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Nippert KE, Rowland CP, Vazey EM, Moorman DE. Alcohol, flexible behavior, and the prefrontal cortex: Functional changes underlying impaired cognitive flexibility. Neuropharmacology 2024; 260:110114. [PMID: 39134298 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.110114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 08/08/2024] [Accepted: 08/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/22/2024]
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility enables individuals to alter their behavior in response to changing environmental demands, facilitating optimal behavior in a dynamic world. The inability to do this, called behavioral inflexibility, is a pervasive behavioral phenotype in alcohol use disorder (AUD), driven by disruptions in cognitive flexibility. Research has repeatedly shown that behavioral inflexibility not only results from alcohol exposure across species but can itself be predictive of future drinking. Like many high-level executive functions, flexible behavior requires healthy functioning of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The scope of this review addresses two primary themes: first, we outline tasks that have been used to investigate flexibility in the context of AUD or AUD models. We characterize these based on the task features and underlying cognitive processes that differentiate them from one another. We highlight the neural basis of flexibility measures, focusing on the PFC, and how acute or chronic alcohol in humans and non-human animal models impacts flexibility. Second, we consolidate findings on the molecular, physiological and functional changes in the PFC elicited by alcohol, that may contribute to cognitive flexibility deficits seen in AUD. Collectively, this approach identifies several key avenues for future research that will facilitate effective treatments to promote flexible behavior in the context of AUD, to reduce the risk of alcohol related harm, and to improve outcomes following AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn E Nippert
- Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Courtney P Rowland
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Elena M Vazey
- Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA; Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA.
| | - David E Moorman
- Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA.
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Sullivan ED, Dannenhoffer CA, Sutherland EB, Vidrascu EM, Gómez-A A, Boettiger CA, Robinson DL. Effects of adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure on cortical perineuronal net and parvalbumin expression in adulthood mediate behavioral inflexibility. ALCOHOL, CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 48:1507-1518. [PMID: 39073296 PMCID: PMC11305908 DOI: 10.1111/acer.15395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol is commonly consumed by adolescents in a binge-like pattern, which can lead to long-lasting cognitive deficits, including reduced behavioral flexibility. We and others have determined that adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure leads to increased number of perineuronal net (PNN) numbers in brain regions that are important for behavioral flexibility. However, whether altered neurochemistry stemming from AIE exposure plays a significant role in reduced behavioral flexibility is unknown. METHODS We measured the number and size of parvalbumin expressing (PV+) interneurons and associated PNNs within the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), prelimbic cortex (PrL), infralimbic cortex (IL), and anterior insular cortex (AIC) of female and male rats following AIE or control exposure and subsequent training on an attentional set-shift task (ASST). We then ran analyses to determine whether AIE-induced changes in PV and PNN measures statistically mediated the AIE-induced behavioral deficit in reversal learning. RESULTS We demonstrate that AIE exposure impaired behavioral flexibility on reversal two of the ASST (i.e., recalling the initial learned associations), and led to smaller PV+ cells and increased PNN numbers in the AIC. Interestingly, PNN size and number were not altered in the PrL or IL following AIE exposure, in contrast to prior reports. Mediation analyses suggest that AIE alters behavioral flexibility, at least in part through changes in PV and PNN fluorescent measures in the AIC. CONCLUSIONS This study reveals a significant link between AIE exposure, neural alterations, and diminished behavioral flexibility in rats, and highlights a potential novel mechanism comprising changes in PV and PNN measures within the AIC. Future studies should explore the impact of PNN degradation within the AIC on behavioral flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily D.K. Sullivan
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Psychiatry, Chapel Hill, NC, 27278, USA
| | - Carol A. Dannenhoffer
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Psychiatry, Chapel Hill, NC, 27278, USA
| | - Elizabeth B. Sutherland
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Psychology & Neuroscience, Chapel Hill, NC, 27278, USA
| | - Elena M. Vidrascu
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Psychology & Neuroscience, Chapel Hill, NC, 27278, USA
| | - Alexander Gómez-A
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Psychiatry, Chapel Hill, NC, 27278, USA
| | - Charlotte A. Boettiger
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Psychology & Neuroscience, Chapel Hill, NC, 27278, USA
| | - Donita L. Robinson
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dept. of Psychiatry, Chapel Hill, NC, 27278, USA
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Karatayev O, Collier AD, Targoff SR, Leibowitz SF. Neurological Disorders Induced by Drug Use: Effects of Adolescent and Embryonic Drug Exposure on Behavioral Neurodevelopment. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:8341. [PMID: 39125913 PMCID: PMC11313660 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25158341] [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: 06/18/2024] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Clinical studies demonstrate that the risk of developing neurological disorders is increased by overconsumption of the commonly used drugs, alcohol, nicotine and cannabis. These drug-induced neurological disorders, which include substance use disorder (SUD) and its co-occurring emotional conditions such as anxiety and depression, are observed not only in adults but also with drug use during adolescence and after prenatal exposure to these drugs, and they are accompanied by long-lasting disturbances in brain development. This report provides overviews of clinical and preclinical studies, which confirm these adverse effects in adolescents and the offspring prenatally exposed to the drugs and include a more in-depth description of specific neuronal systems, their neurocircuitry and molecular mechanisms, affected by drug exposure and of specific techniques used to determine if these effects in the brain are causally related to the behavioral disturbances. With analysis of further studies, this review then addresses four specific questions that are important for fully understanding the impact that drug use in young individuals can have on future pregnancies and their offspring. Evidence demonstrates that the adverse effects on their brain and behavior can occur: (1) at low doses with short periods of drug exposure during pregnancy; (2) after pre-conception drug use by both females and males; (3) in subsequent generations following the initial drug exposure; and (4) in a sex-dependent manner, with drug use producing a greater risk in females than males of developing SUDs with emotional conditions and female offspring after prenatal drug exposure responding more adversely than male offspring. With the recent rise in drug use by adolescents and pregnant women that has occurred in association with the legalization of cannabis and increased availability of vaping tools, these conclusions from the clinical and preclinical literature are particularly alarming and underscore the urgent need to educate young women and men about the possible harmful effects of early drug use and to seek novel therapeutic strategies that might help to limit drug use in young individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Sarah F. Leibowitz
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA; (O.K.); (S.R.T.)
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Obray JD, Wilkes ET, Scofield MD, Chandler LJ. Adolescent alcohol exposure promotes mechanical allodynia and alters synaptic function at inputs from the basolateral amygdala to the prelimbic cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.17.599360. [PMID: 38948749 PMCID: PMC11212875 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.17.599360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Binge drinking is common among adolescents despite mounting evidence linking it to various adverse health outcomes that include heightened pain perception. The prelimbic (PrL) cortex is vulnerable to insult from adolescent alcohol exposure and receives input from the basolateral amygdala (BLA) while sending projections to the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) - two brain regions implicated in nociception. In this study, adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure was carried out in male and female rats using a vapor inhalation procedure. Assessments of mechanical and thermal sensitivity revealed that AIE exposure induced protracted mechanical allodynia. To investigate synaptic function at BLA inputs onto defined populations of PrL neurons, retrobeads and viral labelling were combined with optogenetics and slice electrophysiology. Recordings from retrobead labelled cells in the PrL revealed AIE reduced BLA driven feedforward inhibition of neurons projecting from the PrL to the vlPAG, resulting in augmented excitation/inhibition (E/I) balance and increased intrinsic excitability. Consistent with this finding, recordings from virally tagged PrL parvalbumin interneurons (PVINs) demonstrated that AIE exposure reduced both E/I balance at BLA inputs onto PVINs and PVIN intrinsic excitability. These findings provide compelling evidence that AIE alters synaptic function and intrinsic excitability within a prefrontal nociceptive circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Daniel Obray
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425
| | - Erik T. Wilkes
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425
| | - Michael D. Scofield
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425
| | - L. Judson Chandler
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425
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Patel RR, Gandhi P, Spencer K, Salem NA, Erikson CM, Borgonetti V, Vlkolinsky R, Rodriguez L, Nadav T, Bajo M, Roberts AJ, Dayne Mayfield R, Roberto M. Functional and morphological adaptation of medial prefrontal corticotropin releasing factor receptor 1-expressing neurons in male mice following chronic ethanol exposure. Neurobiol Stress 2024; 31:100657. [PMID: 38983690 PMCID: PMC11231756 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic ethanol dependence and withdrawal activate corticotropin releasing factor (CRF)-containing GABAergic neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which tightly regulate glutamatergic pyramidal neurons. Using male CRF1:GFP reporter mice, we recently reported that CRF1-expressing (mPFCCRF1+) neurons predominantly comprise mPFC prelimbic layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons, undergo profound adaptations following chronic ethanol exposure, and regulate anxiety and conditioned rewarding effects of ethanol. To explore the effects of acute and chronic ethanol exposure on glutamate transmission, the impact of chronic alcohol on spine density and morphology, as well as persistent changes in dendritic-related gene expression, we employed whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology, diOlistic labeling for dendritic spine analysis, and dendritic gene expression analysis to further characterize mPFCCRF1+ and mPFCCRF1- prelimbic layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons. We found increased glutamate release in mPFCCRF1+ neurons with ethanol dependence, which recovered following withdrawal. In contrast, we did not observe significant changes in glutamate transmission in neighboring mPFCCRF1- neurons. Acute application of 44 mM ethanol significantly reduced glutamate release onto mPFCCRF1+ neurons, which was observed across all treatment groups. However, this sensitivity to acute ethanol was only evident in mPFCCRF1- neurons during withdrawal. In line with alterations in glutamate transmission, we observed a decrease in total spine density in mPFCCRF1+ neurons during dependence, which recovered following withdrawal, while again no changes were observed in mPFCCRF- neurons. Given the observed decreases in mPFCCRF1+ stubby spines during withdrawal, we then identified persistent changes at the dendritic gene expression level in mPFCCRF1+ neurons following withdrawal that may underlie these structural adaptations. Together, these findings highlight the varying responses of mPFCCRF1+ and mPFCCRF1- cell-types to acute and chronic ethanol exposure, as well as withdrawal, revealing specific functional, morphological, and molecular adaptations that may underlie vulnerability to ethanol and the lasting effects of ethanol dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reesha R Patel
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Pauravi Gandhi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Kathryn Spencer
- Core Microscopy Facility, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Nihal A Salem
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
- Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Chloe M Erikson
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Vittoria Borgonetti
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Roman Vlkolinsky
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Larry Rodriguez
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Tali Nadav
- Animal Models Core Facility, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Michal Bajo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Amanda J Roberts
- Animal Models Core Facility, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - R Dayne Mayfield
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
- Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Marisa Roberto
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N. Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
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Lapish CC. Understanding How Acute Alcohol Impacts Neural Encoding in the Rodent Brain. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2024. [PMID: 38858298 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2024_479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Alcohol impacts neural circuitry throughout the brain and has wide-ranging effects on the biophysical properties of neurons in these circuits. Articulating how these wide-ranging effects might eventually result in altered computational properties has the potential to provide a tractable working model of how alcohol alters neural encoding. This chapter reviews what is currently known about how acute alcohol influences neural activity in cortical, hippocampal, and dopaminergic circuits as these have been the primary focus of understanding how alcohol alters neural computation. While other neural systems have been the focus of exhaustive work on this topic, these brain regions are the ones where in vivo neural recordings are available, thus optimally suited to make the link between changes in neural activity and behavior. Rodent models have been key in developing an understanding of how alcohol impacts the function of these circuits, and this chapter therefore focuses on work from mice and rats. While progress has been made, it is critical to understand the challenges and caveats associated with experimental procedures, especially when performed in vivo, which are designed to answer this question and if/how to translate these data to humans. The hypothesis is discussed that alcohol impairs the ability of neural circuits to acquire states of neural activity that are transiently elevated and characterized by increased complexity. It is hypothesized that these changes are distinct from the traditional view of alcohol being a depressant of neural activity in the forebrain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher C Lapish
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Physiology, Stark Neuroscience Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
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Kale MB, Chandurkar PA, Taksande BG, Aglawe MM, Rahangdale SR, Upaganlawar AB, Kopalli SR, Umekar MJ, Wankhede NL. Agmatine alleviates ethanol withdrawal-associated cognitive impairment and neurochemical imbalance in rats. Neurosci Lett 2024; 832:137804. [PMID: 38692559 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2024.137804] [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: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the role of agmatine in the neurobiology underlying memory impairment during ethanol withdrawal in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a 21-day chronic ethanol exposure regimen (2.4 % w/v ethanol for 3 days, 4.8 % w/v for the next 4 days, and 7.2 % w/v for the following 14 days), followed by a withdrawal period. Memory impairment was assessed using the passive avoidance test (PAT) at 24, 48, and 72 h post-withdrawal. The ethanol-withdrawn rats displayed a significant decrease in step-through latency in the PAT, indicative of memory impairment at 72 h post-withdrawal. However, administration of agmatine (40 µg/rat) and its modulators (L-arginine, arcaine, and amino-guanidine) significantly increases the latency time in the ethanol-withdrawn rats, demonstrating the attenuation of memory impairment. Further, pretreatment with imidazoline receptor agonists enhances agmatine's effects, while antagonists block them, implicating imidazoline receptors in agmatine's actions. Neurochemical analysis in ethanol-withdrawn rats reveals dysregulated glutamate and GABA levels, which was attenuated by agmatine and its modulators. By examining the effects of agmatine administration and modulators of endogenous agmatine, the study aimed to shed light on the potential therapeutic implications of agmatinergic signaling in alcohol addiction and related cognitive deficits. Thus, the present findings suggest that agmatine administration and modulation of endogenous agmatine levels hold potential as therapeutic strategies for managing alcohol addiction and associated cognitive deficits. Understanding the neurobiology underlying these effects paves the way for the development of novel interventions targeting agmatinergic signaling in addiction treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayur B Kale
- Division of Neuroscience, Smt. Kishoritai Bhoyar College of Pharmacy, Kamptee, Nagpur, Maharashtra 441002, India; SNJB's Shriman Sureshdada Jain College of Pharmacy, Neminagar, Chandwad, Nashik, Maharashtra 423101, India.
| | - Pranali A Chandurkar
- Division of Neuroscience, Smt. Kishoritai Bhoyar College of Pharmacy, Kamptee, Nagpur, Maharashtra 441002, India.
| | - Brijesh G Taksande
- Division of Neuroscience, Smt. Kishoritai Bhoyar College of Pharmacy, Kamptee, Nagpur, Maharashtra 441002, India.
| | - Manish M Aglawe
- Division of Neuroscience, Smt. Kishoritai Bhoyar College of Pharmacy, Kamptee, Nagpur, Maharashtra 441002, India.
| | - Sandip R Rahangdale
- Division of Neuroscience, Smt. Kishoritai Bhoyar College of Pharmacy, Kamptee, Nagpur, Maharashtra 441002, India.
| | - Aman B Upaganlawar
- SNJB's Shriman Sureshdada Jain College of Pharmacy, Neminagar, Chandwad, Nashik, Maharashtra 423101, India.
| | - Spandana R Kopalli
- Department of Integrated Bioscience and Biotechnology, Sejong University, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea.
| | - Milind J Umekar
- Division of Neuroscience, Smt. Kishoritai Bhoyar College of Pharmacy, Kamptee, Nagpur, Maharashtra 441002, India.
| | - Nitu L Wankhede
- Division of Neuroscience, Smt. Kishoritai Bhoyar College of Pharmacy, Kamptee, Nagpur, Maharashtra 441002, India; SNJB's Shriman Sureshdada Jain College of Pharmacy, Neminagar, Chandwad, Nashik, Maharashtra 423101, India.
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Osborne A, Aboagye RG, Olorunsaiye CZ, James PB, Bangura C, Seidu AA, Kangbai JB, Ahinkorah BO. Alcohol use among in-school adolescents in Sierra Leone. BMJ Open 2024; 14:e080222. [PMID: 38569692 PMCID: PMC10989102 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the prevalence of alcohol use and its associated factors among in-school adolescents in Sierra Leone. DESIGN Data for the study was sourced from the 2017 Sierra Leone Global School-Based Student Health Survey, a nationally representative survey conducted among in-school adolescents aged 10-19 years using a multistage sampling methodology. Percentages were used to present the prevalence of alcohol use among in-school adolescents. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the factors associated with alcohol use among in-school adolescents. The results were presented using adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with their respective 95% confidence interval (CI). SETTING Sierra Leone. PARTICIPANTS A weighted sample of 1730 in-school adolescents in Sierra Leone. OUTCOME MEASURE Current alcohol use. RESULTS The prevalence of alcohol use among in-school adolescents was 10.7% (7.3, 15.3). In-school adolescents in senior secondary schools were more likely to use alcohol compared with those in junior secondary school (aOR=2.13; 95% CI 1.37, 3.30). The odds of alcohol use was higher among in-school adolescents who were truant at school relative to those who were not (aOR=2.24; 95% CI 1.54, 3.26). Also, in-school adolescents who were bullied (aOR=1.85; 95% CI 1.24, 2.76), ever engaged in sexual intercourse (aOR=2.06; 95% CI 1.39, 3.06), and used marijuana (aOR=3.36; 95% CI 1.72, 6.53) were more likely to use alcohol compared with those who were not. However, in-school adolescents who reported that their parents understood their problems (aOR=0.52; 95% CI 0.33, 0.82) had a lower likelihood of consuming alcohol. CONCLUSION Our study has shown that alcohol use is prevalent among in-school adolescents in Sierra Leone. Grade level, experiences of being bullied, history of sexual intercourse, truancy at school, and previous use of marijuana were the factors influencing alcohol use among in-school adolescents. The findings emphasise the necessity of creating school-based health interventions in Sierra Leone that can effectively identify in-school adolescents potentially vulnerable to alcohol-related issues. Also, existing policies and programmes aimed at reducing alcohol use among in-school adolescents need to be strengthened.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard Gyan Aboagye
- School of Population Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
- Department of Family and Community Health, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana
| | | | - Peter Bai James
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sierra Leone College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, Freetown, Sierra Leone
- Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Abdul-Aziz Seidu
- Public Health & Tropical Medicine, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Bright Opoku Ahinkorah
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Crews FT, Macht V, Vetreno RP. Epigenetic regulation of microglia and neurons by proinflammatory signaling following adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure and in human AUD. ADVANCES IN DRUG AND ALCOHOL RESEARCH 2024; 4:12094. [PMID: 38524847 PMCID: PMC10957664 DOI: 10.3389/adar.2024.12094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Adolescent alcohol drinking is linked to high rates of adult alcohol problems and alcohol use disorder (AUD). The Neurobiology of Alcohol Drinking in Adulthood (NADIA) consortium adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) models adolescent binge drinking, followed by abstinent maturation to adulthood to determine the persistent AIE changes in neurobiology and behavior. AIE increases adult alcohol drinking and preference, increases anxiety and reward seeking, and disrupts sleep and cognition, all risks for AUD. In addition, AIE induces changes in neuroimmune gene expression in neurons and glia that alter neurocircuitry and behavior. HMGB1 is a unique neuroimmune signal released from neurons and glia by ethanol that activates multiple proinflammatory receptors, including Toll-like receptors (TLRs), that spread proinflammatory gene induction. HMGB1 expression is increased by AIE in rat brain and in post-mortem human AUD brain, where it correlates with lifetime alcohol consumption. HMGB1 activation of TLR increase TLR expression. Human AUD brain and rat brain following AIE show increases in multiple TLRs. Brain regional differences in neurotransmitters and cell types impact ethanol responses and neuroimmune gene induction. Microglia are monocyte-like cells that provide trophic and synaptic functions, that ethanol proinflammatory signals sensitize or "prime" during repeated drinking cycles, impacting neurocircuitry. Neurocircuits are differently impacted dependent upon neuronal-glial signaling. Acetylcholine is an anti-inflammatory neurotransmitter. AIE increases HMGB1-TLR4 signaling in forebrain, reducing cholinergic neurons by silencing multiple cholinergic defining genes through upregulation of RE-1 silencing factor (REST), a transcription inhibitor known to regulate neuronal differentiation. HMGB1 REST induction reduces cholinergic neurons in basal forebrain and cholinergic innervation of hippocampus. Adult brain hippocampal neurogenesis is regulated by a neurogenic niche formed from multiple cells. In vivo AIE and in vitro studies find ethanol increases HMGB1-TLR4 signaling and other proinflammatory signaling as well as reducing trophic factors, NGF, and BDNF, coincident with loss of the cholinergic synapse marker vChAT. These changes in gene expression-transcriptomes result in reduced adult neurogenesis. Excitingly, HMGB1 antagonists, anti-inflammatories, and epigenetic modifiers like histone deacetylase inhibitors restore trophic the neurogenesis. These findings suggest anti-inflammatory and epigenetic drugs should be considered for AUD therapy and may provide long-lasting reversal of psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fulton T. Crews
- Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
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Vore AS, Marsland P, Barney TM, Varlinskaya EI, Landin JD, Healey KL, Kibble S, Swartzwelder HS, Chandler LJ, Deak T. Adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) produces lasting, sex-specific changes in rat body fat independent of changes in white blood cell composition. Front Physiol 2024; 15:1285376. [PMID: 38332987 PMCID: PMC10851431 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1285376] [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: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Early initiation of alcohol use during adolescence, and adolescent binge drinking are risk factors for the development of alcohol use disorder later in life. Adolescence is a time of rapid sex-dependent neural, physiological, and behavioral changes as well as a period of heightened vulnerability to many effects of alcohol. The goal of the present studies was to determine age-related changes in blood (leukocyte populations) and body composition across adolescence and early adulthood, and to investigate whether adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure would alter the trajectory of adolescent development on these broad physiological parameters. We observed significant ontogenetic changes in leukocyte populations that were mirrored by an age-related increase in cytokine expression among mixed populations of circulating leukocytes. Despite these developmental changes, AIE did not significantly alter overall leukocyte numbers or cytokine gene expression. However, AIE led to sex-specific changes in body fat mass and fat percentage, with AIE-exposed male rats showing significantly decreased fat levels and female rats showing significantly increased fat levels relative to controls. These changes suggest that while AIE may not alter overall leukocyte levels, more complex phenotypic changes in leukocyte populations could underlie previously reported differences in cytokine expression. Coupled with long-term shifts in adipocyte levels, this could have long-lasting effects on innate immunity and the capacity of individuals to respond to later immunological and physiological threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S. Vore
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY, United States
| | - Paige Marsland
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY, United States
| | - Thaddeus M. Barney
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY, United States
| | - Elena I. Varlinskaya
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY, United States
| | - Justine D. Landin
- Department of Neurosciences, Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Kati L. Healey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Sandra Kibble
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - H. S. Swartzwelder
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Lawrence J. Chandler
- Department of Neurosciences, Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Terrence Deak
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY, United States
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11
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Vetreno RP, Campbell J, Crews FT. A multicomponent ethanol response battery across a cumulative dose ethanol challenge reveals diminished adolescent rat ethanol responsivity relative to adults. ADVANCES IN DRUG AND ALCOHOL RESEARCH 2023; 3:11888. [PMID: 38389807 PMCID: PMC10880770 DOI: 10.3389/adar.2023.11888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Adolescence is a conserved developmental period associated with low alcohol responsivity, which can contribute to heavy drinking and development of an alcohol use disorder (AUD) later in life. To investigate ethanol responsivity between adolescent and adult rats, we developed an ethanol response battery (ERB) to assess acute ethanol responses across cumulative doses of ethanol during the rising phase of the blood ethanol curve. We tested the hypothesis that adolescent male and female rats would exhibit lower ethanol responsivity to a cumulative ethanol challenge relative to adults. Male and female adolescent (postnatal day [P]40) and adult (P85) Wistar rats underwent ERB assessment following consecutive doses of ethanol (i.e., 1.0, 1.0, and 1.0 g/kg) to produce cumulative ethanol doses of 0.0, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 g/kg. The ERB consisted of (1) the 6-point behavioral intoxication rating scale, (2) body temperature assessment, (3) tail blood collection, (4) accelerating rotarod assessment, (5) tilting plane assessment, and (6) loss of righting reflex (LORR) assessment. Across cumulative ethanol doses, adolescent and adult rats evidenced progressive changes in ERB measures. On the ERB, adolescent rats of both sexes evidenced (1) lower intoxication rating, (2) blunted hypothermic responses, particularly in females, (3) longer latencies to fall from the accelerating rotarod, and (4) less tilting plane impairment relative to adults despite comparable BECs. All adult rats, regardless of sex, displayed a LORR at the 3.0 g/kg cumulative ethanol dose while among the adolescent rats, only one male rat and no females showed the LORR. These data reveal decreased adolescent ethanol responsivity across body temperature, intoxication, balance, and coordination responses to a cumulative ethanol challenge as assessed using the novel ERB relative to adults. The results of this study suggest that adolescent-specific low ethanol responsivity may contribute to adolescent binge drinking and increased risk for development of an AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan P. Vetreno
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Jeffrey Campbell
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Fulton T. Crews
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
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12
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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.
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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
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13
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Hauser SR, Waeiss RA, Deehan GA, Engleman EA, Bell RL, Rodd ZA. Adolescent alcohol and nicotine exposure alters the adult response to alcohol use. ADVANCES IN DRUG AND ALCOHOL RESEARCH 2023; 3:11880. [PMID: 38389816 PMCID: PMC10880795 DOI: 10.3389/adar.2023.11880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Adolescence through young adulthood is a unique period of neuronal development and maturation. Numerous agents can alter this process, resulting in long-term neurological and biological consequences. In the clinical literature, it is frequently reported that adolescent alcohol consumption increases the propensity to develop addictions, including alcohol use disorder (AUD), during adulthood. A general limitation of both clinical and human pre-clinical adolescent alcohol research is the high rate of co-using/abusing more than one drug during adolescence, such as co-using/abusing alcohol with nicotine. A primary goal of basic research is elucidating neuroadaptations produced by adolescent alcohol exposure/consumption that promote alcohol and other drug self-administration in adulthood. The long-term goal is to develop pharmacotherapeutics for the prevention or amelioration of these neuroadaptations. This review will focus on studies that have examined the effects of adolescent alcohol and nicotine exposure on adult alcohol consumption, the hypersensitivity of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system, and enhanced responses not only to alcohol but also to nicotine during adulthood. Again, the long-term goal is to identify potential cholinergic agents to prevent or ameliorate the consequences of, peri-adolescent alcohol abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheketha R Hauser
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Robert A Waeiss
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Gerald A Deehan
- Department of Psychology, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, United States
| | - Eric A Engleman
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Richard L Bell
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Zachary A Rodd
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
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14
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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.
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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
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15
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Grizzell JA, Vanbaelinghem M, Westerman J, Saddoris MP. Voluntary alcohol consumption during distinct phases of adolescence differentially alters adult fear acquisition, extinction and renewal in male and female rats. Stress 2023; 26:2278315. [PMID: 37916300 PMCID: PMC11042498 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2023.2278315] [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: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use during adolescence coincides with elevated risks of stress-related impairment in adults, particularly via disrupted developmental trajectories of vulnerable corticolimbic and mesolimbic systems involved in fear processing. Prior work has investigated the impact of binge-like alcohol consumption on adult fear and stress, but less is known about whether voluntarily consumed alcohol imparts differential effects based on adolescence phases and biological sex. Here, adolescent male and female Long Evans rats were granted daily access to alcohol (15%) during either early (Early-EtOH; P25-45) or late adolescence (Late-EtOH; P45-55) using a modified drinking-in-the-dark design. Upon adulthood (P75-80), rats were exposed to a three-context (ABC) fear renewal procedure. We found that male and female Early-EtOH rats showed faster acquisition of fear but less freezing during early phases of extinction and throughout fear renewal. In the extinction period specifically, Early-EtOH rats showed normal levels of freezing in the presence of fear-associated cues, but abnormally low freezing immediately after cue offset, suggesting a key disruption in contextual processing and/or novelty seeking brought by early adolescent binge consumption. While the effects of alcohol were most pronounced in the Early-EtOH rats (particularly in females), Late-EtOH rats displayed some changes in fear behavior including slower fear acquisition, faster extinction, and reduced renewal compared with controls, but primarily in males. Our results suggest that early adolescence in males and females and, to a lesser extent, late adolescence in males is a particularly vulnerable period wherein alcohol use can promote stress-related dysfunction in adulthood. Furthermore, our results provide multiple bases for future research focused on developmental correlates of alcohol mediated disruption in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Alex Grizzell
- Dept Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder CO, 80301
- Dept of Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30322
| | - Maryam Vanbaelinghem
- Dept Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder CO, 80301
| | - Jessica Westerman
- Dept Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder CO, 80301
| | - Michael P Saddoris
- Dept Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder CO, 80301
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16
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Alex Grizzell J, Vanbaelinghem M, Westerman J, Saddoris MP. Voluntary alcohol consumption during distinct phases of adolescence differentially alters adult fear acquisition, extinction and renewal in male and female rats. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.03.560757. [PMID: 37873067 PMCID: PMC10592894 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.03.560757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol use during adolescence coincides with elevated risks of stress-related impairment in adults, particularly via disrupted developmental trajectories of vulnerable corticolimbic and mesolimbic systems involved in fear processing. Prior work has investigated the impact of binge-like alcohol consumption on adult fear and stress, but less is known about whether voluntarily consumed alcohol imparts differential effects based on adolescence phases and biological sex. Here, adolescent male and female Long Evans rats were granted daily access to alcohol (15%) during either early (Early-EtOH; P25-45) or late adolescence (Late-EtOH; P45-55) using a modified drinking-in-the-dark design. Upon adulthood (P75-80), rats were exposed to a three-context (ABC) fear renewal procedure. We found that male and female Early-EtOH rats showed faster acquisition of fear but less freezing during early phases of extinction and throughout fear renewal. In the extinction period specifically, Early-EtOH rats showed normal levels of freezing in the presence of fear-associated cues, but abnormally low freezing immediately after cue offset, suggesting a key disruption in contextual processing and/or novelty seeking brought by early adolescent binge consumption. While the effects of alcohol were most pronounced in the Early-EtOH rats (particularly in females), Late-EtOH rats displayed some changes in fear behavior including slower fear acquisition, faster extinction, and reduced renewal compared with controls, but primarily in males. Our results suggest that early adolescence in males and females and, to a lesser extent, late adolescence in males is a particularly vulnerable period wherein alcohol use can promote stress-related dysfunction in adulthood. Furthermore, our results provide multiple bases for future research focused on developmental correlates of alcohol mediated disruption in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Alex Grizzell
- Dept Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder CO, 80301
- Dept of Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30322
| | - Maryam Vanbaelinghem
- Dept Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder CO, 80301
| | - Jessica Westerman
- Dept Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder CO, 80301
| | - Michael P Saddoris
- Dept Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder CO, 80301
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17
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Giacometti LL, Side CM, Chandran K, Stine S, Buck LA, Wenzel-Rideout RM, Barker JM. Effects of adolescent ethanol exposure on adult nondrug reward seeking behavior in male and female mice. ALCOHOL, CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 47:1736-1747. [PMID: 37438117 DOI: 10.1111/acer.15151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescent alcohol use is associated with an increased likelihood of developing an alcohol use disorder in adulthood, potentially due to the effects of alcohol exposure on reward-seeking behavior. However, it remains unclear whether adolescent drinking is sufficient to alter nondrug reward seeking in adulthood. As adolescence is a period of both brain and sexual maturation, which occur in a sex-dependent manner, males and females may be differentially sensitive to the consequences of adolescent alcohol exposure. The present study investigated whether adolescent ethanol exposure affected food reward taking and seeking in male and female adult mice. METHODS Male and female C57BL/6J mice underwent intermittent ethanol exposure (AIE) via vapor inhalation during early adolescence (28-42 days of age). At 10 weeks of age, the mice were trained in a conditioned place preference paradigm (CPP) for a food reward. We measured food consumption, CPP, and cFos expression in multiple brain regions following CPP testing. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance with exposure (air vs. AIE), sex, and time as factors. RESULTS AIE exposure increased food consumption during CPP training in adult male mice, but reduced pellet consumption in adult female mice. AIE exposure impaired CPP expression only in female mice. Despite these behavioral differences, exposure to the reward-paired chamber did not induce differential cFos expression following CPP testing in the prelimbic and infralimbic cortices or the nucleus accumbens core and shell. CONCLUSION These findings indicate that adolescent ethanol exposure disrupted nondrug reward taking and seeking in adulthood in female mice and altered consumption in adult male mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura L Giacometti
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Christine M Side
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kelsey Chandran
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Sam Stine
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Lauren A Buck
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Rebecca M Wenzel-Rideout
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jacqueline M Barker
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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18
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Marsland P, Trapp S, Vore A, Lutzke A, Varlinskaya EI, Deak T. Intermittent Exposure to a Single Bottle of Ethanol Modulates Stress Sensitivity: Impact of Age at Exposure Initiation. Cells 2023; 12:1991. [PMID: 37566070 PMCID: PMC10417636 DOI: 10.3390/cells12151991] [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: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use during adolescence is a serious public health problem, with binge drinking and high-intensity drinking being particularly harmful to the developing adolescent brain. To investigate the adverse consequences of binge drinking and high-intensity adolescent drinking, adolescent rodents were intermittently exposed to ethanol through intragastric gavage, intraperitoneal injection, or vapor inhalation. These models revealed the long-lasting behavioral and neural consequences of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure. The present study was designed to characterize a different AIE model, namely, intermittent exposure to a single bottle of 10% ethanol as the only source of fluids on a 2 days on/2 days off (water days) schedule, and to determine whether this AIE exposure model would produce changes in hormonal and neuroimmune responsiveness to challenges of differing modalities. Assessments of ethanol intake as well as blood and brain ethanol concentrations (BECs and BrECs, respectively) in adult male and female rats (Experiment 1) revealed that BECs and BrECs peaked following access to ethanol for a 2 h period when assessed 1 h into the dark cycle. Experiment 2 revealed age differences in ethanol intake, BECs, and BrECs following a 2 h access to ethanol (1 h into the dark cycle), with adolescents ingesting more ethanol and reaching higher BECs as well as BrECs than adults. In Experiment 3, intermittent exposure to a single bottle of 10% ethanol for 10 cycles of 2 days on/2 days off was initiated either in early or late adolescence, followed by an acute systemic immune challenge with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in adulthood. LPS increased corticosterone and progesterone levels regardless of sex and prior ethanol history, whereas an LPS-induced increase in cytokine gene expression in the hippocampus was evident only in ethanol-exposed males and females, with females who underwent early exposure to ethanol being more affected than their later-exposed counterparts. In Experiment 4, intermittent ethanol exposure in females was initiated either in adolescence or adulthood and lasted for 12 ethanol exposure cycles. Then, behavioral (freezing behavior), hormonal (corticosterone and progesterone levels), and neuroimmune (cytokine gene expression in the PVN, amygdala, and hippocampus) responses to novel environments (mild stressors) and shock (intense stressors) were assessed. More pronounced behavioral and hormonal changes, as well as changes in cytokine gene expression, were evident in the shock condition than following placement in the novel environment, with prior history of ethanol exposure not playing a substantial role. Interleukin (IL)-1β gene expression was enhanced by shock in the PVN, whereas shock-induced increases in IL-6 gene expression were evident in the hippocampus. Together, these findings demonstrate that our intermittent adolescent exposure model enhances responsiveness to immune but not stress challenges, with females being more vulnerable to this AIE effect than males.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Terrence Deak
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, USA
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19
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Matthews DB, Scaletty S, Trapp S, Schreiber A, Rossmann G, Imhoff B, Petersilka Q, Kastner A, Pauly J, Nixon K. Chronic intermittent ethanol exposure during adolescence produces sex- and age-dependent changes in anxiety and cognition without changes in microglia reactivity late in life. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1223883. [PMID: 37589035 PMCID: PMC10427154 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1223883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Binge-like ethanol exposure during adolescence has been shown to produce long lasting effects in animal models including anxiety-like behavior that can last into young adulthood and impairments in cognition that can last throughout most of the lifespan. However, little research has investigated if binge-like ethanol exposure during adolescence produces persistent anxiety-like behavior and concomitantly impairs cognition late in life. Furthermore, few studies have investigated such behavioral effects in both female and male rats over the lifespan. Finally, it is yet to be determined if binge-like ethanol exposure during adolescence alters microglia activation in relevant brain regions late in life. In the present study female and male adolescent rats were exposed to either 3.0 or 5.0 g/kg ethanol, or water control, in a chronic intermittent pattern before being tested in the elevated plus maze and open field task over the next ∼18 months. Animals were then trained in a spatial reference task via the Morris water maze before having their behavioral flexibility tested. Finally, brains were removed, sectioned and presumptive microglia activation determined using autoradiography for [3H]PK11195 binding. Males, but not females, displayed an anxiety-like phenotype initially following the chronic intermittent ethanol exposure paradigm which resolved in adulthood. Further, males but not females had altered spatial reference learning and impaired behavioral flexibility late in life. Conversely, [3H]PK11195 binding was significantly elevated in females compared to males late in life and the level of microglia activation interacted as a function of sex and brain regions, but there was no long-term outcome related to adolescent alcohol exposure. These data further confirm that binge-like ethanol exposure during adolescence produces alterations in behavior that can last throughout the lifespan. In addition, the data suggest that microglia activation late in life is not exacerbated by prior binge-like ethanol exposure during adolescence but the expression is sex- and brain region-dependent across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas B. Matthews
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, United States
| | - Samantha Scaletty
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, United States
| | - Sarah Trapp
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, United States
| | - Areonna Schreiber
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, United States
| | - Gillian Rossmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, United States
| | - Bailey Imhoff
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, United States
| | - Quinn Petersilka
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, United States
| | - Abigail Kastner
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, United States
| | - Jim Pauly
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Kimberly Nixon
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
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20
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Carrica LK, Choi CY, Walter FA, Noonan BL, Shi L, Johnson CT, Bradshaw HB, Liang NC, Gulley JM. Effects of combined use of alcohol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannibinol on working memory in Long Evans rats. Behav Brain Res 2023; 449:114475. [PMID: 37146720 PMCID: PMC10247469 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114475] [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: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The increase in social acceptance and legalization of cannabis over the last several years is likely to increase the prevalence of its co-use with alcohol. In spite of this, the potential for effects unique to co-use of these drugs, especially in moderate doses, has been studied relatively infrequently. We addressed this in the current study using a laboratory rat model of voluntary drug intake. Periadolescent male and female Long-Evans rats were allowed to orally self-administer ethanol, Δ9-tetrahydrocannibinol (THC), both drugs, or their vehicle controls from postnatal day (P) 30 to P47. They were subsequently trained and tested on an instrumental behavior task that assesses attention, working memory and behavioral flexibility. Similar to previous work, consumption of THC reduced both ethanol and saccharin intake in both sexes. Blood samples taken 14 h following the final self-administration session revealed that females had higher levels of the THC metabolite THC-COOH. There were modest effects of THC on our delayed matching to position (DMTP) task, with females exhibiting reduced performance compared to their control group or male, drug using counterparts. However, there were no significant effects of co-use of ethanol or THC on DMTP performance, and drug effects were also not apparent in the reversal learning phase of the task when non-matching to position was required as the correct response. These findings are consistent with other published studies in rodent models showing that use of these drugs in low to moderate doses does not significantly impact memory or behavioral flexibility following a protracted abstinence period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren K Carrica
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
| | - Chan Young Choi
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
| | - Francis A Walter
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
| | - Brynn L Noonan
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
| | - Linyuan Shi
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
| | - Clare T Johnson
- Department of Psychological & Brain Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Heather B Bradshaw
- Department of Psychological & Brain Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Nu-Chu Liang
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA; Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
| | - Joshua M Gulley
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA; Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA; Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.
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21
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Gasparyan A, Maldonado Sanchez D, Navarrete F, Sion A, Navarro D, García-Gutiérrez MS, Rubio Valladolid G, Jurado Barba R, Manzanares J. Cognitive Alterations in Addictive Disorders: A Translational Approach. Biomedicines 2023; 11:1796. [PMID: 37509436 PMCID: PMC10376598 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11071796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The cognitive decline in people with substance use disorders is well known and can be found during both the dependence and drug abstinence phases. At the clinical level, cognitive decline impairs the response to addiction treatment and increases dropout rates. It can be irreversible, even after the end of drug abuse consumption. Improving our understanding of the molecular and cellular alterations associated with cognitive decline could be essential to developing specific therapeutic strategies for its treatment. Developing animal models to simulate drug abuse-induced learning and memory alterations is critical to continue exploring this clinical situation. The main aim of this review is to summarize the most recent evidence on cognitive impairment and the associated biological markers in patients addicted to some of the most consumed drugs of abuse and in animal models simulating this clinical situation. The available information suggests the need to develop more studies to further explore the molecular alterations associated with cognitive impairment, with the ultimate goal of developing new potential therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ani Gasparyan
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, Avda de Ramón y Cajal s/n, 03550 San Juan de Alicante, Spain
- Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientada a Resultados en Salud (RICORS), Red de Investigación en Atención Primaria de Adicciones (RIAPAd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), 03010 Alicante, Spain
| | | | - Francisco Navarrete
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, Avda de Ramón y Cajal s/n, 03550 San Juan de Alicante, Spain
- Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientada a Resultados en Salud (RICORS), Red de Investigación en Atención Primaria de Adicciones (RIAPAd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), 03010 Alicante, Spain
| | - Ana Sion
- Instituto de Investigación i+12, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, 28041 Madrid, Spain
- Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniela Navarro
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, Avda de Ramón y Cajal s/n, 03550 San Juan de Alicante, Spain
- Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientada a Resultados en Salud (RICORS), Red de Investigación en Atención Primaria de Adicciones (RIAPAd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), 03010 Alicante, Spain
| | - María Salud García-Gutiérrez
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, Avda de Ramón y Cajal s/n, 03550 San Juan de Alicante, Spain
- Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientada a Resultados en Salud (RICORS), Red de Investigación en Atención Primaria de Adicciones (RIAPAd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), 03010 Alicante, Spain
| | - Gabriel Rubio Valladolid
- Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientada a Resultados en Salud (RICORS), Red de Investigación en Atención Primaria de Adicciones (RIAPAd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación i+12, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, 28041 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Rosa Jurado Barba
- Instituto de Investigación i+12, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, 28041 Madrid, Spain
- Faculty of Health, Universidad Camilo José Cela, 28001 Madrid, Spain
| | - Jorge Manzanares
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, Avda de Ramón y Cajal s/n, 03550 San Juan de Alicante, Spain
- Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientada a Resultados en Salud (RICORS), Red de Investigación en Atención Primaria de Adicciones (RIAPAd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), 03010 Alicante, Spain
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22
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Calpe-López C, Martínez-Caballero MÁ, García-Pardo MP, Aguilar MA. Resilience to the short- and long-term behavioral effects of intermittent repeated social defeat in adolescent male mice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2023:173574. [PMID: 37315696 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2023.173574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to intermittent repeated social defeat (IRSD) increases the sensitivity of mice to the rewarding effects of cocaine in the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. Some animals are resilient to this effect of IRSD, though research exploring this inconsistency in adolescent mice is scarce. Thus, our aim was to characterize the behavioral profile of mice exposed to IRSD during early adolescence and to explore a potential association with resilience to the short- and long-term effects of IRSD. METHODS Thirty-six male C57BL/6 mice were exposed to IRSD during early adolescence (PND 27, 30, 33 and 36), while another 10 male mice did not undergo stress (controls). Defeated mice and controls then carried out the following battery of behavioral tests; the Elevated Plus Maze, Hole-Board and Social Interaction Test on PND 37, and the Tail Suspension and Splash tests on PND 38. Three weeks later, all the mice were submitted to the CPP paradigm with a low dose of cocaine (1.5 mg/kg). RESULTS IRSD during early adolescence induced depressive-like behavior in the Social Interaction and Splash tests and increased the rewarding effects of cocaine. Mice with low levels of submissive behavior during episodes of defeat were resilient to the short- and long-term effects of IRSD. In addition, resilience to the short-term effects of IRSD on social interaction and grooming behavior predicted resilience to the long-term effects of IRSD on cocaine reward. CONCLUSION Our findings help to characterize the nature of resilience to the effects of social stress during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Calpe-López
- Neurobehavioural Mechanisms and Endophenotypes of Addictive Behavior Research Unit, Department of Psychobiology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Maria Ángeles Martínez-Caballero
- Neurobehavioural Mechanisms and Endophenotypes of Addictive Behavior Research Unit, Department of Psychobiology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Maria Pilar García-Pardo
- Department of Psychology and Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Teruel, Spain
| | - Maria Asunción Aguilar
- Neurobehavioural Mechanisms and Endophenotypes of Addictive Behavior Research Unit, Department of Psychobiology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
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23
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Rodd ZA, Swartzwelder HS, Waeiss RA, Soloviov SO, Lahiri DK, Engleman EA, Truitt WA, Bell RL, Hauser SR. Negative and positive allosteric modulators of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor regulates the ability of adolescent binge alcohol exposure to enhance adult alcohol consumption. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 16:954319. [PMID: 37082421 PMCID: PMC10113115 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.954319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Rationale and Objectives: Ethanol acts directly on the α7 Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7). Adolescent-binge alcohol exposure (ABAE) produces deleterious consequences during adulthood, and data indicate that the α7 receptor regulates these damaging events. Administration of an α7 Negative Allosteric Modulator (NAM) or the cholinesterase inhibitor galantamine can prophylactically prevent adult consequences of ABAE. The goals of the experiments were to determine the effects of co-administration of ethanol and a α7 agonist in the mesolimbic dopamine system and to determine if administration of an α7 NAM or positive allosteric modulator (PAM) modulates the enhancement of adult alcohol drinking produced by ABAE. Methods: In adult rats, ethanol and the α7 agonist AR-R17779 (AR) were microinjected into the posterior ventral tegmental area (VTA), and dopamine levels were measured in the nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh). In adolescence, rats were treated with the α7 NAM SB-277011-A (SB) or PNU-120596 (PAM) 2 h before administration of EtOH (ABAE). Ethanol consumption (acquisition, maintenance, and relapse) during adulthood was characterized. Results: Ethanol and AR co-administered into the posterior VTA stimulated dopamine release in the AcbSh in a synergistic manner. The increase in alcohol consumption during the acquisition and relapse drinking during adulthood following ABAE was prevented by administration of SB, or enhanced by administration of PNU, prior to EtOH exposure during adolescence. Discussion: Ethanol acts on the α7 receptor, and the α7 receptor regulates the critical effects of ethanol in the brain. The data replicate the findings that cholinergic agents (α7 NAMs) can act prophylactically to reduce the alterations in adult alcohol consumption following ABAE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary A. Rodd
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - H. Scott Swartzwelder
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - R. Aaron Waeiss
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Serhii O. Soloviov
- Department of Pharmacy, Shupyk National Healthcare University of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology and Biopharmacy, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Debomoy K. Lahiri
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Indiana Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Eric A. Engleman
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - William A. Truitt
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Richard L. Bell
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Sheketha R. Hauser
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
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24
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Carrica LK, Choi CY, Walter FA, Noonan BL, Shi L, Johnson CT, Bradshaw HB, Liang NC, Gulley JM. Effects of combined use of alcohol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannibinol on working memory in Long Evans rats. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.02.526698. [PMID: 36778500 PMCID: PMC9915622 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.02.526698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
The increase in social acceptance and legalization of cannabis over the last several years is likely to increase the prevalence of its co-use with alcohol. In spite of this, the potential for effects unique to co-use of these drugs, especially in moderate doses, has been studied relatively infrequently. We addressed this in the current study using a laboratory rat model of voluntary drug intake. Periadolescent male and female Long-Evans rats were allowed to orally self-administer ethanol, Î" 9 -tetrahydrocannibinol (THC), both drugs, or their vehicle controls from postnatal day (P) 30 to P47. They were subsequently trained and tested on an instrumental behavior task that assesses attention, working memory and behavioral flexibility. Similar to previous work, consumption of THC reduced both ethanol and saccharin intake in both sexes. Blood samples taken 14h following the final self-administration session revealed that females had higher levels of the THC metabolite THC-COOH. There were modest effects of THC on our delayed matching to position (DMTP) task, with females exhibiting reduced performance compared to their control group or male, drug using counterparts. However, there were no significant effects of co-use of ethanol or THC on DMTP performance, and drug effects were also not apparent in the reversal learning phase of the task when non-matching to position was required as the correct response. These findings are consistent with other published studies in rodent models showing that use of these drugs in low to moderate doses does not significantly impact memory or behavioral flexibility following a protracted abstinence period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren K. Carrica
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - Chan Young Choi
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | | | - Brynn L. Noonan
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - Linyuan Shi
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - Clare T. Johnson
- Department of Psychological & Brain Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | - Heather B. Bradshaw
- Department of Psychological & Brain Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | - Nu-Chu Liang
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - Joshua M. Gulley
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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25
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Mesa JR, Carter E, Padovan-Hernandez Y, Knackstedt LA. Alcohol consumption modulates prelimbic cortex response to cocaine following sequential cocaine and alcohol polysubstance use in the rat. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1132689. [PMID: 37007027 PMCID: PMC10060651 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1132689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Polysubstance use (PSU), involves the consumption of more than one drug within a period of time and is prevalent among cocaine users. Ceftriaxone, a beta-lactam antibiotic, reliably attenuates reinstatement of cocaine seeking in pre-clinical models by restoring glutamate homeostasis following cocaine self-administration but fails to do so when rats consume both cocaine and alcohol (cocaine + alcohol PSU). We previously found that cocaine + alcohol PSU rats reinstate cocaine seeking similarly to cocaine-only rats, but demonstrate differences in reinstatement-induced c-Fos expression throughout the reward system, including a lack of change upon ceftriaxone treatment. Here, we used this model to determine if previous findings were caused by tolerance or sensitization to the pharmacological effects of cocaine. Male rats underwent intravenous cocaine self-administration immediately followed by 6 h of home cage access to water or unsweetened alcohol for 12 days. Rats subsequently underwent 10 daily instrumental extinction sessions, during which time they were treated with either vehicle or ceftriaxone. Rats then received a non-contingent cocaine injection and were perfused for later immunohistochemical analysis of c-Fos expression in the reward neurocircuitry. c-Fos expression in the prelimbic cortex correlated with total alcohol intake in PSU rats. There were no effects of either ceftriaxone or PSU on c-Fos expression in the infralimbic cortex, nucleus accumbens core and shell, basolateral amygdala, or ventral tegmental area. These results support the idea that PSU and ceftriaxone alter the neurobiology underlying drug-seeking behavior in the absence of pharmacological tolerance or sensitization to cocaine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier R. Mesa
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Emily Carter
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Yasmin Padovan-Hernandez
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Lori A. Knackstedt
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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26
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Brocato ER, Wolstenholme JT. Adolescent binge ethanol impacts H3K36me3 regulation of synaptic genes. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1082104. [PMID: 36937047 PMCID: PMC10020663 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1082104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is marked in part by the ongoing development of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Binge ethanol use during this critical stage in neurodevelopment induces significant structural changes to the PFC, as well as cognitive and behavioral deficits that can last into adulthood. Previous studies showed that adolescent binge ethanol causes lasting deficits in working memory, decreases in the expression of chromatin remodeling genes responsible for the methylation of histone 3 lysine 36 (H3K36), and global decreases in H3K36 in the PFC. H3K36me3 is present within the coding region of actively-transcribed genes, and safeguards against aberrant, cryptic transcription by RNA Polymerase II. We hypothesize that altered methylation of H3K36 could play a role in adolescent binge ethanol-induced memory deficits. To investigate this at the molecular level, ethanol (4 g/kg, i.g.) or water was administered intermittently to adolescent mice. RNA-and ChIP-sequencing were then performed within the same tissue to determine gene expression changes and identify genes and loci where H3K36me3 was disrupted by ethanol. We further assessed ethanol-induced changes at the transcription level with differential exon-use and cryptic transcription analysis - a hallmark of decreased H3K36me3. Here, we found ethanol-induced changes to the gene expression and H3K36me3-regulation of synaptic-related genes in all our analyses. Notably, H3K36me3 was differentially trimethylated between ethanol and control conditions at synaptic-related genes, and Snap25 and Cplx1 showed evidence of cryptic transcription in males and females treated with ethanol during adolescence. Our results provide preliminary evidence that ethanol-induced changes to H3K36me3 during adolescent neurodevelopment may be linked to synaptic dysregulation at the transcriptional level, which may explain the reported ethanol-induced changes to PFC synaptic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R. 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
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27
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Crews FT, Coleman LG, Macht VA, Vetreno RP. Targeting Persistent Changes in Neuroimmune and Epigenetic Signaling in Adolescent Drinking to Treat Alcohol Use Disorder in Adulthood. Pharmacol Rev 2023; 75:380-396. [PMID: 36781218 PMCID: PMC9969522 DOI: 10.1124/pharmrev.122.000710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies universally find early age of drinking onset is linked to lifelong risks of alcohol problems and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Assessment of the lasting effect of drinking during adolescent development in humans is confounded by the diversity of environmental and genetic factors that affect adolescent development, including emerging personality disorders and progressive increases in drinking trajectories into adulthood. Preclinical studies using an adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure rat model of underage binge drinking avoid the human confounds and support lifelong changes that increase risks. AIE increases adult alcohol drinking, risky decision-making, reward-seeking, and anxiety as well as reductions in executive function that all increase risks for the development of an AUD. AIE causes persistent increases in brain neuroimmune signaling high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), Toll-like receptor, receptor for advanced glycation end products, and innate immune genes that are also found to be increased in human AUD brain. HMGB1 is released from cells by ethanol, both free and within extracellular vesicles, that act on neurons and glia, shifting transcription and cellular phenotype. AIE-induced decreases in adult hippocampal neurogenesis and loss of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons are reviewed as examples of persistent AIE-induced pathology. Both are prevented and reversed by anti-inflammatory and epigenetic drugs. Findings suggest AIE-increased HMGB1 signaling induces the RE-1 silencing transcript blunting cholinergic gene expression, shifting neuronal phenotype. Inhibition of HMGB1 neuroimmune signaling, histone methylation enzymes, and galantamine, the cholinesterase inhibitor, both prevent and reverse AIE pathology. These findings provide new targets that may reverse AUD neuropathology as well as other brain diseases linked to neuroimmune signaling. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Adolescent underage binge drinking studies find that earlier adolescent drinking is associated with lifelong alcohol problems including high levels of lifetime alcohol use disorder (AUD). Preclinical studies find the underage binge drinking adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) model causes lasting changes in adults that increase risks of developing adult alcohol problems. Loss of hippocampal neurogenesis and loss of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons provide examples of how AIE-induced epigenetic and neuroimmune signaling provide novel therapeutic targets for adult AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fulton T Crews
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Leon G Coleman
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Victoria A Macht
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Ryan P Vetreno
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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28
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Healey KL, Kibble S, Dubester K, Bell A, Swartzwelder HS. Adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure enhances adult stress effects in male rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2023; 223:173513. [PMID: 36610590 PMCID: PMC10028459 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2022.173513] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Binge patterns of alcohol use, prevalent among adolescents, are associated with a higher probability of developing alcohol use disorders (AUD) and other psychiatric disorders, like anxiety and depression. Additionally, adverse life events strongly predict AUD and other psychiatric disorders. As such, the combined fields of stress and AUD have been well established, and animal models indicate that both binge-like alcohol exposure and stress exposure elevate anxiety-like behaviors. However, few have investigated the interaction of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) and adult stressors. We hypothesized that AIE would increase vulnerability to restraint-induced stress (RS), manifested as increased anxiety-like behavior. After AIE exposure, in adulthood, animals were tested on forced swim (FST) and saccharin preference (SP) and then exposed to either RS (90 min/5 days) or home-cage control. Twenty-four hours after the last RS session, animals began testing on the elevated plus maze (EPM), and were re-tested on FST and SP. A separate group of animals were sacrificed in adulthood after AIE and RS, and brains were harvested for immunoblot analysis of dorsal and ventral hippocampus. Consistent with previous reports, AIE had no significant effect on closed arm time in the EPM (anxiety-like behavior). However, in male rats the interaction of AIE and adult RS increased time spent in the closed arms. No effect was observed among female animals. AIE and RS-specific alterations were found in glial and synaptic markers (GLT-1, FMRP and PSD-95) in male animals. These findings indicate AIE has sex-specific effects on both SP and the interaction of AIE and adult RS, which induces a propensity toward anxiety-like behavior in males. Also, AIE produces persistent hippocampal deficits that may interact with adult RS to cause increased anxiety-like behaviors. Understanding the mechanisms behind this AIE-induced increase in stress vulnerability may provide insight into treatment and prevention strategies for alcohol use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kati L Healey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, United States of America.
| | - Sandra Kibble
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, United States of America
| | - Kira Dubester
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, United States of America
| | - Amelia Bell
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, United States of America
| | - H S Swartzwelder
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, United States of America
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Landin JD, Chandler LJ. Adolescent alcohol exposure alters threat avoidance in adulthood. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 16:1098343. [PMID: 36761697 PMCID: PMC9905129 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1098343] [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: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Adolescent binge-like alcohol exposure impairs cognitive function and decision making in adulthood and may be associated with dysfunction of threat avoidance, a critical mechanism of survival which relies upon executive function. The present study investigated the impact of binge-like alcohol exposure during adolescence on active avoidance in adulthood. Male and female rats were subjected to adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure by vapor inhalation and then tested in adulthood using a platform-mediated avoidance task. After training to press a lever to receive a sucrose reward, the rats were conditioned to a tone that co-terminated with a foot-shock. A motivational conflict was introduced by the presence of an escape platform that isolated the rat from the shock, but also prevented access to the sucrose reward while the rat was on the platform. During the task training phase, both male and female rats exhibited progressive increases in active avoidance (platform escape) in response to the conditioned tone, whereas innate fear behavior (freezing) remained relatively constant over training days. A history of AIE exposure did not impact either active avoidance or freezing behavior during task acquisition. On the test day following platform acquisition training, female rats exhibited higher levels of both active avoidance and freezing compared to male rats, while AIE-exposed male but not female rats exhibited significantly greater levels of active avoidance compared to controls. In contrast, neither male nor female AIE-exposed rats exhibited alterations in freezing compared to controls. Following 5 days of extinction training, female rats continued to display higher levels of active avoidance and freezing during tone presentation compared to males. Male AIE-exposed rats also had higher levels of both active avoidance and freezing compared to the male control rats. Together, the results demonstrate that female rats exhibit elevated levels of active avoidance and freezing compared to males and further reveal a sex-specific impact of AIE on threat responding in adulthood.
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Sheynikhovich D, Otani S, Bai J, Arleo A. Long-term memory, synaptic plasticity and dopamine in rodent medial prefrontal cortex: Role in executive functions. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 16:1068271. [PMID: 36710953 PMCID: PMC9875091 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1068271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Mnemonic functions, supporting rodent behavior in complex tasks, include both long-term and (short-term) working memory components. While working memory is thought to rely on persistent activity states in an active neural network, long-term memory and synaptic plasticity contribute to the formation of the underlying synaptic structure, determining the range of possible states. Whereas, the implication of working memory in executive functions, mediated by the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in primates and rodents, has been extensively studied, the contribution of long-term memory component to these tasks received little attention. This review summarizes available experimental data and theoretical work concerning cellular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in the medial region of rodent PFC and the link between plasticity, memory and behavior in PFC-dependent tasks. A special attention is devoted to unique properties of dopaminergic modulation of prefrontal synaptic plasticity and its contribution to executive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Sheynikhovich
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France,*Correspondence: Denis Sheynikhovich ✉
| | - Satoru Otani
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Jing Bai
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, INSERM U1266, Paris, France
| | - Angelo Arleo
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
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Gore-Langton JK, Varlinskaya EI, Werner DF. Ethanol-induced conditioned taste aversion and associated neural activation in male rats: Impact of age and adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0279507. [PMID: 36548243 PMCID: PMC9778589 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals that initiate alcohol use at younger ages and binge drink during adolescence are more susceptible to developing alcohol use disorder. Adolescents are relatively insensitive to the aversive effects of alcohol and tend to consume significantly more alcohol per occasion than adults, an effect that is conserved in rodent models. Adolescent typical insensitivity to the aversive effects of alcohol may promote greater alcohol intake by attenuating internal cues that curb its consumption. Attenuated sensitivity to the aversive effects of alcohol is also retained into adulthood following protracted abstinence from adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure. Despite these effects, much remains unknown regarding the neural contributors. In the present study, we used a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) paradigm to investigate neuronal activation in late-developing forebrain structures of male adolescents and adult cFos-LacZ transgenic rats as well as in AIE adults following consumption of 0.9% sodium chloride previously paired with an intraperitoneal injection of 0, 1.5 or 2.5 g/kg of ethanol. Adults that were non-manipulated or received water exposure during adolescence showed CTA to both ethanol doses, whereas adolescents displayed CTA only to the 2.5 g/kg ethanol dose. Adults who experienced AIE did not show CTA. Adults displayed increased neuronal activation indexed via number of β-galactosidase positive (β-gal+) cells in the prefrontal and insular cortex that was absent in adolescents, whereas adolescents but not adults had a reduced number of β-gal+ cells in the central amygdala. Adults also displayed greater cortical-insular functional connectivity than adolescents as well as insular-amygdalar and prefrontal cortex-accumbens core functional connectivity. Like adolescents, adults previously exposed to AIE displayed reduced prefrontal-insular cortex and prefrontal-accumbal core functional connectivity. Taken together, these results suggest that attenuated sensitivity to the aversive effects of ethanol is related to a loss of an insular-prefrontal cortex-accumbens core circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan K. Gore-Langton
- Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
| | - Elena I. Varlinskaya
- Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
| | - David F. Werner
- Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Ho AMC, Peyton MP, Scaletty SJ, Trapp S, Schreiber A, Madden BJ, Choi DS, Matthews DB. Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Exposure Alters Behavioral Flexibility in Aged Rats Compared to Adult Rats and Modifies Protein and Protein Pathways Related to Alzheimer's Disease. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:46260-46276. [PMID: 36570296 PMCID: PMC9774340 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c04528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Repeated excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing cognitive decline and dementia. Hazardous drinking among older adults further increases such vulnerabilities. To investigate whether alcohol induces cognitive deficits in older adults, we performed a chronic intermittent ethanol exposure paradigm (ethanol or water gavage every other day 10 times) in 8-week-old young adult and 70-week-old aged rats. While spatial memory retrieval ascertained by probe trials in the Morris water maze was not significantly different between ethanol-treated and water-treated rats in both age groups after the fifth and tenth gavages, behavioral flexibility was impaired in ethanol-treated rats compared to water-treated rats in the aged group but not in the young adult group. We then examined ethanol-treatment-associated hippocampal proteomic and phosphoproteomic differences distinct in the aged rats. We identified several ethanol-treatment-related proteins, including the upregulations of the Prkcd protein level, several of its phosphosites, and its kinase activity and downregulation in the Camk2a protein level. Our bioinformatic analysis revealed notable changes in pathways involved in neurotransmission regulation, synaptic plasticity, neuronal apoptosis, and insulin receptor signaling. In conclusion, our behavioral and proteomic results identified several candidate proteins and pathways potentially associated with alcohol-induced cognitive decline in aged adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ada Man-Choi Ho
- Department
of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota55905, United States
| | - Mina P. Peyton
- Bioinformatics
and Computational Biology Program, University
of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota55455, United States
| | - Samantha J. Scaletty
- Department
of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota55905, United States
| | - Sarah Trapp
- Department
of Psychology, University of Wisconsin—Eau
Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin54701, United States
| | - Areonna Schreiber
- Department
of Psychology, University of Wisconsin—Eau
Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin54701, United States
| | - Benjamin J. Madden
- Mayo
Clinic Proteomics Core, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota55905, United States
| | - Doo-Sup Choi
- Department
of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota55905, United States
- Department
of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota55905, United States
| | - Douglas B. Matthews
- Department
of Psychology, University of Wisconsin—Eau
Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin54701, United States
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Obray JD, Landin JD, Vaughan DT, Scofield MD, Chandler LJ. Adolescent alcohol exposure reduces dopamine 1 receptor modulation of prelimbic neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens and basolateral amygdala. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 4:100044. [PMID: 36643604 PMCID: PMC9836047 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2022.100044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Binge drinking during adolescence is highly prevalent despite increasing evidence of its long-term impact on behaviors associated with modulation of behavioral flexibility by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). In the present study, male and female rats underwent adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure by vapor inhalation. After aging to adulthood, retrograde bead labelling and viral tagging were used to identify populations of neurons in the prelimbic region (PrL) of the mPFC that project to specific subcortical targets. Electrophysiological recording from bead-labelled neurons in PrL slices revealed that AIE did not alter the intrinsic excitability of PrL neurons that projected to either the NAc or the BLA. Similarly, recordings of spontaneous inhibitory and excitatory post-synaptic currents revealed no AIE-induced changes in synaptic drive onto either population of projection neurons. In contrast, AIE exposure was associated with a loss of dopamine receptor 1 (D1), but no change in dopamine receptor 2 (D2), modulation of evoked firing of both populations of projection neurons. Lastly, confocal imaging of proximal and apical dendritic tufts of viral-labelled PrL neurons that projected to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) revealed AIE did not alter the density of dendritic spines. Together, these observations provide evidence that AIE exposure results in disruption of D1 receptor modulation of PrL inputs to at least two major subcortical target regions that have been implicated in AIE-induced long-term changes in behavioral control.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Daniel Obray
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA
| | - Justine D. Landin
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA
| | - Dylan T. Vaughan
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA
| | - Michael D. Scofield
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA,Department of Anesthesiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston SC, USA
| | - L. Judson Chandler
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 30 Courtenay Drive, Charleston SC 29425, USA,Corresponding author. (L.J. Chandler)
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Alcohol Withdrawal and the Associated Mood Disorders-A Review. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232314912. [PMID: 36499240 PMCID: PMC9738481 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232314912] [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: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Recreational use of alcohol is a social norm in many communities worldwide. Alcohol use in moderation brings pleasure and may protect the cardiovascular system. However, excessive alcohol consumption or alcohol abuse are detrimental to one's health. Three million deaths due to excessive alcohol consumption were reported by the World Health Organization. Emerging evidence also revealed the danger of moderate consumption, which includes the increased risk to cancer. Alcohol abuse and periods of withdrawal have been linked to depression and anxiety. Here, we present the effects of alcohol consumption (acute and chronic) on important brain structures-the frontal lobe, the temporal lobe, the limbic system, and the cerebellum. Apart from this, we also present the link between alcohol abuse and withdrawal and mood disorders in this review, thus drawing a link to oxidative stress. In addition, we also discuss the positive impacts of some pharmacotherapies used. Due to the ever-rising demands of life, the cycle between alcohol abuse, withdrawal, and mood disorders may be a never-ending cycle of destruction. Hence, through this review, we hope that we can emphasise the importance and urgency of managing this issue with the appropriate approaches.
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Risbud R, Breit KR, Thomas JD. Early developmental alcohol exposure alters behavioral outcomes following adolescent re-exposure in a rat model. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2022; 46:1993-2009. [PMID: 36117379 PMCID: PMC9722643 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14950] [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: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal alcohol exposure alters brain development, affecting cognitive, motor, and emotional domains, and potentially leading to greater alcohol intake during adolescence. The present study investigated whether early alcohol exposure modifies vulnerability to behavioral alterations associated with adolescent alcohol exposure in a rodent model. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats received ethanol or sham intubations during two developmental periods: (1) the third trimester equivalent of brain development in humans (postnatal days [PD] 4-9) and (2) adolescence (PD 28-42). Both exposures resulted in blood alcohol concentrations around 200 mg/dl. Subjects were tested in the open field (PD 45-48) and on hippocampal and prefrontal cortical (PFC) dependent tasks: the Morris water maze (PD 52-58) and trace fear conditioning (PD 63-64). RESULTS Neonatal alcohol exposure reduced forebrain and cerebellar weight, increased open-field activity, and slowed acquisition of trace fear conditioning. Adolescent alcohol exposure did not disrupt learning or significantly induce gross brain pathology, suggesting that 200 mg/dl/day of ethanol disrupts cognitive development during the 3rd trimester equivalent, but not during adolescence. Interestingly, females exposed to alcohol only during adolescence exhibited an increased conditioned fear response and more rapid habituation of locomotor activity in the open field, suggesting alterations in emotional responding. Moreover, subjects exposed to a combination of neonatal and adolescent alcohol exposure spent significantly more time in the center of the open field chamber than other groups. Similarly, males exposed to the combination exhibited less thigmotaxis in the Morris water maze. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that combined exposure to alcohol during these two critical periods reduces anxiety-related behaviors and/or increases risk taking in a sex-dependent manner, suggesting that prenatal alcohol exposure may affect risk for emotional consequences of adolescent alcohol exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- R.D. Risbud
- Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University
| | - K. R. Breit
- Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University
| | - J. D. Thomas
- Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University
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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.
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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.
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Walker CD, Sexton HG, Hyde J, Greene B, Risher ML. Diverging Effects of Adolescent Ethanol Exposure on Tripartite Synaptic Development across Prefrontal Cortex Subregions. Cells 2022; 11:3111. [PMID: 36231073 PMCID: PMC9561972 DOI: 10.3390/cells11193111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a developmental period that encompasses, but is not limited to, puberty and continues into early adulthood. During this period, maturation and refinement are observed across brain regions such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which is critical for cognitive function. Adolescence is also a time when excessive alcohol consumption in the form of binge drinking peaks, increasing the risk of long-term cognitive deficits and the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder later in life. Animal models have revealed that adolescent ethanol (EtOH) exposure results in protracted disruption of neuronal function and performance on PFC-dependent tasks that require higher-order decision-making. However, the role of astrocytes in EtOH-induced disruption of prefrontal cortex-dependent function has yet to be elucidated. Astrocytes have complex morphologies with an extensive network of peripheral astrocyte processes (PAPs) that ensheathe pre- and postsynaptic terminals to form the 'tripartite synapse.' At the tripartite synapse, astrocytes play several critical roles, including synaptic maintenance, dendritic spine maturation, and neurotransmitter clearance through proximity-dependent interactions. Here, we investigate the effects of adolescent binge EtOH exposure on astrocyte morphology, PAP-synaptic proximity, synaptic stabilization proteins, and dendritic spine morphology in subregions of the PFC that are important in the emergence of higher cognitive function. We found that adolescent binge EtOH exposure resulted in subregion specific changes in astrocyte morphology and astrocyte-neuronal interactions. While this did not correspond to a loss of astrocytes, synapses, or dendritic spines, there was a corresponding region-specific and EtOH-dependent shift in dendritic spine phenotype. Lastly, we found that changes in astrocyte-neuronal interactions were not a consequence of changes in the expression of key synaptic structural proteins neurexin, neuroligin 1, or neuroligin 3. These data demonstrate that adolescent EtOH exposure results in enduring effects on neuron-glia interactions that persist into adulthood in a subregion-specific PFC manner, suggesting selective vulnerability. Further work is necessary to understand the functional and behavioral implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Douglas Walker
- Department of Biomedical Research, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701, USA
- Neurobiology Research Laboratory, Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Huntington, WV 25704, USA
| | - Hannah Gray Sexton
- Department of Biomedical Research, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701, USA
- Neurobiology Research Laboratory, Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Huntington, WV 25704, USA
| | - Jentre Hyde
- Department of Biomedical Research, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701, USA
| | - Brittani Greene
- Department of Biomedical Research, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701, USA
| | - Mary-Louise Risher
- Department of Biomedical Research, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701, USA
- Neurobiology Research Laboratory, Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Huntington, WV 25704, USA
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Maternal immune activation and adolescent alcohol exposure increase alcohol drinking and disrupt cortical-striatal-hippocampal oscillations in adult offspring. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:288. [PMID: 35859084 PMCID: PMC9300672 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02065-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal immune activation (MIA) is strongly associated with an increased risk of developing mental illness in adulthood, which often co-occurs with alcohol misuse. The current study aimed to begin to determine whether MIA, combined with adolescent alcohol exposure (AE), could be used as a model with which we could study the neurobiological mechanisms behind such co-occurring disorders. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with polyI:C or saline on gestational day 15. Half of the offspring were given continuous access to alcohol during adolescence, leading to four experimental groups: controls, MIA, AE, and Dual (MIA + AE). We then evaluated whether MIA and/or AE alter: (1) alcohol consumption; (2) locomotor behavior; and (3) cortical-striatal-hippocampal local field potentials (LFPs) in adult offspring. Dual rats, particularly females, drank significantly more alcohol in adulthood compared to all other groups. MIA led to reduced locomotor behavior in males only. Using machine learning to build predictive models from LFPs, we were able to differentiate Dual rats from control rats and AE rats in both sexes, and Dual rats from MIA rats in females. These data suggest that Dual "hits" (MIA + AE) increases substance use behavior and disrupts activity in reward-related circuits, and that this may be a valuable heuristic model we can use to study the neurobiological underpinnings of co-occurring disorders. Our future work aims to extend these findings to other addictive substances to enhance the translational relevance of this model, as well as determine whether amelioration of these circuit disruptions can reduce substance use behavior.
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Chiu H, Vargo EJ. Bullying and other risk factors related to adolescent suicidal behaviours in the Philippines: a look into the 2011 GSHS Survey. BMC Psychiatry 2022; 22:445. [PMID: 35787791 PMCID: PMC9251019 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-022-04085-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUNDS The present study retrospectively examined gender differences in bullying and suicidal behaviour (ideation, plan, and attempts) as well as associations between selected risk factors and suicidal behaviour among secondary school Filipino students. METHODS The study used a secondary data set from the GSHS developed by the World Health Organization, which was conducted in the Philippines in 2011. Participants included 5290 Filipino students (male N = 2279, female N = 2986). A two-tailed Chi-square of independence was used to test for gender differences and a multivariate logistic regression model explored statistical associations between risk factors and outcome variables. RESULTS Chi-square results suggested that gender differences were statistically significant for being bullied χ2 (1, N = 2384) = 10.6, p = .001, experiencing suicidal ideation χ2 (1, N = 857) = 61.7, p = .000, making suicide plans χ2 (1, N = 590) = 10.2, p = .001, and suicide attempts χ2 (1, N = 674) = 8.4, p = .004, with females showing higher vulnerability to examined risk factors. The logistic regression model also suggested that adolescents claiming to have no close friends were three to four times more likely to attempt suicide. Other strong predictors of suicidal behaviours were loneliness and getting in trouble due to alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS Bullying is an independent yet, not the strongest predictor associated with adolescents' suicidal behaviour in the present study. The strongest predictors of Filipino adolescents' suicidal behaviours in the 2011 cohort included having no close friends, loneliness, anxiety and getting in trouble due to alcohol use among both genders. Peer and mental health support programmes need to be made available and accessible for adolescents in the Philippines. Considering the increase in suicide rates in 2020/2021 among Filipino young adults due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it is suggested that preventing suicidal vulnerability in adolescence can hinder this occurrence later on in the lifetime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsuan Chiu
- grid.7728.a0000 0001 0724 6933College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University London,, Uxbridge, UK
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40
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Rodberg EM, Vazey EM. Individual differences in behavioral flexibility predict future volitional ethanol consumption in mice. Alcohol 2022; 101:37-43. [PMID: 35395359 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2022.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive control is key to regulating alcohol intake and preventing relapse. Behavioral inflexibility can prevent adaptive strategies such as mindfulness or other relapse-prevention behaviors. In a mouse model we investigated whether individual variability in behavioral flexibility (using attentional set-shifting task; ASST) predicts future alcohol intake. Adult male and female C57BL/6J mice were subjected to ASST using a bowl-digging paradigm where mice identify a baited bowl based on compound odor and textural cues. This was completed prior to any alcohol exposure. Individual performance across mice varied within the group. We integrated several metrics, specifically ASST stage completed, trials to completion, and errors performed to produce an individual performance index measure of behavioral flexibility. Afterward, ASST mice were trained to drink ethanol (15%, v/v, 1 h/day) for 3-4 weeks until intake stabilized. Using this prospective approach, we identified an inverse relationship between behavioral flexibility and drinking-less-flexible mice had a propensity to consume more alcohol. Similar relationships have been identified previously in non-human primates and rats. Our results show that the relationship between alcohol and behavioral flexibility is a robust trait that is conserved across species and can be used in mice to study neural substrates underlying these behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen M Rodberg
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program and Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 611 North Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01003, United States
| | - Elena M Vazey
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program and Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 611 North Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01003, United States.
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41
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Towner TT, Papastrat KM, Spear LP, Varlinskaya EI, Werner DF. Impact of adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure in male and female rats on social drinking and neuropeptide gene expression. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2022; 46:979-993. [PMID: 35470441 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14847] [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: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol use during adolescence can alter maturational changes that occur in brain regions associated with social and emotional responding. Our previous studies have shown that adult male, but not female rats demonstrate social anxiety-like alterations and enhanced sensitivity to ethanol-induced social facilitation following adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure (AIE). These consequences of AIE may influence adult social drinking in a sex-specific manner. METHODS To test the effects of AIE on social drinking, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to water or ethanol (0 or 4 g/kg, intragastrically, every other day, between postnatal day [P] 25 and 45) were tested as adults (P72-83) in a social drinking paradigm (30-minute access to a 10% ethanol solution in supersac or supersac alone in groups of three same-sex littermates across two 4-day cycles separated by 4 days off). Social behavior was assessed during the last drinking session, along with assessment of oxytocin (OXT), oxytocin receptor (OXTR), vasopressin (AVP), and vasopressin receptors 1a and 1b (AVPR1a, AVPR1b) in the hypothalamus and lateral septum. RESULTS Males exposed to AIE consumed more ethanol than water-exposed controls during the second drinking cycle, whereas AIE did not affect supersac intake in males. AIE-exposed females consumed less ethanol and more supersac than water-exposed controls. Water-exposed females drinking ethanol showed more social investigation and significantly higher hypothalamic OXTR, AVP, and AVPR1b gene expression than their counterparts ingesting supersac and AIE females drinking ethanol. In males, hypothalamic AVPR1b gene expression was affected by drinking solution, with significantly higher expression evident in males drinking ethanol than those consuming supersac. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these findings provide new evidence regarding sex-specific effects of AIE on social drinking and suggest that the hypothalamic OXT and AVP systems are implicated in the effects of ingested ethanol on social behavior in a sex- and adolescent-exposure-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor T Towner
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, USA
| | - Kimberly M Papastrat
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, USA
| | - Linda P Spear
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, USA
| | - Elena I Varlinskaya
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, USA
| | - David F Werner
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, USA
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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] [Key Words] [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.
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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
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Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Administration during Adolescence Produces Sex Dependent Impairments in Behavioral Flexibility and Survivability. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12050606. [PMID: 35624993 PMCID: PMC9139058 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12050606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic intermittent ethanol exposure during adolescence produces behavioral impairments and neurobiological changes that can last into young adulthood. One such behavioral impairment is reduced behavioral flexibility, a behavioral impairment that has been correlated with the risk for increased ethanol intake. In the current study, we investigated if chronic intermittent ethanol exposure during adolescence alters cognition, including behavioral flexibility, over a 22-month testing period. Female and male rats were treated with either 3.0 g/kg or 5.0 g/kg ethanol via gavage in a chronic intermittent fashion during adolescence and then tested every 4 to 5 months on a series of cognitive measures in the Morris water maze. Chronic intermittent ethanol selectively impaired behavioral flexibility in both female and male rats, although the pattern of results was different as a function of sex. In addition, female, but not male, rats were impaired in a short-term relearning test. Finally, male rats administered ethanol during adolescence were significantly more likely to not survive the 22-month experiment compared to female rats administered ethanol during adolescence. The current results demonstrate that adolescence is a unique period of development where chronic intermittent ethanol exposure produces long-lasting, selective cognitive impairments across the lifespan.
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Inactivation of the cholinergic M4 receptor results in a disinhibited endophenotype predicting alcohol use. Behav Brain Res 2022; 430:113921. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Dannenhoffer CA, Gómez-A A, Macht VA, Jawad R, Sutherland EB, Vetreno RP, Crews FT, Boettiger CA, Robinson DL. Impact of adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure on interneurons and their surrounding perineuronal nets in adulthood. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2022; 46:759-769. [PMID: 35307830 PMCID: PMC9117471 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Binge alcohol exposure during adolescence results in long-lasting alterations in the brain and behavior. For example, adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure in rodents results in long-term loss of functional connectivity among prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatal regions as well as a variety of neurochemical, molecular, and epigenetic alterations. Interneurons in the PFC and striatum play critical roles in behavioral flexibility and functional connectivity. For example, parvalbumin (PV) interneurons are known to contribute to neural synchrony and cholinergic interneurons contribute to strategy selection. Furthermore, extracellular perineuronal nets (PNNs) that surround some interneurons, particularly PV+ interneurons, further regulate cellular plasticity. The effect of AIE exposure on the expression of these markers within the PFC is not well understood. METHODS The present study tested the hypothesis that AIE exposure reduces the expression of PV+ and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)+ interneurons in the adult PFC and striatum and increases the related expression of PNNs (marked by binding of Wisteria floribunda agglutinin lectin) in adulthood. Male rats were exposed to AIE (5 g/kg/day, 2-days-on/2-days-off, i.e., P25 to P54) or water (CON), and brain tissue was harvested in adulthood (>P80). Immunohistochemistry and co-immunofluorescence were used to assess the expression of ChAT, PV, and PNNs within the adult PFC and striatum following AIE exposure. RESULTS ChAT and PV interneuron densities in the striatum and PFC were unchanged after AIE exposure. However, PNN density in the PFC of AIE-exposed rats was greater than in CON rats. Moreover, significantly more PV neurons were surrounded by PNNs in AIE-exposed subjects than controls in both PFC subregions assessed: orbitofrontal cortex (CON = 34%; AIE = 40%) and medial PFC (CON = 10%; AIE = 14%). CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that, following AIE exposure, PV interneuron expression in the adult PFC and striatum is unaltered, while PNNs surrounding these neurons are increased. This increase in PNNs may restrict the plasticity of the ensheathed neurons, thereby contributing to impaired microcircuitry in frontostriatal connectivity and related behavioral impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol A. Dannenhoffer
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Alexander Gómez-A
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Victoria A. Macht
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Rayyanoor Jawad
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - E. Blake Sutherland
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Ryan P. Vetreno
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Fulton T. Crews
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Charlotte A. Boettiger
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Donita L. Robinson
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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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.
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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
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Towner TT, Applegate DT, Varlinskaya EI, Werner DF. Impact of Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol Exposure on Social Investigation, Social Preference, and Neuronal Activation in cFos-LacZ Male and Female Rats. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:841657. [PMID: 35401161 PMCID: PMC8984146 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.841657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a sensitive developmental period during which alcohol use is often initiated and consumed in high quantities, often at binge or even high-intensity drinking levels. Our lab has repeatedly found that adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure in rats results in long-lasting social impairments, specifically in males, however our knowledge of the neuronal underpinnings to this sex-specific effect of AIE is limited. The present study was designed to test whether social anxiety-like alterations in AIE-exposed males would be accompanied by alterations of neuronal activation across brain regions associated with social behavior, with AIE females demonstrating no social impairments and alterations in neuronal activation. Adolescent male and female cFos-LacZ transgenic rats on a Sprague-Dawley background were exposed to ethanol (4 g/kg, 25% v/v) or water via intragastric gavage every other day during postnatal days (P) 25–45 for a total of 11 exposures (n = 13 per group). Social behavior of adult rats was assessed on P70 using a modified social interaction test, and neuronal activation in brain regions implicated in social responding was assessed via β-galactosidase (β-gal) expression. We found that AIE exposure in males resulted in a significantly lower social preference coefficient relative to water-exposed controls, with no effect evident in females. Exposure-specific relationships between social behavior and neuronal activation were identified, with AIE eliminating correlations found in water controls related to social interaction, and eliciting negative correlations mainly in limbic regions in a sex-specific manner. AIE exposure in the absence of social testing was also found to differentially affect neural activity in the orbitofrontal cortex and central amygdala in males and females. These data suggest that AIE produces sex-specific social impairments that are potentially driven by differential neuronal activation states in regions important for social behavior, including the medial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices, nucleus accumbens, lateral septum, and central amygdala. Future studies should be focused on identification of specific neuronal phenotypes activated by interaction with a social partner in AIE-exposed subjects and their control counterparts.
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Schuh KM, Sneddon EA, Nader AM, Muench MA, Radke AK. Orbitofrontal cortex subregion inhibition during binge-like and aversion-resistant alcohol drinking. Alcohol 2022; 99:1-8. [PMID: 34863917 PMCID: PMC8844094 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2021.11.004] [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: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Two important contributors to alcohol-related problems and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are binge- and compulsive-like drinking. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), a brain region implicated in outcome valuation and behavioral flexibility, is functionally altered by alcohol exposure. Data from animal models also suggest that both the medial (mOFC) and lateral (lOFC) subregions of the OFC regulate alcohol-related behaviors. The current study was designed to examine the contributions of mOFC and lOFC using a model of binge-like and aversion-resistant ethanol drinking in C57BL/6J male and female mice. The inhibitory Designer Receptor Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADD) hM4Di were used to inhibit neurons in either the mOFC or the lOFC in mice drinking 15% ethanol in a two-bottle, limited-access, modified drinking in the dark paradigm. The effects of chemogenetic inhibition on consumption of quinine-adulterated ethanol, water, and water + quinine were also assessed. Inhibiting the mOFC did not alter consumption of ethanol or aversion-resistant drinking of ethanol + quinine. In contrast, inhibition of neurons in the lOFC increased consumption, but not preference, of ethanol alone. mOFC and lOFC inhibition did not alter water or quinine-adulterated water intake, indicating the effects shown here are specific to ethanol drinking. These data support the role of the lOFC in regulating alcohol consumption but fail to find a similar role for mOFC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Anna K. Radke
- Correspondence to: Anna K. Radke, Ph.D., 90 N. Patterson Ave., Oxford, OH, USA 45056, , Phone: 513-529-6941, Fax: 513-529-2420
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Deehan GA. The enduring behavioral and neurobiological effects of a flavor cue paired with alcohol drinking during adolescence on the incentive properties of the flavor cue in adulthood in female alcohol-preferring (P) rats. Drug Alcohol Depend 2022; 232:109289. [PMID: 35051698 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) affect 15 million people nationwide, 4% of which are adolescents (ages 12-17) and adolescents who binge drink significantly increase their likelihood of suffering from an AUD in adulthood. Research shows that cues (i.e. flavors) paired with alcohol (EtOH) produce significant cue-induced alcohol craving and contribute to relapse in adolescent and adult populations. However, there is a lack of research focused on how cues that accompany EtOH drinking during adolescence, affect EtOH craving later in life. The current study sought to examine the sex- and developmental-dependent effects of adolescent exposure to flavor cues associated with EtOH on operant-lick behavior and cue-induced dopamine (DA) levels within the nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh; reward structure) in adulthood. METHODS Adolescent alcohol-preferring (P) rats were randomly assigned to one of 4 groups and received 24 hr. access to three bottles on their home cage: Paired: 0.1% blueberry flavor extract (BB) + 15% v/v EtOH and 2 water bottles; Unpaired: 0.1% BB, 15% v/v EtOH, and water; 15% EtOH alone, and 2 water bottles; BB alone and 2 water bottles. Home cage fluid consumption was measured for 2-weeks. On the third week bottles were removed and all animals underwent 9 days of operant training using an operant sipper paradigm. This consisted of two sipper spouts connected to the computer by a lickometer, which registered tongue contacts with the sipper tube (Paired: BB+EtOH or water; Unpaired BB or EtOH; EtOH alone: EtOH or water; BB alone: BB or water). When the fixed ratio (FR) requirement for number of licks/tongue contacts was met, a liquid delivery solenoid dispensed 0.05 ml of fluid into the sipper tube. Following the final operant session all rats remained in their home-cage for approximately 40 days until adulthood at which point they were returned to the operant chambers and tested for appetitive and consummatory behavior in response to the flavor cue (all rats: BB or water; NO EtOH). Two weeks after the final operant session all rats underwent microdialysis testing to examine cue-induced DA levels in the AcbSh. RESULTS Data indicated that animals in the paired group exhibited a significantly greater level of licking at the BB sipper and a significantly greater level of DA release in response to the flavor cue compared to the other groups. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the data suggest that cues paired with EtOH during adolescence may produce persistent changes to the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms that contribute to an increased risk of developing an AUD later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald A Deehan
- Department of Psychology, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, USA.
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Chandler LJ, Vaughan DT, Gass JT. Adolescent Alcohol Exposure Results in Sex-specific Alterations in Conditioned Fear Learning and Memory in Adulthood. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:837657. [PMID: 35211024 PMCID: PMC8861326 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.837657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study used auditory fear conditioning to assess the impact of repeated binge-like episodes of alcohol exposure during adolescence on conditioned fear in adulthood. Male and female Long-Evans rats were subjected to adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure by vapor inhalation between post-natal day 28 and 44. After aging into adulthood, rats then underwent fear conditioning by exposure to a series of tone-shock pairings. This was followed by cued-tone extinction training, and then testing of fear recovery. In male rats, AIE exposure enhanced conditioned freezing but did not alter the time-course of extinction of cued-tone freezing. During subsequent assessment of fear recovery, AIE exposed rats exhibited less freezing during contextual fear renewal, but greater freezing during extinction recall and spontaneous recovery. Compared to males, female rats exhibited significantly lower levels of freezing during fear conditioning, more rapid extinction of freezing behavior, and significantly lower levels of freezing during the tests of fear recovery. Unlike males that were all classified as high conditioners; female rats could be parsed into either a high or low conditioning group. However, irrespective of their level of conditioned freezing, both the high and low conditioning groups of female rats exhibited rapid extinction of conditioned freezing behavior and comparatively low levels of freezing in tests of fear recovery. Regardless of group classification, AIE had no effect on freezing behavior in female rats during acquisition, extinction, or fear recovery. Lastly, exposure of male rats to the mGlu5 positive allosteric modulator CDPPB prevented AIE-induced alterations in freezing. Taken together, these observations demonstrate sex-specific changes in conditioned fear behaviors that are reversible by pharmacological interventions that target mGlu5 receptor activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Judson Chandler
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Dylan T Vaughan
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Justin T Gass
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, United States
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