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Hou S, Arce Soto NM, Glover EJ. Modelling alcohol consumption in rodents using two-bottle choice home cage drinking and optional lickometry-based microstructural analysis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.19.604367. [PMID: 39091815 PMCID: PMC11291077 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.19.604367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Two-bottle choice home cage drinking is one of the most widely used paradigms to study ethanol consumption in rodents. In its simplest form, animals are provided with access to two drinking bottles, one of which contains regular tap water and the other ethanol, for 24 hr/day with daily intake measured via change in bottle weight over the 24 hr period. Consequently, this approach requires no specialized laboratory equipment. While such ease of implementation is likely the greatest contributor to its widespread adoption by preclinical alcohol researchers, the resolution of drinking data acquired using this approach is limited by the number of times the researcher measures bottle weight (e.g., once daily). However, the desire to examine drinking patterns in the context of overall intake, pharmacological interventions, and neuronal manipulations has prompted the development of home cage lickometer systems that can acquire data at the level of individual licks. Although a number of these systems have been developed recently, the open-source system, LIQ HD, has garnered significant attention in the field for its affordability and user friendliness. Although exciting, this system was designed for use in mice. Here, we review appropriate procedures for standard and lickometer-equipped two-bottle choice home cage drinking. We also introduce methods for adapting the LIQ HD system to rats including hardware modifications to accommodate larger cage size and a redesigned 3D printed bottle holder compatible with standard off-the-shelf drinking bottles. Using this approach, researchers can examine daily drinking patterns in addition to levels of intake in many rats in parallel thereby increasing the resolution of acquired data with minimal investment in additional resources. These methods provide researchers with the flexibility to use either standard bottles or a lickometer-equipped apparatus to interrogate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying alcohol drinking depending on their precise experimental needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shikun Hou
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Nathaly M Arce Soto
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Elizabeth J Glover
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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2
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Silva A, Carriço P, Fernandes AB, Saraiva T, Oliveira-Maia AJ, da Silva JA. High-Precision Optical Fiber-Based Lickometer. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0189-24.2024. [PMID: 39025674 PMCID: PMC11258538 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0189-24.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Quantifying and analyzing licking behavior can offer valuable insights into fundamental neurobiological mechanisms controlling animal consummatory behaviors. Lickometers are typically based on electrical properties, a strategy that comes with limitations, including susceptibility to electrical interference and generation of electrical disturbances in electrophysiological measurements. While optical lickometers offer an alternative method to measure licks and quantify fluid intake in animals, they are prone to false readings and susceptibility to outside light sources. To overcome this problem, we propose a low-cost open-source lickometer that combines a restricted infrared beam defined by optical fibers, with a poke design that allows easy access to the tongue while limiting access of other body parts and external light sources. This device also includes features for detecting nose pokes and presenting visual cues during behavioral tasks. We provide validation experiments that demonstrate the optical lickometer's reliability, high-sensitivity and precision, and its application in a behavioral task, showcasing the potential of this tool to study lick microstructure in combination with other techniques, such as imaging of neural activity, in freely moving mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artur Silva
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Paulo Carriço
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ana B Fernandes
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
- NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Tatiana Saraiva
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Albino J Oliveira-Maia
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
- NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisbon, Portugal
- Champalimaud Clinical Centre, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Joaquim Alves da Silva
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
- NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisbon, Portugal
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3
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Xiao T, Chen Y, Boisvert A, Cole M, Kimbrough A. Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder. J Vis Exp 2023:10.3791/65320. [PMID: 37427930 PMCID: PMC11164185 DOI: 10.3791/65320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic alcohol-related disorder that typically presents as uncontrolled drinking and preoccupation with alcohol. A key component of AUD research is using translationally relevant preclinical models. Over the past several decades, a variety of animal models have been used to study AUD. One prominent model of AUD is the chronic intermittent ethanol vapor exposure (CIE) model, which is a well-established approach for inducing alcohol dependence in rodents through repeated cycles of ethanol exposure via inhalation. To model AUD in mice, the CIE exposure is paired with a voluntary two-bottle choice (2BC) of alcohol drinking and water to measure the escalation of alcohol drinking. The 2BC/CIE procedure involves alternating weeks of 2BC drinking and CIE, which repeat until the escalation of alcohol drinking is achieved. In the present study, we outline the procedures for performing 2BC/CIE, including the daily use of the CIE vapor chamber, and provide an example of escalated alcohol drinking in C57BL/6J mice using this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiange Xiao
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University
| | - Yueyi Chen
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University
| | - Alyssa Boisvert
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University
| | | | - Adam Kimbrough
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University; Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience; Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University; Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology, and Infectious Disease;
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4
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Heinsbroek JA, Giannotti G, Bonilla J, Olson DE, Peters J. Tabernanthalog Reduces Motivation for Heroin and Alcohol in a Polydrug Use Model. PSYCHEDELIC MEDICINE (NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.) 2023; 1:111-119. [PMID: 37360328 PMCID: PMC10286262 DOI: 10.1089/psymed.2023.0009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Background The potential use of psychedelic drugs as therapeutics for neuropsychiatric disorders has been limited by their hallucinogenic properties. To overcome this limitation, we developed and characterized tabernanthalog (TBG), a novel analogue of the indole alkaloids ibogaine and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine with reduced cardiac arrhythmogenic risk and a lack of classical psychedelic drugs-induced sensory alterations. We previously demonstrated that TBG has therapeutic efficacy in a preclinical model of opioid use disorder (OUD) in rats and in a binge model of alcohol drinking in mice. Alcohol is commonly co-used in ∼35-50% of individuals with OUD, and yet, preclinical models that recapitulate this comorbidity are lacking. Methodology Here we employed a polydrug model of heroin and alcohol couse to screen the therapeutic efficacy of TBG on metrics of both opioid and alcohol seeking. We first exposed rats to alcohol (or control sucrose-fade solution) in the home-cage (HC), using a two-bottle binge protocol, over a period of 1 month. Rats were then split into two groups that underwent self-administration training for either intravenous heroin or oral alcohol, so that we could assess the impact of HC alcohol exposure on the self-administration of each substance separately. Thereafter, rats began self-administering both heroin and alcohol in the same sessions. Finally, we tested the effects of TBG on break points for heroin and alcohol in a progressive ratio test, where the number of lever presses required to obtain a single reward increased exponentially. Results and Conclusion TBG effectively reduced motivation for heroin and alcohol in this test, indicating its efficacy is preserved in animals with a history of heroin and alcohol polydrug use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasper A. Heinsbroek
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Giuseppe Giannotti
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Joel Bonilla
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - David E. Olson
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California, USA
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
- Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Jamie Peters
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
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Petersen N, Adank DN, Raghavan R, Winder DG, Doyle MA. LIQ HD (Lick Instance Quantifier Home Cage Device): An Open-Source Tool for Recording Undisturbed Two-Bottle Drinking Behavior in a Home Cage Environment. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0506-22.2023. [PMID: 36997312 PMCID: PMC10112549 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0506-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Investigation of rodent drinking behavior has provided insight into drivers of thirst, circadian rhythms, anhedonia, and drug and ethanol consumption. Traditional methods of recording fluid intake involve weighing bottles, which is cumbersome and lacks temporal resolution. Several open-source devices have been designed to improve drink monitoring, particularly for two-bottle choice tasks. However, beam-break sensors lack the ability to detect individual licks for bout microstructure analysis. Thus, we designed LIQ HD (Lick Instance Quantifier Home cage Device) with the goal of using capacitive sensors to increase accuracy and analyze lick microstructure, building a device compatible with ventilated home cages, increasing scale with prolonged undisturbed recordings, and creating a design that is easy to build and use with an intuitive touchscreen graphical user interface. The system tracks two-bottle choice licking behavior in up to 18 rodent cages, or 36 single bottles, on a minute-to-minute timescale controlled by a single Arduino microcontroller. The data are logged to a single SD card, allowing for efficient downstream analysis. LIQ HD accuracy was validated with sucrose, quinine, and ethanol two-bottle choice tasks. The system measures preference over time and changes in bout microstructure, with undisturbed recordings tested up to 7 d. All designs and software are open-source to allow other researchers to build on the system and adapt LIQ HD to their animal home cages.
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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
| | - Ritika Raghavan
- 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 Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232
| | - 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
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Rice RC, Baratta AM, Farris SP. Home-Cage Sipper Devices Reveal Age and Sex Differences in Ethanol Consumption Patterns. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.22.533844. [PMID: 36993453 PMCID: PMC10055331 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.22.533844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Free-choice paradigms such as two-bottle choice (2BC) are commonly used to characterize ethanol consumption and preference of rodent models used to study alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, these assays are limited by low temporal resolution that misses finer patterns of drinking behavior, including circadian drinking patterns that are known to vary with age and sex and are affected in AUD pathogenesis. Modern, cost-effective tools are becoming widely available that could elucidate these patterns, including open-source, Arduino-based home-cage sipper devices. We hypothesized that adaptation of these home-cage sipper devices would uncover distinct age- and sex-related differences in temporal drinking patterns. To test this hypothesis, we used the sipper devices in a continuous 2BC paradigm using water and ethanol (10%; v/v) for 14 days to measure drinking patterns of male and female adolescent (3-week), young adult (6-week), and mature adult (18-week) C57BL/6J mice. Daily grams of fluid consumption were manually recorded at the beginning of the dark cycle, while home-cage sipper devices continuously recorded the number of sips. Consistent with prior studies, females consumed more ethanol than males, and adolescent mice consumed the most out of any age group. Correlation analyses of manually recorded fluid consumption versus home-cage sipper activity revealed a statistically significant prediction of fluid consumption across all experimental groups. Sipper activity was able to capture subtle circadian differences between experimental groups, as well as distinct individual variation in drinking behavior among animals. Blood ethanol concentrations were significantly correlated with sipper data, suggesting that home-cage sipper devices can accurately determine individual timing of ethanol consumption. Overall, our studies show that augmenting the 2BC drinking paradigm with automated home-cage sipper devices can accurately measure ethanol consumption across sexes and age groups, revealing individual differences and temporal patterns of ethanol drinking behavior. Future studies utilizing these home-cage sipper devices will further dissect circadian patterns for age and sex relevant to the pathogenesis of AUD, as well as underlying molecular mechanisms for patterns in ethanol consumption. Highlights Female mice consume more ethanol than males in a continuous access paradigmAdolescent male and female mice consume more ethanol than young or mature adult miceAutomated home-cage sipper devices accurately measure ethanol consumptionDevices reveal sex- and age-dependent differences in circadian drinking patternsDevices reveal distinct individual variation in circadian drinking patterns.
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7
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Melo MC, Alves PE, Cecyn MN, Eduardo PMC, Abrahao KP. Development of eight wireless automated cages system with two lick-o-meters each for rodents. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0526-21.2022. [PMID: 35851299 PMCID: PMC9355285 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0526-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Drinking behavior has been used in basic research to study metabolism, motivation, decision-making and different aspects of health problems, such as anhedonia and alcohol use disorders. In the majority of studies, liquid intake is measured by weighing the bottles before and after the experiment. This method does not tell much about the drinking microstructure, e.g., licking bouts and periods of preference for each liquid, which could be valuable to understand drinking behavior. To improve the data acquisition of drinking microstructure, companies have developed lick-o-meters devices that acquire timestamps when animals approach or drink from a specific sipper. Nevertheless, commercially available devices have elevated costs. Here, we present a low-cost alternative for a lick-o-meter system that allows wireless data acquisition of licking from eight cages with two sippers each. We run a three-phase validation protocol to ensure 1) proper choice of the sensor to detect licks; 2) adaptation of the device to a wireless transmission and realistic in silico tests; and 3) in vivo tests to correlate the amount of licks measured by the prototype and the bottle weight. The capacitive sensor presented appropriate recall and precision for our device. After adaptation to wireless transmission, the in silico validation demonstrated low reading and transmission errors for the device even when tested in extreme simultaneous licking conditions. Finally, a positive correlation between volume consumption and lick's count in the in vivo test was observed, showing that the prototype can be used for in vivo studies interested in rodent drinking microstructure.Significant StatementThis study presents an innovative and low-cost solution for drinking behavioral studies: a lick-o-meter system based on an open-source hardware platform with a user-friendly interface software, capable of simultaneously receiving data from eight automated cages with two drinking bottles each. The lick-o-meter brings an accessible device to acquire high-quality and detailed data. This device also has the possibility to be adaptable to new types of sensors or other neuroscience tools capable of measuring brain activity simultaneously to the behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Cardoso Melo
- Departamento de Psicobiologia da Universidade Federal de São Paulo-UNIFESP, Rua Botucatu,862, Edificio de Ciencias Biomedicas, 1st floor, Sao Paulo, Zip Code: 04724-000, Brazil
| | - Paulo Eduardo Alves
- Departamento de Psicobiologia da Universidade Federal de São Paulo-UNIFESP, Rua Botucatu,862, Edificio de Ciencias Biomedicas, 1st floor, Sao Paulo, Zip Code: 04724-000, Brazil
| | - Marianna Nogueira Cecyn
- Departamento de Psicobiologia da Universidade Federal de São Paulo-UNIFESP, Rua Botucatu,862, Edificio de Ciencias Biomedicas, 1st floor, Sao Paulo, Zip Code: 04724-000, Brazil
| | - Paula Mendonça C Eduardo
- Departamento de Psicobiologia da Universidade Federal de São Paulo-UNIFESP, Rua Botucatu,862, Edificio de Ciencias Biomedicas, 1st floor, Sao Paulo, Zip Code: 04724-000, Brazil
| | - Karina Possa Abrahao
- Departamento de Psicobiologia da Universidade Federal de São Paulo-UNIFESP, Rua Botucatu,862, Edificio de Ciencias Biomedicas, 1st floor, Sao Paulo, Zip Code: 04724-000, Brazil
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8
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Dong Z, Mau W, Feng Y, Pennington ZT, Chen L, Zaki Y, Rajan K, Shuman T, Aharoni D, Cai DJ. Minian an open-source miniscope analysis pipeline. eLife 2022; 11:70661. [PMID: 35642786 PMCID: PMC9205633 DOI: 10.7554/elife.70661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Miniature microscopes have gained considerable traction for in vivo calcium imaging in freely behaving animals. However, extracting calcium signals from raw videos is a computationally complex problem and remains a bottleneck for many researchers utilizing single-photon in vivo calcium imaging. Despite the existence of many powerful analysis packages designed to detect and extract calcium dynamics, most have either key parameters that are hard-coded or insufficient step-by-step guidance and validations to help the users choose the best parameters. This makes it difficult to know whether the output is reliable and meets the assumptions necessary for proper analysis. Moreover, large memory demand is often a constraint for setting up these pipelines since it limits the choice of hardware to specialized computers. Given these difficulties, there is a need for a low memory demand, user-friendly tool offering interactive visualizations of how altering parameters at each step of the analysis affects data output. Our open-source analysis pipeline, Minian (Miniscope Analysis), facilitates the transparency and accessibility of single-photon calcium imaging analysis, permitting users with little computational experience to extract the location of cells and their corresponding calcium traces and deconvolved neural activities. Minian contains interactive visualization tools for every step of the analysis, as well as detailed documentation and tips on parameter exploration. Furthermore, Minian has relatively small memory demands and can be run on a laptop, making it available to labs that do not have access to specialized computational hardware. Minian has been validated to reliably and robustly extract calcium events across different brain regions and from different cell types. In practice, Minian provides an open-source calcium imaging analysis pipeline with user-friendly interactive visualizations to explore parameters and validate results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Dong
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - William Mau
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Yu Feng
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Zachary T Pennington
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Lingxuan Chen
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Yosif Zaki
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Kanaka Rajan
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Tristan Shuman
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Daniel Aharoni
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Denise J Cai
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
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Al-Sabagh Y, Thorpe HHA, Jenkins BW, Hamidullah S, Talhat MA, Suggett CB, Reitz CJ, Rasouli M, Martino TA, Khokhar JY. Rev-erbα Knockout Reduces Ethanol Consumption and Preference in Male and Female Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23095197. [PMID: 35563586 PMCID: PMC9104180 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23095197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use is a contributor in the premature deaths of approximately 3 million people annually. Among the risk factors for alcohol misuse is circadian rhythm disruption; however, this connection remains poorly understood. Inhibition of the circadian nuclear receptor REV-ERBα is known to disrupt molecular feedback loops integral to daily oscillations, and impact diurnal fluctuations in the expression of proteins required for reward-related neurotransmission. However, the role of REV-ERBα in alcohol and substance use-related phenotypes is unknown. Herein, we used a Rev-erbα knockout mouse line and ethanol two-bottle choice preference testing to show that disruption of Rev-erbα reduces ethanol preference in male and female mice. Rev-erbα null mice showed the lowest ethanol preference in a two-bottle choice test across all genotypes, whereas there were no ethanol preference differences between heterozygotes and wildtypes. In a separate experiment, alcohol-consuming wildtype C57Bl/6N mice were administered the REV-ERBα/β inhibitor SR8278 (25 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg) for 7 days and alcohol preference was evaluated daily. No differences in alcohol preference were observed between the treatment and vehicle groups. Our data provides evidence that genetic variation in REV-ERBα may contribute to differences in alcohol drinking.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Tami Avril Martino
- Correspondence: (T.A.M.); (J.Y.K.); Tel.: +1-(519)-824-4120 (ext. 54239) (J.Y.K.)
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10
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Rizk AA, Jenkins BW, Al-Sabagh Y, Hamidullah S, Reitz CJ, Rasouli M, Martino TA, Khokhar JY. The Impact of Sex, Circadian Disruption, and the ClockΔ19/Δ19 Genotype on Alcohol Drinking in Mice. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13040701. [PMID: 35456507 PMCID: PMC9031797 DOI: 10.3390/genes13040701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Shift work is associated with increased alcohol drinking, more so in males than females, and is thought to be a coping mechanism for disrupted sleep cycles. However, little is presently known about the causal influence of circadian rhythm disruptions on sex differences in alcohol consumption. In this study, we disrupted circadian rhythms in female and male mice using both environmental (i.e., shifting diurnal cycles) and genetic (i.e., ClockΔ19/Δ19 mutation) manipulations, and measured changes in alcohol consumption and preference using a two-bottle choice paradigm. Alcohol consumption and preference, as well as food and water consumption, total caloric intake, and weight were assessed in adult female and male ClockΔ19/Δ19 mutant mice or wild-type (WT) litter-mates, housed under a 12-hour:12-hour light:dark (L:D) cycle or a shortened 10-hour:10-hour L:D cycle. Female WT mice (under both light cycles) increased their alcohol consumption and preference over time, a pattern not observed in male WT mice. Compared to WT mice, ClockΔ19/Δ19 mice displayed increased alcohol consumption and preference. Sex differences were not apparent in ClockΔ19/Δ19 mice, with or without shifting diurnal cycles. In conclusion, sex differences in alcohol consumption patterns are evident and increase with prolonged access to alcohol. Disrupting circadian rhythms by mutating the Clock gene greatly increases alcohol consumption and abolishes sex differences present in WT animals.
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11
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Patwell R, Yang H, Pandey SC, Glover EJ. An operant ethanol self-administration paradigm that discriminates between appetitive and consummatory behaviors reveals distinct behavioral phenotypes in commonly used rat strains. Neuropharmacology 2021; 201:108836. [PMID: 34648771 PMCID: PMC8578460 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) constitutes a major burden to global health. Recently, the translational success of animal models of AUD has come under increased scrutiny. Efforts to refine models to gain a more precise understanding of the neurobiology of addiction are warranted. Appetitive responding for ethanol (seeking) and its consumption (taking) are governed by distinct neurobiological mechanisms. However, consumption is often inferred from appetitive responding in operant ethanol self-administration paradigms, preventing identification of distinct experimental effects on seeking and taking. In the present study, male Long-Evans, Wistar, and Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to lever press for ethanol using a lickometer-equipped system that precisely measures both appetitive and consummatory behavior. Three distinct operant phenotypes emerged during training: 1) Drinkers, who lever press and consume ethanol; 2) Responders, who lever press but consume little to no ethanol; and 3) Non-responders, who do not lever press. While the prevalence of each phenotype differed across strains, appetitive and consummatory behavior was similar across strains within each phenotype. Appetitive and consummatory behaviors were significantly correlated in Drinkers, but not Responders. Analysis of drinking microstructure showed that greater consumption in Drinkers relative to Responders is due to increased incentive for ethanol rather than increased palatability. Importantly, withdrawal from chronic ethanol exposure resulted in a significant increase in appetitive responding in both Drinkers and Responders, but only Drinkers exhibited a concomitant increase in ethanol consumption. Together, these data reveal important strain differences in appetitive and consummatory responding for ethanol and uncover the presence of distinct operant phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Patwell
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Hyerim Yang
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Subhash C Pandey
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA; Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Elizabeth J Glover
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
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12
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Promoting and Optimizing the Use of 3D-Printed Objects in Spontaneous Recognition Memory Tasks in Rodents: A Method for Improving Rigor and Reproducibility. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0319-21.2021. [PMID: 34503967 PMCID: PMC8489023 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0319-21.2021] [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: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 08/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous recognition memory tasks are widely used to assess cognitive function in rodents and have become commonplace in the characterization of rodent models of neurodegenerative, neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. Leveraging an animal’s innate preference for novelty, these tasks use object exploration to capture the what, where and when components of recognition memory. Choosing and optimizing objects is a key feature when designing recognition memory tasks. Although the range of objects used in these tasks varies extensively across studies, object features can bias exploration, influence task difficulty and alter brain circuit recruitment. Here, we discuss the advantages of using 3D-printed objects in rodent spontaneous recognition memory tasks. We provide strategies for optimizing their design and usage, and offer a repository of tested, open-source designs for use with commonly used rodent species. The easy accessibility, low-cost, renewability and flexibility of 3D-printed open-source designs make this approach an important step toward improving rigor and reproducibility in rodent spontaneous recognition memory tasks.
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13
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Altherr E, Rainwater A, Kaviani D, Tang Q, Güler AD. Long-term high fat diet consumption reversibly alters feeding behavior via a dopamine-associated mechanism in mice. Behav Brain Res 2021; 414:113470. [PMID: 34280463 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Obesity is a costly, global epidemic that is perpetuated by an unhealthy diet. A significant factor in the initial consumption and maintenance of an unhealthy diet is the abundance of highly palatable, calorically dense foods. The aim of the present study is to better understand the effects of high fat diet (HFD) consumption on food valuation and preference, and to elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms mediating these effects. By using a novel food preference assay, we found that prolonged consumption of a HFD diminishes preference for and consumption of the more calorically dense food choice when two lab diets are presented. Additionally, we demonstrated that prolonged HFD consumption dampens ventral tegmental c-fos induction during hedonic feeding, implicating the mesolimbic dopamine signaling pathway as a target of HFD. Notably, both the changes in food preference and this reduced c-fos induction were reversed during withdrawal from HFD. Further, HFD-induced alterations in food preference were attenuated by exercise. Our findings suggest that prolonged HFD consumption leads to anhedonia and altered feeding choices, and this is associated with changes in mesolimbic dopamine signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Everett Altherr
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, 485 McCormick Road, P.O. Box 400328, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA
| | - Aundrea Rainwater
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, 485 McCormick Road, P.O. Box 400328, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA
| | - Darian Kaviani
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, 485 McCormick Road, P.O. Box 400328, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA
| | - Qijun Tang
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, 485 McCormick Road, P.O. Box 400328, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA
| | - Ali D Güler
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, 485 McCormick Road, P.O. Box 400328, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA; Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, 485 McCormick Road, P.O. Box 400328, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA.
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14
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An Open-Source, Automated Home-Cage Sipper Device for Monitoring Liquid Ingestive Behavior in Rodents. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0292-19.2019. [PMID: 31533961 PMCID: PMC6787345 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0292-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Measuring ingestive behavior of liquids in rodents is commonly used in studies of reward, metabolism, and circadian biology. Common approaches for measuring liquid intake in real time include computer-tethered lickometers or video-based systems. Additionally, liquids can be measured or weighed to determine the amount consumed without real-time sensing. Here, we built a photobeam-based sipper device that has the following advantages over traditional methods: (1) it is battery powered and fits in vivarium caging to allow home-cage measurements; (2) it quantifies the intake of two different liquids simultaneously for preference studies; (3) it is low cost and easily constructed, enabling high-throughput experiments; and (4) it is open source so that others can modify it to fit their experimental needs. We validated the performance of this device in three experiments. First, we calibrated our device using time-lapse video-based measurements of liquid intake and correlated sipper interactions with liquid intake. Second, we used the sipper device to measure preference for water versus chocolate milk, demonstrating its utility for two-bottle choice tasks. Third, we integrated the device with fiber photometry, establishing its utility for measuring neural activity in studies of ingestive behavior. This device requires no special equipment or caging, and is small, battery powered, and wireless, allowing it to be placed directly in rodent home cages. The total cost of fabrication is less than $100, and all design files and code are open source. Together, these factors greatly increase scalability and utility for a variety of behavioral neuroscience applications.
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15
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The Future Is Open: Open-Source Tools for Behavioral Neuroscience Research. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0223-19.2019. [PMID: 31358510 PMCID: PMC6712209 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0223-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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