma corticosterone (CORT) for both sexes. Two-hour alcohol consumption and CORT was higher in females than males, regardless of CFA treatment. Taken together, these findings have established that male mice are more susceptible to escalations in alcohol drinking when undergoing pain, despite higher levels of total alcohol drinking and CORT in females. Furthermore, the exposure of CFA-treated C57BL/6J mice to the CA2BC drinking paradigm has proven to be a useful model for studying the relationship between chronic pain and alcohol abuse. Future applications of the CFA/CA2BC model should incorporate manipulations of stress signaling and other related biological systems to improve our mechanistic understanding of pain and alcohol interactions.
Collapse
|
48
|
Hellberg SN, Russell TI, Robinson MJF. Cued for risk: Evidence for an incentive sensitization framework to explain the interplay between stress and anxiety, substance abuse, and reward uncertainty in disordered gambling behavior. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2019; 19:737-758. [PMID: 30357661 PMCID: PMC6482104 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-018-00662-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Gambling disorder is an impairing condition confounded by psychiatric co-morbidity, particularly with substance use and anxiety disorders. Yet, our knowledge of the mechanisms that cause these disorders to coalesce remains limited. The Incentive Sensitization Theory suggests that sensitization of neural "wanting" pathways, which attribute incentive salience to rewards and their cues, is responsible for the excessive desire for drugs and cue-triggered craving. The resulting hyper-reactivity of the "wanting' system is believed to heavily influence compulsive drug use and relapse. Notably, evidence for sensitization of the mesolimbic dopamine pathway has been seen across gambling and substance use, as well as anxiety and stress-related pathology, with stress playing a major role in relapse. Together, this evidence highlights a phenomenon known as cross-sensitization, whereby sensitization to stress, drugs, or gambling behaviors enhance the sensitivity and dopaminergic response to any of those stimuli. Here, we review the literature on how cue attraction and reward uncertainty may underlie gambling pathology, and examine how this framework may advance our understanding of co-mordidity with substance-use disorders (e.g., alcohol, nicotine) and anxiety disorders. We argue that reward uncertainty, as seen in slot machines and games of chance, increases dopaminergic activity in the mesolimbic pathway and enhances the incentive value of reward cues. We propose that incentive sensitization by reward uncertainty may interact with and predispose individuals to drug abuse and stress, creating a mechanism through which co-mordidity of these disorders may emerge.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samantha N Hellberg
- Psychology Department and the Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Wesleyan University, 207 High Street, Middletown, CT, 06457, USA
- University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Trinity I Russell
- Psychology Department and the Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Wesleyan University, 207 High Street, Middletown, CT, 06457, USA
- National Institutes on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mike J F Robinson
- Psychology Department and the Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Wesleyan University, 207 High Street, Middletown, CT, 06457, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Rodríguez-Ortega E, Alcaraz-Iborra M, de la Fuente L, Cubero I. Protective and therapeutic benefits of environmental enrichment on binge-like sucrose intake in C57BL/6J mice. Appetite 2019; 138:184-189. [PMID: 30940610 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.03.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized, in part, by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food in a short period of time. Repetitive binge episodes are a common pattern of consumption during the early stages of substance abuse, and it has been proposed that binge patterns of consumption might favor the transition to BED and "food addiction". Therefore, it is of paramount importance to provide new behavioral strategies that protect vulnerable binge-prone individuals from transitioning to BED and food addiction. Recently, we showed protective and therapeutic benefits of environmental enrichment (EE) on binge-like intake of ethanol in C57BL/6J mice, in agreement with previous evidence showing EE modulation of drug intake, drug relapse and drug reward. In the present study, adolescent mice reared under EE conditions were evaluated for binge-like consumption of sucrose during adulthood in a long-term drinking in the dark (DID) procedure that effectively models binge consumption in humans. Additionally, we tested binge-like intake in adults reared under standard conditions (SE) with long-term exposure to sucrose DID and the effects on sucrose DID of switching from SE to EE conditions. We report here, for the first time, that early EE exposure protects mice from binge-like excessive sucrose intake during adulthood. Ongoing binge-like high sucrose intake in SE-reared mice was also significantly reduced when switched to EE conditions. The present observations suggest that EE exposure might be a promising tool for preventing repetitive binge-like sucrose consumption from transitioning to BED and food addiction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Inmaculada Cubero
- Departamento de Psicología, Universidad de Almería, Almeria, 04120, Spain; CERNEP, Universidad de Almería, Almería, 04120, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Wang DM, Zhang JJ, Huang YB, Zhao YZ, Sui N. Peripubertal stress of male, but not female rats increases morphine-induced conditioned place preference and locomotion in adulthood. Dev Psychobiol 2019; 61:920-929. [PMID: 30860298 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Revised: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Animal studies demonstrate that peripubertal social stress markedly increases the risk for subsequent substance use in adulthood. However, whether non-social stress has a similar long-term impact is not clear, and whether male and female animals show different sensitivity to peripubertal non-social stress has not been examined. In the present study, we addressed these issues by introducing two non-social stressors (elevated platform and predator odor 2,5-Dihydro-2,4,5-trimethylthiazoline) to male and female Wistar rats during adolescence (postnatal days 28-30, 34, 36, 40, and 42), then tested reward-related behaviors during adulthood, including morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP, 1 mg/kg morphine or 5 mg/kg morphine) and hyperlocomotor activity (5 mg/kg morphine). We found that adult male rats, but not females who were exposed to peripubertal non-social stressors showed enhanced morphine-induced CPP. Moreover, morphine-induced increase in locomotor activity was also significantly increased in adult male rats, but not in females. These results indicate that peripubertal exposure to repeated non-social stress may enhance sensitivity to the rewarding effects of opioids in adulthood in a sex-dependent manner, with males being even more sensitive than females in this regard.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Mei Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jian-Jun Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yan-Bei Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yin-Zhu Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, China
| | - Nan Sui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|