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Montagud-Romero S, Cantacorps L, Fernández-Gómez FJ, Núñez C, Miñarro J, Rodríguez-Arias M, Milanés MV, Valverde O. Unraveling the molecular mechanisms involved in alcohol intake and withdrawal in adolescent mice exposed to alcohol during early life stages. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 104:110025. [PMID: 32599136 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol interferes with foetal development and prenatal alcohol exposure can lead to adverse effects known as foetal alcohol spectrum disorders. We aimed to assess the underlying neurobiological mechanisms involved in alcohol intake and withdrawal in adolescent mice exposed to alcohol during early life stages, in discrete brain areas. Pregnant C57BL/6 female mice were exposed to binge alcohol drinking from gestation to weaning. Subsequently, alcohol seeking and taking behaviour were evaluated in male adolescent offspring, as assessed in the two-bottle choice and oral self-administration paradigms. Brain area samples were analysed to quantify AMPAR subunits GluR1/2 and pCREB/CREB expression following alcohol self-administration. We measured the expression of mu and kappa opioid receptors both during acute alcohol withdrawal (assessing anxiety alterations by the EPM test) and following reinstatement in the two-bottle choice paradigm. In addition, alcohol metabolism was analysed by measuring blood alcohol concentrations under an acute dose of 3 g/kg alcohol. Our findings demonstrate that developmental alcohol exposure enhances alcohol intake during adolescence, which is associated with a decrease in the pCREB/CREB ratio in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and striatum, while the GluR1/GluR2 ratio showed a decrease in the hippocampus. Moreover, PLAE mice showed behavioural alterations, such as increased anxiety-like responses during acute alcohol withdrawal, and higher BAC levels. No significant changes were identified for mu and kappa opioid receptors mRNA expression. The current study highlights that early alcohol exposed mice increased alcohol consumption during late adolescence. Furthermore, a diminished CREB signalling and glutamatergic neuroplasticity are proposed as underpinning neurobiological mechanisms involved in the sensitivity to alcohol reinforcing properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Montagud-Romero
- Neurobiology of Behaviour Research Group (GReNeC-NeuroBio), Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lídia Cantacorps
- Neurobiology of Behaviour Research Group (GReNeC-NeuroBio), Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Francisco José Fernández-Gómez
- Murcia Research Institute of Health Sciences (IMIB), Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Cristina Núñez
- Murcia Research Institute of Health Sciences (IMIB), Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - José Miñarro
- Department of Psychobiology, Facultad de Psicología, Universitat de Valencia, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain; Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Salud (RETICS-Trastornos Adictivos), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Rodríguez-Arias
- Department of Psychobiology, Facultad de Psicología, Universitat de Valencia, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain; Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Salud (RETICS-Trastornos Adictivos), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER, Madrid, Spain
| | - María Victoria Milanés
- Murcia Research Institute of Health Sciences (IMIB), Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Olga Valverde
- Neurobiology of Behaviour Research Group (GReNeC-NeuroBio), Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Salud (RETICS-Trastornos Adictivos), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER, Madrid, Spain; IMIM-Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Neurosciences Programme, Barcelona, Spain.
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2
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Alcohol. Alcohol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-816793-9.00001-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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3
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Pucci M, Micioni Di Bonaventura MV, Wille-Bille A, Fernández MS, Maccarrone M, Pautassi RM, Cifani C, D’Addario C. Environmental stressors and alcoholism development: Focus on molecular targets and their epigenetic regulation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 106:165-181. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Revised: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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Wen RT, Liang JH, Zhang HT. Targeting Phosphodiesterases in Pharmacotherapy for Substance Dependence. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2018; 17:413-444. [PMID: 28956341 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-58811-7_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Substance dependence is a chronic relapsing brain disorder associated with adaptational changes in synaptic plasticity and neuronal functions. The high levels of substance consumption and relapse rate suggest more reliable medications are in need to better address the underlying causes of this disease. It has been well established that the intracellular second messengers cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cyclic GMP (cGMP) and their signaling systems play an important role in the molecular mechanisms of substance taking behaviors. On this basis, the phosphodiesterase (PDE) superfamily, which crucially controls cyclic nucleotide levels by catalyzing their hydrolysis, has been proposed as a novel class of therapeutic targets for substance use disorders. This chapter reviews the expression patterns of PDEs in the brain with regard to neural structures underlying the dependent process and highlights available evidence for a modulatory role of PDEs in substance dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui-Ting Wen
- Department of Pharmacy, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Jian-Hui Liang
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, Peking University School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Beijing, 100191, China.
| | - Han-Ting Zhang
- Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, 1 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA. .,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, West Virginia University Health Sciences Center, 1 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA. .,Institute of Pharmacology, Taishan Medical University, Taian, 271016, China.
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Ubaldi M, Cannella N, Ciccocioppo R. Emerging targets for addiction neuropharmacology: From mechanisms to therapeutics. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2015; 224:251-84. [PMID: 26822362 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2015.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Drug abuse represents a considerable burden of disease and has enormous economic impacts on societies. Over the years, few medications have been developed for clinical use. Their utilization is endowed with several limitations, including partial efficacy or significant side effects. On the other hand, the successful advancement of these compounds provides an important proof of concept for the feasibility of drug development programs in addiction. In recent years, a wealth of information has been generated on the psychological mechanisms, genetic or epigenetic predisposing factors, and neurobiological adaptations induced by drug consumption that interact with each other to contribute to disease progression. It is now clear that addiction develops through phases, from initial recreational use to excessive consumption and compulsive drug seeking, with a shift from positive to negative reinforcement driving motivated behaviors. A greater understanding of these mechanisms has opened new vistas in drug development programs. Researchers' attention has been shifted from investigation of classical targets associated with reward to biological substrates responsible for negative reinforcement, impulse loss of control, and maladaptive mechanisms resulting from protracted drug use. From this research, several new biological targets for the development of innovative therapies have started to emerge. This chapter offers an overview of targets currently under scrutiny for the development of new medications for addiction. This work is not exhaustive but rather it provides a few examples of how this research has advanced in recent years by virtue of studies carried out in our laboratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Ubaldi
- School of Pharmacy, Pharmacology Unit, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | - Nazzareno Cannella
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Roberto Ciccocioppo
- School of Pharmacy, Pharmacology Unit, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy.
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6
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Sirohi S, Bakalkin G, Walker BM. Alcohol-induced plasticity in the dynorphin/kappa-opioid receptor system. Front Mol Neurosci 2012; 5:95. [PMID: 23060746 PMCID: PMC3459013 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2012.00095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2012] [Accepted: 08/29/2012] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Alcoholism is a chronic relapsing disorder characterized by continued alcohol use despite numerous adverse consequences. Alcohol has been shown to interact with numerous neurotransmitter systems to exert its pharmacological effects. The endogenous opioid system (EOS) has been strongly implicated in the positive and negative reinforcing effects of alcohol. Traditionally recognized as dysphoric/anhedonic in nature, the dynorphin/kappa-opioid receptor (DYN/KOR) system has recently received considerable attention due to evidence suggesting that an upregulated DYN/KOR system may be a critical contributor to the complex factors that result in escalated alcohol consumption once dependent. The present review will discuss alcohol-induced plasticity in the DYN/KOR system and how these neuroadaptations could contribute to excessive alcohol seeking and consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil Sirohi
- Laboratory of Alcoholism and Addictions Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Washington State University Pullman, WA, USA
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Abstract
Investigations of long-term changes in brain structure and function that accompany chronic exposure to drugs of abuse suggest that alterations in gene regulation contribute substantially to the addictive phenotype. Here, we review multiple mechanisms by which drugs alter the transcriptional potential of genes. These mechanisms range from the mobilization or repression of the transcriptional machinery - including the transcription factors ΔFOSB, cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) - to epigenetics - including alterations in the accessibility of genes within their native chromatin structure induced by histone tail modifications and DNA methylation, and the regulation of gene expression by non-coding RNAs. Increasing evidence implicates these various mechanisms of gene regulation in the lasting changes that drugs of abuse induce in the brain, and offers novel inroads for addiction therapy.
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Stratford TR, Wirtshafter D. Opposite effects on the ingestion of ethanol and sucrose solutions after injections of muscimol into the nucleus accumbens shell. Behav Brain Res 2010; 216:514-8. [PMID: 20804790 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.08.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2010] [Revised: 08/13/2010] [Accepted: 08/20/2010] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Injection of the GABA(A) receptor agonist muscimol into the nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh) elicits robust feeding in satiated rats, but has no effect on water intake. The current study was designed to examine whether intra-AcbSh muscimol injections influence the intake of ethanol solutions in rats trained to drink using a limited access paradigm. We confirmed that bilateral injections of muscimol (100 ng) into the AcbSh produce large increases in the intake of sucrose solutions and of the chow maintenance diet but found in two independent experiments that these injections potently reduce the intake of a 10% ethanol solution. Furthermore, intra-AcbSh muscimol significantly increased intake of an ethanol-sucrose mixture. These results demonstrate that activating GABA(A) receptors in the vicinity of the AcbSh can have opposite effects on the intake of different caloric substances and are consistent with the possibility that GABAergic circuits in the AcbSh may play a role in mediating voluntary ethanol intake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas R Stratford
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Psychology (m/c 285), University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 West Harrison Street, Chicago, IL 60607-7137, USA.
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McPherson CS, Lawrence AJ. The nuclear transcription factor CREB: involvement in addiction, deletion models and looking forward. Curr Neuropharmacol 2010; 5:202-12. [PMID: 19305803 PMCID: PMC2656817 DOI: 10.2174/157015907781695937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2006] [Revised: 03/16/2007] [Accepted: 03/29/2007] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Addiction involves complex physiological processes, and is characterised not only by broad phenotypic and behavioural traits, but also by ongoing molecular and cellular adaptations. In recent years, increasingly effective and novel techniques have been developed to unravel the molecular implications of addiction. Increasing evidence has supported a contribution of the nuclear transcription factor CREB in the development of addiction, both in contribution to phenotype and expression in brain regions critical to various aspects of drug-seeking behaviour and drug reward. Abstracting from this, models have exploited these data by removing the CREB gene from the developing or developed mouse, to crucially determine its impact upon addiction-related processes. More recent models, however, hold greater promise in unveiling the contribution of CREB to disorders such as addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron S McPherson
- Brain Injury and Repair Group, Howard Florey Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
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Moonat S, Starkman BG, Sakharkar A, Pandey SC. Neuroscience of alcoholism: molecular and cellular mechanisms. Cell Mol Life Sci 2010; 67:73-88. [PMID: 19756388 PMCID: PMC3747955 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-009-0135-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2009] [Revised: 07/28/2009] [Accepted: 08/13/2009] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol use and abuse appear to be related to neuroadaptive changes at functional, neurochemical, and structural levels. Acute and chronic ethanol exposure have been shown to modulate function of the activity-dependent gene transcription factor, cAMP-responsive element binding (CREB) protein in the brain, which may be associated with the development of alcoholism. Study of the downstream effectors of CREB have identified several important CREB-related genes, such as neuropeptide Y, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein, and corticotrophin-releasing factor, that may play a crucial role in the behavioral effects of ethanol and molecular changes in the specific neurocircuitry that underlie both alcohol addiction and a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. Brain chromatin remodeling due to histone covalent modifications may also be involved in mediating the behavioral effects and neuroadaptive changes that occur during ethanol exposure. This review outlines progressive neuroscience research into molecular and epigenetic mechanisms of alcoholism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachin Moonat
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Bela G. Starkman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Amul Sakharkar
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Subhash C. Pandey
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, 820 S. Damen Avenue (M/C 151), Chicago, IL 60612 USA
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11
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Spanagel R. Alcoholism: A Systems Approach From Molecular Physiology to Addictive Behavior. Physiol Rev 2009; 89:649-705. [DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00013.2008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 491] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol consumption is an integral part of daily life in many societies. The benefits associated with the production, sale, and use of alcoholic beverages come at an enormous cost to these societies. The World Health Organization ranks alcohol as one of the primary causes of the global burden of disease in industrialized countries. Alcohol-related diseases, especially alcoholism, are the result of cumulative responses to alcohol exposure, the genetic make-up of an individual, and the environmental perturbations over time. This complex gene × environment interaction, which has to be seen in a life-span perspective, leads to a large heterogeneity among alcohol-dependent patients, in terms of both the symptom dimensions and the severity of this disorder. Therefore, a reductionistic approach is not very practical if a better understanding of the pathological processes leading to an addictive behavior is to be achieved. Instead, a systems-oriented perspective in which the interactions and dynamics of all endogenous and environmental factors involved are centrally integrated, will lead to further progress in alcohol research. This review adheres to a systems biology perspective such that the interaction of alcohol with primary and secondary targets within the brain is described in relation to the behavioral consequences. As a result of the interaction of alcohol with these targets, alterations in gene expression and synaptic plasticity take place that lead to long-lasting alteration in neuronal network activity. As a subsequent consequence, alcohol-seeking responses ensue that can finally lead via complex environmental interactions to an addictive behavior.
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Wang Y, Ghezzi A, Yin JCP, Atkinson NS. CREB regulation of BK channel gene expression underlies rapid drug tolerance. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2009; 8:369-76. [PMID: 19243452 DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-183x.2009.00479.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Pharmacodynamic tolerance is believed to involve homeostatic mechanisms initiated to restore normal neural function. Drosophila exposed to a sedating dose of an organic solvent, such as benzyl alcohol or ethanol, acquire tolerance to subsequent sedation by that solvent. The slo gene encodes BK-type Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels and has been linked to alcohol- and organic solvent-induced behavioral tolerance in mice, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) and Drosophila. The cyclic AMP response element-binding (CREB) proteins are transcription factors that have been mechanistically linked to some behavioral changes associated with drug addiction. Here, we show that benzyl alcohol sedation alters expression of both dCREB-A and dCREB2-b genes to increase production of positively acting CREB isoforms and to reduce expression of negatively acting CREB variants. Using a CREB-responsive reporter gene, we show that benzyl alcohol sedation increases CREB-mediated transcription. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays show that the binding of dCREB2, with a phosphorylated kinase-inducible domain, increases immediately after benzyl alcohol sedation within the slo promoter region. Most importantly, we show that a loss-of-function allele of dCREB2 eliminates drug-induced upregulation of slo expression and the production of benzyl alcohol tolerance. This unambiguously links dCREB2 transcription factors to these two benzyl alcohol-induced phenotypes. These findings suggest that CREB positively regulates the expression of slo-encoded BK-type Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels and that this gives rise to behavioral tolerance to benzyl alcohol sedation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Wang
- Section of Neurobiology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-0248, USA
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Pohorecky LA. Psychosocial stress and chronic ethanol ingestion in male rats: Effects on elevated plus maze behavior and ultrasonic vocalizations. Physiol Behav 2008; 94:432-47. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2008.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2007] [Revised: 02/14/2008] [Accepted: 02/21/2008] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Li J, Bian WL, Xie GQ, Cui SZ, Wu ML, Li YH, Que LL, Yuan XR. Chronic ethanol intake-induced changes in open-field behavior and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV expression in nucleus accumbens of rats: naloxone reversal. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2008; 29:646-52. [PMID: 18501110 DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-7254.2008.00805.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM To investigate the effects of chronic ethanol intake on the locomotor activity and the levels of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaM kinase IV) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of rats. Simultaneously, the effects of nonselective opioid antagonist (naloxone) on the CaM kinase IV expression in the NAc and ethanol consumption of rats were also observed. METHODS Ethanol was administered in drinking water at the concentrations of 6% (v/v), for 28 d. The locomotor activity of rats was investigated in the open-field apparatus. CaM kinase IV levels in the NAc were analyzed using Western blotting. RESULTS Rats consuming ethanol solution exhibited a significant decrease of ambulation activity, accompanied by a reduced frequency of explorative rearing in an open-field task on d 7 and d 14 of chronic ethanol ingestion, whereas presumed adaptation to the neurological effects of ethanol was observed on d 28. Chronic ethanol intake elicited a significant decrease of the CaM kinase IV expression in the nuclei, but not in the cytoplasm of the NAc on d 28. Naloxone treatment significantly attenuated ethanol intake of rats and antagonized the decrease of CaM kinase IV in the nuclei of NAc neurons. The cytosolic CaM kinase IV protein levels of the NAc also increased in rats exposed to ethanol plus naloxone. CONCLUSION Chronic ethanol intake-induced changes in explorative behavior is mediated at least partly by changes in CaM kinase IV signaling in the nuclei of the NAc, and naloxone attenuates ethanol consumption through antagonizing the downregulation of CaM kinase IV in the NAc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Li
- Department of Pathophysiology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
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15
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Davis MI. Ethanol-BDNF interactions: still more questions than answers. Pharmacol Ther 2008; 118:36-57. [PMID: 18394710 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2008.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2008] [Accepted: 01/08/2008] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has emerged as a regulator of development, plasticity and, recently, addiction. Decreased neurotrophic activity may be involved in ethanol-induced neurodegeneration in the adult brain and in the etiology of alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorders. This can occur through decreased expression of BDNF or through inability of the receptor to transduce signals in the presence of ethanol. In contrast, recent studies implicate region-specific up-regulation of BDNF and associated signaling pathways in anxiety, addiction and homeostasis after ethanol exposure. Anxiety and depression are precipitating factors for substance abuse and these disorders also involve region-specific changes in BDNF in both pathogenesis and response to pharmacotherapy. Polymorphisms in the genes coding for BDNF and its receptor TrkB are linked to affective, substance abuse and appetitive disorders and therefore may play a role in the development of alcoholism. This review summarizes historical and pre-clinical data on BDNF and TrkB as it relates to ethanol toxicity and addiction. Many unresolved questions about region-specific changes in BDNF expression and the precise role of BDNF in neuropsychiatric disorders and addiction remain to be elucidated. Resolution of these questions will require significant integration of the literature on addiction and comorbid psychiatric disorders that contribute to the development of alcoholism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret I Davis
- Section on Synaptic Pharmacology, Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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Cowmeadow RB, Krishnan HR, Ghezzi A, Al'Hasan YM, Wang YZ, Atkinson NS. Ethanol tolerance caused by slowpoke induction in Drosophila. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2006; 30:745-53. [PMID: 16634842 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2006.00087.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel encoded by the slowpoke gene has recently been implicated in the ethanol response. Caenorhabditis elegans carrying mutations in this gene have altered ethanol sensitivity and Drosophila mutant for this gene are unable to acquire rapid tolerance to ethanol or anesthetics. In Drosophila, induction of slowpoke expression has been linked to anesthetic resistance. METHODS We used Drosophila as a model system to examine the relationship between slowpoke expression and ethanol tolerance. Real-time PCR and a reporter transgene were used to measure slowpoke induction after ethanol sedation. An inducible slowpoke transgene was used to manipulate slowpoke levels in the absence of ethanol sedation. RESULTS Ethanol sedation increased transcription from the slowpoke neural promoters but not from the slowpoke muscle/tracheal cell promoters. This neural-specific change was concomitant with the appearance of ethanol tolerance, leading us to suspect linkage between the two. Moreover, induction of slowpoke expression from a transgene produced a phenotype that mimics ethanol tolerance. CONCLUSIONS In Drosophila, ethanol sedation induces slowpoke expression in the nervous system and results in ethanol tolerance. The induction of slowpoke expression alone is sufficient to produce a phenotype that is indistinguishable from true ethanol tolerance. Therefore, the regulation of the slowpoke BK-type channel gene must play an integral role in the Drosophila ethanol response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roshani B Cowmeadow
- Section of Neurobiology and The Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, 78712-0248, USA
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Eva C, Serra M, Mele P, Panzica G, Oberto A. Physiology and gene regulation of the brain NPY Y1 receptor. Front Neuroendocrinol 2006; 27:308-39. [PMID: 16989896 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2006.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2005] [Revised: 07/18/2006] [Accepted: 07/25/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is one of the most prominent and abundant neuropeptides in the mammalian brain where it interacts with a family of G-protein coupled receptors, including the Y(1) receptor subtype (Y(1)R). NPY-Y(1)R signalling plays a prominent role in the regulation of several behavioural and physiological functions including feeding behaviour and energy balance, sexual hormone secretion, stress response, emotional behaviour, neuronal excitability and ethanol drinking. Y(1)R expression is regulated by neuronal activity and peripheral hormones. The Y(1)R gene has been isolated from rodents and humans and it contains multiple regulatory elements that may participate in the regulation of its expression. Y(1)R expression in the hypothalamus is modulated by changes in energetic balance induced by a wide variety of conditions (fasting, pregnancy, hyperglycaemic challenge, hypophagia, diet induced obesity). Estrogens up-regulate responsiveness to NPY to stimulate preovulatory GnRH and gonadotropin surges by increasing Y(1)R gene expression both in the hypothalamus and the pituitary. Y(1)R expression is modulated by different kinds of brain insults, such as stress and seizure activity, and alteration in its expression may contribute to antidepressant action. Chronic modulation of GABA(A) receptor function by benzodiazepines or neuroactive steroids also affects Y(1)R expression in the amygdala, suggesting that a functional interaction between the GABA(A) receptor and Y(1)R mediated signalling may contribute to the regulation of emotional behaviour. In this paper, we review the state of the art concerning Y(1)R function and gene expression, including our personal contribution to many of the subjects mentioned above.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carola Eva
- Sezione di Farmacologia, Dipartimento di Anatomia, Farmacologia e Medicina Legale, Università di Torino, Italy; Centro Rita Levi Montalcini, Università di Torino, Italy.
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Misra K, Pandey SC. The decreased cyclic-AMP dependent-protein kinase A function in the nucleus accumbens: a role in alcohol drinking but not in anxiety-like behaviors in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2006; 31:1406-19. [PMID: 16192983 DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1300900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) brain structures have been implicated in the reward and reinforcing properties of ethanol. The present study investigated the role of nucleus accumbal cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) signaling in alcohol drinking and anxiety-like behaviors of rats. It was found that infusion of PKA inhibitor (Rp-cAMP) into the NAc shell significantly increased the alcohol but not the sucrose intake, without modulating the anxiety-like behaviors, as measured by elevated plus maze test in rats. PKA inhibitor infusion into the NAc shell significantly decreased the protein levels of alpha-catalytic subunit of PKA (PKA-Calpha) and phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (p-CREB) as well as decreased the protein levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the shell but not in the NAc core of rats. On the other hand, infusion of PKA activator (Sp-cAMP) or NPY alone into the NAc shell did not produce any changes in alcohol intake; however, when these agents were coinfused with PKA inhibitor, they significantly attenuated the increases in alcohol preference induced by pharmacological inhibition of PKA. Interestingly, PKA activator coinfusion with PKA inhibitor into the NAc shell significantly normalized the PKA inhibitor-induced decreases in the protein levels of PKA-Calpha and p-CREB as well as of NPY in the NAc shell of rats. Taken together, these results provide the first evidence that decreased PKA function in the NAc shell is involved in alcohol drinking but not in anxiety-like behaviors of rats. Furthermore, decreased function of PKA may regulate alcohol drinking behaviors via CREB-mediated decreased expression of NPY in the NAc shell of rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaushik Misra
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
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Barrot M, Wallace DL, Bolaños CA, Graham DL, Perrotti LI, Neve RL, Chambliss H, Yin JC, Nestler EJ. Regulation of anxiety and initiation of sexual behavior by CREB in the nucleus accumbens. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005; 102:8357-62. [PMID: 15923261 PMCID: PMC1149417 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0500587102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual deficits and other behavioral disturbances such as anxiety-like behaviors can be observed in animals that have undergone social isolation, especially in species having important social interactions. Using a model of protracted social isolation in adult rats, we observed increased anxiety-like behavior and deficits in both the latency to initiate sexual behavior and the latency to ejaculate. We show, using transgenic cAMP response element (CRE)-LacZ reporter mice, that protracted social isolation also reduces CRE-dependent transcription within the nucleus accumbens. This decrease in CRE-dependent transcription can be mimicked in nonisolated animals by local viral gene transfer of a dominant negative mutant of CRE-binding protein (CREB). We previously showed that this manipulation increases anxiety-like behavior. We show here that it also impairs initiation of sexual behavior in nonisolated animals, a deficit that can be corrected by anxiolytic drug treatment. This local reduction in CREB activity, however, has no influence on ejaculation parameters. Reciprocally, we used the viral transgenic approach to overexpress CREB in the nucleus accumbens of isolated animals. We show that this local increase in CREB activity completely rescued the anxiety phenotype of the isolated animals, as well as their deficit in initiating sexual behavior, but failed to rescue the deficit in ejaculation. Our data suggest a role for the nucleus accumbens in anxiety responses and in specific aspects of sexual behavior. The results also provide insight into the molecular mechanisms by which social interactions affect brain plasticity and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Barrot
- Department of Psychiatry and Center for Basic Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9070, USA.
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Rani CSS, Qiang M, Ticku MK. Potential role of cAMP response element-binding protein in ethanol-induced N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 2B subunit gene transcription in fetal mouse cortical cells. Mol Pharmacol 2005; 67:2126-36. [PMID: 15774772 DOI: 10.1124/mol.104.007872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We have shown previously that long-term ethanol treatment causes an up-regulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor 2B subunit (NR2B) number and function in cultured fetal mouse cortical neurons. To examine the intracellular signaling pathways involved in this NR2B gene transcription, we have subjected fetal cortical neurons to long-term treatment with ethanol and studied its effect on cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) levels by Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We find a significant increase in phosphorylated CREB, without change in total CREB protein, in cells treated with ethanol for 5 days. Long-term ethanol treatment did not increase levels of both total and phospho-ERK in serum-free medium, whereas it did increase ERK phosphorylation in medium containing serum, without affecting total ERK levels. CREB phosphorylation was increased by ethanol treatment in both media, irrespective of the presence of serum. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay, using a 25-base pair (bp) double-stranded DNA fragment containing the cyclic AMP response element (CRE)-like sequence of the NR2B promoter as (32)P-labeled probe, showed an increase in specific CRE binding to nuclear proteins isolated from cells undergoing long-term ethanol treatment. A 467-bp DNA fragment of the NR2B promoter containing the CRE sequence cloned into the luciferase vector exhibited high reporter activity in transient cotransfection assay of mouse cortical neurons, and ethanol treatment increased this activity. Introducing site-directed mutation in the CRE sequence significantly reduced the reporter activity relative to the wild-type construct, and it also abolished the stimulatory effect by ethanol. Our results indicate that CREB is probably involved in mediating ethanol-induced up-regulation of NR2B gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- C S Sheela Rani
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of Texas Health Science Center, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr., San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA.
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Pandey SC, Roy A, Zhang H, Xu T. Partial deletion of the cAMP response element-binding protein gene promotes alcohol-drinking behaviors. J Neurosci 2005; 24:5022-30. [PMID: 15163695 PMCID: PMC6729369 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5557-03.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) gene transcription factor has been shown to play a role in the synaptic plasticity associated with drug addictive behaviors; however, the causal role of the CREB gene in alcohol-drinking behaviors is unknown. The present investigation evaluated alcohol-drinking behaviors in mice that are haplodeficient in CREB as a result of targeted CREB (alpha and Delta) gene disruption. It was found that CREB-haplodeficient (+/-) mice have higher preference for ethanol but not for sucrose solution than wild-type (+/+) littermates. The functional aspects of the CREB gene transcription factor were also investigated by measuring the protein levels of phosphorylated CREB (p-CREB) and the expression of cAMP-inducible genes such as neuropeptide Y (NPY) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Deletion of the CREB (alpha and Delta) gene significantly decreases total CREB, p-CREB levels and the expression of NPY and BDNF in the brain structures of CREB-deficient (+/-) mice. It was also found that CREB-deficient (+/-) mice displayed more anxiety-like behaviors and that acute ethanol exposure produced anxiolytic effects and significantly increased protein levels of p-CREB and NPY in the central and medial but not in the basolateral amygdala of wild-type mice, but these effects are attenuated in CREB-deficient mice compared with wild-type mice. These results provide the first direct evidence that a haplodeficiency of the CREB gene is associated with increased alcohol-drinking behaviors. Furthermore, alcohol drinking and anxiety-like behaviors in CREB-haplodeficient mice may possibly be related to decreased expression of NPY and BDNF in the brains of these mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhash C Pandey
- Department of Psychiatry, The Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago and Veterans Affairs Chicago Health Care System, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA.
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Kreibich AS, Blendy JA. The Role of cAMP Response Element–Binding Proteins in Mediating Stress‐Induced Vulnerability to Drug Abuse. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2005; 65:147-78. [PMID: 16140056 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7742(04)65006-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Arati Sadalge Kreibich
- Department of Pharmacology, Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
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Pandey SC. The gene transcription factor cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein: role in positive and negative affective states of alcohol addiction. Pharmacol Ther 2004; 104:47-58. [PMID: 15500908 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2004.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The gene transcription factor cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-responsive element binding (CREB) protein is a nuclear protein that regulates synaptic plasticity via modulating the expression of several (cAMP)-inducible genes. Alcohol addiction is a complex psychiatric disorder and is characterized by a compulsive and uncontrolled pattern of alcohol drinking by an individual in spite of the adverse consequences of its abuse. Ethanol produces both euphoric (reward and reinforcing) and dysphoric (negative withdrawal reactions) effects and these are most likely involved in the initiation and maintenance of alcohol use and abuse. Several neurotransmitter systems in the brain might be involved in the effects of alcohol but the exact molecular mechanisms of both the positive and negative affective states of alcohol abuse are still unclear. Recent research in molecular neurosciences using animal models have identified the role of extended amygdaloid (shell structures of nucleus accumbens [NAc] and central and medial amygdaloid nuclei) CREB signaling in positive and negative affective states of alcohol drinking behaviors. This review article highlights the current findings on the role of nucleus accumbal and amygdaloid CREB signaling in behavioral consequences of alcohol use and abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhash C Pandey
- Department of Psychiatry, Anatomy, and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 820 South Damen Avenue (M/C 151), Chicago, IL 60612, United States.
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Gao C, Chen L, Tao Y, Chen J, Xu X, Zhang G, Chi Z. Colocalization of phosphorylated CREB with calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV in hippocampal neurons induced by ohmfentanyl stereoisomers. Brain Res 2004; 1024:25-33. [PMID: 15451364 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2004.06.084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/25/2004] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The transcription factor cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) plays an important role in opioids dependence. To better understand the role of CREB in opioids dependence and underlying signal pathways, we compared the effects of three ohmfentanyl stereoisomers ((-)-cis-(3R,4S,2'R) OMF (F9202), (+)-cis-(3R,4S,2'S) OMF (F9204), (-)-cis-(3S,4S,2'R) OMF (F9203)) and morphine on CREB phosphorylation and the expression of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV) in hippocampus derived from mice which displayed conditioned place preference (CPP) behavior by Western blot, and immunohistochemistry analyses. Moreover, we studied the effects of OMF and morphine on CREB phosphorylation and colocalization of phosphorylated CREB (P-CREB) with CaMKIV in cultured rat hippocampal neurons by Western blot, and confocal fluorescence microscopy analyses. The results showed that F9202, F9204 or morphine, which could induce CPP, enhanced CREB phosphorylation and the expression of CaMKIV in hippocampus from CPP mice without affecting total CREB protein level. The CREB phosphorylation of cultured hippocampal neurons was also enhanced and reached its peak level at 30 min upon exposure to F9202 (100 nM), F9204 (100 nM) or morphine (1 microM), while the total CREB protein level was not altered. KN-62 (10 microM), an inhibitor of CaM kinases, prevented CREB phosphorylation induced by morphine, F9202, and F9204 without change of total CREB level. The results of confocal fluorescence microscopy further demonstrated that the activated CREB (P-CREB) was colocalized with CaMKIV in nucleus. F9203, which could not induce CPP, failed to increase the CREB phosphorylation and the colocalization of P-CREB with CaMKIV both in hippocampus from CPP mice and in cultured hippocampal neurons. This is the first evidence to suggest that the increased CREB phosphorylation via CaMKIV signal pathway in hippocampus is relevant to opioids psychological dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Gao
- Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Zhangjiang Hitech-Park, Pudong, Shanghai 201203, PR China
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Misra K, Pandey SC. Differences in basal levels of CREB and NPY in nucleus accumbens regions between C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice differing in inborn alcohol drinking behavior. J Neurosci Res 2004; 74:967-75. [PMID: 14648603 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.10831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
An increasing body of evidence suggests that genetic factors play a role in alcohol drinking behaviors. C57BL/6J (C57) mice innately consume larger amounts of alcohol compared to that consumed by DBA/2J (DBA) mice. Furthermore, alterations in cAMP-responsive element binding (CREB) protein function in the brain have been implicated in alcohol drinking behaviors. The present investigation examined innate expression and phosphorylation of CREB in various brain structures of C57 and DBA mice. It was found that CREB expression and phosphorylation was lower, specifically in the shell structure of the nucleus accumbens, in C57 mice compared to that in DBA mice. CREB expression and phosphorylation were similar in other brain regions such as the nucleus accumbens core and the cortical, amygdaloid, hippocampal, and striatal structures of C57 and DBA mice. The expression of a cAMP-inducible gene, neuropeptide Y (NPY), was also investigated in the nucleus accumbens region of C57 and DBA mice. It was found that in C57 mice, NPY protein levels were lower in the shell but not in the core structure of the nucleus accumbens compared to that in DBA mice. It was also found that C57 mice are not innately anxious, but they consume larger amounts of alcohol than do DBA mice. Because the shell structure of the nucleus accumbens has been implicated in reward mechanisms of alcohol, it is possible that lower CREB function in this brain structure may be in part associated with the excessive alcohol drinking behavior of C57 mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaushik Misra
- Department of Psychiatry, Anatomy, and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago and VA Chicago Health Care System, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA
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Pluzarev O, Pandey SC. Modulation of CREB expression and phosphorylation in the rat nucleus accumbens during nicotine exposure and withdrawal. J Neurosci Res 2004; 77:884-91. [PMID: 15334606 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.20216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens region of the brain has been shown to play a role in reward and reinforcing mechanisms of drugs of abuse. To understand the molecular mechanisms of nicotine addiction, the present investigation examined the effects of acute and chronic nicotine treatment and its withdrawal on cAMP-responsive element binding (CREB) protein expression and phosphorylation (serine-133) in nucleus accumbens (NAc) structures of rats. it was found that acute treatment (1 and 18 hr of withdrawal) with nicotine had no effects on total creb and phosphorylated CREB (p-CREB) protein levels in shell or core structures of rat NAc. On the other hand, 18-hr withdrawal after chronic nicotine exposure produced significant reductions in the total CREB and p-CREB protein levels in the shell but not in core structures of nac. interestingly, nicotine withdrawal (1 hr) after chronic exposure maintained normal levels of total CREB and p-CREB protein levels in the shell and core structures of NAc. These results suggest the possibility that decreased CREB activity in the shell of NAc may be associated with abnormal reward mechanisms during nicotine withdrawal after chronic exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivera Pluzarev
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA
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Brunzell DH, Russell DS, Picciotto MR. In vivo nicotine treatment regulates mesocorticolimbic CREB and ERK signaling in C57Bl/6J mice. J Neurochem 2003; 84:1431-41. [PMID: 12614343 DOI: 10.1046/j.1471-4159.2003.01640.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 159] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) pathway was studied to determine its role in neuronal plasticity related to the development of nicotine dependence. Levels and phosphorylation state of ERK, cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) and proline-rich/Ca2+-activated tyrosine kinase (PYK2), and levels of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), were determined using western blotting. C57Bl/6J mice received acute or chronic nicotine (200 microg/mL) in their drinking water or were withdrawn from nicotine for 24 h following chronic exposure. CREB phosphorylation was reduced in the nucleus accumbens following chronic nicotine, consistent with previous reports that decreased accumbens CREB activity increases drug reinforcement. In contrast, CREB phosphorylation was increased in the prefrontal cortex following chronic nicotine exposure and in the ventral tegmental area during nicotine withdrawal. In addition, total and phosphorylated ERK decreased in the amygdala following chronic nicotine exposure, but ERK phosphorylation increased in the prefrontal cortex. TH levels increased in both the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, supporting the hypothesis that increased catecholaminergic tone contributes to nicotine reinforcement. Overall, these results support a role for ERK and CREB activity in neural plasticity associated with nicotine dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darlene H Brunzell
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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