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Munoz B, Atwood BK. A novel inhibitory corticostriatal circuit that expresses mu opioid receptor-mediated synaptic plasticity. Neuropharmacology 2023; 240:109696. [PMID: 37659438 PMCID: PMC10591984 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
Corticostriatal circuits are generally characterized by the release of glutamate neurotransmitter from cortical terminals within the striatum. It is well known that cortical excitatory input to the dorsal striatum regulates addictive drug-related behaviors. We previously reported that anterior insular cortex (AIC) synaptic inputs to the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) control binge alcohol drinking in mice. These AIC-DLS glutamate synapses are also the sole sites of corticostriatal mu opioid receptor-mediated excitatory long-term depression (MOR-LTD) in the DLS. Recent work demonstrates that some regions of cortex send long-range, direct inhibitory inputs into the dorsal striatum. Nothing is known about the existence and regulation of AIC-DLS inhibitory synaptic transmission. Here, using a combination of patch clamp electrophysiology and optogenetics, we characterized a novel AIC-DLS corticostriatal inhibitory circuit and its regulation by MOR-mediated inhibitory LTD (MOR-iLTD). First, we found that the activation of presynaptic MORs produces MOR-iLTD in the DLS and dorsomedial striatum. Then, we showed that medium spiny neurons within the DLS receive direct inhibitory synaptic input from the cortex, specifically from the motor cortex and AIC. Using transgenic mice that express cre-recombinase within parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory neurons, we determined that this specific cortical neuron subtype sends direct GABAergic projections to the DLS. Moreover, these AIC-DLS inhibitory synaptic input subtypes express MOR-iLTD. These data suggest a novel GABAergic corticostriatal circuit that could be involved in the regulation of drug and alcohol consumption-related behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Braulio Munoz
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
| | - Brady K Atwood
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
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2
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Abstract
Ethanol (EtOH) has effects on numerous cellular molecular targets, and alterations in synaptic function are prominent among these effects. Acute exposure to EtOH activates or inhibits the function of proteins involved in synaptic transmission, while chronic exposure often produces opposing and/or compensatory/homeostatic effects on the expression, localization, and function of these proteins. Interactions between different neurotransmitters (e.g., neuropeptide effects on release of small molecule transmitters) can also influence both acute and chronic EtOH actions. Studies in intact animals indicate that the proteins affected by EtOH also play roles in the neural actions of the drug, including acute intoxication, tolerance, dependence, and the seeking and drinking of EtOH. The present chapter is an update of our previous Lovinger and Roberto (Curr Top Behav Neurosci 13:31-86, 2013) chapter and reviews the literature describing these acute and chronic synaptic effects of EtOH with a focus on adult animals and their relevance for synaptic transmission, plasticity, and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Lovinger
- Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Marisa Roberto
- Molecular Medicine Department, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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3
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Carpio MJ, Gao R, Wooner E, Cayton CA, Richard JM. Alcohol availability during withdrawal gates the impact of alcohol vapor exposure on responses to alcohol cues. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:3103-3116. [PMID: 35881146 PMCID: PMC9526241 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06192-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) vapor inhalation is a widely used model of alcohol dependence, but the impact of CIE on cue-elicited alcohol seeking is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE Here, we assessed the effects of CIE on alcohol-seeking elicited by cues paired with alcohol before or after CIE vapor inhalation. METHODS In experiment 1, male and female Long-Evans rats were trained in a discriminative stimulus (DS) task, in which one auditory cue (the DS) predicts the availability of 15% ethanol and a control cue (the NS) predicts no ethanol. Rats then underwent CIE or served as controls. Subsets of each group received access to oral ethanol twice a week during acute withdrawal. After CIE, rats were presented with the DS and NS cues under extinction and retraining conditions to determine whether they would alter their responses to these cues. In experiment 2, rats underwent CIE prior to training in the DS task. RESULTS CIE enhanced behavioral responses to cues previously paired with alcohol, but only in rats that received access to alcohol during acute withdrawal. When CIE occurred before task training, male rats were slower to develop cue responses and less likely to enter the alcohol port, even though they had received alcohol during acute withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that CIE vapor inhalation alone does not potentiate the motivational value of alcohol cues but that an increase in cue responses requires alcohol experience during acute withdrawal. Furthermore, under some conditions, CIE may disrupt responses to alcohol-paired cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Carpio
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55415, USA
- Medical Discovery Team On Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55415, USA
| | - Runbo Gao
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55415, USA
- Medical Discovery Team On Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55415, USA
| | - Erica Wooner
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55415, USA
- Medical Discovery Team On Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55415, USA
| | - Christelle A Cayton
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55415, USA
- Medical Discovery Team On Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55415, USA
| | - Jocelyn M Richard
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55415, USA.
- Medical Discovery Team On Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55415, USA.
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Prenatal Opioid Exposure Impairs Endocannabinoid and Glutamate Transmission in the Dorsal Striatum. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0119-22.2022. [PMID: 35396255 PMCID: PMC9034757 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0119-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The opioid crisis has contributed to a growing population of children exposed to opioids during fetal development; however, many of the long-term effects of opioid exposure on development are unknown. We previously demonstrated that opioids have deleterious effects on endocannabinoid plasticity at glutamate synapses in the dorsal striatum of adolescent rodents, but it is unclear whether prenatal opioid exposure produces similar neuroadaptations. Using a mouse model of prenatal methadone exposure (PME), we performed proteomics, phosphoproteomics, and patch-clamp electrophysiology in the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) and dorsomedial striatum (DMS) to examine synaptic functioning in adolescent PME offspring. PME impacted the proteome and phosphoproteome in a region- and sex-dependent manner. Many proteins and phosphorylated proteins associated with glutamate transmission were differentially abundant in PME offspring, which was associated with reduced glutamate release in the DLS and altered the rise time of excitatory events in the DMS. Similarly, the intrinsic excitability properties of DMS neurons were significantly affected by PME. Last, pathway analyses revealed an enrichment in retrograde endocannabinoid signaling in the DLS, but not in the DMS, of males. Electrophysiology studies confirmed that endocannabinoid-mediated synaptic depression was impaired in the DLS, but not DMS, of PME-males. These results indicate that PME induces persistent neuroadaptations in the dorsal striatum and could contribute to the aberrant behavioral development described in offspring with prenatal opioid exposure.
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Giuliano C, Puaud M, Cardinal RN, Belin D, Everitt BJ. Individual differences in the engagement of habitual control over alcohol seeking predict the development of compulsive alcohol seeking and drinking. Addict Biol 2021; 26:e13041. [PMID: 33955649 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Excessive drinking is an important behavioural characteristic of alcohol addiction, but not the only one. Individuals addicted to alcohol crave alcoholic beverages, spend time seeking alcohol despite negative consequences and eventually drink to intoxication. With prolonged use, control over alcohol seeking devolves to anterior dorsolateral striatum, dopamine-dependent mechanisms implicated in habit learning and individuals in whom alcohol seeking relies more on these mechanisms are more likely to persist in seeking alcohol despite the risk of punishment. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the development of habitual alcohol seeking predicts the development of compulsive seeking and that, once developed, it is associated with compulsive alcohol drinking. Male alcohol-preferring rats were pre-exposed intermittently to a two-bottle choice procedure and trained on a seeking-taking chained schedule of alcohol reinforcement until some individuals developed punishment-resistant seeking behaviour. The associative basis of their seeking responses was probed with an outcome-devaluation procedure, early or late in training. After seeking behaviour was well established, subjects that had developed greater resistance to outcome devaluation (were more habitual) were more likely to show punishment-resistant (compulsive) alcohol seeking. These individuals also drank more alcohol, despite quinine adulteration, even though having similar alcohol preference and intake before and during instrumental training. They were also less sensitive to changes in the contingency between seeking responses and alcohol outcome, providing further evidence of recruitment of the habit system. We therefore provide direct behavioural evidence that compulsive alcohol seeking emerges alongside compulsive drinking in individuals who have preferentially engaged the habit system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Giuliano
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Mickaël Puaud
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Rudolf N. Cardinal
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychiatry University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
- Liaison Psychiatry Service Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust Cambridge UK
| | - David Belin
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Barry J. Everitt
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
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Shields CN, Gremel CM. Prior chronic alcohol exposure enhances Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer. Alcohol 2021; 96:83-92. [PMID: 34363928 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2021.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol dependence is associated with aberrant decision-making processes, particularly in the presence of alcohol-related environmental cues. For instance, alcohol cues can trigger alcohol seeking, consumption, and even relapse behavior. Recently, works have suggested that alcohol dependence may induce more general alterations in cued processes that support adaptive behavior, including enhanced cue control of volitional behavior unrelated to alcohol use. Here we examine this hypothesis by combining prior exposure to chronic intermittent ethanol and repeated withdrawal (CIE) procedures with a Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) task in mice. The PIT task entails training a Pavlovian association, separately training an instrumental contingency, and a final test during which the Pavlovian cue and instrumental action are combined for the first time. We first tested two variants of the PIT procedure in ethanol-naïve mice, differing in part in the duration of Pavlovian conditioned cues (short or long). We found in the PIT test that the short cue procedure produced negative transfer, whereas the long cue procedure produced positive transfer. We then used the long cue variant to examine PIT behavior in mice previously exposed to either CIE or air vapor. We found that prior CIE exposure strengthened PIT behavior, with enhanced instrumental responding during presentation of the food-associated cue. We further found that this enhancement in CIE mice persisted even after devaluation of the food outcome. Our findings suggest that ethanol dependence can enhance the influence of reward-predictive cues on ongoing behavior. Greater non-alcohol cue control of behavior may reflect the effect of chronic ethanol exposure on neural circuitry critical for cue-guided behavior in general.
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7
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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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Walker LC, Berizzi AE, Chen NA, Rueda P, Perreau VM, Huckstep K, Srisontiyakul J, Govitrapong P, Xiaojian J, Lindsley CW, Jones CK, Riddy DM, Christopoulos A, Langmead CJ, Lawrence AJ. Acetylcholine Muscarinic M 4 Receptors as a Therapeutic Target for Alcohol Use Disorder: Converging Evidence From Humans and Rodents. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 88:898-909. [PMID: 32331824 PMCID: PMC11390032 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major socioeconomic burden on society, and current pharmacotherapeutic treatment options are inadequate. Aberrant alcohol use and seeking alters frontostriatal function. METHODS We performed genome-wide RNA sequencing and subsequent quantitative polymerase chain reaction and receptor binding validation in the caudate-putamen of human AUD samples to identify potential therapeutic targets. We then back-translated our top candidate targets into a rodent model of long-term alcohol consumption to assess concordance of molecular adaptations in the rat striatum. Finally, we adopted rat behavioral models of alcohol intake and seeking to validate a potential therapeutic target. RESULTS We found that G protein-coupled receptors were the top canonical pathway differentially regulated in individuals with AUD. The M4 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) was downregulated at the gene and protein levels in the putamen, but not in the caudate, of AUD samples. We found concordant downregulation of the M4 mAChR, specifically on dopamine D1 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons in the rat dorsolateral striatum. Systemic administration of the selective M4 mAChR positive allosteric modulator, VU0467154, reduced home cage and operant alcohol self-administration, motivation to obtain alcohol, and cue-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking in rats. Local microinjections of VU0467154 in the rat dorsolateral striatum reduced alcohol self-administration and cue-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these results identify the M4 mAChR as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of AUD and the D1 receptor-positive medium spiny neurons in the dorsolateral striatum as a key site mediating the actions of M4 mAChR in relation to alcohol consumption and seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh C Walker
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alice E Berizzi
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nicola A Chen
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Patricia Rueda
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Victoria M Perreau
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Katherine Huckstep
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jirawoot Srisontiyakul
- Research Center for Neuroscience, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
| | - Piyarat Govitrapong
- Research Center for Neuroscience, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
| | - Jia Xiaojian
- Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, China; Shenzhen Mental Health Center, Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, China
| | - Craig W Lindsley
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience and Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience and Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Carrie K Jones
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience and Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee; Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience and Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Darren M Riddy
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Arthur Christopoulos
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Christopher J Langmead
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Andrew J Lawrence
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
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León-Domínguez U, Solís-Marcos I, López-Delgado CA, Martín JMBY, León-Carrión J. A Frontal Neuropsychological Profile in Fitness to Drive. ACCIDENT; ANALYSIS AND PREVENTION 2020; 148:105807. [PMID: 33069156 DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2020.105807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Traffic accidents are a global concern due to the elevated mortality rates of both drivers and pedestrians. The World Health Organization declared 2011-2020 as the Decade of Action for Road Safety, endorsing initiatives to reduce traffic-related deaths. Yet, despite these incentives, fatal accidents still occur. Different studies have linked deficits in executive functions to risky driving attitudes and crashes. The present study focuses on demographic, cognitive and personality factors, related to the prefrontal cortex, that are characteristic of drivers prone to risky behavior behind the wheel. The penalty Points System was used to classify drivers as "safe", with no point loss over a two-year period, or "risky", with full point loss during the same interval. A neuropsychological assessment of prefrontal cognitive functions was carried out on each group to identify variables associated with safe and risky behavior. Neuropsychological indexes were obtained from a continuous performance task without cue (Simple Attention), a continuous performance task with cue (Conditioned Attention), the Tower of Hanoi test and the Neurologically-related Changes in Personality Inventory (NECHAPI). A Discriminant Analysis (DA) found that education level, reaction times in Simple and Conditioned Attention, learning errors in the Tower of Hanoi and vulnerability in the personality test, best predicted whether drivers were likely to be in the safe or risky group. Finally, a cross-validation analysis performed on the same sample correctly classified 87.5% of the drivers. These data suggest that prefrontal dysfunction contributes to risky behavior behind the wheel. The inclusion of cognitive programs to identify and train drivers with this propensity could reduce risky driving, and consequently, save lives on the road.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umberto León-Domínguez
- Human Cognition and Brain Research lab, School of Psychology, University of Monterrey, San Pedro Garza, García, Mexico.
| | - Ignacio Solís-Marcos
- The Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) Linköping, Sweden
| | | | | | - José León-Carrión
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Seville, Seville, Spain; Center for Brain Injury Rehabilitation (CRECER), Seville, Spain
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Barker JM, Bryant KG, Montiel-Ramos A, Goldwasser B, Chandler LJ. Selective Deficits in Contingency-Driven Ethanol Seeking Following Chronic Ethanol Exposure in Male Mice. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2020; 44:1896-1905. [PMID: 32735737 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND People with alcohol use disorders exhibit an overreliance on habitual response strategies which may result from a history of chronic alcohol exposure. Although habits are defined by behavior that persists despite changes in outcome value and in action-outcome relationships, most research investigating the effects of ethanol exposure on habits has focused only on outcome devaluation. A clear understanding of the effects of chronic alcohol exposure on the ability to flexibly update behavior may provide insight into the behavioral deficits that characterize alcohol use disorders. METHODS To dissociate the effects of chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure on contingency-mediated sucrose versus ethanol seeking, adult male C57Bl/6J mice were assigned to 2 separate experiments. In the first experiment, mice were trained to self-administer ethanol prior to 2 cycles of interleaved CIE exposure by vapor inhalation. In a second experiment, mice were trained to self-administer sucrose and ethanol in separate training sessions prior to 4 cycles of interleaved CIE. The use of contingencies to mediate reward seeking was assessed using a contingency degradation paradigm. RESULTS In mice trained to self-administer only ethanol, 2 weeks of CIE resulted in escalated self-administration. At this time point, CIE-exposed mice, but not air-exposed controls, exhibited ethanol seeking that was insensitive to changes in action-outcome contingency, consistent with habitual ethanol seeking. In mice trained to self-administer ethanol and sucrose rewards in sequential sessions, no escalation in self-administration across 4 weeks of CIE was observed. Under these conditions, neither Air- nor CIE-exposed mice reduced ethanol seeking in response to contingency degradation. In contrast, sucrose seeking remained goal-directed. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that chronic ethanol exposure impairs contingency-driven ethanol seeking more readily than sucrose-seeking behavior. Further, these findings indicate that the transition from contingency-mediated ethanol seeking occurs more rapidly than for sucrose seeking under similar ethanol exposure conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline M Barker
- From the, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology (JMB, KGB), Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kathleen G Bryant
- From the, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology (JMB, KGB), Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Alan Montiel-Ramos
- Department of Neurosciences (AM, BG, LJC), Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Benjamin Goldwasser
- Department of Neurosciences (AM, BG, LJC), Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Lawrence Judson Chandler
- Department of Neurosciences (AM, BG, LJC), Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
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11
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Gianessi CA, Groman SM, Thompson SL, Jiang M, van der Stelt M, Taylor JR. Endocannabinoid contributions to alcohol habits and motivation: Relevance to treatment. Addict Biol 2020; 25:e12768. [PMID: 31056846 PMCID: PMC7790504 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with alcohol use disorder exhibit compulsive habitual behaviors that are thought to be, in part, a consequence of chronic and persistent use of alcohol. The endocannabinoid system plays a critical role in habit learning and in ethanol self-administration, but the role of this neuromodulatory system in the expression of habitual alcohol seeking is unknown. Here, we investigated the role of the endocannabinoid system in established alcohol habits using contingency degradation in male C57BL/6 mice. We found that administration of the novel diacyl glycerol lipase inhibitor DO34, which decreases the biosynthesis of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG), reduced habitual responding for ethanol and ethanol approach behaviors. Moreover, administration of the endocannabinoid transport inhibitor AM404 or the cannabinoid receptor type 1 antagonist AM251 produced similar reductions in habitual responding for ethanol and ethanol approach behaviors. Notably, AM404 was also able to reduce ethanol seeking and consumption in mice that were insensitive to lithium chloride-induced devaluation of ethanol. Conversely, administration of JZL184, a monoacyl glycerol lipase inhibitor that increases levels of 2-AG, increased motivation to respond for ethanol on a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. These results demonstrate an important role for endocannabinoid signaling in the motivation to seek ethanol, in ethanol-motivated habits, and suggest that pharmacological manipulations of endocannabinoid signaling could be effective therapeutics for treating alcohol use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol A. Gianessi
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Stephanie M. Groman
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Summer L. Thompson
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ming Jiang
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Mario van der Stelt
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jane R. Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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12
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Renteria R, Cazares C, Gremel CM. Habitual Ethanol Seeking and Licking Microstructure of Enhanced Ethanol Self-Administration in Ethanol-Dependent Mice. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2020; 44:880-891. [PMID: 32020644 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A significant component of ethanol (EtOH) dependence is the disruption to decision-making processes. Prior work has shown EtOH dependence biases habitual seeking of EtOH and disrupts neural mechanisms supporting decision-making. This has contributed to the hypothesis that habitual EtOH seeking in EtOH dependence may promote excessive habitual or compulsive EtOH consumption. However, decision-making and behavioral processes underlying seeking and consummatory behaviors differ. Here, we examine the microstructure of EtOH consummatory behavior in the context of habitual EtOH seeking. METHODS Following home cage pre-exposure to EtOH, C57Bl/6J mice underwent 4 rounds of chronic intermittent EtOH (CIE) or air exposure. Following acute withdrawal, mice began training for operant self-administration of 15% EtOH. Training consisted of 16-hour sessions in which mice were trained in a random ratio (RR) schedule of reinforcement for 30-second access to the EtOH sipper. To test for CIE-induced changes in action control, we used sensory-specific satiation and assessed the effect of outcome devaluation on EtOH seeking. Importantly, the use of a lickometer during operant training allowed us to measure the microstructure of lick behavior. RESULTS Prior induction of EtOH dependence led to increased EtOH seeking, consumption, and an insensitivity to outcome devaluation, the latter indicative of habitual EtOH seeking. We also found altered consummatory lick patterns in CIE-exposed mice compared to Air controls. While CIE mice had significantly more licks in a burst and a longer burst duration, there were no differences in the total number of bursts compared to Air controls. Furthermore, these EtOH consummatory behaviors correlated with blood EtOH concentrations (BECs), while EtOH-seeking responses did not. CONCLUSIONS Our results confirm that EtOH dependence can produce habitual EtOH seeking and suggests the increased EtOH consummatory behaviors following EtOH dependence are separable from decision-making processes controlling EtOH seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Renteria
- From the, Department of Psychology, (RR, CMG), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Christian Cazares
- The Neurosciences Graduate Program, (CC, CMG), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Christina M Gremel
- From the, Department of Psychology, (RR, CMG), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California.,The Neurosciences Graduate Program, (CC, CMG), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
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Age-dependent impairment of metabotropic glutamate receptor 2-dependent long-term depression in the mouse striatum by chronic ethanol exposure. Alcohol 2020; 82:11-21. [PMID: 31233806 PMCID: PMC6925350 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2019.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Chronic alcohol exposure is associated with increased reliance on behavioral strategies involving the dorsolateral striatum (DLS), including habitual or stimulus-response behaviors. Presynaptic G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) on cortical and thalamic inputs to the DLS inhibit glutamate release, and alcohol-induced disruption of presynaptic GPCR function represents a mechanism by which alcohol could disinhibit DLS neurons and thus bias toward use of DLS-dependent behaviors. Metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 (mGlu2) is a Gi/o-coupled GPCR that robustly modulates glutamate transmission in the DLS, inducing long-term depression (LTD) at both cortical and thalamic synapses. Loss of mGlu2 function has recently been associated with increased ethanol seeking and consumption, but the ability of alcohol to produce adaptations in mGlu2 function in the DLS has not been investigated. We exposed male C57Bl/6J mice to a 2-week chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) paradigm followed by a brief withdrawal period, then used whole-cell patch clamp recordings of glutamatergic transmission in the striatum to assess CIE effects on mGlu2-mediated synaptic plasticity. We report that CIE differentially disrupts mGlu2-mediated long-term depression in the DLS vs. dorsomedial striatum (DMS). Interestingly, CIE-induced impairment of mGlu2-LTD in the dorsolateral striatum is only observed when alcohol exposure occurs during adolescence. Incubation of striatal slices from CIE-exposed adolescent mice with a positive allosteric modulator of mGlu2 fully rescues mGlu2-LTD. In contrast to the 2-week CIE paradigm, acute exposure of striatal slices to ethanol concentrations that mimic ethanol levels during CIE exposure fails to disrupt mGlu2-LTD. We did not observe a reduction of mGlu2 mRNA or protein levels following CIE exposure, suggesting that alcohol effects on mGlu2 occur at the functional level. Our findings contribute to growing evidence that adolescents are uniquely vulnerable to certain alcohol-induced neuroadaptations, and identify enhancement of mGlu2 activity as a strategy to reverse the effects of adolescent alcohol exposure on DLS physiology.
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14
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Peñasco S, Rico-Barrio I, Puente N, Fontaine CJ, Ramos A, Reguero L, Gerrikagoitia I, de Fonseca FR, Suarez J, Barrondo S, Aretxabala X, García Del Caño G, Sallés J, Elezgarai I, Nahirney PC, Christie BR, Grandes P. Intermittent ethanol exposure during adolescence impairs cannabinoid type 1 receptor-dependent long-term depression and recognition memory in adult mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:309-318. [PMID: 31569197 PMCID: PMC6901552 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0530-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Binge drinking is a significant problem in adolescent populations, and because of the reciprocal interactions between ethanol (EtOH) consumption and the endocannabinoid (eCB) system, we sought to determine if adolescent EtOH intake altered the localization and function of the cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptors in the adult brain. Adolescent mice were exposed to a 4-day-per week drinking in the dark (DID) procedure for a total of 4 weeks and then tested after a 2-week withdrawal period. Field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs), evoked by medial perforant path (MPP) stimulation in the dentate gyrus molecular layer (DGML), were significantly smaller. Furthermore, unlike control animals, CB1 receptor activation did not depress fEPSPs in the EtOH-exposed animals. We also examined a form of excitatory long-term depression that is dependent on CB1 receptors (eCB-eLTD) and found that it was completely lacking in the animals that consumed EtOH during adolescence. Histological analyses indicated that adolescent EtOH intake significantly reduced the CB1 receptor distribution and proportion of immunopositive excitatory synaptic terminals in the medial DGML. Furthermore, there was decreased binding of [35S]guanosine-5*-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) ([35S] GTPγS) and the guanine nucleotide-binding (G) protein Gαi2 subunit in the EtOH-exposed animals. Associated with this, there was a significant increase in monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) mRNA and protein in the hippocampus of EtOH-exposed animals. Conversely, deficits in eCB-eLTD and recognition memory could be rescued by inhibiting MAGL with JZL184. These findings indicate that repeated exposure to EtOH during adolescence leads to long-term deficits in CB1 receptor expression, eCB-eLTD, and reduced recognition memory, but that these functional deficits can be restored by treatments that increase endogenous 2-arachidonoylglycerol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Peñasco
- Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 48940, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Science Park of the UPV/EHU, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
| | - Irantzu Rico-Barrio
- Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 48940, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Science Park of the UPV/EHU, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
| | - Nagore Puente
- Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 48940, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Science Park of the UPV/EHU, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
| | - Christine J Fontaine
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Almudena Ramos
- Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 48940, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Science Park of the UPV/EHU, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
| | - Leire Reguero
- Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 48940, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Science Park of the UPV/EHU, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Gerrikagoitia
- Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 48940, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Science Park of the UPV/EHU, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
| | - Fernando Rodríguez de Fonseca
- Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), 29010, Málaga, Spain
| | - Juan Suarez
- Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), 29010, Málaga, Spain
| | - Sergio Barrondo
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, CIBERSAM, Paseo de la Universidad 7, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Alava, 01006, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Xabier Aretxabala
- Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo de la Universidad 7, 01006, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Araba, Spain
| | - Gontzal García Del Caño
- Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo de la Universidad 7, 01006, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Araba, Spain
| | - Joan Sallés
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, CIBERSAM, Paseo de la Universidad 7, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Alava, 01006, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Izaskun Elezgarai
- Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 48940, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Science Park of the UPV/EHU, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
| | - Patrick C Nahirney
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Brian R Christie
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Pedro Grandes
- Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 48940, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain.
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Science Park of the UPV/EHU, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain.
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada.
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15
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Jury NJ, Radke AK, Pati D, Kocharian A, Mishina M, Kash TL, Holmes A. NMDA receptor GluN2A subunit deletion protects against dependence-like ethanol drinking. Behav Brain Res 2018; 353:124-128. [PMID: 29953905 PMCID: PMC6092743 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.06.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Revised: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) is mechanistically involved in the behavioral and neurophysiological effects of alcohol, but the specific role of the GluN2A subunit remains unclear. Here, we exposed mice with constitutive GluN2A gene knockout (KO) to chronic intermittent ethanol vapor (CIE) and tested for EtOH consumption/preference using a two-bottle choice paradigm, as well as NMDAR-mediated transmission at basolateral amygdala synapses via ex vivo slice electrophysiology. Results showed that GluN2A KO mice attained comparable blood EtOH levels in response to CIE exposure, but did not exhibit the significant increase in EtOH drinking that was observed in CIE-exposed wildtypes. GluN2A KO mice also showed no alterations in BLA NMDAR-mediated synaptic transmission after CIE, relative to air-exposed, whereas C57BL/6 J mice showed an attenuated synaptic response to GluN2B antagonism. Taken together, these data add to mounting evidence supporting GluN2A-containing NMDARs as a mechanism underlying relative risk for developing EtOH dependence after repeated EtOH exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Jury
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Anna K Radke
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Dipanwita Pati
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Adrina Kocharian
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Masayoshi Mishina
- Brain Science Laboratory, The Research Organization of Science and Technology, Ritsumeikan University, Shiga, Japan
| | - Thomas L Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Lovinger DM, Abrahao KP. Synaptic plasticity mechanisms common to learning and alcohol use disorder. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 25:425-434. [PMID: 30115764 PMCID: PMC6097767 DOI: 10.1101/lm.046722.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorders include drinking problems that span a range from binge drinking to alcohol abuse and dependence. Plastic changes in synaptic efficacy, such as long-term depression and long-term potentiation are widely recognized as mechanisms involved in learning and memory, responses to drugs of abuse, and addiction. In this review, we focus on the effects of chronic ethanol (EtOH) exposure on the induction of synaptic plasticity in different brain regions. We also review findings indicating that synaptic plasticity occurs in vivo during EtOH exposure, with a focus on ex vivo electrophysiological indices of plasticity. Evidence for effects of EtOH-induced or altered synaptic plasticity on learning and memory and EtOH-related behaviors is also reviewed. As this review indicates, there is much work needed to provide more information about the molecular, cellular, circuit, and behavioral consequences of EtOH interactions with synaptic plasticity mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Lovinger
- Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Karina P Abrahao
- Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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17
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Cuzon Carlson VC, Grant KA, Lovinger DM. Synaptic adaptations to chronic ethanol intake in male rhesus monkey dorsal striatum depend on age of drinking onset. Neuropharmacology 2018; 131:128-142. [PMID: 29241653 PMCID: PMC5820135 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
One in 12 adults suffer with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Studies suggest the younger the age in which alcohol consumption begins the higher the probability of being diagnosed with AUD. Binge/excessive alcohol drinking involves a transition from flexible to inflexible behavior likely involving the dorsal striatum (caudate and putamen nuclei). A major focus of this study was to examine the effect of age of drinking onset on subsequent chronic, voluntary ethanol intake and dorsal striatal circuitry. Data from rhesus monkeys (n = 45) that started drinking as adolescents, young adults or mature adults confirms an age-related risk for heavy drinking. Striatal neuroadaptations were examined using whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology to record AMPA receptor-mediated miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) and GABAA receptor-mediated miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs) from medium-sized spiny projection neurons located in the caudate or putamen nuclei. In controls, greater GABAergic transmission (mIPSC frequency and amplitude) was observed in the putamen compared to the caudate. With advancing age, in the absence of ethanol, an increase in mIPSC frequency concomitant with changes in mIPSC amplitude was observed in both regions. Chronic ethanol drinking decreased mIPSC frequency in the putamen regardless of age of onset. In the caudate, an ethanol drinking-induced increase in mIPSC frequency was only observed in monkeys that began drinking as young adults. Glutamatergic transmission did not differ between the dorsal striatal subregions in controls. With chronic ethanol drinking there was a decrease in the postsynaptic characteristics of rise time and area of mEPSCs in the putamen but an increase in mEPSC frequency in the caudate. Together, the observed changes in striatal physiology indicate a combined disinhibition due to youth and ethanol leading to abnormally strong activation of the putamen that could contribute to the increased risk for problem drinking in younger drinkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verginia C Cuzon Carlson
- Section on Synaptic Pharmacology, Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, United States; Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, United States
| | - Kathleen A Grant
- Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, United States; Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, United States
| | - David M Lovinger
- Section on Synaptic Pharmacology, Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, United States.
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18
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Abstract
Ionotropic glutamate receptors (AMPA, NMDA, and kainate receptors) play a central role in excitatory glutamatergic signaling throughout the brain. As a result, functional changes, especially long-lasting forms of plasticity, have the potential to profoundly alter neuronal function and the expression of adaptive and pathological behaviors. Thus, alcohol-related adaptations in ionotropic glutamate receptors are of great interest, since they could promote excessive alcohol consumption, even after long-term abstinence. Alcohol- and drug-related adaptations in NMDARs have been recently reviewed, while less is known about kainate receptor adaptations. Thus, we focus here on functional changes in AMPARs, tetramers composed of GluA1-4 subunits. Long-lasting increases or decreases in AMPAR function, the so-called long-term potentiation or depression, have widely been considered to contribute to normal and pathological memory states. In addition, a great deal has been learned about the acute regulation of AMPARs by signaling pathways, scaffolding and auxiliary proteins, intracellular trafficking, and other mechanisms. One important common adaptation is a shift in AMPAR subunit composition from GluA2-containing, calcium-impermeable AMPARs (CIARs) to GluA2-lacking, calcium-permeable AMPARs (CPARs), which is observed under a broad range of conditions including intoxicant exposure or intake, stress, novelty, food deprivation, and ischemia. This shift has the potential to facilitate AMPAR currents, since CPARs have much greater single-channel currents than CIARs, as well as faster AMPAR activation kinetics (although with faster inactivation) and calcium-related activity. Many tools have been developed to interrogate particular aspects of AMPAR signaling, including compounds that selectively inhibit CPARs, raising exciting translational possibilities. In addition, recent studies have used transgenic animals and/or optogenetics to identify AMPAR adaptations in particular cell types and glutamatergic projections, which will provide critical information about the specific circuits that CPARs act within. Also, less is known about the specific nature of alcohol-related AMPAR adaptations, and thus we use other examples that illustrate more fully how particular AMPAR changes might influence intoxicant-related behavior. Thus, by identifying alcohol-related AMPAR adaptations, the specific molecular events that underlie them, and the cells and projections in which they occur, we hope to better inform the development of new therapeutic interventions for addiction.
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19
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Jury NJ, Pollack GA, Ward MJ, Bezek JL, Ng AJ, Pinard CR, Bergstrom HC, Holmes A. Chronic Ethanol During Adolescence Impacts Corticolimbic Dendritic Spines and Behavior. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2017; 41:1298-1308. [PMID: 28614590 PMCID: PMC5509059 DOI: 10.1111/acer.13422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2017] [Accepted: 05/13/2017] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Risk for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in adulthood is linked to alcohol drinking during adolescence, but understanding of the neural and behavioral consequences of alcohol exposure during adolescence remains incomplete. Here, we examined the neurobehavioral impact of adolescent chronic intermittent EtOH (CIE) vapor exposure in mice. METHODS C57BL/6J-background Thy1-EGFP mice were CIE-exposed during adolescence or adulthood and examined, as adults, for alterations in the density and morphology of dendritic spines in infralimbic (IL) cortex, prelimbic (PL) cortex, and basolateral amygdala (BLA). In parallel, adolescent- and adult-exposed C57BL/6J mice were tested as adults for 2-bottle EtOH drinking, sensitivity to EtOH intoxication (loss of righting reflex [LORR]), blood EtOH clearance, and measures of operant responding for food reward. RESULTS CIE during adolescence decreased IL neuronal spine density and increased the head width of relatively wide-head IL and BLA spines, whereas CIE decreased head width of relatively narrow-head BLA spines. Adolescents had higher EtOH consumption prior to CIE than adults, while CIE during adulthood, but not adolescence, increased EtOH consumption relative to pre-CIE baseline. CIE produced a tolerance-like decrease in LORR sensitivity to EtOH challenge, irrespective of the age at which mice received CIE exposure. Mice exposed to CIE during adolescence, but not adulthood, required more sessions than AIR controls to reliably respond for food reward on a fixed-ratio (FR) 1, but not subsequent FR3, reinforcement schedule. On a progressive ratio reinforcement schedule, break point responding was higher in the adolescent- than the adult-exposed mice, regardless of CIE. Finally, footshock punishment markedly suppressed responding for reward in all groups. CONCLUSIONS Exposure to CIE during adolescence altered dendritic spine density and morphology in IL and BLA neurons, in parallel with a limited set of behavioral alterations. Together, these data add to growing evidence that key corticolimbic circuits are vulnerable to the effects of alcohol during adolescence, with lasting, potentially detrimental, consequences for behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Jury
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Gabrielle A Pollack
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York
| | - Meredith J Ward
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York
| | - Jessica L Bezek
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York
| | - Alexandra J Ng
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York
| | - Courtney R Pinard
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Hadley C Bergstrom
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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20
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Araque A, Castillo PE, Manzoni OJ, Tonini R. Synaptic functions of endocannabinoid signaling in health and disease. Neuropharmacology 2017. [PMID: 28625718 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Endocannabinoids (eCBs) are a family of lipid molecules that act as key regulators of synaptic transmission and plasticity. They are synthetized "on demand" following physiological and/or pathological stimuli. Once released from postsynaptic neurons, eCBs typically act as retrograde messengers to activate presynaptic type 1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1) and induce short- or long-term depression of neurotransmitter release. Besides this canonical mechanism of action, recent findings have revealed a number of less conventional mechanisms by which eCBs regulate neural activity and synaptic function, suggesting that eCB-mediated plasticity is mechanistically more diverse than anticipated. These mechanisms include non-retrograde signaling, signaling via astrocytes, participation in long-term potentiation, and the involvement of mitochondrial CB1. Focusing on paradigmatic brain areas, such as hippocampus, striatum, and neocortex, we review typical and novel signaling mechanisms, and discuss the functional implications in normal brain function and brain diseases. In summary, eCB signaling may lead to different forms of synaptic plasticity through activation of a plethora of mechanisms, which provide further complexity to the functional consequences of eCB signaling. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled "A New Dawn in Cannabinoid Neurobiology".
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso Araque
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Pablo E Castillo
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA.
| | - Olivier J Manzoni
- Institut National de la Santé et et de la Recherche Médicale U901 Marseille, France, Université de la Méditerranée UMR S901 Aix-Marseille Marseille, France, INMED Marseille, France.
| | - Raffaella Tonini
- Neuroscience and Brain Technologies Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.
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Radke AK, Jury NJ, Kocharian A, Marcinkiewcz CA, Lowery-Gionta EG, Pleil KE, McElligott ZA, McKlveen JM, Kash TL, Holmes A. Chronic EtOH effects on putative measures of compulsive behavior in mice. Addict Biol 2017; 22:423-434. [PMID: 26687341 PMCID: PMC4916036 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2015] [Revised: 10/22/2015] [Accepted: 11/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Addictions, including alcohol use disorders, are characterized by the loss of control over drug seeking and consumption, but the neural circuits and signaling mechanisms responsible for the transition from controlled use to uncontrolled abuse remain incompletely understood. Prior studies have shown that 'compulsive-like' behaviors in rodents, for example, persistent responding for ethanol (EtOH) despite punishment, are increased after chronic exposure to EtOH. The main goal of the current study was to assess the effects of chronic intermittent EtOH (CIE) exposure on multiple, putative measures of compulsive-like EtOH seeking in C57BL/6 J mice. Mice were exposed to two or four weekly cycles of CIE and then, post-withdrawal, tested for progressive ratio responding for EtOH, sustained responding during signaled EtOH unavailability and (footshock) punished suppression of responding for EtOH. Results showed that mice exposed to CIE exhibited attenuated suppression of EtOH seeking during punishment, as compared with air-exposed controls. By contrast, CIE exposure affected neither punished food reward-seeking behavior, nor other putative measures of compulsive-like EtOH seeking. Ex vivo reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis of brain tissue found reduced sensitivity to punished EtOH seeking after CIE exposure was accompanied by a significant increase in gene expression of the GluN1 and GluN2A subunits of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor, specifically in the medial orbitofrontal cortex. Moreover, slice electrophysiological analysis revealed increased N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor-mediated currents in the orbitofrontal cortex after CIE exposure in test-naïve mice. Collectively, the current findings add to the growing body of evidence demonstrating that chronic exposure to EtOH fosters resistance to punished EtOH seeking in association with adaptations in cortical glutamatergic transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna K. Radke
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Nicholas J. Jury
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Adrina Kocharian
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Catherine A. Marcinkiewcz
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Department of Pharmacology, UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Emily G. Lowery-Gionta
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Department of Pharmacology, UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Kristen E. Pleil
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Department of Pharmacology, UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Zoe A. McElligott
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Department of Psychiatry, UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Jessica M. McKlveen
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Department of Pharmacology, UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Thomas L. Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Department of Pharmacology, UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
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22
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Jury NJ, DiBerto JF, Kash TL, Holmes A. Sex differences in the behavioral sequelae of chronic ethanol exposure. Alcohol 2017; 58:53-60. [PMID: 27624846 PMCID: PMC5253321 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2016.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Revised: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Rates of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) differ between men and women, and there is also marked variation between sexes in the effects of acute and chronic alcohol. In parallel to observations in humans, prior studies in rodents have described male/female differences across a range of ethanol-related behaviors, including ethanol drinking. Nonetheless, there remain gaps in our knowledge of the role of sex in moderating the effects of ethanol, particularly in models of chronic ethanol exposure. The goal of the current study was to assess various behavioral sequelae of exposing female C57BL/6J mice to chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) via ethanol vapors. Following four weeks of CIE exposure, adult male and female mice were compared for ethanol drinking in a two-bottle paradigm, for sensitivity to acute ethanol intoxication (via loss of righting reflex [LORR]) and for anxiety-like behaviors in the novelty-suppressed feeding and marble burying assays. Next, adult and adolescent females were tested on two different two-bottle drinking preparations (fixed or escalating ethanol concentration) after CIE. Results showed that males and females exhibited significantly blunted ethanol-induced LORR following CIE, whereas only males showed increased anxiety-like behavior after CIE. Increased ethanol drinking after CIE was also specific to males, but high baseline drinking in females may have occluded detection of a CIE-induced effect. The failure to observe elevated drinking in females in response to CIE was also seen in females exposed to CIE during adolescence, regardless of whether a fixed or escalating ethanol-concentration two-bottle procedure was employed. Collectively, these data add to the literature on sex differences in ethanol-related behaviors and provide a foundation for future studies examining how the neural consequences of CIE might differ between males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Jury
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Jeffrey F DiBerto
- Department of Pharmacology and Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Thomas L Kash
- Department of Pharmacology and Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Radke AK, Jury NJ, Delpire E, Nakazawa K, Holmes A. Reduced ethanol drinking following selective cortical interneuron deletion of the GluN2B NMDA receptors subunit. Alcohol 2017; 58:47-51. [PMID: 28109345 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2016.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2015] [Revised: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
N-Methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) are involved in the regulation of alcohol drinking, but the contribution of NMDAR subunits located on specific neuronal populations remains incompletely understood. The current study examined the role of GluN2B-containing NMDARs expressed on cortical principal neurons and cortical interneurons in mouse ethanol drinking. Consumption of escalating concentrations of ethanol was measured in mice with GluN2B gene deletion in either cortical principal neurons (GluN2BCxNULL) or interneurons (GluN2BInterNULL), using a two-bottle choice paradigm. Results showed that GluN2BInterNULL, but not GluN2BCxNULL, mice consumed significantly less ethanol, at relatively high concentrations, than non-mutant controls. In a second paradigm in which mice were offered a 15% ethanol concentration, without escalation, GluN2BCxNULL mice were again no different from controls. These findings provide novel evidence for a contribution of interneuronal GluN2B-containing NMDARs in the regulation of ethanol drinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna K Radke
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Nicholas J Jury
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Eric Delpire
- Departments of Anesthesiology and Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Kazu Nakazawa
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Drunk bugs: Chronic vapour alcohol exposure induces marked changes in the gut microbiome in mice. Behav Brain Res 2017; 323:172-176. [PMID: 28161446 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.01.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2016] [Revised: 01/18/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The gut microbiota includes a community of bacteria that play an integral part in host health and biological processes. Pronounced and repeated findings have linked gut microbiome to stress, anxiety, and depression. Currently, however, there remains only a limited set of studies focusing on microbiota change in substance abuse, including alcohol use disorder. To date, no studies have investigated the impact of vapour alcohol administration on the gut microbiome. For research on gut microbiota and addiction to proceed, an understanding of how route of drug administration affects gut microbiota must first be established. Animal models of alcohol abuse have proven valuable for elucidating the biological processes involved in addiction and alcohol-related diseases. This is the first study to investigate the effect of vapour route of ethanol administration on gut microbiota in mice. Adult male C57BL/6J mice were exposed to 4 weeks of chronic intermittent vapourized ethanol (CIE, N=10) or air (Control, N=9). Faecal samples were collected at the end of exposure followed by 16S sequencing and bioinformatic analysis. Robust separation between CIE and Control was seen in the microbiome, as assessed by alpha (p<0.05) and beta (p<0.001) diversity, with a notable decrease in alpha diversity in CIE. These results demonstrate that CIE exposure markedly alters the gut microbiota in mice. Significant increases in genus Alistipes (p<0.001) and significant reductions in genra Clostridium IV and XIVb (p<0.001), Dorea (p<0.01), and Coprococcus (p<0.01) were seen between CIE mice and Control. These findings support the viability of the CIE method for studies investigating the microbiota-gut-brain axis and align with previous research showing similar microbiota alterations in inflammatory states during alcoholic hepatitis and psychological stress.
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Abburi C, Wolfman SL, Metz RAE, Kamber R, McGehee DS, McDaid J. Tolerance to Ethanol or Nicotine Results in Increased Ethanol Self-Administration and Long-Term Depression in the Dorsolateral Striatum. eNeuro 2016; 3:ENEURO.0112-15.2016. [PMID: 27517088 PMCID: PMC4972936 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0112-15.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2015] [Revised: 06/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Ethanol (EtOH) and nicotine are the most widely coabused drugs. Tolerance to EtOH intoxication, including motor impairment, results in greater EtOH consumption and may result in a greater likelihood of addiction. Previous studies suggest that cross-tolerance between EtOH and nicotine may contribute to the abuse potential of these drugs. Here we demonstrate that repeated intermittent administration of either EtOH or nicotine in adult male Sprague Dawley rats results in tolerance to EtOH-induced motor impairment and increased EtOH self-administration. These findings suggest that nicotine and EtOH cross-tolerance results in decreased aversive and enhanced rewarding effects of EtOH. Endocannabinoid signaling in the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) has been implicated in both EtOH tolerance and reward, so we investigated whether nicotine or EtOH pretreatment might modulate endocannabinoid signaling in this region. Using similar EtOH and nicotine pretreatment methods resulted in increased paired-pulse ratios of evoked EPSCs in enkephalin-positive medium spiny neurons in DLS slices. Thus, EtOH and nicotine pretreatment may modulate glutamatergic synapses in the DLS presynaptically. Bath application of the CB1 receptor agonist Win 55,2-212 increased the paired-pulse ratio of evoked EPSCs in control slices, while Win 55,2-212 had no effect on paired-pulse ratio in slices from either EtOH- or nicotine-pretreated rats. Consistent with these effects, nicotine pretreatment occluded LTD induction by high-frequency stimulation of the corticostriatal inputs to the dorsolateral striatum. These results suggest that nicotine and EtOH pretreatment modulates striatal synapses to induce tolerance to the motor-impairing effects of EtOH, which may contribute to nicotine and EtOH coabuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandrika Abburi
- Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Shannon L. Wolfman
- Committee on Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Ryan A. E. Metz
- Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Rinya Kamber
- Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Daniel S. McGehee
- Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
- Committee on Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - John McDaid
- Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
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Yang X, Tian F, Zhang H, Zeng J, Chen T, Wang S, Jia Z, Gong Q. Cortical and subcortical gray matter shrinkage in alcohol-use disorders: a voxel-based meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 66:92-103. [PMID: 27108216 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.03.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2015] [Revised: 02/17/2016] [Accepted: 03/24/2016] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Xun Yang
- School of Sociality and Psychology, Southwest University for Nationalities, Chengdu 610041, China; Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Fangfang Tian
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Handi Zhang
- School of Sociality and Psychology, Southwest University for Nationalities, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Jianguang Zeng
- School of Accounting, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Taolin Chen
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Song Wang
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Zhiyun Jia
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China; Department of Nuclear Medicine, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
| | - Qiyong Gong
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China; Department of Psychology, School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
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Corbit LH, Janak PH. Habitual Alcohol Seeking: Neural Bases and Possible Relations to Alcohol Use Disorders. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2016; 40:1380-9. [PMID: 27223341 DOI: 10.1111/acer.13094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Loss of flexible control over alcohol use may contribute to the development of alcohol use disorders. An increased contribution of response habits to alcohol-related behaviors may help explain this loss of control. Focusing on data from outcome devaluation and Pavlovian-instrumental transfer procedures, we review evidence for loss of goal-directed control over alcohol seeking and consumption drawing from both preclinical findings and clinical data where they exist. Over the course of extended alcohol self-administration and exposure, the performance of alcohol-seeking responses becomes less sensitive to reduction in the value of alcohol and more vulnerable to the influences of alcohol-predictive stimuli. These behavioral changes are accompanied by a shift in the corticostriatal circuits that control responding from circuits centered on the dorsomedial to those centered on the dorsolateral striatum. These changes in behavioral and neural control could help explain failures to abstain from alcohol despite intention to do so. Understanding and ultimately ameliorating these changes will aid development of more effective treatment interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura H Corbit
- School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Patricia H Janak
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.,Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
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Garbusow M, Schad DJ, Sebold M, Friedel E, Bernhardt N, Koch SP, Steinacher B, Kathmann N, Geurts DEM, Sommer C, Müller DK, Nebe S, Paul S, Wittchen HU, Zimmermann US, Walter H, Smolka MN, Sterzer P, Rapp MA, Huys QJM, Schlagenhauf F, Heinz A. Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer effects in the nucleus accumbens relate to relapse in alcohol dependence. Addict Biol 2016; 21:719-31. [PMID: 25828702 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In detoxified alcohol-dependent patients, alcohol-related stimuli can promote relapse. However, to date, the mechanisms by which contextual stimuli promote relapse have not been elucidated in detail. One hypothesis is that such contextual stimuli directly stimulate the motivation to drink via associated brain regions like the ventral striatum and thus promote alcohol seeking, intake and relapse. Pavlovian-to-Instrumental-Transfer (PIT) may be one of those behavioral phenomena contributing to relapse, capturing how Pavlovian conditioned (contextual) cues determine instrumental behavior (e.g. alcohol seeking and intake). We used a PIT paradigm during functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the effects of classically conditioned Pavlovian stimuli on instrumental choices in n = 31 detoxified patients diagnosed with alcohol dependence and n = 24 healthy controls matched for age and gender. Patients were followed up over a period of 3 months. We observed that (1) there was a significant behavioral PIT effect for all participants, which was significantly more pronounced in alcohol-dependent patients; (2) PIT was significantly associated with blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) in subsequent relapsers only; and (3) PIT-related NAcc activation was associated with, and predictive of, critical outcomes (amount of alcohol intake and relapse during a 3 months follow-up period) in alcohol-dependent patients. These observations show for the first time that PIT-related BOLD signals, as a measure of the influence of Pavlovian cues on instrumental behavior, predict alcohol intake and relapse in alcohol dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Garbusow
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte; Germany
| | - Daniel J. Schad
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte; Germany
| | - Miriam Sebold
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte; Germany
| | - Eva Friedel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte; Germany
| | - Nadine Bernhardt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Technische Universität Dresden; Germany
- Neuroimaging Center; Technische Universität Dresden; Dresden Germany
| | - Stefan P. Koch
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte; Germany
| | - Bruno Steinacher
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Geriatric Psychiatry; Vivantes Wenckebach-Klinikum; Germany
| | - Norbert Kathmann
- Department of Psychology; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Germany
| | - Dirk E. M. Geurts
- Radboud University; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging; Nijmegen The Netherlands
- Radboud University Medical Center; Department of Psychiatry; Nijmegen The Netherlands
| | - Christian Sommer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Technische Universität Dresden; Germany
| | - Dirk K. Müller
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Technische Universität Dresden; Germany
- Neuroimaging Center; Technische Universität Dresden; Dresden Germany
| | - Stephan Nebe
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Technische Universität Dresden; Germany
- Neuroimaging Center; Technische Universität Dresden; Dresden Germany
| | - Sören Paul
- Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy; Technische Universität Dresden; Germany
| | - Hans-Ulrich Wittchen
- Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy; Technische Universität Dresden; Germany
| | - Ulrich S. Zimmermann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Technische Universität Dresden; Germany
| | - Henrik Walter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte; Germany
| | - Michael N. Smolka
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Technische Universität Dresden; Germany
- Neuroimaging Center; Technische Universität Dresden; Dresden Germany
| | - Philipp Sterzer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte; Germany
| | - Michael A. Rapp
- Social and Preventive Medicine, Area of Excellence Cognitive Sciences; University of Potsdam; Germany
| | - Quentin J. M. Huys
- Centre for Addiction Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Hospital of Psychiatry; University of Zürich; Switzerland
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering; University of Zurich and ETH Zurich; Switzerland
| | - Florian Schlagenhauf
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte; Germany
- Max Planck Fellow Group ‘Cognitive and Affective Control of Behavioral Adaptation’; Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences; Leipzig Germany
| | - Andreas Heinz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte; Germany
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Burnett EJ, Chandler LJ, Trantham-Davidson H. Glutamatergic plasticity and alcohol dependence-induced alterations in reward, affect and cognition. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2016; 65:309-20. [PMID: 26341050 PMCID: PMC4679411 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2015.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2015] [Revised: 07/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Alcohol dependence is characterized by a reduction in reward threshold, development of a negative affective state, and significant cognitive impairments. Dependence-induced glutamatergic neuroadaptations in the neurocircuitry mediating reward, affect and cognitive function are thought to underlie the neural mechanism for these alterations. These changes serve to promote increased craving for alcohol and facilitate the development of maladaptive behaviors that promote relapse to alcohol drinking during periods of abstinence. OBJECTIVE To review the extant literature on the effects of chronic alcohol exposure on glutamatergic neurotransmission and its impact on reward, affect and cognition. RESULTS Evidence from a diverse set of studies demonstrates significant enhancement of glutamatergic activity following chronic alcohol exposure. In particular, up-regulation of GluN2B-containing NMDA receptor expression and function is a commonly observed phenomenon that likely reflects activity-dependent adaptive homeostatic plasticity. However, this observation as well as other glutamatergic neuroadaptations are often circuit and cell-type specific. DISCUSSION Dependence-induced alterations in glutamate signaling contribute to many of the symptoms experienced in addicted individuals and can persist well into abstinence. This suggests that they play an important role in the development of behaviors that increase the probability for relapse. As our understanding of the complexity of the neurocircuitry involved in the addictive process has advanced, it has become increasingly clear that investigations of cell-type and circuit-specific effects are required to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the glutamatergic adaptations and their functional consequences in alcohol addiction. CONCLUSION While pharmacological treatments for alcohol dependence and relapse targeting the glutamatergic system have shown great promise in preclinical models, more research is needed to uncover novel, possibly circuit-specific, therapeutic targets that exhibit improved efficacy and reduced side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth J Burnett
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425.
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McKim TH, Shnitko TA, Robinson DL, Boettiger CA. Translational Research on Habit and Alcohol. CURRENT ADDICTION REPORTS 2016; 3:37-49. [PMID: 26925365 DOI: 10.1007/s40429-016-0089-8] [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: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Habitual actions enable efficient daily living, but they can also contribute to pathological behaviors that resistant change, such as alcoholism. Habitual behaviors are learned actions that appear goal-directed but are in fact no longer under the control of the action's outcome. Instead, these actions are triggered by stimuli, which may be exogenous or interoceptive, discrete or contextual. A major hallmark characteristic of alcoholism is continued alcohol use despite serious negative consequences. In essence, although the outcome of alcohol seeking and drinking is dramatically devalued, these actions persist, often triggered by environmental cues associated with alcohol use. Thus, alcoholism meets the definition of an initially goal-directed behavior that converts to a habit-based process. Habit and alcohol have been well investigated in rodent models, with comparatively less research in non-human primates and people. This review focuses on translational research on habit and alcohol with an emphasis on cross-species methodology and neural circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa H McKim
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Davie Hall, CB #3270, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Tatiana A Shnitko
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, CB #7178, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Donita L Robinson
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Psychiatry, Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, CB #7178, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Charlotte A Boettiger
- Biomedical Research Imaging Center, Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Davie Hall, CB #3270, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
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Barker JM, Lench DH, Chandler LJ. Reversal of alcohol dependence-induced deficits in cue-guided behavior via mGluR2/3 signaling in mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2016; 233:235-42. [PMID: 26449720 PMCID: PMC4703438 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-015-4101-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2014] [Accepted: 09/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Alcohol use disorders are associated with deficits in adaptive behavior. While some behavioral impairments that are associated with alcohol use disorders may predate exposure to drugs of abuse, others may result directly from exposure to drugs of abuse, including alcohol. Identifying a causal role for how alcohol exposure leads to these impairments will enable further investigation of the neurobiological mechanisms by which it acts to dysregulate adaptive behavior. OBJECTIVES In the present study, we examined the effects of chronic intermittent ethanol exposure (CIE) on the use of reward-paired cues to guide consummatory behaviors in a mouse model, and further, how manipulations of mGluR2/3 signaling-known to be dysregulated after chronic alcohol exposure-may alter the expression of this behavior. METHODS Adult male C57B/6J mice were trained to self-administer 10 % ethanol and exposed to CIE via vapor inhalation. After CIE exposure, mice were trained in a Pavlovian task wherein a cue (tone) was paired with the delivery of a 10 % sucrose unconditioned stimulus. The use of the reward-paired cue to guide licking behavior was determined across training. The effect of systemic mGluR2/3 manipulation on discrimination between cue-on and cue-off intervals was assessed by administration of the mGluR2/3 agonist LY379268 or the antagonist LY341495 prior to a testing session. RESULTS Exposure to CIE resulted in reductions in discrimination between cue-on and cue-off intervals, with CIE-exposed mice exhibiting significantly lower consummatory behavior during reward-paired cues than air controls. In addition, systemic administration of an mGluR2/3 agonist restored the use of reward-paired cues in CIE-exposed animals without impacting behavior in air controls. Conversely, administration of an mGluR2/3 antagonist mimicked the effects of CIE on cue-guided licking behavior, indicating that mGluR2/3 signaling can bidirectionally regulate the ability to use reward-paired cues to guide behavior. CONCLUSIONS Together, these data suggest that chronic ethanol exposure drives impairments in the ability to use reward-paired cues to adaptively regulate behavior and that mGluR2/3 receptors represent a therapeutic target for restoration of these deficits in behavioral control in the alcoholic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline M Barker
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Daniel H Lench
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - L Judson Chandler
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
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Barker JM, Corbit LH, Robinson DL, Gremel CM, Gonzales RA, Chandler LJ. Corticostriatal circuitry and habitual ethanol seeking. Alcohol 2015; 49:817-24. [PMID: 26059221 PMCID: PMC4644517 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2015.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2015] [Revised: 03/22/2015] [Accepted: 03/26/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The development of alcohol-use disorders is thought to involve a transition from casual alcohol use to uncontrolled alcohol-seeking behavior. This review will highlight evidence suggesting that the shift toward inflexible alcohol seeking that occurs across the development of addiction consists, in part, of a progression from goal-directed to habitual behaviors. This shift in "response strategy" is thought to be largely regulated by corticostriatal network activity. Indeed, specific neuroanatomical substrates within the prefrontal cortex and the striatum have been identified as playing opposing roles in the expression of actions and habits. A majority of the research on the neurobiology of habitual behavior has focused on non-drug reward seeking. Here, we will highlight recent research identifying corticostriatal structures that regulate the expression of habitual alcohol seeking and a comparison will be made when possible to findings for non-drug rewards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline M Barker
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
| | - Laura H Corbit
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Donita L Robinson
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Christina M Gremel
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Rueben A Gonzales
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - L Judson Chandler
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
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McCool BA, Chappell AM. Chronic intermittent ethanol inhalation increases ethanol self-administration in both C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. Alcohol 2015; 49:111-20. [PMID: 25659650 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2015.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2014] [Revised: 12/30/2014] [Accepted: 01/06/2015] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Inbred mouse strains provide significant opportunities to understand the genetic mechanisms controlling ethanol-directed behaviors and neurobiology. They have been specifically employed to understand cellular mechanisms contributing to ethanol consumption, acute intoxication, and sensitivities to chronic effects. However, limited ethanol consumption by some strains has restricted our understanding of clinically relevant endpoints such as dependence-related ethanol intake. Previous work with a novel tastant-substitution procedure using monosodium glutamate (MSG or umami flavor) has shown that the procedure greatly enhances ethanol consumption by mouse strains that express limited drinking phenotypes using other methods. In the current study, we employ this MSG-substitution procedure to examine how ethanol dependence, induced with passive vapor inhalation, modifies ethanol drinking in C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. These strains represent 'high' and 'low' drinking phenotypes, respectively. We found that the MSG substitution greatly facilitates ethanol drinking in both strains, and likewise, ethanol dependence increased ethanol consumption regardless of strain. However, DBA/2J mice exhibited greater sensitivity dependence-enhanced drinking, as represented by consumption behaviors directed at lower ethanol concentrations and relative to baseline intake levels. DBA/2J mice also exhibited significant withdrawal-associated anxiety-like behavior while C57BL/6J mice did not. These findings suggest that the MSG-substitution procedure can be employed to examine dependence-enhanced ethanol consumption across a range of drinking phenotypes, and that C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice may represent unique neurobehavioral pathways for developing dependence-enhanced ethanol consumption.
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Serlin H, Torregrossa MM. Adolescent rats are resistant to forming ethanol seeking habits. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2014; 16:183-190. [PMID: 25575668 PMCID: PMC4480209 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2014.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2014] [Revised: 12/03/2014] [Accepted: 12/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Adult rats develop ethanol-seeking habits more rapidly than adolescents. Adolescents appear resistant to the habit promoting effects of ethanol. Adolescent rats self-administer more ethanol than adults. Adolescent onset ethanol self-administration results in greater self-administration in adulthood.
Early age of onset alcohol drinking is significantly more likely to lead to alcohol use disorders (AUDs) than alcohol drinking that begins after the age of 18. Unfortunately, the majority of people in the United States begin drinking in adolescence. Therefore, it is important to understand how early alcohol drinking leads to increased risk for AUDs so that better treatments and prevention strategies can be developed. Adolescents perceive greater rewarding properties of alcohol, and adolescents may be more likely to form alcohol-seeking habits that promote continued use throughout the lifetime. Therefore, we compared the development of alcohol seeking habits in adolescent and adult male, Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were trained to lever press to receive 10% ethanol + 0.1% saccharin on a schedule that promotes habit formation. Rats were tested using a contingency degradation procedure at different points in training. Adult rats formed ethanol-seeking habits with only moderate training, while adolescents remained goal-directed even with extended training. Nevertheless, adolescents consumed more ethanol than adults throughout the experiment and continued to consume more ethanol than adults when they reached adulthood. Therefore, early onset alcohol use may promote AUD formation through establishment of high levels of drinking that becomes habitual in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Serlin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, United States
| | - Mary M Torregrossa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, United States.
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