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Zeng S, McLaughlin EFB, Ramesh A, Morrison SE. Propensity for risky choices despite lower cue reactivity in adolescent rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1297293. [PMID: 38053922 PMCID: PMC10694209 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1297293] [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: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a time of heightened risk-taking across species. Salient audiovisual cues associated with rewards are a common feature of gambling environments and have been connected to increased risky decision-making. We have previously shown that, in adult male rats, sign tracking - a behavioral measure of cue reactivity - predicts an individual's propensity for suboptimal risky choices in a rodent gambling task (rGT) with win-paired cues. However, adolescents perform less sign tracking than adult animals, suggesting that they are less cue-reactive than adults in some circumstances. Therefore, we investigated the performance of adolescent male rats on the rGT with win cues and examined its relationship with their sign-tracking behavior. We found that adolescents make more risky choices and fewer optimal choices on the rGT compared with adults, evidence of the validity of the rGT as a model of adolescent gambling behavior. We also confirmed that adolescents perform less sign tracking than adults, and we found that, unlike in adults, adolescents' sign tracking was unrelated to their risk-taking in the rGT. This implies that adolescent risk-taking is less likely than that of adults to be driven by reward-related cues. Finally, we found that adults trained on the rGT as adolescents retained an adolescent-like propensity toward risky choices, suggesting that early exposure to a gambling environment may have a long-lasting impact on risk-taking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Sara E. Morrison
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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2
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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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3
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Asarch AM, Kruse LC, Schindler AG, Phillips PEM, Clark JJ. Sexually dimorphic development of the mesolimbic dopamine system is associated with nuanced sensitivity to adolescent alcohol use. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1124979. [PMID: 36910128 PMCID: PMC9992416 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1124979] [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: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use remains a major public health concern and is especially prevalent during adolescence. Adolescent alcohol use has been linked to several behavioral abnormalities in later life, including increased risk taking and impulsivity. Accordingly, when modeled in animals, male rats that had moderate alcohol consumption during adolescence exhibit multiple effects in adulthood, including increased risk taking, altered incentive learning, and greater release of dopamine in the mesolimbic pathway. It has been proposed that alcohol arrests neural development, "locking in" adolescent physiological, and consequent behavioral, phenotypes. Here we examined the feasibility that the elevated dopamine levels following adolescent alcohol exposure are a "locked in" phenotype by testing mesolimbic dopamine release across adolescent development. We found that in male rats, dopamine release peaks in late adolescence, returning to lower levels in adulthood, consistent with the notion that high dopamine levels in adolescence-alcohol-exposed adults were due to arrested development. Surprisingly, dopamine release in females was stable across the tested developmental window. This result raised a quandary that arrested dopamine levels would not differ from normal development in females and, therefore, may not contribute to pathological behavior. However, the aforementioned findings related to risk-based decision-making have only been performed in male subjects. When we tested females that had undergone adolescent alcohol use, we found that neither risk attitude during probabilistic decision-making nor mesolimbic dopamine release was altered. These findings suggest that different developmental profiles of the mesolimbic dopamine system across sexes result in dimorphic susceptibility to alcohol-induced cognitive and motivational anomalies exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ari M Asarch
- Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain & Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Lauren C Kruse
- Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain & Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Abigail G Schindler
- Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain & Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Paul E M Phillips
- Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain & Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Jeremy J Clark
- Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain & Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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4
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Sasaki J, Matsubara T, Chen C, Fujii Y, Fujita Y, Nakamuta M, Nitta K, Egashira K, Hashimoto T, Nakagawa S. Prefrontal activity during the emotional go/no-go task and computational markers of risk-based decision-making predict future relapse in alcohol use disorder. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:1048152. [PMID: 36683993 PMCID: PMC9845941 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1048152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM To longitudinally examine if the results of cognitive tasks or brain function during emotional or cognitive tasks can predict relapse in alcohol use disorder. METHODS We selected 41 patients with alcohol use disorder during hospitalization. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) measured the relative change in oxygenated hemoglobin in the frontotemporal areas during an emotional go/no-go task and verbal fluency task (VFT). They performed the N-back and risk-based decision-making tasks for determining working memory or risk-based decision-making. The presence of relapse 6 months following discharge was the primary outcome. RESULTS Twenty-four patients (21 men, three women) remained abstinent, whereas 17 (14 men, three women) relapsed. Compared with the abstinent group, those with relapse displayed significantly decreased activation in the right frontotemporal region during the emotional go/no-go task, significantly shorter reaction time to non-emotional stimuli, and greater risk preference in the risk-based decision-making task. In the abstinent group, we observed a negative correlation between oxygenated hemoglobin and the craving scale. A logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the risk of relapse increased with smaller oxygenated hemoglobin in the right frontotemporal region (odds ratio = 0.161, p = 0.013) and with greater gambling thoughts (odds ratio = 7.04, p = 0.033). CONCLUSION Decreased activation in the right frontotemporal region in response to an emotional stimulus and risk preference could predict relapse in alcohol use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Sasaki
- Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Japan.,Koryo Hospital, Ube, Japan
| | - Toshio Matsubara
- Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Japan
| | - Chong Chen
- Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Japan
| | - Yuko Fujii
- Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Japan
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Shin Nakagawa
- Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Japan
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5
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Albertos A, Koning I, Benítez E, De Irala J. Adolescents' Alcohol Use: Does the Type of Leisure Activity Matter? A Cross-National Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:11477. [PMID: 34769992 PMCID: PMC8582791 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182111477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The main objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between structured, unstructured, and family leisure activities on the frequency of adolescent alcohol intake across three different countries (Spain, Peru, and The Netherlands). The self-control of adolescents was also investigated as a moderator in the relationship between leisure activities and alcohol consumption. METHODOLOGY This research involved 4608 adolescents aged between 12 and 17 from three countries (Spain, Peru, and The Netherlands). In Spain and Peru, data was collected through a self-report questionnaire which was part of the Your Life project. In The Netherlands, a self-questionnaire was used, collected by the University of Utrecht. A multiple logistic regression was performed for each country. RESULTS The results showed that participation in unstructured leisure activities increased the likelihood of drinking more frequently and more heavily in all three countries. Structured leisure activities, in general, did not have a significant predictive effect on alcohol consumption in any of the countries. Family leisure activities reduced the risk of engaging in yearly alcohol use and yearly binge drinking among adolescents, especially in The Netherlands and Spain. The protective effect of family leisure and unstructured leisure risk on yearly alcohol use applied especially to Dutch adolescents with a low level of self-control. DISCUSSION The article emphasizes the need for parents to engage in leisure activities with their child; participation in unstructured activities is not to be encouraged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aranzazu Albertos
- School of Education and Psychology, University of Navarra, 31009 Pamplona, Spain;
- Institute for Culture and Society (ICS), 31009 Pamplona, Spain;
- Navarra Institute for Health Research (IdiSNA), 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Ina Koning
- Youth Studies, Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80140, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| | - Edgar Benítez
- Institute for Culture and Society (ICS), 31009 Pamplona, Spain;
- Instituto de Ciencia de los Datos e Inteligencia Artificial (DATAI), 31009 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Jokin De Irala
- Institute for Culture and Society (ICS), 31009 Pamplona, Spain;
- Navarra Institute for Health Research (IdiSNA), 31008 Pamplona, Spain
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6
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Hauser SR, Mulholland PJ, Truitt WA, Waeiss RA, Engleman EA, Bell RL, Rodd ZA. Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol (AIE) Enhances the Dopaminergic Response to Ethanol within the Mesolimbic Pathway during Adulthood: Alterations in Cholinergic/Dopaminergic Genes Expression in the Nucleus Accumbens Shell. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:11733. [PMID: 34769161 PMCID: PMC8584082 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A consistent preclinical finding is that exposure to alcohol during adolescence produces a persistent hyperdopaminergic state during adulthood. The current experiments determine that effects of Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol (AIE) on the adult neurochemical response to EtOH administered directly into the mesolimbic dopamine system, alterations in dendritic spine and gene expression within the nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh), and if treatment with the HDACII inhibitor TSA could normalize the consequences of AIE. Rats were exposed to the AIE (4 g/kg ig; 3 days a week) or water (CON) during adolescence, and all testing occurred during adulthood. CON and AIE rats were microinjected with EtOH directly into the posterior VTA and dopamine and glutamate levels were recorded in the AcbSh. Separate groups of AIE and CON rats were sacrificed during adulthood and Taqman arrays and dendritic spine morphology assessments were performed. The data indicated that exposure to AIE resulted in a significant leftward and upward shift in the dose-response curve for an increase in dopamine in the AcbSh following EtOH microinjection into the posterior VTA. Taqman array indicated that AIE exposure affected the expression of target genes (Chrna7, Impact, Chrna5). The data indicated no alterations in dendritic spine morphology in the AcbSh or any alteration in AIE effects by TSA administration. Binge-like EtOH exposure during adolescence enhances the response to acute ethanol challenge in adulthood, demonstrating that AIE produces a hyperdopaminergic mesolimbic system in both male and female Wistar rats. The neuroadaptations induced by AIE in the AcbSh could be part of the biological basis of the observed negative consequences of adolescent binge-like alcohol exposure on adult drug self-administration behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheketha R. Hauser
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; (S.R.H.); (W.A.T.); (R.A.W.); (E.A.E.); (R.L.B.)
| | - Patrick J. Mulholland
- Department of Neuroscience, Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA;
| | - William A. Truitt
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; (S.R.H.); (W.A.T.); (R.A.W.); (E.A.E.); (R.L.B.)
| | - R. Aaron Waeiss
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; (S.R.H.); (W.A.T.); (R.A.W.); (E.A.E.); (R.L.B.)
| | - Eric A. Engleman
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; (S.R.H.); (W.A.T.); (R.A.W.); (E.A.E.); (R.L.B.)
| | - Richard L. Bell
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; (S.R.H.); (W.A.T.); (R.A.W.); (E.A.E.); (R.L.B.)
| | - Zachary A. Rodd
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; (S.R.H.); (W.A.T.); (R.A.W.); (E.A.E.); (R.L.B.)
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7
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Boness CL, Watts AL, Moeller KN, Sher KJ. The Etiologic, Theory-Based, Ontogenetic Hierarchical Framework of Alcohol Use Disorder: A Translational Systematic Review of Reviews. Psychol Bull 2021; 147:1075-1123. [PMID: 35295672 PMCID: PMC8923643 DOI: 10.1037/bul0000333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Modern nosologies (e.g., ICD-11, DSM-5) for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and dependence prioritize reliability and clinical presentation over etiology, resulting in a diagnosis that is not always strongly grounded in basic theory and research. Within these nosologies, DSM-5 AUD is treated as a discrete, largely categorical, but graded, phenomenon, which results in additional challenges (e.g., significant phenotypic heterogeneity). Efforts to increase the compatibility between AUD diagnosis and modern conceptualizations of alcohol dependence, which describe it as dimensional and partially overlapping with other psychopathology (e.g., other substance use disorders) will inspire a stronger scientific framework and strengthen AUD's validity. We conducted a systematic review of 144 reviews to integrate addiction constructs and theories into a comprehensive framework with the aim of identifying fundamental mechanisms implicated in AUD. The product of this effort was the Etiologic, Theory-Based, Ontogenetic Hierarchical Framework (ETOH Framework) of AUD mechanisms, which outlines superdomains of cognitive control, reward, as well as negative valence and emotionality, each of which subsume narrower, hierarchically-organized components. We also outline opponent processes and self-awareness as key moderators of AUD mechanisms. In contrast with other frameworks, we recommend an increased conceptual role for negative valence and compulsion in AUD. The ETOH framework serves as a critical step towards conceptualizations of AUD as dimensional and heterogeneous. It has the potential to improve AUD assessment and aid in the development of evidence-based diagnostic measures that focus on key mechanisms in AUD, consequently facilitating treatment matching.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ashley L Watts
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Missouri
| | | | - Kenneth J Sher
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Missouri
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8
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Melbourne JK, Chandler CM, Van Doorn CE, Bardo MT, Pauly JR, Peng H, Nixon K. Primed for addiction: A critical review of the role of microglia in the neurodevelopmental consequences of adolescent alcohol drinking. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2021; 45:1908-1926. [PMID: 34486128 PMCID: PMC8793635 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol is one of the most widely used recreational substances worldwide, with drinking frequently initiated during adolescence. The developmental state of the adolescent brain makes it vulnerable to initiating alcohol use, often in high doses, and particularly susceptible to alcohol-induced brain changes. Microglia, the brain parenchymal macrophages, have been implicated in mediating some of these effects, though the role that these cells play in the progression from alcohol drinking to dependence remains unclear. Microglia are uniquely positioned to sense and respond to central nervous system insult, and are now understood to exhibit innate immune memory, or "priming," altering their future functional responses based on prior exposures. In alcohol use disorders (AUDs), the role of microglia is debated. Whereas microglial activation can be pathogenic, contributing to neuroinflammation, tissue damage, and behavioral changes, or protective, it can also engage protective functions, providing support and mediating the resolution of damage. Understanding the role of microglia in adolescent AUDs is complicated by the fact that microglia are thought to be involved in developmental processes such as synaptic refinement and myelination, which underlie the functional maturation of multiple brain systems in adolescence. Thus, the role microglia play in the impact of alcohol use in adolescence is likely multifaceted. Long-term sequelae may be due to a failure to recover from EtOH-induced tissue damage, altered neurodevelopmental trajectories, and/or persistent changes to microglial responsivity and function. Here, we review critically the literature surrounding the effects of alcohol on microglia in models of adolescent alcohol misuse. We attempt to disentangle what is known about microglia from other neuroimmune effectors, to which we apply recent discoveries on the role of microglia in development and plasticity. Considered altogether, these studies challenge assumptions that proinflammatory microglia drive addiction. Alcohol priming microglia and thereby perturbing their homeostatic roles in neurodevelopment, especially during critical periods of plasticity such as adolescence, may have more serious implications for the neuropathogenesis of AUDs in adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer K. Melbourne
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Cassie M. Chandler
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | | | - Michael T. Bardo
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - James R. Pauly
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Hui Peng
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Kimberly Nixon
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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9
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Piantadosi PT, Halladay LR, Radke AK, Holmes A. Advances in understanding meso-cortico-limbic-striatal systems mediating risky reward seeking. J Neurochem 2021; 157:1547-1571. [PMID: 33704784 PMCID: PMC8981567 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The risk of an aversive consequence occurring as the result of a reward-seeking action can have a profound effect on subsequent behavior. Such aversive events can be described as punishers, as they decrease the probability that the same action will be produced again in the future and increase the exploration of less risky alternatives. Punishment can involve the omission of an expected rewarding event ("negative" punishment) or the addition of an unpleasant event ("positive" punishment). Although many individuals adaptively navigate situations associated with the risk of negative or positive punishment, those suffering from substance use disorders or behavioral addictions tend to be less able to curtail addictive behaviors despite the aversive consequences associated with them. Here, we discuss the psychological processes underpinning reward seeking despite the risk of negative and positive punishment and consider how behavioral assays in animals have been employed to provide insights into the neural mechanisms underlying addictive disorders. We then review the critical contributions of dopamine signaling to punishment learning and risky reward seeking, and address the roles of interconnected ventral striatal, cortical, and amygdala regions to these processes. We conclude by discussing the ample opportunities for future study to clarify critical gaps in the literature, particularly as related to delineating neural contributions to distinct phases of the risky decision-making process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick T. Piantadosi
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lindsay R. Halladay
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California 95053, USA
| | - Anna K. Radke
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
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10
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Shields CN, Gremel CM. Review of Orbitofrontal Cortex in Alcohol Dependence: A Disrupted Cognitive Map? Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2020; 44:1952-1964. [PMID: 32852095 PMCID: PMC8261866 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Alcoholism is a persistent worldwide problem associated with long-lasting impairments to decision making processes. Some aspects of dysfunction are thought to reflect alcohol-induced changes to relevant brain areas such as the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). In this review, we will examine how chronic alcohol exposure alters OFC function to potentially contribute to maladaptive decision making, and explore experimental behavioral approaches that may be better suited to test whether alcohol dependence disrupts OFC's function. We argue that although past works suggest impairments in aspects of OFC function, more information may be gained by specifically targeting tasks to the broader function of OFC as put forth by the recent hypothesis of OFC as a "cognitive map" of task space. Overall, we suggest that such a focus could provide a better understanding of how OFC function changes in alcohol dependence, and could inform better assessment tools and treatment options for clinicians working with this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe N. Shields
- Department of Psychology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Christina M. Gremel
- Department of Psychology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- The Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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11
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Mauro KL, Goncalves SF, Sinha R, Ansell E, Chaplin TM. Does Alcohol Initiation in Early-To-Middle Adolescence Predict Changes in Reward Motivation? Evidence of Sex Differences. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2020; 44:1420-1430. [PMID: 32463517 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14349] [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: 08/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reward motivation has been cross-sectionally correlated with adolescent alcohol use, but the temporal nature of this relationship remains unclear. This project sought to determine whether adolescent alcohol initiation longitudinally predicted changes in reward motivation and behavioral inhibition from early to middle adolescence, and explored the role of adolescent sex in this prediction. METHODS A total of 180 11- to 14-year-olds were recruited and then followed for 3 years to age 14 to 17. Participants self-reported their alcohol use at all time points. We selected participants who were alcohol-naïve at Baseline (early adolescence) and then grouped them based on whether or not they reported alcohol initiation by Year 3 (Y3: middle adolescence). Adolescents completed self-report and experimental (delay discounting) measures of reward motivation and self-report measures of behavioral inhibition at Baseline and Y3. RESULTS Adolescents' alcohol initiation significantly predicted higher Y3 self-reported reward motivation on one measure. Additionally, a significant sex × alcohol initiation interaction was found predicting Y3 task-based reward motivation (delay discounting), with boys' alcohol initiation predicting increased bias toward immediate reward at Y3. There was also a sex × alcohol initiation interaction predicting behavioral inhibition, with girls' alcohol initiation predicting higher behavioral inhibition at Y3. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that alcohol initiation among adolescents might precede changes in reward motivation, and the effects of alcohol on reward and behavioral inhibition may differ by adolescent sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey L Mauro
- From the, Youth Emotion Lab, (KLM, SFG, TMC), George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
| | - Stefanie F Goncalves
- From the, Youth Emotion Lab, (KLM, SFG, TMC), George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
| | - Rajita Sinha
- Yale Stress Center, (RS), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Emily Ansell
- Biobehavioral Health, (EA), Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Tara M Chaplin
- From the, Youth Emotion Lab, (KLM, SFG, TMC), George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
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12
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Arinze I, Moorman DE. Selective impact of lateral orbitofrontal cortex inactivation on reinstatement of alcohol seeking in male Long-Evans rats. Neuropharmacology 2020; 168:108007. [PMID: 32092436 PMCID: PMC10373069 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2018] [Revised: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) plays a fundamental role in motivated behavior and decision-making. In humans, OFC structure and function is significantly disrupted in drug using and dependent individuals, including those exhibiting chronic alcohol use and alcoholism. In animal models, the OFC has been shown to significantly influence the seeking of non-alcohol drugs of abuse. However direct investigations of the OFC during alcohol seeking and use have been more limited. In the studies reported here, we inactivated lateral (lOFC) or medial OFC (mOFC) subregions in rats during multiple stages of alcohol seeking. After one month of intermittent access to homecage 20% ethanol (EtOH), rats were trained to self-administer EtOH under an FR3 schedule and implanted with cannulae directed to lOFC or mOFC. We inactivated OFC subregions with baclofen/muscimol during EtOH self-administration, extinction, cue-induced reinstatement, and progressive ratio testing to broadly characterize the influence of these subregions on alcohol seeking. There were no significant effects of mOFC or lOFC inactivation during FR3 self-administration, extinction, or progressive ratio self-administration. However, lOFC, and not mOFC, inactivation significantly decreased cue-induced reinstatement of EtOH seeking. These findings contribute new information to the specific impact of OFC manipulation on operant alcohol seeking, support previous studies investigating the role of OFC in seeking and consumption of alcohol and other drugs of abuse, and indicate a specific role for lOFC vs. mOFC in reinstatement.
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13
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Pabon E, MacKillop J, Palmer AA, de Wit H. Multidimensional latent structure of risk-related phenotypes in healthy young adults. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 2020; 28:55-64. [PMID: 30998058 PMCID: PMC7233128 DOI: 10.1037/pha0000282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Risk-taking behavior can result in a range of maladaptive behaviors such as illicit substance use, unsafe driving, and high-risk sexual behavior. Perception of risk and preference for engaging in risky behaviors have been measured using both self-report measures and a range of behavioral tasks designed for the purpose, and these may predict future risk-taking behavior. However, the interrelationships between these measures and the latent constructs underlying them are poorly understood. In the present study, we examined data from over 1,000 men and women who completed measures of risk-related behaviors, including self-reports of perception of risk, propensity to engage in risky behaviors, and incentivized performance on tasks that involve risk. We conducted principal component analyses (PCAs) to understand the underlying latent structure of these measures. A PCA with the full sample revealed 5 distinct components, corresponding to measures of (a) health/ethical risks, (b) discounting of uncertain rewards, (c) risk of personal finances, (d) preferences in recreational hobbies and social interactions that involve risk, and (e) behavior involving risks in interpersonal interactions. Although we found sex differences on several of the measures, the sex-adjusted PCA components were similar to those of the unadjusted full sample PCA. These findings add to a growing literature revealing different components of the broad category of risk perception and risk-taking behaviors. A better understanding of the multidimensionality of risk preference will help lay the foundation for more refined measures, develop better predictors of future risk-taking behavior, and ultimately to study the genetic or other biological basis of risk-taking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James MacKillop
- McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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14
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Del Olmo N, Blanco-Gandía MC, Mateos-García A, Del Rio D, Miñarro J, Ruiz-Gayo M, Rodríguez-Arias M. Differential Impact of Ad Libitum or Intermittent High-Fat Diets on Bingeing Ethanol-Mediated Behaviors. Nutrients 2019; 11:nu11092253. [PMID: 31546853 PMCID: PMC6769939 DOI: 10.3390/nu11092253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Dietary factors have significant effects on the brain, modulating mood, anxiety, motivation and cognition. To date, no attention has been paid to the consequences that the combination of ethanol (EtOH) and a high-fat diet (HFD) have on learning and mood disorders during adolescence. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the biochemical and behavioral consequences of ethanol binge drinking and an HFD consumption in adolescent mice. Methods: Animals received either a standard diet or an HFD (ad libitum vs. binge pattern) in combination with ethanol binge drinking and were evaluated in anxiety and memory. The metabolic profile and gene expression of leptin receptors and clock genes were also evaluated. Results: Excessive white adipose tissue and an increase in plasma insulin and leptin levels were mainly observed in ad libitum HFD + EtOH mice. An upregulation of the Lepr gene expression in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus was also observed in ad libitum HFD groups. EtOH-induced impairment on spatial memory retrieval was absent in mice exposed to an HFD, although the aversive memory deficits persisted. Mice bingeing on an HFD only showed an anxiolytic profile, without other alterations. We also observed a mismatch between Clock and Bmal1 expression in ad libitum HFD animals, which were mostly independent of EtOH bingeing. Conclusions: Our results confirm the bidirectional influence that occurs between the composition and intake pattern of a HFD and ethanol consumption during adolescence, even when the metabolic, behavioral and chronobiological effects of this interaction are dissociated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuria Del Olmo
- Department of Health & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad CEU-San Pablo, Campus de Montepríncipe, 28668 Madrid, Spain.
| | - M Carmen Blanco-Gandía
- Department of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, C/Ciudad Escolar s/n, 44003 Teruel, Spain.
| | - Ana Mateos-García
- Department of Psychobiology, Facultad de Psicología, Universitat de Valencia, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain.
| | - Danila Del Rio
- Department of Health & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad CEU-San Pablo, Campus de Montepríncipe, 28668 Madrid, Spain.
| | - José Miñarro
- Department of Psychobiology, Facultad de Psicología, Universitat de Valencia, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain.
| | - Mariano Ruiz-Gayo
- Department of Health & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad CEU-San Pablo, Campus de Montepríncipe, 28668 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Marta Rodríguez-Arias
- Department of Psychobiology, Facultad de Psicología, Universitat de Valencia, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain.
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Hauser SR, Knight CP, Truitt WA, Waeiss RA, Holt IS, Carvajal GB, Bell RL, Rodd ZA. Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol Increases the Sensitivity to the Reinforcing Properties of Ethanol and the Expression of Select Cholinergic and Dopaminergic Genes within the Posterior Ventral Tegmental Area. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2019; 43:1937-1948. [DOI: 10.1111/acer.14150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sheketha R. Hauser
- Department of Psychiatry Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis Indiana
| | | | - William A. Truitt
- Department of Psychiatry Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis Indiana
| | - Robert Aaron Waeiss
- Program in Medical Neuroscience Paul and Carole Stark Neurosciences Research Institute Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis Indiana
| | - Ian S. Holt
- Department of Psychiatry Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis Indiana
| | - Gustavo B. Carvajal
- Department of Psychiatry Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis Indiana
| | - Richard L. Bell
- Department of Psychiatry Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis Indiana
| | - Zachary A. Rodd
- Department of Psychiatry Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis Indiana
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16
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Probability discounting of monetary gains and losses in opioid-dependent adults. Behav Brain Res 2019; 364:334-339. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Revised: 02/10/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Moorman DE. The role of the orbitofrontal cortex in alcohol use, abuse, and dependence. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2018; 87:85-107. [PMID: 29355587 PMCID: PMC6072631 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
One of the major functions of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is to promote flexible motivated behavior. It is no surprise, therefore, that recent work has demonstrated a prominent impact of chronic drug use on the OFC and a potential role for OFC disruption in drug abuse and addiction. Among drugs of abuse, the use of alcohol is particularly salient with respect to OFC function. Although a number of studies in humans have implicated OFC dysregulation in alcohol use disorders, animal models investigating the association between OFC and alcohol use are only beginning to be developed, and there is still a great deal to be revealed. The goal of this review is to consider what is currently known regarding the role of the OFC in alcohol use and dependence. I will first provide a brief, general overview of current views of OFC function and its contributions to drug seeking and addiction. I will then discuss research to date related to the OFC and alcohol use, both in human clinical populations and in non-human models. Finally I will consider issues and strategies to guide future study that may identify this brain region as a key player in the transition from moderated to problematic alcohol use and dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- David E. Moorman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA 01003 USA
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18
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Increased ethanol consumption after interruption of fat bingeing. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0194431. [PMID: 29590149 PMCID: PMC5874030 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a marked comorbidity between alcohol abuse and eating disorders, especially in the young population. We have previously reported that bingeing on fat during adolescence increases the rewarding effects of ethanol (EtOH). The aim of the present work was to study if vulnerability to EtOH persists after cessation of binge eating. OF1 mice binged on fat (HFB: high-fat binge) during adolescence (PND 25-43) and were tested for 15 days after the last access to HFB (on PND 59) using the self-administration paradigm, the conditioned place preference (CPP) and locomotor sensitization to ethanol. Our results showed that after 15 days of cessation of fat ingestion, mice increased their consumption of ethanol and showed greater motivation to obtain ethanol. On the other hand, no effects were observed in the CPP, while an increased locomotor response to ethanol was detected. The present results confirm and extend our previous study demonstrating that the compulsive intake of fat induces long-lasting effects on the reward system that lead to an increased consumption of EtOH.
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19
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Spear LP. Effects of adolescent alcohol consumption on the brain and behaviour. Nat Rev Neurosci 2018; 19:197-214. [PMID: 29467469 DOI: 10.1038/nrn.2018.10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 293] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Per occasion, alcohol consumption is higher in adolescents than in adults in both humans and laboratory animals, with changes in the adolescent brain probably contributing to this elevated drinking. This Review examines the contributors to and consequences of the use of alcohol in adolescents. Human adolescents with a history of alcohol use differ neurally and cognitively from other adolescents; some of these differences predate the commencement of alcohol consumption and serve as potential risk factors for later alcohol use, whereas others emerge from its use. The consequences of alcohol use in human adolescents include alterations in attention, verbal learning, visuospatial processing and memory, along with altered development of grey and white matter volumes and disrupted white matter integrity. The functional consequences of adolescent alcohol use emerging from studies of rodent models of adolescence include decreased cognitive flexibility, behavioural inefficiencies and elevations in anxiety, disinhibition, impulsivity and risk-taking. Rodent studies have also showed that adolescent alcohol use can impair neurogenesis, induce neuroinflammation and epigenetic alterations, and lead to the persistence of adolescent-like neurobehavioural phenotypes into adulthood. Although only a limited number of studies have examined comparable measures in humans and laboratory animals, the available data provide evidence for notable across-species similarities in the neural consequences of adolescent alcohol exposure, providing support for further translational efforts in this context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda P Spear
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC) and Behavioural Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA
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20
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Housing and testing in mixed-sex rooms increases motivation and accuracy during operant testing in both male and female mice. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2018; 150:20-24. [PMID: 29373847 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Revised: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Operant behavior tasks are widely used in neuroscience research, but little is known about how variables such as housing and testing conditions affect rodent operant performance. We have previously observed differences in operant performance in male and female mice depending on whether mice were housed and tested in rooms containing only one sex versus rooms containing both sexes. Here, male and female mice in either single-sex or mixed sex housing rooms were trained on fixed ratio 1 (FR1) and progressive ratio (PR) tasks. For both sexes, animals in the mixed sex room had more accurate performance in FR1 and were more motivated in the PR task. We then moved the single sex housed animals to the mixed sex room and vice versa. Animals that started in mixed sex housing had no change to PR, but both sexes who started in single sex housing were more motivated after the switch. Additionally, the females that moved into single-sex housing performed less accurately in FR1. We conclude that housing and testing conditions can affect performance on FR1 and PR tasks. As these tasks are commonly used as training steps to more complex tasks, housing and testing conditions should be carefully considered during experiment design and reported in publications.
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21
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Ahmed SH. Individual decision-making in the causal pathway to addiction: contributions and limitations of rodent models. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2018; 164:22-31. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2017.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2017] [Revised: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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22
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Hiller-Sturmhöfel S, Spear LP. Binge Drinking's Effects on the Developing Brain-Animal Models. Alcohol Res 2018; 39:77-86. [PMID: 30557150 PMCID: PMC6104958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence typically is a time of experimentation, including alcohol use and, particularly, binge drinking. Because the brain is still developing during adolescence, such exposure could have long-lasting effects. Animal models and adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure (AIE) paradigms have been used to help elucidate the consequences of adolescent binge drinking. These studies have identified cognitive deficits, particularly in challenging cognitive tasks, and behavioral alterations such as greater risk preferences, impulsivity, and disinhibition. AIE also is associated with changes in affect when the animals reach adulthood, including increased social anxiety and, sometimes, general anxiety. Animal models have demonstrated that AIE can result in retention of certain alcohol-related adolescent phenotypes (i.e., reduced sensitivity to alcohol's aversive effects and increased sensitivity to alcohol's rewarding effects) into adulthood, which may motivate continued elevated alcohol use. The detrimental effects of adolescent alcohol exposure extend to a diversity of lasting alterations in the brain, including reduced neurogenesis, increased proinflammatory responses, changes in gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms, and alterations in the activities of various neurotransmitter systems. Further exploration of these mechanisms in animal models and humans may lead to improved prevention and intervention efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Hiller-Sturmhöfel
- Susanne Hiller-Sturmhöfel, Ph.D., is a science writer and editor affiliated with CSR Inc., Arlington, Virginia. Linda Patia Spear, Ph.D., is a distinguished professor, Department of Psychology, State University of New York, and the director of the Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York
| | - Linda Patia Spear
- Susanne Hiller-Sturmhöfel, Ph.D., is a science writer and editor affiliated with CSR Inc., Arlington, Virginia. Linda Patia Spear, Ph.D., is a distinguished professor, Department of Psychology, State University of New York, and the director of the Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York
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23
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Labots M, Cousijn J, Jolink LA, Kenemans JL, Vanderschuren LJMJ, Lesscher HMB. Age-Related Differences in Alcohol Intake and Control Over Alcohol Seeking in Rats. Front Psychiatry 2018; 9:419. [PMID: 30233434 PMCID: PMC6129585 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 08/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is characterized by excessive and persistent alcohol use, despite adverse consequences. AUD often originates during adolescence, as do other substance use disorders. However, despite periods of excessive alcohol intake, many adolescents reduce their alcohol use by early adulthood. Brain development, social context, personality traits, and genetic makeup are thought to play an important role in these age-dependent fluctuations in alcohol use. However, studies that directly investigate age-related differences in the effects of alcohol exposure on brain and behavior are sparse. Therefore, to better understand the relationship between adolescent alcohol consumption and AUD-like behavior, this study compared the degree of control over alcohol seeking in rats that differed in terms of age of onset of alcohol drinking and in their level of alcohol consumption. We hypothesized that control over alcohol seeking is more prominent in adolescent-onset rats than in adult-onset rats, and that control over alcohol seeking is related to the consumed amount of alcohol. To test this hypothesis, alcohol seeking in the presence of a conditioned aversive stimulus was assessed after 2 months of intermittent alcohol access (IAA) in rats that consumed alcohol from postnatal day 42 (adolescence) or day 77 (adulthood). The rats were subdivided into low (LD), medium (MD), or high (HD) alcohol drinking rats, in order to assess the impact of the extent of alcohol intake on control over alcohol seeking. The adolescent-onset animals consumed slightly, but significantly less alcohol compared to the adult-onset rats. In adult-onset rats, we found that conditioned suppression of alcohol seeking, i.e., reduction of alcohol seeking by presentation of a conditioned aversive stimulus, was most pronounced in LD. By contrast, in the adolescent-onset rats, MD and HD showed increased alcohol seeking compared to LD, which was suppressed by conditioned aversive stimuli. Taken together, these findings reveal a complex relationship between the age of onset and level of alcohol intake with control over alcohol seeking, whereby adolescent rats consume less alcohol than adults. In adult rats, control over alcohol seeking is negatively related to preceding levels of alcohol intake. By contrast, adolescent rats appear to retain control over alcohol seeking, even after a history of high levels of alcohol intake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maaike Labots
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Janna Cousijn
- ADAPT-Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Amsterdam Brain and Cognition (ABC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Linda A Jolink
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - J Leon Kenemans
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Research Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Louk J M J Vanderschuren
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Heidi M B Lesscher
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioural Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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24
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Reichelt AC, Rank MM. The impact of junk foods on the adolescent brain. Birth Defects Res 2017; 109:1649-1658. [DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.1173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amy C. Reichelt
- Discipline of Psychology, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences; RMIT University; Melbourne VIC 3083 Australia
| | - Michelle M. Rank
- Discipline of Psychology, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences; RMIT University; Melbourne VIC 3083 Australia
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25
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Miller KM, Risher ML, Acheson SK, Darlow M, Sexton HG, Schramm-Sapyta N, Swartzwelder HS. Behavioral Inefficiency on a Risky Decision-Making Task in Adulthood after Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol Exposure in Rats. Sci Rep 2017; 7:4680. [PMID: 28680108 PMCID: PMC5498633 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-04704-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Accepted: 05/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a period of development in neural circuits that are critical for adult functioning. There is a relationship between alcohol exposure and risky decision-making, though the enduring effects of adolescent ethanol exposure on risky decision-making in adulthood have not been fully explored. Studies using positive reinforcement have shown that adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure results in higher levels of risky decision-making in adulthood, but the effects of AIE on punishment-mediated decision-making have not been explored. Adolescent rats were exposed to AIE or saline vehicle across a 16-day period, and then allowed to mature into adulthood. They were then trained to lever press for food reward and were assessed for risky decision-making by pairing increased levels of food reward with the probability of footshock punishment. AIE did not alter punishment-mediated risky decision-making. However, it did result in a significant increase in the delay to lever pressing. This finding is consistent with previous reports, using other behavioral tasks, which show decreased behavioral efficiency in adulthood after AIE. These findings indicate that AIE increases behavioral inefficiency, but not punishment-mediated risk-taking, in adulthood. Thus they contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the long-term effects of AIE on adult behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey M Miller
- Neurobiology Research Laboratory, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27705, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Mary-Louise Risher
- Neurobiology Research Laboratory, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27705, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Shawn K Acheson
- Neurobiology Research Laboratory, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27705, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Matthew Darlow
- Neurobiology Research Laboratory, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27705, USA
- McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Hannah G Sexton
- Neurobiology Research Laboratory, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27705, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | | | - H S Swartzwelder
- Neurobiology Research Laboratory, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27705, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
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26
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Hosová D, Spear LP. Voluntary Binge Consumption of Ethanol in a Sweetened, Chocolate-Flavored Solution by Male and Female Adolescent Sprague Dawley Rats. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2017; 41:541-550. [PMID: 28195335 DOI: 10.1111/acer.13315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The still maturing adolescent brain may be particularly vulnerable to lasting consequences of ethanol (EtOH) exposure. Yet, human adolescents are the age group most likely to engage in binge drinking (a pattern of drinking leading to blood EtOH concentrations (BECs) of 80 mg/dl or greater). Most studies to date assessing the long-term effects of adolescent EtOH exposure in outbred rodent populations have either used experimenter-administered EtOH to produce BECs in the binge range or assessed voluntary intake of EtOH at well below binge levels. Beginning with a modified schedule-induced polydipsia (SIP) procedure, this study examined the suitability of several approaches to induce voluntary binge-like consumption during adolescence in an outbred rat strain. METHODS Adolescent male and female Sprague Dawley rats were food deprived to 85% projected free-feeding weights beginning on postnatal day (P) 24 and were given 30 minutes of access to 10% EtOH in chocolate Boost® or Boost® alone daily from P28 to P41 (followed later by their daily allocation of food). Animals were tested within operant chambers (Exp. 1a, 1b and Exp. 2) or home and novel cages (Exp. 3). Animals received either scheduled delivery of banana pellets to examine SIP (Exp. 1a,b) or massed pellet presentation (Exp. 2 and Exp. 3). Blood samples were collected via the lateral tail vein on P33 and P41. RESULTS Intakes produced BECs frequently in the binge range (>80 mg/dl) and modeled binge-like consumption patterns, with high consumption days typically followed by 1 to 2 days of lower consumption; this variability was less evident with Boost® alone. Consumption was not schedule induced and was generally high across all studies, although consumption in males appeared to be particularly pronounced when animals were tested in the presence of their cage mate. CONCLUSIONS Binge-like patterns of EtOH consumption were produced using these procedures in adolescent Sprague Dawley rats of both sexes and may prove to be a useful model for work examining the short- and long-term consequences of high levels of voluntary EtOH intake in adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominika Hosová
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York
| | - Linda Patia Spear
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York
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27
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Reichelt AC. Adolescent Maturational Transitions in the Prefrontal Cortex and Dopamine Signaling as a Risk Factor for the Development of Obesity and High Fat/High Sugar Diet Induced Cognitive Deficits. Front Behav Neurosci 2016; 10:189. [PMID: 27790098 PMCID: PMC5061823 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 09/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Adolescence poses as both a transitional period in neurodevelopment and lifestyle practices. In particular, the developmental trajectory of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a critical region for behavioral control and self-regulation, is enduring, not reaching functional maturity until the early 20 s in humans. Furthermore, the neurotransmitter dopamine is particularly abundant during adolescence, tuning the brain to rapidly learn about rewards and regulating aspects of neuroplasticity. Thus, adolescence is proposed to represent a period of vulnerability towards reward-driven behaviors such as the consumption of palatable high fat and high sugar diets. This is reflected in the increasing prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents as they are the greatest consumers of “junk foods”. Excessive consumption of diets laden in saturated fat and refined sugars not only leads to weight gain and the development of obesity, but experimental studies with rodents indicate they evoke cognitive deficits in learning and memory process by disrupting neuroplasticity and altering reward processing neurocircuitry. Consumption of these high fat and high sugar diets have been reported to have a particularly pronounced impact on cognition when consumed during adolescence, demonstrating a susceptibility of the adolescent brain to enduring cognitive deficits. The adolescent brain, with heightened reward sensitivity and diminished behavioral control compared to the mature adult brain, appears to be a risk for aberrant eating behaviors that may underpin the development of obesity. This review explores the neurodevelopmental changes in the PFC and mesocortical dopamine signaling that occur during adolescence, and how these potentially underpin the overconsumption of palatable food and development of obesogenic diet-induced cognitive deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy C Reichelt
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Carroll ME, Lynch WJ. How to study sex differences in addiction using animal models. Addict Biol 2016; 21:1007-29. [PMID: 27345022 PMCID: PMC4970981 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2016] [Revised: 02/17/2016] [Accepted: 02/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The importance of studying sex as a biological variable in biomedical research is becoming increasingly apparent. There is a particular need in preclinical studies of addiction to include both sexes, as female animals are often excluded from studies, leaving large gaps in our knowledge of not only sex differences and potential prevention and treatment strategies but also with regard to the basic neurobiology of addiction. This review focuses on methodology that has been developed in preclinical studies to examine sex differences in the behavioral aspects and neurobiological mechanisms related to addiction across the full range of the addiction process, including initiation (acquisition), maintenance, escalation, withdrawal, relapse to drug seeking and treatment. This review also discusses strategic and technical issues that need to be considered when comparing females and males, including the role of ovarian hormones and how sex differences interact with other major vulnerability factors in addiction, such as impulsivity, compulsivity and age (adolescent versus adult). Novel treatments for addiction are also discussed, such as competing non-drug rewards, repurposed medications such as progesterone and treatment combinations. Practical aspects of conducting research comparing female and male animals are also considered. Making sex differences a point of examination requires additional effort and consideration; however, such studies are necessary given mounting evidence demonstrating that the addiction process occurs differently in males and females. These studies should lead to a better understanding of individual differences in the development of addiction and effective treatments for males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilyn E. Carroll
- Marilyn E. Carroll, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, MMC 392, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Wendy J. Lynch
- Wendy J. Lynch, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia, PO Box 801402, Charlottesville, VA
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Spear LP. Consequences of adolescent use of alcohol and other drugs: Studies using rodent models. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 70:228-243. [PMID: 27484868 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2016] [Revised: 07/08/2016] [Accepted: 07/22/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Studies using animal models of adolescent exposure to alcohol, nicotine, cannabinoids, and the stimulants cocaine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethampethamine and methamphetamine have revealed a variety of persisting neural and behavioral consequences. Affected brain regions often include mesolimbic and prefrontal regions undergoing notable ontogenetic change during adolescence, although it is unclear whether this represents areas of specific vulnerability or particular scrutiny to date. Persisting alterations in forebrain systems critical for modulating reward, socioemotional processing and cognition have emerged, including apparent induction of a hyper-dopaminergic state with some drugs and/or attenuations in neurons expressing cholinergic markers. Disruptions in cognitive functions such as working memory, alterations in affect including increases in social anxiety, and mixed evidence for increases in later drug self-administration has also been reported. When consequences of adolescent and adult exposure were compared, adolescents were generally found to be more vulnerable to alcohol, nicotine, and cannabinoids, but generally not to stimulants. More work is needed to determine how adolescent drug exposure influences sculpting of the adolescent brain, and provide approaches to prevent/reverse these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Patia Spear
- Department of Psychology, Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, United States.
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García-Gutiérrez MS, Navarrete F, Aracil A, Bartoll A, Martínez-Gras I, Lanciego JL, Rubio G, Manzanares J. Increased vulnerability to ethanol consumption in adolescent maternal separated mice. Addict Biol 2016; 21:847-58. [PMID: 25988842 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of early life stress on the vulnerability to ethanol consumption in adolescence. To this aim, mice were separated from their mothers for 12 hours/day on postnatal days 8 and 12. Emotional behavior (light-dark box, elevated plus maze and tail suspension tests) and pre-attentional deficit (pre-pulse inhibition) were evaluated in adolescent maternal separated (MS) mice. Alterations of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), mu-opioid receptor (MOr), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neuronal nuclei (NeuN), microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) and neurofilament heavy (NF200)-immunoreactive fibers were studied in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), ventral tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens (NAc) or hippocampus (HIP). The effects of maternal separation (alone or in combination with additional stressful stimuli) on ethanol consumption during adolescence were evaluated using the oral ethanol self-administration paradigm. MS mice presented mood-related alterations and pre-attentional deficit. Increased CRF, MOr and TH, and reduced BDNF, NR3C1, NeuN, MAP2 and NF200-immunoreactive fibers were observed in the PVN, NAc and HIP of adolescent MS mice. In the oral ethanol self-administration test, adolescent MS mice presented higher ethanol consumption and motivation. Exposure to additional new stressful stimuli during adolescence significantly increased the vulnerability to ethanol consumption induced by maternal separation. These results clearly demonstrated that exposure to early life stress increased the vulnerability to ethanol consumption, potentiated the effects of stressful stimuli exposure during adolescence on ethanol consumption and modified the expression of key targets involved in the response to stress, ethanol reinforcing properties and cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- María S. García-Gutiérrez
- Instituto de Neurociencias; Campus de San Juan; Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC; Spain
- Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Salud (RETICS); Red de Trastornos Adictivos; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER; Spain
| | - Francisco Navarrete
- Instituto de Neurociencias; Campus de San Juan; Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC; Spain
- Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Salud (RETICS); Red de Trastornos Adictivos; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER; Spain
| | - Auxiliadora Aracil
- Instituto de Neurociencias; Campus de San Juan; Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC; Spain
- Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Salud (RETICS); Red de Trastornos Adictivos; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER; Spain
| | - Adrián Bartoll
- Instituto de Neurociencias; Campus de San Juan; Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC; Spain
| | - Isabel Martínez-Gras
- Department of Psychiatry; School of Medicine; Complutense University; Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Hospital 12 de Octubre; Spain
| | - José L. Lanciego
- Neurosciences Division; Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA); University of Navarra; Spain
| | - Gabriel Rubio
- Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Salud (RETICS); Red de Trastornos Adictivos; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER; Spain
- Department of Psychiatry; School of Medicine; Complutense University; Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Hospital 12 de Octubre; Spain
| | - Jorge Manzanares
- Instituto de Neurociencias; Campus de San Juan; Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC; Spain
- Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Salud (RETICS); Red de Trastornos Adictivos; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER; Spain
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Boutros N, Der-Avakian A, Semenova S, Lee S, Markou A. Risky choice and brain CRF after adolescent ethanol vapor exposure and social stress in adulthood. Behav Brain Res 2016; 311:160-166. [PMID: 27217101 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.05.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2015] [Revised: 05/10/2016] [Accepted: 05/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Adolescent ethanol exposure increases risky choice and alters corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) systems in adulthood. The impact of stress on risky choice after adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure is not known. We investigated time-specific effects of AIE vapor exposure during early adolescence on risky choice after stress or no stress in adulthood. Male Wistar rats were exposed to air or AIE vapor on postnatal days 28-42 (adolescence) and were exposed to 10days of social defeat or no stress on postnatal days 172-181 (adulthood). Risky choice was assessed in the probability discounting task under baseline conditions and after days 1 and 10 of social defeat. CRF and CRF receptor 1 (CRFR1) mRNA levels were assessed in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) 24h post-stress to evaluate persistent effects of stress on the brain. AIE exposure had no effect on risky choice either at baseline or after social defeat. Additionally, neither acute nor chronic social defeat affected risky choice in air-exposed rats. In the PFC, chronic social defeat selectively decreased CRF mRNA levels in air-exposed rats and increased CRFR1 mRNA levels in all rats. AIE exposure increased CRF mRNA levels in the CeA with no effect of social stress. Our results indicate no effect of ethanol exposure via vapor during early adolescence on risky choice, while our previous findings indicated that AIE exposure via gavage affected risky choice. Both AIE exposure and social defeat altered CRF and CRFR1 mRNA levels in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Soon Lee
- The Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Athina Markou
- University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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Siegel M, Galloway A, Ross CS, Binakonsky J, Jernigan DH. Jello Shot Consumption among Underage Youths in the United States. JOURNAL OF CHILD & ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE ABUSE 2016; 25:188-193. [PMID: 27087771 DOI: 10.1080/1067828x.2014.981773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
We sought, for the first time, to identify the extent of jello shot consumption among underage youth. We conducted a study among a national sample of 1,031 youth, aged 13 to 20, using a pre-recruited internet panel maintained by GfK Knowledge Networks to assess past 30-day consumption of jello shots. Nearly one-fifth of underage youth have consumed jello shots in the past 30 days and jello shots make up an average of nearly 20% of their overall alcohol intake. Jello shot users in our sample were approximately 1.5 times more likely to binge drink, consumed approximately 1.6 times as many drinks per month, and were 1.7 times more likely to have been in a physical fight related to their alcohol use as drinkers in general. Ascertainment of jello shot use should become a standard part of youth alcohol surveillance and states should consider banning the sale of these products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Siegel
- Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Jane Binakonsky
- Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - David H Jernigan
- Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Consequences of Adolescent Ethanol Consumption on Risk Preference and Orbitofrontal Cortex Encoding of Reward. Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:1366-75. [PMID: 26370327 PMCID: PMC4793121 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2015] [Revised: 07/17/2015] [Accepted: 08/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Critical development of the prefrontal cortex occurs during adolescence, a period of increased independence marked by decision making that often includes engagement in risky behaviors, such as substance use. Consumption of alcohol during adolescence has been associated with increased impulsivity that persists across the lifespan, an effect which may be caused by long-term disruptions in cortical processing of rewards. To determine if alcohol consumption alters cortical encoding of rewards of different sizes and probabilities, we gave rats limited access to alcohol in gelatin during adolescence only. In adulthood, we recorded the electrophysiological activity of individual neurons of the orbitofrontal cortex while rats performed a risk task that varied the level of risk from day-to-day. Rats that had consumed higher levels of alcohol showed increased risk preference in the task compared with control and low alcohol-consuming rats. Patterns of neuronal responses were identified using principal component analysis. Of the multiple patterns observed, only one was modulated by adolescent alcohol consumption and showed strongest modulation after reward receipt. This subpopulation of neurons showed blunted firing rates following rewards in alcohol-consuming rats, suggesting a mechanism through which adolescent alcohol exposure may have lasting effects on reward processing in the context of decision making. The differences in OFC responses between high alcohol consumers and control animals not given access to alcohol support the idea that, regardless of potential variability in innate alcohol preferences, voluntary consumption of alcohol during adolescence biases choice patterns longitudinally through alterations in cortical function.
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Carroll ME, Smethells JR. Sex Differences in Behavioral Dyscontrol: Role in Drug Addiction and Novel Treatments. Front Psychiatry 2016; 6:175. [PMID: 26903885 PMCID: PMC4745113 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2015] [Accepted: 11/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to discuss recent findings related to sex differences in behavioral dyscontrol that lead to drug addiction, and clinical implications for humans are discussed. This review includes research conducted in animals and humans that reveals fundamental aspects of behavioral dyscontrol. The importance of sex differences in aspects of behavioral dyscontrol, such as impulsivity and compulsivity, is discussed as major determinants of drug addiction. Behavioral dyscontrol during adolescence is also an important consideration, as this is the time of onset for drug addiction. These vulnerability factors additively increase drug-abuse vulnerability, and they are integral aspects of addiction that covary and interact with sex differences. Sex differences in treatments for drug addiction are also reviewed in terms of their ability to modify the behavioral dyscontrol that underlies addictive behavior. Customized treatments to reduce behavioral dyscontrol are discussed, such as (1) using natural consequences such as non-drug rewards (e.g., exercise) to maintain abstinence, or using punishment as a consequence for drug use, (2) targeting factors that underlie behavioral dyscontrol, such as impulsivity or anxiety, by repurposing medications to relieve these underlying conditions, and (3) combining two or more novel behavioral or pharmacological treatments to produce additive reductions in drug seeking. Recent published work has indicated that factors contributing to behavioral dyscontrol are an important target for advancing our knowledge on the etiology of drug abuse, intervening with the drug addiction process and developing novel treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John R. Smethells
- Program in PharmacoNeuroImmunology, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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Spoelder M, Tsutsui KT, Lesscher HMB, Vanderschuren LJMJ, Clark JJ. Adolescent Alcohol Exposure Amplifies the Incentive Value of Reward-Predictive Cues Through Potentiation of Phasic Dopamine Signaling. Neuropsychopharmacology 2015; 40:2873-85. [PMID: 25971592 PMCID: PMC4864623 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2015] [Revised: 05/01/2015] [Accepted: 05/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Adolescent alcohol use remains a major public health concern due in part to well-established findings implicating the age of onset in alcohol use in the development of alcohol use disorders and persistent decision-making deficits in adults. We have previously demonstrated that moderate adolescent alcohol consumption in rats promotes suboptimal decision making and an associated perturbation in mesolimbic dopamine transmission in adulthood. Dopamine-dependent incentive learning processes are an integral component of value-based decision making and a fundamental element to many theoretical accounts of addiction. Thus we tested the hypothesis that adolescent alcohol use selectively alters incentive learning processes through perturbation of mesolimbic dopamine systems. To assess incentive learning, behavioral and neurochemical measurements were made during the acquisition, maintenance, extinction, and reacquisition of a Pavlovian conditioned approach procedure in adult rats with a history of adolescent alcohol consumption. We show that moderate adolescent alcohol consumption potentiates stimulus-evoked phasic dopamine transmission, measured in vivo by fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, in adulthood and biases individuals toward a dopamine-dependent incentive learning strategy. Moreover, we demonstrate that animals exposed to alcohol in adolescence are more sensitive to an unexpected variation in reward outcomes. This pattern of phasic dopamine signaling and the associated bias in learning may provide a mechanism for the well-documented vulnerability of individuals with early-life alcohol use for alcohol use disorders in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcia Spoelder
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Kimberly T Tsutsui
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Heidi M B Lesscher
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Louk J M J Vanderschuren
- Department of Animals in Science and Society, Division of Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands,Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jeremy J Clark
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Box 356560, 1959 NW Pacific Street, Seattle, WA 98195, USA, Tel: +1 206 992 0472, Fax: +1 206 543 9520, E-mail:
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Abela AR, Duan Y, Chudasama Y. Hippocampal interplay with the nucleus accumbens is critical for decisions about time. Eur J Neurosci 2015; 42:2224-33. [PMID: 26121594 PMCID: PMC5233438 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2015] [Revised: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Human cognition depends upon the capacity to make decisions in the present that bear upon outcomes in the future. The nucleus accumbens, a recipient of direct projections from both the hippocampus and orbitofrontal cortex, is known to contribute to these aspects of decision-making. Here we demonstrate that interaction of the nucleus accumbens with the hippocampus, but not the orbitofrontal cortex, is critical in shaping decisions that involve time trade-offs. Compared with controls, rats with a disrupted hippocampal-accumbens interaction were strongly biased toward choosing stimuli that led to small and immediate food rewards over large and delayed ones. We show that this pattern of behavior cannot be ascribed to the impaired representation of stimulus value, the incapacity to wait, or a general disruption of decision-making. These results identify a hippocampal-accumbens circuit that may underlie a range of problems in which daily decisions are marked by a shift toward immediate gratification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Abela
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Yiran Duan
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Yogita Chudasama
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada
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Novelty seeking is related to individual risk preference and brain activation associated with risk prediction during decision making. Sci Rep 2015; 5:10534. [PMID: 26065910 PMCID: PMC4464254 DOI: 10.1038/srep10534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2014] [Accepted: 04/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Novelty seeking (NS) is a personality trait reflecting excitement in response to novel stimuli. High NS is usually a predictor of risky behaviour such as drug abuse. However, the relationships between NS and risk-related cognitive processes, including individual risk preference and the brain activation associated with risk prediction, remain elusive. In this fMRI study, participants completed the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire to measure NS and performed a probabilistic decision making task. Using a mathematical model, we estimated individual risk preference. Brain regions associated with risk prediction were determined via fMRI. The NS score showed a positive correlation with risk preference and a negative correlation with the activation elicited by risk prediction in the right posterior insula (r-PI), left anterior insula (l-AI), right striatum (r-striatum) and supplementary motor area (SMA). Within these brain regions, only the activation associated with risk prediction in the r-PI showed a correlation with NS after controlling for the effect of risk preference. Resting-state functional connectivity between the r-PI and r-striatum/l-AI was negatively correlated with NS. Our results suggest that high NS may be associated with less aversion to risk and that the r-PI plays an important role in relating risk prediction to NS.
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Orbitofrontal or accumbens dopamine depletion does not affect risk-based decision making in rats. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2015; 15:507-22. [DOI: 10.3758/s13415-015-0353-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Janssen T, Larsen H, Peeters M, Boendermaker WJ, Vollebergh WAM, Wiers RW. Do online assessed self-report and behavioral measures of impulsivity-related constructs predict onset of substance use in adolescents? Addict Behav Rep 2015. [PMID: 29531975 PMCID: PMC5845954 DOI: 10.1016/j.abrep.2015.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction To prospectively predict the onset of use of alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana among Dutch adolescents, using behavioral and self-report measures of impulsivity-related facets. Specifically, we investigated whether behavioral measures of impulsivity predicted the onset of substance use above and beyond self-report measures of impulsivity and sensation seeking in an online sample. Methods Self-report and behavioral data from 284 adolescents (195 girls, mean age = 14.8 years, SD = 1.26) were collected at four time points over a period of two years, using an online survey system. Impulsivity-related facets were assessed at time point 1 with the Delay Discounting Task, the Balloon Analogue Risk Task and the Passive Avoidance Learning Task. We conducted logistic regression analysis to examine whether behavioral and self-report measures uniquely predicted onset of alcohol use, heavy episodic drinking, smoking and marijuana use. Results Onset of cigarette smoking was associated with behavioral assessment of impulsive decision making, but not after controlling for self-reported impulsivity and sensation seeking. Behavioral measures were sometimes associated with, but appeared not to prospectively predict, the onset of substance use in this online sample after controlling for self-report measures. Conclusions Based on the present results, the added value of online behavioral assessment of impulsivity-related factors in the prediction of onset of substance use was not confirmed. We suggest that factors specific to each behavioral task underlie their lack of prediction and suggest that future research addresses limitations of current behavioral tasks to increase their validity in online testing. We predicted substance use onset with self-report and behavioral impulsivity. Self-report impulsivity, not behavioral impulsivity, predicted onset overall. Delay discounting predicted smoking, but not after other predictors were included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Janssen
- University of Amsterdam, Weesperplein 4, 1018 XA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Helle Larsen
- University of Amsterdam, Weesperplein 4, 1018 XA Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Research Priority Area Yield, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | - Reinout W Wiers
- University of Amsterdam, Weesperplein 4, 1018 XA Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Research Priority Area Yield, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Boutros N, Semenova S, Liu W, Crews FT, Markou A. Adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure is associated with increased risky choice and decreased dopaminergic and cholinergic neuron markers in adult rats. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 18:pyu003. [PMID: 25612895 PMCID: PMC4368879 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyu003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Binge drinking is prevalent during adolescence and may have effects on the adult brain and behavior. The present study investigated whether adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure alters adult risky choice and prefrontal dopaminergic and forebrain cholinergic neuronal marker levels in male Wistar rats. METHODS Adolescent (postnatal day 28-53) rats were administered 5 g/kg of 25% (vol/vol) ethanol 3 times/d in a 2-days-on/2-days-off exposure pattern. In adulthood, risky choice was assessed in the probability discounting task with descending and ascending series of large reward probabilities and after acute ethanol challenge. Immunohistochemical analyses assessed tyrosine hydroxylase, a marker of dopamine and norepinephrine in the prelimbic and infralimbic cortices, and choline acetyltransferase, a marker of cholinergic neurons, in the basal forebrain. RESULTS All of the rats preferred the large reward when it was delivered with high probability. When the large reward became unlikely, control rats preferred the smaller, safe reward, whereas adolescent intermittent ethanol-exposed rats continued to prefer the risky alternative. Acute ethanol had no effect on risky choice in either group of rats. Tyrosine hydroxylase (prelimbic cortex only) and choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity levels were decreased in adolescent intermittent ethanol-exposed rats compared with controls. Risky choice was negatively correlated with choline acetyltransferase, implicating decreased forebrain cholinergic activity in risky choice. CONCLUSIONS The decreases in tyrosine hydroxylase and choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity suggest that adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure has enduring neural effects that may lead to altered adult behaviors, such as increased risky decision making. In humans, increased risky decision making could lead to maladaptive, potentially harmful consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Athina Markou
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California (Drs Boutros, Semenova, Markou); Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (Drs Liu, Crews).
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Granholm L, Rowley S, Ellgren M, Segerström L, Nylander I. Impact of adolescent ethanol exposure and adult amphetamine self-administration on evoked striatal dopamine release in male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:4421-31. [PMID: 26407601 PMCID: PMC4646932 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-015-4070-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2015] [Accepted: 08/31/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Adolescent binge drinking is common and associated with increased risk of substance use disorders. Transition from recreational to habitual ethanol consumption involves alterations in dorsal striatal function, but the long-term impact of adolescent ethanol exposure upon this region remains unclear. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to characterise and describe relationships between adolescent ethanol exposure, amphetamine self-administration and adult dopamine dynamics in dorsal striatum, including response to amphetamine challenge, in male Wistar rats. METHODS Ethanol (2 g/kg) or water was administered intragastrically in an episodic binge-like regimen (three continuous days/week) between 4 and 9 weeks of age (i.e. post-natal days 28-59). In adulthood, animals were divided into two groups. In the first, dorsal striatal potassium-evoked dopamine release was examined via chronoamperometry, in the basal state and after a single amphetamine challenge (2 mg/kg, i.v.). In the second, amphetamine self-administration behaviour was studied (i.e. fixed and progressive ratio) before chronoamperometric analysis was conducted as described above. RESULTS Adolescent ethanol exposure suppressed locally evoked dopamine response after amphetamine challenge in adulthood, whereas in the basal state, no differences in dopamine dynamics were detected. Ethanol-exposed animals showed no differences in adult amphetamine self-administration behaviour but an abolished effect on dopamine removal in response to a single amphetamine challenge after self-administration. CONCLUSION Amphetamine challenges in adult rats revealed differences in in vivo dopamine function after adolescent ethanol exposure. The attenuated drug response in ethanol-exposed animals may affect habit formation and contribute to increased risk for substance use disorders as a consequence of adolescent ethanol.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Granholm
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Division of Neuropharmacology, Addiction and Behaviour, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - S Rowley
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Division of Neuropharmacology, Addiction and Behaviour, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - M Ellgren
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Division of Neuropharmacology, Addiction and Behaviour, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - L Segerström
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Division of Neuropharmacology, Addiction and Behaviour, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - I Nylander
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Division of Neuropharmacology, Addiction and Behaviour, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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Adolescent alcohol exposure reduces behavioral flexibility, promotes disinhibition, and increases resistance to extinction of ethanol self-administration in adulthood. Neuropsychopharmacology 2014; 39:2570-83. [PMID: 24820536 PMCID: PMC4207336 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2014.109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 159] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2013] [Revised: 05/01/2014] [Accepted: 05/02/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a brain region that is critically involved in cognitive function and inhibitory control of behavior, and adolescence represents an important period of continued PFC development that parallels the maturation of these functions. Evidence suggests that this period of continued development of the PFC may render it especially vulnerable to environmental insults that impact PFC function in adulthood. Experimentation with alcohol typically begins during adolescence when binge-like consumption of large quantities is common. In the present study, we investigated the effects of repeated cycles of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure (postnatal days 28-42) by vapor inhalation on different aspects of executive functioning in the adult rat. In an operant set-shifting task, AIE-exposed rats exhibited deficits in their ability to shift their response strategy when the rules of the task changed, indicating reduced behavioral flexibility. There were no differences in progressive ratio response for the reinforcer suggesting that AIE did not alter reinforcer motivation. Examination of performance on the elevated plus maze under conditions designed to minimize stress revealed that AIE exposure enhanced the number of entries into the open arms, which may reflect either reduced anxiety and/or disinhibition of exploratory-like behavior. In rats that trained to self-administer ethanol in an operant paradigm, AIE increased resistance to extinction of ethanol-seeking behavior. This resistance to extinction was reversed by positive allosteric modulation of mGluR5 during extinction training, an effect that is thought to reflect promotion of extinction learning mechanisms within the medial PFC. Consistent with this, CDPPB was also observed to reverse the deficits in behavioral flexibility. Finally, diffusion tensor imaging with multivariate analysis of 32 brain areas revealed that while there were no differences in the total brain volume, the volume of a subgroup of regions (hippocampus, thalamus, dorsal striatum, neocortex, and hypothalamus) were significantly different in AIE-exposed adults compared with litter-matched Control rats. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that binge-like exposure to alcohol during early to middle adolescence results in deficits in PFC-mediated behavioral control in adulthood.
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Toalston JE, Deehan GA, Hauser SR, Engleman EA, Bell RL, Murphy JM, Truitt WA, McBride WJ, Rodd ZA. Reinforcing properties and neurochemical response of ethanol within the posterior ventral tegmental area are enhanced in adulthood by periadolescent ethanol consumption. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2014; 351:317-26. [PMID: 25150280 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.114.218172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol drinking during adolescence is associated with increased alcohol drinking and alcohol dependence in adulthood. Research examining the biologic consequences of adolescent ethanol (EtOH) consumption on the response to EtOH in the neurocircuitry shown to regulate drug reinforcement is limited. The experiments were designed to determine the effects of periadolescent alcohol drinking on the reinforcing properties of EtOH within the posterior ventral tegmental area (pVTA) and the ability of EtOH microinjected into the pVTA to stimulate dopamine (DA) release in the nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh). EtOH access (24-hour free-choice) by alcohol-preferring rats occurred during postnatal days (PND) 30-60. Animals were tested for their response to EtOH after PND 85. Intracranial self-administration techniques were performed to assess EtOH self-infusion into the pVTA. In the second experiment, rats received microinjections of EtOH into the pVTA, and dialysis samples were collected from the AcbSh. The results indicate that in rats that consumed EtOH during adolescence, the pVTA was more sensitive to the reinforcing effects of EtOH (a lower concentration of EtOH supported self-administration) and the ability of EtOH microinjected into the pVTA to stimulate DA release in the AcbSh was enhanced (sensitivity and magnitude). The data indicate that EtOH consumption during adolescence altered the mesolimbic DA system to be more sensitive and responsive to EtOH. This increase in the response to EtOH within the mesolimbic DA during adulthood could be part of biologic sequelae that are the basis for the deleterious effects of adolescent alcohol consumption on the rate of alcoholism during adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie E Toalston
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Gerald A Deehan
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Sheketha R Hauser
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Eric A Engleman
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Richard L Bell
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - James M Murphy
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - William A Truitt
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - William J McBride
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Zachary A Rodd
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
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44
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McMurray MS, Amodeo LR, Roitman JD. Effects of voluntary alcohol intake on risk preference and behavioral flexibility during rat adolescence. PLoS One 2014; 9:e100697. [PMID: 25007338 PMCID: PMC4090063 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0100697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Accepted: 05/29/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use is common in adolescence, with a large portion of intake occurring during episodes of binging. This pattern of alcohol consumption coincides with a critical period for neurocognitive development and may impact decision-making and reward processing. Prior studies have demonstrated alterations in adult decision-making following adolescent usage, but it remains to be seen if these alterations exist in adolescence, or are latent until adulthood. Here, using a translational model of voluntary binge alcohol consumption in adolescents, we assess the impact of alcohol intake on risk preference and behavioral flexibility during adolescence. During adolescence (postnatal day 30-50), rats were given 1-hour access to either a 10% alcohol gelatin mixture (EtOH) or a calorie equivalent gelatin (Control) at the onset of the dark cycle. EtOH consuming rats were classified as either High or Low consumers based on intake levels. Adolescent rats underwent behavioral testing once a day, with one group performing a risk preference task, and a second group performing a reversal-learning task during the 20-day period of gelatin access. EtOH-High rats showed increases in risk preference compared to Control rats, but not EtOH-Low animals. However, adolescent rats did a poor job of matching their behavior to optimize outcomes, suggesting that adolescents may adopt a response bias. In addition, adolescent ethanol exposure did not affect the animals' ability to flexibly adapt behavior to changing reward contingencies during reversal learning. These data support the view that adolescent alcohol consumption can have short-term detrimental effects on risk-taking when examined during adolescence, which does not seem to be attributable to an inability to flexibly encode reward contingencies on behavioral responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S. McMurray
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Leslie R. Amodeo
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Jamie D. Roitman
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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45
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Schindler AG, Tsutsui KT, Clark JJ. Chronic alcohol intake during adolescence, but not adulthood, promotes persistent deficits in risk-based decision making. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2014; 38:1622-9. [PMID: 24689661 DOI: 10.1111/acer.12404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2013] [Accepted: 02/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescent alcohol use is a major public health concern and is strongly correlated with the development of alcohol abuse problems in adulthood. Adolescence is characterized by maturation and remodeling of brain regions implicated in decision making and therefore may be uniquely vulnerable to environmental insults such as alcohol exposure. We have previously demonstrated that voluntary alcohol consumption in adolescence results in maladaptive risk-based decision making in adulthood. However, it is unclear whether this effect on risk-based decision making can be attributed to chronic alcohol use in general or to a selective effect of alcohol use during the adolescent period. METHODS Ethanol (EtOH) was presented to adolescent (postnatal day [PND] 30 to 49) and adult rats (PND 80 to 99) for 20 days, either 24 hours or 1 h/d, in a gel matrix consisting of distilled water, gelatin, polycose (10%), and EtOH (10%). The 24-hour time course of EtOH intake was measured and compared between adolescent and adult animals. Following 20 days of withdrawal from EtOH, we assessed risk-based decision making with a concurrent instrumental probability-discounting task. Blood EtOH concentrations (BECs) were taken from trunk blood and assessed using the Analox micro-stat GM7 in separate groups of animals at different time points. RESULTS Unlike animals exposed to EtOH during adolescence, animals exposed to alcohol during adulthood did not display differences in risk preference compared to controls. Adolescent and adult rats displayed similar EtOH intake levels and patterns when given either 24- or 1-hour access per day. In addition, while both groups reached significant BEC levels, we failed to find a difference between adult and adolescent animals. CONCLUSIONS Here, we show that adolescent, but not adult, EtOH intake leads to a persistent increase in risk preference which cannot be attributed to differences in intake levels or BECs attained. Our findings support previous work implicating adolescence as a time period of heightened susceptibility to the long-term negative effects of alcohol exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail G Schindler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences(AGS,KTT, JJC), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
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46
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Abstract
Alcoholism can be described as a disorder characterized by impulsive decision-making processes, wherein potential short-term appetitive outcomes of drinking (e.g., intoxication) are deemed more important than potential long-term aversive consequences of drinking (e.g., drunk-driving arrests). Separate but interrelated neurocognitive pathways to impulsive decision making exist - one reflected by weak "top-down" executive control over impulsive and compulsive urges to consume alcohol, the other reflected by a strong "bottom-up" appetitive drive in impulsive and compulsive urges to consume alcohol. We present behavioral evidence of poor executive control and strong appetitive drive and neural evidence describing differences in functional and organizational patterns in brain executive control and appetitive drive networks. We discuss how these behavioral and neural aspects of alcoholism are associated with impulsive decision making and risky behavior in alcoholics, and how these patterns differ at different stages of alcoholism dependence and recovery.
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47
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Fernie G, Peeters M, Gullo MJ, Christiansen P, Cole JC, Sumnall H, Field M. Multiple behavioural impulsivity tasks predict prospective alcohol involvement in adolescents. Addiction 2013; 108:1916-23. [PMID: 23795646 PMCID: PMC4230409 DOI: 10.1111/add.12283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2012] [Revised: 02/22/2013] [Accepted: 06/20/2013] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
AIMS We investigated reciprocal prospective relationships between multiple behavioural impulsivity tasks (assessing delay discounting, risk-taking and disinhibition) and alcohol involvement (consumption, drunkenness and problems) among adolescents. We hypothesized that performance on the tasks would predict subsequent alcohol involvement, and that alcohol involvement would lead to increases in behavioural impulsivity over time. DESIGN Cross-lagged prospective design in which impulsivity and alcohol involvement were assessed five times over 2 years (once every 6 months, on average). SETTING Classrooms in secondary schools in North West England. PARTICIPANTS Two hundred and eighty-seven adolescents (51.2% male) who were aged 12 or 13 years at study enrolment. MEASUREMENTS Participants reported their alcohol involvement and completed computerized tasks of disinhibition, delay discounting and risk-taking at each assessment. Cross-sectional and prospective relationships between the variables of interest were investigated using cross-lagged analyses. FINDINGS All behavioural impulsivity tasks predicted a composite index of alcohol involvement 6 months later (all Ps < 0.01), and these prospective relationships were reliable across the majority of time-points. Importantly, we did not observe the converse relationship across time: alcohol involvement did not predict performance on behavioural impulsivity tasks at any subsequent time point. CONCLUSIONS Several measures of impulsivity predict escalation in alcohol involvement in young adolescents, but alcohol use does not appear to alter impulsivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon Fernie
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of LiverpoolLiverpool, UK,Division of Applied Medicine (Psychiatry), School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of AberdeenUK
| | - Margot Peeters
- School of Psychology, University of UtrechtUtrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Matthew J Gullo
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of LiverpoolLiverpool, UK,Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, The University of QueenslandAustralia
| | - Paul Christiansen
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of LiverpoolLiverpool, UK
| | - Jon C Cole
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of LiverpoolLiverpool, UK
| | - Harry Sumnall
- Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores UniversityLiverpool, UK
| | - Matt Field
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of LiverpoolLiverpool, UK
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48
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Palm S, Daoura L, Roman E, Nylander I. Effects of rearing conditions on behaviour and endogenous opioids in rats with alcohol access during adolescence. PLoS One 2013; 8:e76591. [PMID: 24098535 PMCID: PMC3788749 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2013] [Accepted: 09/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Causal links between early-life stress, genes and later psychiatric diagnoses are not possible to fully address in human studies. Animal models therefore provide an important complement in which conditions can be well controlled and are here used to study and distinguish effects of early-life stress and alcohol exposure. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of rearing conditions on behaviour in young rats and if these changes could be followed over time and to examine interaction effects between early-life environment and adolescent alcohol drinking on behaviour and immunoreactive levels of the opioid peptides dynorphin B, met-enkephalin-Arg(6)Phe(7) and beta-endorphin. We employed a rodent model, maternal separation, to study the impact of rearing conditions on behaviour, voluntary alcohol consumption and alcohol-induced effects. The consequences of short, 15 min (MS 15), and long, 360 min (MS 360), maternal separation in combination with adolescent voluntary alcohol consumption on behaviour and peptides were examined. A difference in the development of risk taking behaviour was found between the MS15 and MS360 while the development of general activity was found to differ between intake groups. Beta-endorphin levels in the pituitary and the periaqueductal gray area was found to be higher in the MS15 than the MS360. Adolescent drinking resulted in higher dynorphin B levels in the hippocampus and higher met-enkephalin-Arg(6)Phe(7) levels in the amygdala. Amygdala and hippocampus are involved in addiction processes and changes in these brain areas after adolescent alcohol drinking may have consequences for cognitive function and drug consumption behaviour in adulthood. The study shows that individual behavioural profiling over time in combination with neurobiological investigations provides means for studies of causality between early-life stress, behaviour and vulnerability to psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Palm
- Neuropharmacology, Addiction & Behaviour, Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Loudin Daoura
- Neuropharmacology, Addiction & Behaviour, Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Erika Roman
- Neuropharmacology, Addiction & Behaviour, Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ingrid Nylander
- Neuropharmacology, Addiction & Behaviour, Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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49
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DeVito EE, Meda SA, Jiantonio R, Potenza MN, Krystal JH, Pearlson GD. Neural correlates of impulsivity in healthy males and females with family histories of alcoholism. Neuropsychopharmacology 2013; 38:1854-63. [PMID: 23584260 PMCID: PMC3746701 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.92] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2012] [Revised: 02/08/2013] [Accepted: 03/11/2013] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Individuals family-history positive (FHP) for alcoholism have increased risk for the disorder, which may be mediated by intermediate behavioral traits such as impulsivity. Given the sex differences in the risk for and clinical presentation of addictive disorders, risk for addiction may be differentially mediated by impulsivity within FHP males and females. FHP (N=28) and family-history negative (FHN, N=31) healthy, non-substance-abusing adults completed an fMRI Go/No-Go task and were assessed on impulsivity and alcohol use. Effects of family history and sex were investigated as were associations between neural correlates of impulse control and out-of-scanner measures of impulsivity and alcohol use. FHP individuals showed greater activation in the left anterior insula and inferior frontal gyrus during successful inhibitions, an effect that was driven primarily by FHP males. Higher self-reported impulsivity and behavioral discounting impulsivity, but not alcohol use measures, were associated with greater BOLD signal in the region that differentiated the FHP and FHN groups. Impulsivity factors were associated with alcohol use measures across the FHP and FHN groups. These findings are consistent with increased risk for addiction among FHP individuals being conferred through disrupted function within neural systems important for impulse control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise E DeVito
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
| | - Shashwath A Meda
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, USA
| | - Rachel Jiantonio
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, USA
| | - Marc N Potenza
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA,Department of Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA,Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA,Clinical Neuroscience Division, VA National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Godfrey D Pearlson
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA,Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, USA,Department of Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
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50
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Bidwell LC, MacKillop J, Murphy JG, Grenga A, Swift RM, McGeary JE. Biphasic effects of alcohol on delay and probability discounting. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 2013; 21:214-21. [PMID: 23750692 PMCID: PMC4050433 DOI: 10.1037/a0032284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Delay discounting and probability discounting are behavioral economic indices of impulsive and risky decision making that have been associated with addictive behavior, but the acute biphasic effects of alcohol on these decision-making processes are not well understood. This study sought to investigate the biphasic effects of alcohol on delay and probability discounting across the ascending and descending limbs of the breath alcohol concentration (BAC) curve, which are respectively characterized by the stimulant and sedative effects of alcohol. Delay and probability discounting were measured at four time points (Baseline, Ascending, Descending, and End point) across the BAC curve at two target alcohol doses (40 mg/dl and 80 mg/dl) in healthy adults (n = 23 and 27, for both doses, respectively). There was no significant effect of alcohol on delay discounting at either dose. Alcohol significantly affected probability discounting, such that reduced discounting for uncertain rewards was evident during the descending limb of the BAC curve at the lower dose (p < .05) and during both the ascending and descending limb of the BAC curve at the higher dose (p < .05). Thus, alcohol resulted in increased risky decision making, particularly during the descending limb, which is primarily characterized by the sedative effects of alcohol. These findings suggest that the biphasic effects of alcohol across the ascending and descending limbs of the BAC have differential effects on behavior related to decision-making for probabilistic, but not delayed, rewards. Parallels to and distinctions from previous findings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Cinnamon Bidwell
- Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, and Division of Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
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