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DiLeo A, Antonodiou P, Blandino K, Conlin E, Melón L, Maguire JL. Network States in the Basolateral Amygdala Predicts Voluntary Alcohol Consumption. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.06.21.545962. [PMID: 38464012 PMCID: PMC10925084 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.21.545962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Although most adults in the United States will drink alcohol in their life, only about 6% will go on to develop an alcohol use disorder (AUD). While a great deal of work has furthered our understanding of the cycle of addiction, it remains unclear why certain people transition to disordered drinking. Altered activity in regions implicated in AUDs, like the basolateral amygdala (BLA), has been suggested to play a role in the pathophysiology of AUDs, but how these networks contribute to alcohol misuse remains unclear. Our recent work demonstrated that alcohol can modulate BLA network states and that GABAergic parvalbumin (PV) interneurons are crucial modulators of network activity in the BLA. Further, our lab has demonstrated that δ subunit-containing GABA A receptors, which are modulated by alcohol, are highly expressed on PV interneurons in the BLA. These receptors on PV interneurons have also been shown to influence alcohol intake in a voluntary binge drinking paradigm and anxiety-like behavior in withdrawal. Therefore, we hypothesized that alcohol may impact BLA network states via δ subunit-containing GABA A receptors on PV interneurons to impact the extent of alcohol use. To test this hypothesis, we measured the impact of acute alcohol exposure on oscillatory states in the basolateral amygdala and then assessed the relationship to the extent of voluntary ethanol consumption in the Intermittent Access, Drinking-in-the-Dark-Multiple Scheduled Access, and Chronic Intermittent Ethanol exposure paradigms. Remarkably, we demonstrate that the average alcohol intake negatively correlates with δ subunit-containing GABA A receptor expression on PV interneurons and gamma power in the BLA after the first exposure to alcohol. These data implicate δ subunit-containing GABA A receptor expression on PV interneurons in the BLA in voluntary alcohol intake and suggest that BLA network states may serve as a useful biomarker for those at risk for alcohol misuse. Significance Statement Oscillatory states in the BLA have been demonstrated to drive behavioral states involved in emotional processing, including negative valence processing. Given that negative emotional states/hyperkatifeia contribute to the cycle of AUDs, our previous work demonstrating the ability of alcohol to modulate BLA network states and thereby behavioral states suggests that this mechanism may influence alcohol intake. Here we demonstrate a relationship between the ability of alcohol to modulate oscillations in the BLA and future alcohol intake such that the extent to which alcohol influences BLA network states predict the extent of future voluntary alcohol intake. These findings suggest that individual variability in the sensitivity of the BLA network to alcohol influences voluntary alcohol consumption.
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Xie L, Rungratanawanich W, Yang Q, Tong G, Fu E, Lu S, Liu Y, Akbar M, Song BJ, Wang X. Therapeutic strategies of small molecules in the microbiota-gut-brain axis for alcohol use disorder. Drug Discov Today 2023; 28:103552. [PMID: 36907319 PMCID: PMC10298843 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103552] [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: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
The microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA) is important in maintaining the structure and function of the central nervous system (CNS) and is regulated by the CNS environment and signals from the peripheral tissues. However, the mechanism and function of the MGBA in alcohol use disorder (AUD) are still not completely understood. In this review, we investigate the underlying mechanisms involved in the onset of AUD and/or associated neuronal deficits and create a foundation for better treatment (and prevention) strategies. We summarize recent reports focusing on the alteration of the MGBA in AUD. Importantly, we highlight the properties of small-molecule short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), neurotransmitters, hormones, and peptides in the MGBA and discusses their usage as therapeutic agents against AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lushuang Xie
- Departments of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan 610075, China
| | - Wiramon Rungratanawanich
- Section of Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20892, USA
| | - Qiang Yang
- Hubei Provincial Key Lab for Quality and Safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Food, Jing Brand Research Institute, Daye, Hubei 435100, China
| | - Guoqiang Tong
- Hubei Provincial Key Lab for Quality and Safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Food, Jing Brand Research Institute, Daye, Hubei 435100, China
| | - Eric Fu
- Departments of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Shiguang Lu
- Hubei Provincial Key Lab for Quality and Safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Food, Jing Brand Research Institute, Daye, Hubei 435100, China
| | - Yuancai Liu
- Hubei Provincial Key Lab for Quality and Safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Food, Jing Brand Research Institute, Daye, Hubei 435100, China
| | - Mohammed Akbar
- Division of Neuroscience & Behavior, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20892, USA
| | - Byoung-Joon Song
- Section of Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Xin Wang
- Departments of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Fish KN, Joffe ME. Targeting prefrontal cortex GABAergic microcircuits for the treatment of alcohol use disorder. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2022; 14:936911. [PMID: 36105666 PMCID: PMC9465392 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2022.936911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Developing novel treatments for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) is of paramount importance for improving patient outcomes and alleviating the suffering related to the disease. A better understanding of the molecular and neurocircuit mechanisms through which alcohol alters brain function will be instrumental in the rational development of new efficacious treatments. Clinical studies have consistently associated the prefrontal cortex (PFC) function with symptoms of AUDs. Population-level analyses have linked the PFC structure and function with heavy drinking and/or AUD diagnosis. Thus, targeting specific PFC cell types and neural circuits holds promise for the development of new treatments. Here, we overview the tremendous diversity in the form and function of inhibitory neuron subtypes within PFC and describe their therapeutic potential. We then summarize AUD population genetics studies, clinical neurophysiology findings, and translational neuroscience discoveries. This study collectively suggests that changes in fast transmission through PFC inhibitory microcircuits are a central component of the neurobiological effects of ethanol and the core symptoms of AUDs. Finally, we submit that there is a significant and timely need to examine sex as a biological variable and human postmortem brain tissue to maximize the efforts in translating findings to new clinical treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Max E. Joffe
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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DiLeo A, Antonoudiou P, Ha S, Maguire JL. Sex Differences in the Alcohol-Mediated Modulation of BLA Network States. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0010-22.2022. [PMID: 35788104 PMCID: PMC9275151 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0010-22.2022] [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: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use, reported by 85% of adults in the United States, is highly comorbid with mood disorders, like generalized anxiety disorder and major depression. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is an area of the brain that is heavily implicated in both mood disorders and alcohol use disorder. Importantly, the modulation of BLA network/oscillatory states via parvalbumin (PV)-positive GABAergic interneurons has been shown to control the behavioral expression of fear and anxiety. Further, PV interneurons express a high density of δ subunit-containing GABAA receptors (GABAARs), which are sensitive to low concentrations of alcohol. Therefore, we hypothesized that the effects of alcohol may modulate BLA network states that have been associated with fear and anxiety behaviors via δ-GABAARs on PV interneurons in the BLA. Given the impact of ovarian hormones on the expression of δ-GABAARs, we also examined the ability of alcohol to modulate local field potentials in the BLA from male and female C57BL/6J and Gabrd-/- mice after acute and repeated exposure to alcohol. Here, we demonstrate that acute and repeated alcohol can differentially modulate oscillatory states in male and female C57BL/6J mice, a process that involves δ-GABAARs. This is the first study to demonstrate that alcohol is capable of altering network states implicated in both anxiety and alcohol use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa DiLeo
- Program in Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts 02111
| | - Pantelis Antonoudiou
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts School of Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts 02111
| | - Spencer Ha
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts School of Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts 02111
| | - Jamie L Maguire
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts School of Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts 02111
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Floris G, Asuni GP, Talani G, Biggio F, Pisu MG, Zanda MT, Contu L, Maciocco E, Serra M, Follesa P. Increased Voluntary Alcohol Consumption in Mice Lacking GABA B(1) Is Associated With Functional Changes in Hippocampal GABA A Receptors. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:893835. [PMID: 35755407 PMCID: PMC9218813 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.893835] [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: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Gamma-aminobutyric acid type B receptor (GABABR) has been extensively involved in alcohol use disorders; however, the mechanisms by which this receptor modulates alcohol drinking behavior remain murky. In this study, we investigate alcohol consumption and preference in mice lacking functional GABABR using the 2-bottle choice paradigm. We found that GABAB(1), knockout (KO), and heterozygous (HZ) mice drank higher amounts of an alcoholic solution, preferred alcohol to water, and reached higher blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) compared to wild-type (WT) littermates. The GABABR agonist GHB significantly reduced alcohol consumption in the GABAB(1) HZ and WT but not in the KO mice. Next, because of a functional crosstalk between GABABR and δ-containing GABAA receptor (δ-GABAAR), we profiled δ subunit mRNA expression levels in brain regions in which the crosstalk was characterized. We found a loss of the alcohol-sensitive GABAAR δ subunit in the hippocampus of the GABAB(1) KO alcohol-naïve mice that was associated with increased ɣ2 subunit abundance. Electrophysiological recordings revealed that these molecular changes were associated with increased phasic inhibition, suggesting a potential gain of synaptic GABAAR responsiveness to alcohol that has been previously described in an animal model of excessive alcohol drinking. Interestingly, voluntary alcohol consumption did not revert the dramatic loss of hippocampal δ-GABAAR occurring in the GABAB(1) KO mice but rather exacerbated this condition. Finally, we profiled hippocampal neuroactive steroids levels following acute alcohols administration in the GABAB(1) KO and WT mice because of previous involvement of GABABR in the regulation of cerebral levels of these compounds. We found that systemic administration of alcohol (1.5 g/kg) did not produce alcohol-induced neurosteroid response in the GABAB(1) KO mice but elicited an expected increase in the hippocampal level of progesterone and 3α,5α-THP in the WT controls. In conclusion, we show that genetic ablation of the GABAB(1) subunit results in increased alcohol consumption and preference that were associated with functional changes in hippocampal GABAAR, suggesting a potential mechanism by which preference for alcohol consumption is maintained in the GABAB(1) KO mice. In addition, we documented that GABAB(1) deficiency results in lack of alcohol-induced neurosteroids, and we discussed the potential implications of this finding in the context of alcohol drinking and dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Floris
- Department of Life and Environment Sciences, Section of Neuroscience and Anthropology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Gino Paolo Asuni
- Department of Life and Environment Sciences, Section of Neuroscience and Anthropology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Talani
- Institute of Neuroscience-Cagliari, National Research Council, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Francesca Biggio
- Department of Life and Environment Sciences, Section of Neuroscience and Anthropology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | | | - Mary Tresa Zanda
- Center for Substance Abuse Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Liliana Contu
- Department of Life and Environment Sciences, Section of Neuroscience and Anthropology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Maciocco
- Institute of Neuroscience-Cagliari, National Research Council, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Mariangela Serra
- Department of Life and Environment Sciences, Section of Neuroscience and Anthropology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Paolo Follesa
- Department of Life and Environment Sciences, Section of Neuroscience and Anthropology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
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Ferranti AS, Johnson KA, Winder DG, Conn PJ, Joffe ME. Prefrontal cortex parvalbumin interneurons exhibit decreased excitability and potentiated synaptic strength after ethanol reward learning. Alcohol 2022; 101:17-26. [PMID: 35227826 PMCID: PMC9117490 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2022.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is intimately associated with behavioral characteristics of alcohol use disorders, including high motivation to drink and difficulty with moderation. Thus, continued mechanistic research investigating PFC cells and targets altered by ethanol experiences should inform translational efforts to craft new, efficacious treatments. Inhibitory interneurons expressing parvalbumin (PV-INs) comprise only a minor fraction of cells within the PFC, yet these cells are indispensable for coordinating PFC ensemble function, oscillatory activity, and subcortical output. Based on this, PV-INs represent an exciting target for the rational design of breakthrough treatments for alcohol use disorders. Here, we assessed experience-dependent physiological adaptations via ethanol place conditioning. By manipulating the timing of administration relative to conditioning sessions, equivalent ethanol exposure can form either rewarding or aversive memories in different individuals. Here, we found that female mice and male mice on a C57BL/6J background display conditioned place preference (CPP) or aversion (CPA) to an intoxicating dose of ethanol (2 g/kg, intraperitoneal [i.p.]) without overt differences between sexes. Ethanol reward learning was associated with decreased PV-IN excitability in deep layer prelimbic PFC, whereas PV-INs from CPA mice were not different from controls. Furthermore, PV-INs from mice in the CPP group, but not the CPA group, displayed potentiated excitatory synaptic strength that emerged during 1 week of abstinence. Taken together, these findings illustrate that synaptic and intrinsic adaptations associated with ethanol can depend on an individual's experience. These studies provide further context and support for PFC PV-INs as intriguing targets for modulating alcohol associations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kari A. Johnson
- Department of Pharmacology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814
| | - Danny G. Winder
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Nashville, TN
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - P. Jeffrey Conn
- Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Nashville, TN
| | - Max E. Joffe
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
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Miczek KA, DiLeo A, Newman EL, Akdilek N, Covington HE. Neurobiological Bases of Alcohol Consumption After Social Stress. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2022; 54:245-281. [PMID: 34964935 PMCID: PMC9698769 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2021_273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The urge to seek and consume excessive alcohol is intensified by prior experiences with social stress, and this cascade can be modeled under systematically controlled laboratory conditions in rodents and non-human primates. Adaptive coping with intermittent episodes of social defeat stress often transitions to maladaptive responses to traumatic continuous stress, and alcohol consumption may become part of coping responses. At the circuit level, the neural pathways subserving stress coping intersect with those for alcohol consumption. Increasingly discrete regions and connections within the prefrontal cortex, the ventral and dorsal striatum, thalamic and hypothalamic nuclei, tegmental areas as well as brain stem structures begin to be identified as critical for reacting to and coping with social stress while seeking and consuming alcohol. Several candidate molecules that modulate signals within these neural connections have been targeted in order to reduce excessive drinking and relapse. In spite of some early clinical failures, neuropeptides such as CRF, opioids, or oxytocin continue to be examined for their role in attenuating stress-escalated drinking. Recent work has focused on neural sites of action for peptides and steroids, most likely in neuroinflammatory processes as a result of interactive effects of episodic social stress and excessive alcohol seeking and drinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaus A. Miczek
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA,Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alyssa DiLeo
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emily L. Newman
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Naz Akdilek
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
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Rangel-Barajas C, Boehm SL, Logrip ML. Altered excitatory transmission in striatal neurons after chronic ethanol consumption in selectively bred crossed high alcohol-preferring mice. Neuropharmacology 2021; 190:108564. [PMID: 33857521 PMCID: PMC8293703 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Genetic predisposition to heavy drinking is a risk factor for alcohol misuse. We used selectively bred crossed high alcohol-preferring (cHAP) mice to study sex differences in alcohol drinking and its effect on glutamatergic activity in dorsolateral (DLS) and dorsomedial (DMS) striatum. We performed whole-cell patch-clamp recording in neurons from male and female cHAP mice with 5-week alcohol drinking history and alcohol-naïve controls. In DMS, alcohol-naïve males' neurons displayed lower cell capacitance and higher membrane resistance than females' neurons, both effects reversed by drinking. Conversely, in DLS neurons, drinking history increased capacitance only in males and changed membrane resistance only in females. Altered biophysical membrane properties were accompanied by disrupted glutamatergic transmission. Drinking history increased spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic current (sEPSC) amplitude in DMS and frequency in DLS female neurons, compared to alcohol-naïve females, without effect in males. Acute ethanol differentially impacted DMS and DLS neurons by sex and drinking history. In DMS, acute alcohol significantly increased sEPSC frequency only in neurons from alcohol-naïve females, an effect that disappeared after drinking history. In DLS, acute alcohol had opposing effects in males and females based on drinking history. Estrous cycle also impacted DMS and DLS neurons differently: sEPSC amplitudes were higher in DMS cells from drinking history than alcohol-naïve females, whereas estrous cycle, not drinking history, modified DLS firing rate. Our data show sex differences in cHAP ethanol consumption and neurophysiology, suggesting differential dysregulation of glutamatergic drive onto DMS and DLS after chronic ethanol consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Rangel-Barajas
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Stephen L Boehm
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA; Indiana Alcohol Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Marian L Logrip
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA; Indiana Alcohol Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
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Joffe ME, Winder DG, Conn PJ. Contrasting sex-dependent adaptations to synaptic physiology and membrane properties of prefrontal cortex interneuron subtypes in a mouse model of binge drinking. Neuropharmacology 2020; 178:108126. [PMID: 32781000 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2020] [Revised: 04/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects all sexes, however women who develop AUD may be particularly susceptible to cravings and other components of the disease. While many brain regions are involved in AUD etiology, proper prefrontal cortex (PFC) function is particularly important for top-down craving management and the moderation of drinking behaviors. Essential regulation of PFC output is provided by local inhibitory interneurons, yet how drinking affects interneuron physiology remains poorly understood, particularly in female individuals. To address this gap, we generated fluorescent reporter transgenic mice to label the two major classes of interneuron in deep layer prelimbic PFC, based on expression of parvalbumin (PV-IN) or somatostatin (SST-IN). We then interrogated PV-IN and SST-IN membrane and synaptic physiology in a rodent model of binge drinking. Beginning in late adolescence, mice received 3-4 weeks of intermittent access (IA) ethanol. We prepared acute brain slices one day after the last drinking session. PV-INs but not SST-INs from IA ethanol mice displayed increased excitability relative to controls, regardless of sex. On the contrary, synaptic adaptations to PV-INs differed based on sex. While drinking decreased excitatory synaptic strength onto PV-INs from female mice, PV-INs from IA ethanol male mice exhibited potentiated excitatory transmission relative to controls. In contrast, decreased synaptic strength onto SST-INs was observed following IA ethanol in all groups of mice. Together, these findings illustrate novel sex differences in drinking-related PFC pathophysiology. Discovering means to restore PV-IN and SST-IN dysfunction following extended drinking provides opportunities for developing new treatments for all AUD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max E Joffe
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA; Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
| | - Danny G Winder
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA; Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - P Jeffrey Conn
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA; Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
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